Anyone make a BBQ pit out of bricks/blocks, mortar, and steel grating?
There are a lot of designs out there, and I want to make a decent one on the
first try. I will probably make it out of block, concrete, some steel
piping, flue liners, metal roof. Just wondering if anyone had built one,
had any suggestions, or warnings, that's what I was asking.

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote in message
...
Anyone make a BBQ pit out of bricks/blocks, mortar, and steel grating?
There are a lot of designs out there, and I want to make a decent one on
the first try. I will probably make it out of block, concrete, some steel
piping, flue liners, metal roof. Just wondering if anyone had built one,
had any suggestions, or warnings, that's what I was asking.

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.


I made a fire pit out of fieldstone
Keyhole shape
The rectangular cooking area has 4 wrought iron post at the corners that are
Y-shaped at the top, to receive a ceramic coated rack from a recycled
propane BBQ. Rock has to be igneous to survive the heat and not split over
time.
The field stones help concentrate the heat in the cooking area
Use pavers underneath to help with clean-up of ashes.

I also have a wrought iron tripod to hand a pot, or can be converted to a
spit (2 vertical - 1 horizontal)
By using cast iron S-hooks, I can control the height of the spit.
I also have a motor that clamps to one of the vertical to turn the spit.

All the iron work was done by a blacksmith who likes to attend local
"Voyageur" events
To minimize rust, clean off the ironwork and rub beeswax on it. The heat
will carbonize it to the iron.

On Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:02:48 -0700, "Steve B" wrote
Re BBQ Pit:

Anyone make a BBQ pit out of bricks/blocks, mortar, and steel grating?
There are a lot of designs out there, and I want to make a decent one on the
first try. I will probably make it out of block, concrete, some steel
piping, flue liners, metal roof. Just wondering if anyone had built one,
had any suggestions, or warnings, that's what I was asking.

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.

Steve


Be sure to line the fire pit with fire brick. Something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051

Shop around for price and ignore the "replace on a regular basis"
bull****.

On Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:02:48 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

Anyone make a BBQ pit out of bricks/blocks, mortar, and steel grating?
There are a lot of designs out there, and I want to make a decent one on the
first try. I will probably make it out of block, concrete, some steel
piping, flue liners, metal roof. Just wondering if anyone had built one,
had any suggestions, or warnings, that's what I was asking.

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.

Steve


BBQ is often confused with "grilling" on a grill. Real BBQ is a slow
process, usually long hours at low heat as low as 170° F. BBQ is
using indirect heat - the fire box is offset and not directly under
the food being cooked. "Low-N-Slow" sometimes up to 14 hours or so.

Indirect heat prevents the meat from drying out, so it stays tender
and moist.

See the fire box on the bottom right of this unit.

http://assets.smokingmeatforums.com/9/97/97b5f9ae_BrickSmoker.jpeg

The heat is indirect so the low heat and smoke travels over the meat.

On Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:10:14 -0700, Oren wrote:

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.

Steve


BBQ is often confused with "grilling" on a grill. Real BBQ is a slow
process, usually long hours at low heat as low as 170° F. BBQ is
using indirect heat - the fire box is offset and not directly under
the food being cooked. "Low-N-Slow" sometimes up to 14 hours or so.

Indirect heat prevents the meat from drying out, so it stays tender
and moist.

See the fire box on the bottom right of this unit.

http://assets.smokingmeatforums.com/9/97/97b5f9ae_BrickSmoker.jpeg

The heat is indirect so the low heat and smoke travels over the meat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_(cooking)#Offset_smokers

"...To cook the meat, a small fire is lit in the firebox, where
airflow is tightly controlled. The heat and smoke from the fire is
drawn through a connecting pipe or opening into the cooking chamber.
The heat and smoke cook and flavor the meat before escaping through an
exhaust vent at the opposite end of the cooking chamber. Most
manufacturers' models are based on this simple but effective design,
and this is what most people picture when they think of a "BBQ
smoker."

They are also built to be portable as a trailer unit for large events.

This gives an idea of heat and smoke as it travels through the unit.

http://www.amazingribs.com/images/smokers/meadow_creek_reverse_flow.jpg

One trailer unit.

http://outdoorchefgrills.com/thumbs/lrg-35-2005_0502image0017.JPG

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:10:14 -0700, Oren wrote:

Experiences, hints, caveats, do-overs, facts, etc. appreciated.

Steve


BBQ is often confused with "grilling" on a grill. Real BBQ is a slow
process, usually long hours at low heat as low as 170° F. BBQ is
using indirect heat - the fire box is offset and not directly under
the food being cooked. "Low-N-Slow" sometimes up to 14 hours or so.

Indirect heat prevents the meat from drying out, so it stays tender
and moist.

See the fire box on the bottom right of this unit.

http://assets.smokingmeatforums.com/9/97/97b5f9ae_BrickSmoker.jpeg

The heat is indirect so the low heat and smoke travels over the meat.

I want to build one, but not that big. Mine will be fairly large, however,
and will probably have a metal roof over it. I have been toying with ideas
on how to transfer heat and smoke from firebox to cooking chamber, and have
even thought of a series of sch 40 steel pipes with dampers on them. I
would say mine would have a footprint of about 50 square feet.

Steve

On Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:27:07 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:




I want to build one, but not that big. Mine will be fairly large, however,
and will probably have a metal roof over it. I have been toying with ideas
on how to transfer heat and smoke from firebox to cooking chamber, and have
even thought of a series of sch 40 steel pipes with dampers on them. I
would say mine would have a footprint of about 50 square feet.

Steve


Series of pipes with dampers? Sounds overly complex.

