Next project is the barbecue. Looking to build something in a continental style with an enclosed cooking area and chimney. Was thinking about basing it around some 600x600mm and 900x600m concrete slabs.

I have some galv steel drain-channel grids for use as a charcoal deck (to keep the hot stuff off the slab). Then was going to get some made to measure stainless steel grills. One full size and one about 1/3rd as deep as a warmer shelf. Was thinking that I could leave a void in the brick mortar on the inside of the box into which the charcoal and cooking shelves can slide.

I think I need to put a lip at the top of the cooking box to keep smoke going through the chimney. chimney is going to be a square cut out of the slab and then mortared on top of a few bricks.

Cooking area will be about 410mm x 480mm deep I think. Dont think I need anything much bigger, especially with the warming shelf.

ANyone done something similar, got any tips? Am I missing anything?

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

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:

<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 ’Stack Effect’
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.

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? 😉