[Closed] BBQ design input needed.

maybe have the hole in the chimney pointing away from the person cooking?

when's the bbq 😉

I think I might have the hole left and right as the back of it is going to be up against some gabian baskets. good point though.

when's the bbq

Since it is bound to rain as soon as I have finished building it, allow 3 weeks 🙂

Are you adding in a vent lower than the coals shelf? Maybe leave 30mm gaps in between bricks similar to weep holes round the back?

You may also want to have the aperture through this slab bigger than the the side opening of the chimney. This should aid the stack-effect and you'll have a hotter BBQ with the air being 'sucked' up and through the coals.

If you make lip slightly deeper you could fix hooks to the U/S of the roof slab and you will have a smoker!

why vent the back when there's a gert big hole at the front? I suppose it could help with draw at the back?

If you make lip slightly deeper you could fix hooks to the U/S of the roof slab and you will have a smoker!

removeable wooden shutter at front though....good idea!

Upturned shopping trolley. Job done.

dont fancy your recipe much

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Stoner - Member

why vent the back when there's a gert big hole at the front? I suppose it could help with draw at the back?

Not only for supplying the rear coals with oxygen, the smoke will want to rise vertically rather than swirling as the supply is (more) balanced.

gotcha.

"kevj vents" added to design 🙂

i wouldn't really want to cook on galv steel. I'd stock up on milk if you do

not cooking on galv steel, cooking on stainless. galv is just the coal bed tray.

Why, will there be toxic vapours?

yeap - will make you feel quite poorly. Drinking milk helps to flush it out of your system though

harrumph. will have to think about something different for the coal tray.

Perforated mild steel OK?

mild steel will fine. Galv would eventually be ok once its been hot a few times, but by then it won't really be galvanised anymore so you might as well start off with mild steel to begin with

And unless its pretty thick I'd go with a welded mesh rather than perforated sheet. Perf costs a fortune and in the heat it'll go all floppy

ah, but I have galv steel grids lying around whereas Id have to source some steel for the burn tray.

SO if I cook the nuts off the galv a few times until it looks like its oxidizing that will get rid of most of the zinc wont it?

categorically? - perhaps 🙂

No vents needed, never seen any on the fully continental bbqs round here:

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<smug mode>Mine's built into the house and uses the chimney flue</smug mode>

<less smug mode>You can't light the chimney at the same time as the BBQ or you end up with a house stinking of chorizo and morcilla</less smug mode>

Galv gives off cyanide fumes, best avoided

need to find a strong enough, fine spot weld mesh then for the burn tray. 🙁

that one doesnt have a patented "Stoner Beer Tray" feature to one side though mogrim 😉

any chump with a welder could knock something up for a few quid for you, (or a donation of alcohol or biscuit based currency - its job you could knock out in a teabreak). Doesn't need to be a mesh, just straight thick bars spaced close together. Like the grate in a coal fire.

or you could go welderless - notch two rails with an angle grinder then lay steel bars across them

You'll need to make sure the chimmney is tall enough to give you a draw otherwise you'll just get a face full of smoke. My BIL tried one of these and had to add about 2 foot to the chimney as well as bringing down the level of it so that the smoke was drawn upwards.

or you could go welderless - notch two rails with an angle grinder then lay steel bars across them

thats a n idea. I could do that as have the angle grinder. just need to salvage some rebar from somewhere.

if I suffer similar fate as your BIL jools, then trial and error will be the only solution.

Read up on [url= http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=&q=stack+effect+chimney&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1440&bih=770#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=stack+effect+&oq=stack+effect+&aq=f&aqi=g3&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=68769l68769l2l68931l1l1l0l0l0l0l161l161l0.1l1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=b907eeacb4efb3f8&biw=1440&bih=770 ]'Stack Effect'[/url]
All the physics have already been done for you. A good plentiful supply of clean air at the base, a high chimney, preferably narrowing as it rises so the air speeds up, drawing in more cool air below to supply the fire. Any smoke is drawn upwards and out the top.

I can see the point in maximizing the air draw if you wanted a forge but won't that be a tad hot and go though the charcoal a bit fast for a BBQ?

On a related but useless note, I tried my new Weber bbq last night. It's amazing. I got a chimney thing as wel to light the coals. Two sheets of newspaper and ten minutes! Bootiful.

We have a brick thing in the garden, and it is rubbish for cooking things on. The bit for coals is too shallow, there's insufficient airflow, and access to the back of the grill is difficult when it's hot which means sliding the tray out each time. Evidently the landlord didn't put as much effort into its design as you are 🙂

This is mine which I built around a 4 burner gas barby.

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bloody hell konastoner. When are the invites going out for dinner?

I'll ask the wife to see if STW can pop around.............

It's seen plenty of action. The most catered for in one sitting so far is 28.

Burgertastic 😀

You'll need to have some kind of device for regulating the air flow to the coals a la Webber kettle. You need plenty of air to start to get them going, then be able to close it right down to cook at a sensible temperature or you'll incinerate everything.

Not sure why you want a chimney. The reason BBQ food tastes good is nothing to do with the charcoal, its the fat dripping off the food falling on to the hot coals and vapourising that gives the BBQ taste. The best BBQ's have a lid to ensure this vapour circulates around the food for as long as possible

Final point is that you get a lot of fat dripping off the food, so you will need some kind of removable drip tray under the coals or you will be be in the bacteria growing business

We've got a built in barbecue.

One tip. Make sure the shelves can be put at different heights to avoid scorching/raw food.

Could you use an old grill tray from an oven to put the charcoal in? I looks like it would be the right dimensions.