Look at some of the pits here
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/pits.htm

be sure to check out the details on Dave's pit
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/wdh.htm

This is my favorite
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/beast.htm
Mike put a lot of research into what will work well.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:27:07 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:




I want to build one, but not that big. Mine will be fairly large,
however,
and will probably have a metal roof over it. I have been toying with
ideas
on how to transfer heat and smoke from firebox to cooking chamber, and
have
even thought of a series of sch 40 steel pipes with dampers on them. I
would say mine would have a footprint of about 50 square feet.

Steve


Series of pipes with dampers? Sounds overly complex.

Look at some of the pits here
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/pits.htm

be sure to check out the details on Dave's pit
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/wdh.htm

This is my favorite
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/beast.htm
Mike put a lot of research into what will work well.

I had seen these sites already. The idea of the pipes came from one of
these sites, can't recall which. A small network of pipes would be made,
welded together to be airtight, and then set in concrete to help transfer
both heat and smoke. It would be easy to make cleanouts, and keep them
clean with a round brush. I mainly want to make it out of block, with
concrete filling all the voids in the blocks, and passageways to be simple,
able to be kept clean, and retain heat.

Steve

On 2012-06-16, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Look at some of the pits here
http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/pits.htm

I like the cinder-block pits. No muss, no fuss, no mortar, jes throw
together and start Q'n. I've noticed 2-3 similar no-mortar brick Qs
around here. One is regular old red brick with some refrigerator
shelves. Another is red brick with what appears to be regular
concrete holding it together in a half dome style. This wuz once a
snow-bird trailer park, now turned co-op, so many of these pits go
unused fer years, their owners elsewhere.

I'm looking to get back into Q'ing, but am more concerned about the
meat than the pit. But, I'm not going back to eating that
hormone/toxin soaked crap now sold in stores. I've found a source for
grass fed beef and have a lead on organic goats for slaughter.
Haven't found any organic swine, yet, but someone has to be raising
them, somewhere.

nb

--
vi --the heart of evil!
Support labeling GMOs
http://www.labelgmos.org/

On 06/16/2012 04:46 AM, notbob wrote:

I like the cinder-block pits. No muss, no fuss, no mortar, jes throw
together and start Q'n. I've noticed 2-3 similar no-mortar brick Qs
around here. One is regular old red brick with some refrigerator
shelves. Another is red brick with what appears to be regular
concrete holding it together in a half dome style. This wuz once a
snow-bird trailer park, now turned co-op, so many of these pits go
unused fer years, their owners elsewhere.

That's my outlook, too. Brick BBQ's look neat, but are you really going
to be using it for decade after decade, do you really have that much
space, and are you really going to be using it all the time?

Personally, if I wanted a BBQer, I'd cook up (NPI) an L-style unit and
build a small trailer underneath it. This way it could be used at the
house, it could be moved out of the way in the off-season, and it could
also be moved to any location where it was needed (reunions, gatherings,
etc.).

When you roll up to an event towing a smoker full of meat, you're
everyone's friend.

Jon

On Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:58:55 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

I had seen these sites already. The idea of the pipes came from one of
these sites, can't recall which. A small network of pipes would be made,
welded together to be airtight, and then set in concrete to help transfer
both heat and smoke. It would be easy to make cleanouts, and keep them
clean with a round brush. I mainly want to make it out of block, with
concrete filling all the voids in the blocks, and passageways to be simple,
able to be kept clean, and retain heat.

Steve


I'm not sure that cleaning the pipes with a brush is a good idea. Walk
into some BBQ places in the South and the smell of 'good cooking fills
the place. I've not seen them cleaned or resulting in a fire -- just
smoke flavor.

"Jon Danniken" wrote in message
...
On 06/16/2012 04:46 AM, notbob wrote:

I like the cinder-block pits. No muss, no fuss, no mortar, jes throw
together and start Q'n. I've noticed 2-3 similar no-mortar brick Qs
around here. One is regular old red brick with some refrigerator
shelves. Another is red brick with what appears to be regular
concrete holding it together in a half dome style. This wuz once a
snow-bird trailer park, now turned co-op, so many of these pits go
unused fer years, their owners elsewhere.

That's my outlook, too. Brick BBQ's look neat, but are you really going
to be using it for decade after decade, do you really have that much
space, and are you really going to be using it all the time?

Personally, if I wanted a BBQer, I'd cook up (NPI) an L-style unit and
build a small trailer underneath it. This way it could be used at the
house, it could be moved out of the way in the off-season, and it could
also be moved to any location where it was needed (reunions, gatherings,
etc.).

When you roll up to an event towing a smoker full of meat, you're
everyone's friend.

Jon

You have changed my way of thinking. I am a retired welder, and was even
thinking of going to an old friend who owns an LPG refiller site, and has
many large tanks. Probably some old ones that are out of date that he may
want to get rid of.

I want to build a gen-yoo-wine barbecue. I have a Vermont Castings gas
grill that I like a lot, but want a real slow speed barbecue. There
actually IS a difference, although some people may argue the point.

And yes, portability is something to be taken into account. When it's not
needed, I can park it on blocks on my patio, put a couple of potted plants
around it, and make it look permanent.

Thanks. Just the kind of info I requested.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote:
-snip-

You have changed my way of thinking. I am a retired welder, and was even
thinking of going to an old friend who owns an LPG refiller site, and has
many large tanks. Probably some old ones that are out of date that he may
want to get rid of.

thank dog! I couldn't believe you weren't going metal.

I can't find a picture of the local outfit that has a 12'(?) black pig
in a trailer. It has "You never forget your first pig" painted on
the side.

Looks a little like the piglet here- but 12' long, 2 doors, on a
trailer, and black.
http://www.neatorama.com/2006/06/08/...st-bbq-grills/

Some other interesting ideas there, too.

Jim