How to Build a Grill With Red Brick

Good food over hot coals.

A red brick barbecue is charming and a nice contrast to those fancy stainless steel monsters that you see at expensive home stores. A brick grill that you built yourself grilling at its most fundamental: good food cooked over hot coals. Grill kits make the whole thing pretty easy, and most of the time, the instructions that come with the kit will spell it out for you in detail. Keep walking past those fancy outdoor kitchens and build a grill with your own two hands.

Things You'll Need

• Grill kit
• Measuring tape
• Bricks
• Mortar
• Shovel
• Concrete
• Chisel
• Bolster hammer
• Level

Instructions

1. Choose a spot for your barbecue. A paved section of patio is ideal because the concrete can serve as the foundation for the bricks. If you want to place your barbecue in the grass you will need to pour a foundation. Dig a large space, keeping in mind that you will need somewhere to stand while cooking. Dig the foundation about 8 inches deep. Pour concrete and let the foundation set completely.

2. Lay the grill kit down on the foundation. Mark with chalk around the grill kit for sizing. Remove the barbecue kit. The chalk outline will mark the footprint of the interior of your grill.

3. Mix the mortar following the manufacturer's instructions. You can make your own using sand and cement, but packaged mortar is readily available and much easier to use. When mixed, mortar should be the consistency of toothpaste.

4. Set your first course of bricks on the foundation. Use a trowel to apply a layer of mortar about 1/2 inch thick. Set the bricks firmly into the bed of mortar. Use a level to check your work.

5. Starting in the corner of the barbecue, lay a half brick to start the second course. To cut bricks, set the brick in the grass and use a chisel to score the brick. Set the chisel into the groove and use a bolster hammer to cut the brick in half. Always wear protective goggles when cutting bricks. Continue laying courses of brick until you get to the appropriate height for the charcoal tray. the charcoal tray should sit approximately 6 inches below the grate. Use the level to check your work after laying each course.

6. Lay four bricks sideways. The charcoal tray will rest on top of the sideways bricks.

7. Set two to three additional courses of brick into the mortar. Turn four more bricks sideways to hold the grate.

8. Set two to three more courses of brick to complete your barbecue. Allow the mortar to set completely. Insert the charcoal tray and the grill into the brick barbecue.

Tips & Warnings

• You can get creative by adding workspace to each side of your grill, adding a rotisserie or including multiple layers of grates. An additional grate could be used to keep food warm or to cook vegetables over a lower heat.

References

• Gardnersworld: Barbecue