I trust that you're maintaining the traditional standards laid down by generations of builders before you and you're starting this project before finishing the pergola.

One tip. Make sure the shelves can be put at different heights to avoid scorching/raw food.

We simply make sure that we have the charcoal laid out so that it's very hot at one side [piled up] tapering down to no charcoal at the other
This allows you to move the food to the best temp at any given time

I have to say that, even though the continental BBQ is certianly nice to look at, nothing i've tried comes anywhere close to a proper kettle BBQ with lid. Indirect BBQ cooking is really useful and very tasty. Perhaps a different build with space for something like Konastoner is the way to go.

Our old house's BBQ had a whinch to lift the food tray up. That was pretty cool.

pegola already finished don simon....hence new project.

back with slabs and bricks from the builder's merchant. They only had the hefty council ones in stock...it's going to be a mighty sturdy barbie.

going to leave a rebate in the mortar joints on the inside of the BBQ walls to take grills and trays and different heights. Might also score half way grooves in the bricks with the steel saw if I think 70mm is too big a step in one go.

will also be using a warming rack higher up the walls to give different temps.

Have you thought of incorporating a rotisserie?

http://www.planetbarbecue.co.uk/sfrotigrill.htm

Have you thought of incorporating a rotisserie?

yes, but Id make my own 🙂

Have you thought of incorporating a rotisserie?

*Ponders obvious gag....*

meatspin? 😉

I was thinking of a nice spitroast, but whatever floats your boat, dear boy.....

If I was building my own, it would have to have the following:

Smoker
Griddle
Coal & Gas Capable
At least 2 shelves (cooking & warming)
Ability to cook in the rain and not get too wet
Cold storage (Fridge or cool box inbuilt)
Ability to use as a chiminea, or one built in somewhere
I'm sure there are loads of things I haven't mentioned that are also essential!

I would go sideways, rather than up with a BBQ, as its easier to control the temp, very similar to KonaStoner's setup, would also be better for smoking food.

meatspin?

If you do want a meat spin, use the motor off an A4 laminator. Heat resistant and 240vac.

Just a tip, i'll leave you to think the rest through.

Konastoner - are you an Aussie, that barbie is very nice?
Ours is just 2 small brick walls with a gertbig lump of york stone across the top, onto which we balance our very cheap bargain bucket barbeque. Funnily enough this sits beside the pergola, which on reflection is not a good idea, as it's going to go up in flames one day.

Konastoner - are you an Aussie, that barbie is very nice?

Ha ha thanks but i'm no Ausie, just a welshman who was bored one day. All you see in the photo is left over building material from a 6 year garden build, it was doing my head in lying about the place and the barbeque you see in the photo had lost its wooden stand. The light bulb was well and truely switched on!

I must admit though it is commented on rather a lot by guests.

I Had a couple of fillet steaks on it tonight as a matter of fact 😀

You NEED a dog powered turnspit.

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4213369690_8753c563fe_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4213369690_8753c563fe_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtruslove/4213369690/ ]The Dog-Powered Turnspit[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/dtruslove/ ]Daniel and Merriwyn[/url], on Flickr

This turnspit would originally have been powered by a small dog running within it. The energy the dog generated was then used to power a mechanism that turned the meat cooking on a spit.

that is SOOOOOOOOO cooool!!!

Anyway, having accepted it shall never be as amazing as konastoner's inferno maker, finalised layout with the missus this morning. A few compromises needed in terms of symmetry and balance due to sizing, but I think it'll work. going for a 500mm square cooking area. Im also toying with making it convertable into a smoker....with a shutter door and baffles for the chimney 😉

We'll see how far we get today...

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[url= http://huntergathercook.typepad.com/huntergathering_wild_fres/2011/05/apple-cheddar-and-huntergathercook-hq.html ][img] http://huntergathercook.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341ccbee53ef01538e6c3c77970b-500wi [/img][/url]

I like the look of this: combined pizza oven, dutch oven, BBQ.

Final point is that you get a lot of fat dripping off the food, so you will need some kind of removable drip tray under the coals or you will be be in the bacteria growing business

No you don't, the fat all falls on the coals, and burns up. Even if you did start growing bacteria (pretty much impossible not to, really, and I'm not entirely clear what risk it really involves) the next time you light up the thing you'll kill most of it.

Not sure why you need a back vent, either - mine certainly doesn't have one and burns fine. I don't load it up massively with coals, though - there's loads of space around the sides for air to get in.

Another pic from the same DIY chain, with beer shelf:
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Pertinent link: http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/barbecues-shit-201107154080/

Slow but sure.
And if any builders want to criticise my bricklaying, theyre welcome to email me their Excel models first. email address in profile 😛

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Where's the beer shelf?

And that dry stone wall is cheating!

that's dry stone walling for numpties. 😉

Beer shelf comes at next level....

Get your umbrellas out, the BBQ is done. took a few days given the weather.
Need to take some brick acid to it to tidy up where some rain has made the water run.
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nicked one of the wife's pots for a chimney piece...havent told her yet. Just need to put a terracotta dish on the top as a rain baffle.
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Will get some custom sized stainless steel grill shelves off ebay and give it a test drive.

Good effort.

ha, forgot the pics of the chimney opening. Made a hell of a noise. If in doubt throw machinery at it:

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Looking good.

Are you wanting plants to grow in the stone baskets? If so there may be some scorching when the barbecue is lit.

going to put some climbers, trailers and maybe some alpines stuffed in the cages. But there's plenty of space further away from the BBQ. Not that I think it will get particularly hot except right up against the chimney pot.