Time to Jump In...

[Acoma]

Re: Time to Jump In...

James, have you drawn up any plans to post? This idea of an adjustable grate for grill is great. What about metal bars with gaps along from top to bottom for the four corners to allow placement of the top grate. Create some type of crank mechanism that moves the lower grate with the coals up and down? As for refilling coals if needed, what about some type of frontal opening that opens like a chute so that you can dump more coals, wood if needed as replenishment.

Acoma

[Jerald Powell]

Re: Time to Jump In...

I was thinking of doing something similar. I wanted to include an arm for suspending a pot or dutch oven over the fire. I saw one on TV where they built a 1/2 inch pipe into the bottom of thefront left corner of the grill area and inserted an arm with a hook on the end to hold a pot. This arm could swivel to place the pot over or removing the pot from the fire.

[jahysea]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Is FB New Zealand listening? :-)
You can't beat a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc -- although Jaysea's company is the Lindeman's importer in the U.S. That must be a good business.

James

Hey, we import Matua Valley Marlborough SB as well. It's about $3 less than Kim Crawford according to ACNielsen.... And the quality is excellent, although the Kim Crawford wines are great as well I admit.

:-)


Joe, I have a friend that has a wood grill like you are describing. He also has a wood oven, smoker and 3 outdoor fireplaces, but that's a different story..

His grill is made from brick and could be described as a brick trough with sides and back about 4.5' high and a front about 2.5' high. No air vents anywhere and none seem to be needed. The bricks in the sides have rows of brick just as previously suggested that are offset outward from the wall, and the steel grill can be slid out and moved upward or downward depending on desired proximity to the coals.

His grill is probably 4' x 2'. Not a small setup. I've seen it handle a whole pig, which was up high and cooked over several hours.

[JoeT62]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Is FB New Zealand listening? :-)

I think we could do with some plans here, and I'm happy to draw this up. Should we start with hand drawn top, front and side elevations?

James

Sounds good. I was thinking of the average cooking height (maybe the middle level of three) being at a touch under three feet (it's the height of the cooking surface on my gas grill and that seems to work well for me). I figure that the coal bed should be about 6 inches below the cooking grate and the floor another 3 inches below that. That would make the "floor" of the grill about 2'3" high if my math is right.

How does a total side and back height of about 3'8" sound? That should be enough to catch splatter and such.

[Archena]

Re: Movable Grate

Not sure if I understand the question - I may have been confusing in my description. This is a grill area attached to the side of the oven but not intrinsically a part of it either structurally or functionally. My plan is to simply take a shovel to some of the wood embers/coals and dump them onto the coal grate at the bottom of the grill.

....

Oh, okay, I thought you meant inside the oven.

[james]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Is FB New Zealand listening? :-)
You can't beat a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc -- although Jaysea's company is the Lindeman's importer in the U.S. That must be a good business.

I like the offset brick idea.

I think we could do with some plans here, and I'm happy to draw this up. Should we start with hand drawn top, front and side elevations?

James

[JoeT62]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Joe,
Is that Lindemans Chardonnay? :-)
James

Actually, no - although I've been known to quaff a bottle of it on occasion. They were drinking Kim Crawford (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc. Thusfar the best SB I've come across at "weekday" prices.

Me, I'm more of a red wine guy. Oh, and beer.

[JoeT62]

Re: Time to Jump In...

build a double brick wall calculate where you would want different hieghts at leave that row protrude out 1-2" that will be your support for grill grates.

An excellent idea. I like that better than the bolts.

[JoeT62]

Movable Grate

Um, how do you move it if the door is smaller than the oven? Will the grate be smaller?

Not sure if I understand the question - I may have been confusing in my description. This is a grill area attached to the side of the oven but not intrinsically a part of it either structurally or functionally. My plan is to simply take a shovel to some of the wood embers/coals and dump them onto the coal grate at the bottom of the grill.

The thought of somehow using oven heat directed toward the grill is an intriguing one but with my newbie skills I plan on making the most fundamental and basic dome I can - and hope it doesn't collapse!

Have I mentioned that I have yet to EVER lay a brick or block in my life? I'm not counting the cinder blocks with planks dorm bookcase I "made" in college!

Then again, I never hung drywall before I bought this house, and my wife and I finished the basement ourselves, so courage (or chutzpah) is not in short supply.

[gaptogap]

Re: Time to Jump In...

build a double brick wall calculate where you would want different hieghts at leave that row protrude out 1-2" that will be your support for grill grates.

[james]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Joe,
Is that Lindemans Chardonnay? :-)
James

[Archena]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Um, how do you move it if the door is smaller than the oven? Will the grate be smaller?

[JoeT62]

Re: Time to Jump In...

What are you going to use for the grill itself? A freestanding grill, ala the Tuscan grill, or are you building the grill itself into the structure? What about raising and lowering the grill?

And my favorite question of all -- how do you get airflow through the charcoal, without the air holes that you have in the bottom of a Weber kettle grill?

James

I am thinking the cooking surface will be a movable grill insert that I can slide in or out onto embedded lag bolts in the mortar (2 or three levels ought to do it I think). I have a friend who's a welder who told me he can fashion any kind of shaped cooking surface I like out of scrap, as long as I make him a big steak when it's done. That's an offer I can't refuse!

As for the air holes, I was thinking of going the "missing brick" on the back (or side) wall route - not sure how I'll make it adjustable (or if it really needs to be). The coals would sit on a metal grate "table" a few inches above the brick floor and the missing brick. The metal grate table would be removable for cleaning but not adjustable.

Of course this is all in my "minds eye" right now, so changes are inevitable. I just want to get my concrete pad poured (damn you New England weather) so I can start laying block.

One more picture - my wife daughter and neighbor supervising the progress...

[james]

Re: Time to Jump In...

Joe,
I'm with you. I am looking for a design that works with the brick oven, and is big enough for family and party entertaining. I want to engineer it right for airflow and how the various grill heights will work -- and I want to get the cooking height and the size of the grill right.

Make sense?

What are you going to use for the grill itself? A freestanding grill, ala the Tuscan grill, or are you building the grill itself into the structure? What about raising and lowering the grill?

And my favorite question of all -- how do you get airflow through the charcoal, without the air holes that you have in the bottom of a Weber kettle grill?

James

[JoeT62]

Finally got some pictures

The "before" picture. This is an area behind the house that is a "dead space" next to the deck. Perfect for my outdoor kitchen!


My handy neighbor to be, Mike. He's a fantastic help, and I'm not just saying that because he has an excavator.


After moving away the sod...


Now we have a basic form. The shape measures 15 feet on the long left-most side, 12 feet next to the house, and another 7 on the right. The hypotenuse measures 14.42 feet of course!


Still working on getting my scanner going, but the oven will be a corner install into the back corner on the right with a countertop attached along the back perimeter, and the grill attached on the right side.

Now we await a non-rainy day to take delivery of concrete!