Building Your Own Barbecue

Building Your Own Bbq

You enjoy Gas Barbeques. You like cooking out of doors and also you like the way charcoal-grilled food taste.

Maybe for you there is a particular DIY, rugged self-reliance feel with regards to barbecuing: I'm not cooking in a namby-pamby fitted kitchen, I'm cooking in the great outdoors with nothing but a tray of hot coals and a pair of tongs! It's really no great coincidence that people that make their own personal burgers from scratch are more likely to cook these on a barbecue than in a frying pan.

If we extend that DIY aesthetic slightly, it's no great jump to begin fantasising about building your own.

Home made Charcoal Barbecue can take many forms.

The most prevalent is probably the three-sided brick structure with supports to hold the grill at about waist height (and right there has become the best reasons to construct your own, it is bespoke, tailor-made for your personal use and will not suit anyone else quite as properly; that's got to give you a thrill, unquestionably).

An alternative choice is a brick-lined fire pit; additional bending down, which is a pain in the lower back, however somehow pleasingly primitive.

And finally, starting to appear in the UK are Mediterranean-style barbecue 'kits' comprising pre-fabricated, shaped concrete, frequently with a chimney as well as some having a preparation area and sink to one side - now you really are moving the kitchen outside.

On the other hand, building your personal BBQ has not got to become a big building task.

You might try a rather more short-term and improvisatory route.

Circumstances to Consider

Whatever the size of the undertaking, there are two elements that you need to appreciate and take into account when designing as well as constructing your own barbie.

1, air delivery. Should it be wood, charcoal or anything else, you are constructing an element that needs to include burning fuel.

To get a good burn, you need great airflow.

Air is a source of oxygen and no oxygen equals absolutely no fire.

The air ideally must pass through the actual fuel from underneath, therefore you will need some sort of grill for the briquettes or what ever to sit on and it has to generally be pretty tough so as not to flex in the heat.

2, different foods need different heats.

The simplest way to change the quantity of heat the food gets is not to mess about with the flames, it really is easier to raise or lower the food itself.

Which means you need some method of adjusting the height of the grill.

Bricks

The easiest brick bbq is likewise the most short-term.

Acquire some house bricks, stack them a maximum of a couple high, position a grill on the top and make a fire underneath.

It is not pretty, it is not adjustable, it is going to leave a burn mark and regular house bricks probably will not stand repeated contact with the heat.

Yet it will perform the job and there is a certain 'roughing-it' feel that is quite good once in a while.

For a permanent brick barbecue, even if you're not a bricklayer, the building work really should not be beyond you.

Particularly if you take a little advice and make it easy for yourself by buying a brick Charcoal Barbecue kit.

Like this, you know the materials will be right for the job (heat-resistant!) and it will also at least come with some rudimentary directions.

Besides, the internet is stuffed with step-by-step guides and videos to help you. if it is your first time with bricks and mortar then take heart from the fact that you are building a very simple structure - just three small walls forming an open rectangular shape - and take your time, you want it to be a thing of beauty and not an eyesore.

Buckets of Fun

For a smaller size, possibly travel-sized homemade bbq, get hold of a galvanised pail (with no, a plastic one will not really do).

Punch a few holes completely around, about 2 or 3 inches up from the bottom (a hammer and nail will do or for a tidier job, use a drill) which is your airflow sorted out.

Next, make some more holes a couple of inchesl higher up and thread through some heat-resistant steel rods.

This is your fire rack so the gaps between the rods need to be smaller than the size of the fuel (briquettes?).

When it comes to food, that is going to sit on top of the bucket.

Either look for a small grill to do the job or simply put it all on kebab skewers that are longer than the bucket is wide.

It's kind of Heath Robinson, however it is also good enjoyment and so long as you are not attempting to feed too many people, it is perfect for camping out or picnicking; much better than those one-use aluminum foil tray affairs.

On a final note, whatever you build or make, consider where you stick it.

For example, overhanging flowers certainly are a no-no, as is being too near to wooden garden storage sheds.

This can be a particularly important consideration with regard to brick and concrete bbqs because they are usually rather difficult to move if you get it incorrect.