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  • Masonry kitchen

    I'm a looooong-time lurker, and this is my first FB forums post. I'm building an outdoor masonry kitchen after some 10 years of dreaming and research. The centerpiece will be a FB 42" corner Pompeii pizza oven, flanked by two wings. One wing will feature a 5-foot cooking surface with a hanging bar and a wood basket for making coals. It will have a back (topped by a small serving bar to pass food over) and shorter sides. I'll be able to use this for traditional offset wood fire roasting, American-style BBQ over coals, and with the huge array of traditional cooking vessels that I've collected over the years (Dutch ovens and other cast iron pieces, cazuelas and paella pans, bean pots, pipkins, tagine and tanjia pots from Morocco, etc, etc, etc.) On the other wing will be a work surface and a rudimentary sink hooked up to the hose in summer. Next to that will be a vertical masonry smoker to anchor the end of my kitchen. After much thought, I decided on the vertical smoker instead of an offset because I think it'll be more versatile. I plan to make a floor similar to the FB design for the floor of the pizza oven - so between the firebox and the smoker will be a 4" concrete slab, a layer of insulation, and then fire bricks (I'll be able to light a fire on the floor of the smoke chamber as well if I need more BBQ space - we like to entertain!!!)

    I'm sinking 4x4 posts into corner holes in my masonry blocks to make a roof just large enough to keep the fire (and me!) dry in bad weather.

    A year ago, I built a first trial run cook surface and I've used it quite a lot for everything from roasting our Easter lamb to simple burgers and hot dogs for the kids. Last week, I disassembled that first attempt and finally (FINALLY!) laid out my first course of masonry blocks to begin my dream outdoor kitchen. I'm building on an existing cement pad right outside of my kitchen door, which is really convenient. It's a generous size - 16 x 16.

    My inspiration has been my love of history. I have a minor in historical costuming, and I'm well-versed in traditional (European mostly) medicines and gardens, but my real passion is for traditional methods of cooking and traditional foodways. I take cooking classes wherever we travel, and the first thing I want to see at historical buildings is the kitchen! I've been drooling over Hungarian and Polish YouTube videos about crafting their masonry kitchens for years! I downloaded the Pompeii oven plans years ago as well, and have poured over it obsessively.

    I'd love feedback as I finish my design and order materials. One thing I hope I won't miss is a gas ring. I have a turkey fryer, and there's a gas outlet on the side of the house that I could hook up. I guess I'd use that for maybe boiling water for corn or something? Or canning in late summer when it's still stinking hot here in Texas? When I lived in Massachusetts I used the turkey fryer primarily for boiling down maple syrup in March. I didn't dedicate space on the counter for that because I don't use it much, and I can easily store it underneath and bring it out when I do need a gas ring. Will I miss having a lid over the BBQ area? I only occasionally use a lid at all, and when I've needed one in the last year, I've just popped my Weber lid over everything. If something really needs to be enclosed, I can cook it in the smoker I guess.

    Not sure if we're allowed links in the forums, but this is the video that got me hooked on this idea, so many years ago that this dream predates my husband and about the last three houses! So excited that NOW is the time and place to start building!
    https://youtu.be/YAFG9nm-ek8

  • #2
    Plans. I have separate sets of plans for the roofing and for elevations to figure out how the various heights of counters will line up.

    Comment


    • #3
      Looks like quite a project. It'll be interesting to watch it come together. Best of luck to you.
      My Build:
      http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/s...ina-20363.html

      "Believe that you can and you're halfway there".

      Comment


      • #4
        Welcome from New Zealand!
        Kind regards,
        Mark
        My 42" build: https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ld-new-zealand
        My oven drawings: My oven drawings - Forno Bravo Forum: The Wood-Fired Oven Community

        Comment


        • #5
          Sounds incredible. How are you getting on with it? Interested to see your progress. Also interested to hear what it is about Polish and Hungarian kitchens that got you hot and bothered?

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          • #6
            Great looking plans and what better way to incorporate your international cooking passion. I'm interested in the masonry aspect of your counter builds. Love the look. My ultimate plans almost perfectly mirror your footprint with the 42 inch oven in the corner. I'll have work space right of my oven with a ceramic "egg" grill left of it followed by a built in flat top and then a high BTU wok burner. Looking forward to following your progress. Go for it!

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Gwennie & John View Post
              Plans. I have separate sets of plans for the roofing and for elevations to figure out how the various heights of counters will line up.
              Nice job of researching and planning! I am in the final stages of my build, and wanted to share a few of the things I learned along the way:
              • When I look at my plans before I started building my oven, and compare it to what I ended up with, I see quite an evolution, specifically with regards to the landing area... I like where you're heading, but be ready to pivot during construction as you develop a better feel for how you'll actually use the space.
              • Cardboard Is a great tool for visualizing the space, including heights of counters, etc,. I saved up the sides of some large boxes and had enough to make full-size mock ups of my design and a couple of gallery alternatives before building. (I used a hot-glue gun to hold all the pieces together)
              • Not sure of the scale of the plan, but it looks like your landing is about the same depth as your dome wall, I would recommend that (if your dome is 4.5" brick plus about 5" of insulation and render) you might want to make your landing 1-1/2 bricks deep in front of your dome arch 13.5" in order to route smoke properly to your 8" flue, while still keeping the overall depth at a minimum. I have quite a bit of smoke coming out the front when starting a fire, and would recommend paying special attention to this aspect of the oven design.
              • Finally, if you have the space, you may also want to consider adding a small staging space between your dome and your grill... I have quite a bit of hardware floating in front of my oven when cooking, and now wish I had about a foot of counter on each side of the dome for pots and miscellaneous tools like a brush, blow tube, infrared thermometer, etc.
              Keep us posted!
              Last edited by Sixto; 09-29-2022, 11:57 AM.
              if it's worth doing, it's worth doing to the best of your ability!
              Sixto - Minneapolis

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Sixto View Post

                Nice job of researching and planning! I am in the final stages of my build, and wanted to share a few of the things I learned along the way:
                • When I look at my plans before I started building my oven, and compare it to what I ended up with, I see quite an evolution, specifically with regards to the landing area... I like where you're heading, but be ready to pivot during construction as you develop a better feel for how you'll actually use the space.
                • Cardboard Is a great tool for visualizing the space, including heights of counters, etc,. I saved up the sides of some large boxes and had enough to make full-size mock ups of my design and a couple of gallery alternatives before building. (I used a hot-glue gun to hold all the pieces together)
                • Not sure of the scale of the plan, but it looks like your landing is about the same depth as your dome wall, I would recommend that (if your dome is 4.5" brick plus about 5" of insulation and render) you might want to make your landing 1-1/2 bricks deep in front of your dome arch 13.5" in order to route smoke properly to your 8" flue, while still keeping the overall depth at a minimum. I have quite a bit of smoke coming out the front when starting a fire, and would recommend paying special attention to this aspect of the oven design.
                • Finally, if you have the space, you may also want to consider adding a small staging space between your dome and your grill... I have quite a bit of hardware floating in front of my oven when cooking, and now wish I had about a foot of counter on each side of the dome for pots and miscellaneous tools like a brush, blow tube, infrared thermometer, etc.
                Keep us posted!
                Hey Sixto,
                Did you share your build in the forum? If yes, share the link the way you described the details I believe it would have a great oven built.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Mathew023 View Post

                  Hey Sixto,
                  Did you share your build in the forum? If yes, share the link the way you described the details I believe it would have a great oven built.
                  Oops, here it is: https://community.fornobravo.com/for...inneapolis-wfo
                  if it's worth doing, it's worth doing to the best of your ability!
                  Sixto - Minneapolis

                  Comment

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