How to build a Chilean clay oven

The Chilean oven is a great option for outdoor cooking and for many diners.

This type of oven is very effective for cooking large quantities of food, since it is usually done with 200-litre sheet metal drums.

General characteristics

Save time: Because the ecological oven does not cool down, the fire is permanently on while cooking.

Save energy: Once it is heated, it is easy to maintain the temperature necessary to cook with a small fire, while the traditional clay oven needs a lot of wood to heat it every time it cools down.

Very varied fuel: As the fire is not inside the oven, other things can be used besides firewood as fuel. You can use paper, cardboard, dry grass, some fruit peels, dry cooked rice, dry potato peel, vegetable boxes, pallets, dry leaves.

Differences with a common oven

As seen in the image, the main feature of the ecological oven is that it has 2 chambers: one is the combustion chamber and the other is where the food to be cooked is placed. In this way, any kind of firewood or element that can be burned can be used, and the smoke will not come into contact with the food and there will be no problem with the cooking time either, since the ideal temperature can be maintained for as long as required.

The materials needed to build an ecological Chilean oven are the following:

  • 200 liter sheet metal tank.
  • 200 bricks
  • Shaken earth, sawdust and horse manure
  • Iron to make the grill and the woodshed

Once the materials are available, the construction must follow the following plans:

Plan No. 1:

Plan Nº2:

Here you can see a step by step of the construction: