WCCO Viewers' Choice For Best Wood-Fired Pizza In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One of the newest trends in pizza also happens to be one of the oldest ways of cooking: a blazing wood fire in a brick oven.

Cooking like this takes skill. And if you don't like the heat, you better get out of the kitchen.

Chris Moran, owner of Boomer Pizza in Baxter, brought wood-fired pizza to Northern Minnesota with his take on the trendy food.

"I grew up in Brainerd and got my degree in teaching," Moran said. "After two years of teaching, I decided that wasn't for me."

His passion for food and cooking took him into the world of restaurants. How did he decide on wood-fired pizza? Simple.

"It's delicious. Why not!" Moran said. "There are so many kinds of foods out there, but eventually you have to just pick one thing."

And a great choice it was, now landing him title "Best of Minnesota."

The oven is the heart in this body of business.

"Everything that we do here and cook here goes into that oven," Moran said.

Food is cooked shockingly fast, with a pizza ready to serve in just a few minutes.

"Our oven is at 650 to 750 degrees, and the ceiling is always over 1,000 degrees," Moran said.

They are literally playing with fire. Dry Minnesota oak is the best fuel and gives each pizza unique flavor and texture.

"When you do a BBQ and do charcoal versus gas, when you do charcoal it tasted great, it gets crunchy," Moran said. "When you do gas, it's not as good."

Sure, you will find pepperoni and sausage on the menu, but there are some combinations you've never seen top a crust.

"We have a Thai pizza, a pizza topped with figs," he said.

The quality ingredients make it hard to go wrong. The dough is made in house, and so are all the sauces. The veggies are also fresh cut.

"People see that and taste it and realize that this is not just your average pizza. It's really good pizza," Moran said.

Funny how the old ways of cooking still seem to be the best.

Boomer Pizza serves up nearly 20 different types of pizza and a build-your-own option. Prices are about $6 to $13 for an 11-inch pizza. They also serve beer, wine, cocktails and ice cream.

Your other favorites were Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis, Pompeii Pizzeria in Elk River and QuickFire Pizza in Stillwater.