Alright, so you wanna know how to build brick grill, huh? Well, it ain’t rocket science, but you gotta do it right, or you’ll be eatin’ ashes. I seen a lot of folks try, and let me tell ya, some of ’em mess it up real good. But don’t you worry, I’ll tell ya how to do it proper-like.
First thing, you need some bricks. Lots of ’em. We talkin’ ’bout them red ones, you know, like they use for houses. You can get them at them big stores where they sell all kinds of stuff for buildin’. Go to the big store for home stuff. You need a lot. Like, more than a hundred. Yeah, I said a hundred. Maybe more, depends on how big you want this thing.
And you need somethin’ to hold them bricks together. That’s called mortar. It’s like a paste, kinda like mud, but it gets hard as a rock. Mix it up good, not too watery, not too thick. Just right, like porridge. You gotta buy it from that store too. Don’t try and make it yourself, it is hard and not easy.
Now, where you gonna put this grill? Pick a spot in your yard. Not too close to the house, ’cause of the smoke and fire, you know. And not under a tree, ’cause that’s just askin’ for trouble. Find a nice flat spot. That’s important, gotta be flat.
Okay, so you got your bricks, your mortar, your spot. Now you gotta start layin’ them bricks. This is the fun part, but also the part where you can mess up real easy. You gotta make a square, or maybe a rectangle. That’s gonna be the base of your grill. Put down a layer of mortar, then a brick, then more mortar, then another brick. Keep goin’ like that.
- Get them bricks, ’bout 110 or so. Them red ones.
- Get that mortar stuff, to stick ’em together.
- Find a good spot in the yard, flat and not near the house.
- Lay them bricks in a square, with the mortar.
- Make it ’bout waist high, so you ain’t bendin’ over too much.
Make that base good and strong. Let it dry for a day or two. That mortar needs time to get hard. Don’t be rushin’ it. Patience, that’s the key. Wait one day or two days, let it dry good.
Then you build up the walls. Same way, brick, mortar, brick, mortar. Keep goin’ up. Make it ’bout waist high. That way you ain’t gotta bend over too much when you’re cookin’. Nobody wants a sore back from grillin’ burgers. Nobody wants a pain, I say.
Now you will need a metal grill, the kind for cookin’ over fire. You can buy one, or maybe you got an old one layin’ around. Just make sure it fits inside your brick walls. You gonna set that grill on top of the walls, ’bout halfway up. Or you can buy one from the store. But you need one, that’s for sure.
And you might need a tray for the charcoal. That goes under the grill. Some folks just put the charcoal right on the bricks, but a tray makes it easier to clean up. And it keeps the heat where you want it. It is easy to clean, if you have a tray. Easier, I tell ya.
Some folks, they like to get fancy. They put a little door on the front, so they can add more charcoal without takin’ the grill off. That’s a good idea, if you’re handy like that. But it ain’t necessary. You can always just lift the grill off if you need to add more fuel. It is not hard to lift it off.
Once you got your grill in place, you can keep buildin’ up the walls around it, if you want. Some folks like a higher back, to keep the wind out. Or you can leave it open, it’s up to you. Just make sure it’s sturdy. You don’t want it fallin’ apart when you’re cookin’ a big ol’ steak, now do ya? No you don’t.
You gotta use good bricks for this, the kind that can take the heat. They call ’em fire bricks. That’s what I heard, fire bricks, yes. You can get those at that same store. If you use regular bricks, they might crack from the heat. And then you got a mess on your hands. Use the good one, the fire one.
And don’t go cheap on the grill itself. Get a good one that’s easy to clean. You can clean a grill with a grill brick, they’re good for cleaning but they wear down over time. You might need to replace it, depends how much you use it. You don’t want no rusty grill. Makes the food taste funny. And nobody wants that.
How to build brick grill ain’t hard, but it takes some time and some muscle. But when you’re done, you got a grill that’ll last you for years. And you can cook up some mighty fine meals on it. Just remember to be careful with the fire, and don’t burn yourself. Or the house. That would be bad. Very bad, yes it would.
The grill, the good one, it might last ten years or fifteen. If you take care of it. But if it’s cheap, maybe only a few years. Some only last one or two. So get a good one.
Now, go on and get to buildin’. And don’t forget to invite me over for a burger when it’s done! I like mine with onions. And some of that good mustard.
