How to Make an Outdoor Brick Grill
Building an outdoor brick grill out of hollow 1-by-2-foot concrete bricks is a great way to have a permanent structure in your backyard designed for charcoal or wood barbecuing. You can build the grill on a Saturday and be ready to cook for all your neighbors on Sunday. If you take your time and plan everything correctly, you will have a long lasting and sturdy brick grill. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Stakes
- String
- Shovel
- Mortar
- Wheelbarrow
- Trowel
- Level
- Concrete blocks
- Rebar
- Grates
Instructions
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1
Use a tape measure to measure a 40-by-56-inch rectangle lot. Place stakes in the ground in each corner and tie string to them. This will mark your perimeter. Make sure the rectangle is not close to any buildings or play areas. This will increase the safety of those around the grill.
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2
Excavate the rectangle plot at least 8 inches deep with a shovel. Check the ground with a level to ensure the ground is flat within the rectangle. If necessary, you can dig deeper than 8 inches.
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3
Lay 2 inches of gravel into the hole and spread it out with a metal rake. Check the gravel with a level to ensure it rests flat on the ground.
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4
Mix concrete mortar in a wheelbarrow and lay a 2-inch slab of concrete in the hole. Level the concrete with a trowel. Lay one row of concrete blocks around the outside edge of the concrete slab. You can see though one side of the bricks. Place the side you can see through vertically so you can fill the holes. Allow adequate drying time before moving on.
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5
Fill the holes in each block with dirt or sand.
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6
Place a 1-inch layer of mortar over the first row of bricks and flatten it out with the trowel and level.
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7
Place a second row of bricks on top of the first row. Stagger the bricks so they create an interlocking pattern. Once you lay the row of bricks, fill the holes in the bricks with dirt or sand and place a 1-inch layer of mortar on top of the bricks and level it with the trowel and level.
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8
Place four evenly spaced pieces of metal rebar across the 56-inch span and sink the rebar into the mortar. These pieces of rebar act as the metal braces for grates.
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9
Place a third row of bricks onto the second row. Stagger the bricks to create an interlocking pattern. Fill the bricks with dirt or sand and place a final layer of mortar over the bricks to create a cap. Level and smooth the mortar with trowel and level. Allow 24 hours drying time.
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10
Fill the pit with firewood or charcoal and start the fire. Place the grates onto the rebar and start cooking.
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