So, I’ve been itching to get a grill going in my backyard, you know? Finally took the plunge and decided to build one myself. I used bricks ’cause, well, they look cool and seemed doable.
First, I gathered up a bunch of bricks. I think I grabbed about 120 of ’em, just to be safe. Figured I might mess up a few along the way, or maybe I’d want to make the grill a bit bigger. Better to have too many than not enough, right? Then I got a simple grilling set. It has a tray for the coals and a grill grate.
Next up, I started laying out the bricks in the shape I wanted. It was kind of like playing with giant LEGOs. I didn’t use any mortar or anything at first, just stacked them up to see how it would look. Moved them around a bunch until I was happy with the size and shape. Oh boy, I kept changing my mind about how tall I wanted it. It took some time to figure that out.
Once I had the layout down, I started mortaring the bricks together. I watched some videos online about how to do it. It’s messy, I won’t lie. But it’s kind of fun, too. You spread the mortar on, stick the brick on, tap it into place. Repeat a whole bunch of times. I started with a simple, rectangular shape. Nothing fancy, just four walls. I made sure to leave some gaps at the bottom for air to get in. That’s important for the fire, I learned.
I built it up row by row, checking every now and then to make sure it was level. My back started to ache a little bit. I took a few breaks here and there. Drank some water, rested a bit. Then back to it. It took the whole weekend, but I got it done. It’s not perfect, but hey, I built it myself. I placed the coal tray in the bottom and then put the grill grate on top.
I let the mortar dry for a few days. The first time I fired it up, I only lit a small fire. The guy in one of the videos I watched said it was important to let it dry out slowly. It changed color a little, but that’s normal. I cooked some hot dogs and burgers. They tasted amazing, even if I do say so myself.
Here are a few tips based on my experience:
- Get more bricks than you think you need. It’s better to have extra.
- Take your time with the layout. Move the bricks around until you’re happy with it.
- Watch some videos on how to lay bricks. It’s not as easy as it looks.
- Be prepared for a mess. Mortar gets everywhere.
- Let the mortar dry completely before using the grill.
- Start with small fires. Don’t go crazy on the first go.
It was a really fun project. And now I have a sweet brick grill in my backyard. If I can do it, you probably can, too.
