Getting Started

[70chevelle]

Re: Getting Started

Since you asked I started with a great deal on a Jenn-air NG grill 2 years ago. Got it for half price, as someone special ordered it and the Lowes mgr figured it would never sell. (Got it for $350 ) A buddy that vacations with me and my family, is heavy into smoking (meats & fish!). This sparked my curiosity, and I started researching & trying different grilling and smoking techniques. That lead me to the pizza's, which I make on the grill once a week in the nice weather, which lead me to this site and building a WFO. Also, my family and I spend most weekend nites on our flagstone patio in front of a fire, hence the fireplace. I'm also ready to pull the trigger on a Grill Dome for smoking duties, and picked up a portable Ultra Sear Grill for doing steaks, chicken & veggies. After my fireplace/WFO is complete, I have to start work on my outdoor kitchen on my upper deck outside my indoor kitchen. I have a very busy summer ahead of me. It sucks being OCD. Once this is all done, I'm not sure what my wife is going to be cooking anymore?

[70chevelle]

Re: Getting Started

Quick update: Off-topic - Picked up a Big Green Egg last weekend. Got it home Saturday nite, set it up, lit a fire, and smoked a Boston Butt overnite. That thing held 225* for 16 hours, until I pulled the butt off. It turned out wonderful. If the rain stops, I'll be doing my pizza's on it tonite.

On-topic - I got my foundation completed. I leveled the top and filled the cells of the attached block and laid the first course of the back row. I should have the rest of the block work done for the fireplace this weekend.

Looking for a few thoughts on the following: Since I will have the fireplace below the oven, forming the concrete on the hearth is proving to be a challenge. I think I came up with an answer. I'm going to use backer board (cement board) us the base of the form. I figure it's has some insulating value, which should help protect the cement from direct flames, and I won't have to worry about removing it after the cement is poured, which is proving to be almost impossible.

I have pic's in my camera, I'll try to get them downloaded this weekend, if anyone is interested.

[Frances]

Re: Getting Started

if anyone is interested.

Interested? Of course we are! The more the better!!!

[gjbingham]

Re: Getting Started

I'm not sure if I understand your intentions with the backerboard. Is the fireplace's roof covered in firebrick, then backerboard on top of that, then your oven's concrete hearth?

The way you posted it, it sounds like you will have flames directly in contact with backerboard. I don't think that's going to work. They have some type of mesh in them that will certainly break down with intense heat (at least that's my guess).
Dmun?

[dmun]

Re: Getting Started

Having not even seen a sketch, I'm a little bit at sea here. From what I understand the fireplace chimney goes behind the oven, and there is a large horizontal smoke chamber behind the fireplace, which vents out the back of the top like a wood stove. Now, if this smoke chamber is what has the exposed wonderboard facing, this may be borderline OK. If the top of the actual firebox has plain masonry there, where flames will be licking up on it, I'd have to say you would want some firebrick up there, if only it's a row of splits substituting for the board at that point.

As for me, I'm not sold on this long horizontal smoke chamber, although I suppose Franklin stoves work with a length of stovepipe coming horizontally out the back. If it were me, I'd try to line it with flue tile. You can buy it in big 12" square sizes where one would make a ready made smoke chamber. The basic problem here is that outdoor fireplaces don't have the temperature differential from the top of the flue to the bottom that make indoor flues work. This is the reason why outdoor fireplaces sometimes smoke.

[dmun]

Re: Getting Started

Someone on eBay is selling a decrepit franklin stove, might save you a mess of work:

Antique cast iron wood or coal burning stove not sure - eBay (item 230248084842 end time May-06-08 10:55:35 PDT)

a more current listing:

Franklin Woodburning Stove Fireplace. Huge! Excel! N/R! - eBay (item 120257584868 end time May-10-08 18:32:18 PDT)