Alright, folks, gather ’round. Today, I’m gonna share with you my little adventure of building a brick BBQ grill from scratch. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and honestly, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve done in my backyard.
First things first, I had to pick a spot for this bad boy. I walked around my backyard like a lost puppy until I found the perfect place. It needed to be somewhere flat, not too close to the house, and somewhere that wouldn’t catch a tree on fire if a spark decided to go rogue.
Once the location was sorted, I got down to business. I didn’t have any fancy plans, just a picture in my head of a simple, sturdy brick structure. Now, I’m no bricklayer, but I figured, how hard could it be? Slap some mortar on a brick, stick it to another, and just keep going, right?
Getting the Bricks Together
- I ended up needing around 120 bricks. I used regular ones, you know, I heard that the firebrick is better for the inside because it can handle the heat, but I think the normal bricks are okay for me.
- Also, I bought a simple BBQ grilling set from a friend’s store. It includes a tray for coals and a couple of grill grates.
So, I started laying bricks. I mixed the mortar, which was kind of like making a giant batch of really thick, gritty pancake batter. Then, I slapped some of that goop onto a brick, placed it where I wanted, and tapped it down with the handle of my trowel. It was messy, I won’t lie. Mortar was everywhere – on my gloves, on my shoes, even a little bit in my hair. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
Repeat, repeat, repeat. That’s pretty much the whole process. I slowly built up the walls, one brick at a time. I made sure to stagger the bricks, like you see in those old buildings, to make it stronger. It took a while, but seeing those walls rise up was super satisfying.
I left spaces for the coal tray and the grill grates. I mean, you gotta have somewhere to put the food and the fire, duh. And when I was done with the walls, I stepped back to admire my handiwork. It wasn’t perfect, a little wonky in places, but it was mine, and it looked like it could handle a serious BBQ session.
The first time I fired it up, I was a bit nervous. Would it hold? Would it fall apart? But it stood strong, and soon I was grilling up a storm. The taste of those burgers cooked over my own brick BBQ? Amazing. It’s like they were infused with the flavor of accomplishment, with a hint of mortar.
So, that’s my BBQ brick adventure. It was a bit of work, a bit of a mess, but totally worth it. If you’ve got a free weekend and a hankering for some DIY, give it a shot. You might surprise yourself with what you can build. And the best part? You get to eat the results!
