Grilled Vegetables
Step-by-Step Instructions on Building a Charcoal Grill
If you want to build a charcoal grill with bricks, this is one of the quickest and simplest ways of doing it. Make sure you have everything you need before you begin.
Dig four inches into the ground and make a level surface. Nail four 2 by 4 boards together inside the hole for the foundations. Mix cement, sand, and water in a wheelbarrow according to the ratios on the cement bag and pour the resulting mixture into the hole. When the cement is dry, push in some rebar rods to stop foundation movement such as frost heave cracking. Make a keyhole mark in the shape of your grill layout on the cement.
Install the first course of bricks by applying mortar along the keyhole mark. Make the mortar according to the instructions on the bag. It should be quite soft. Put mortar on the bottom and side of each brick and wiggle each one down firmly. Clean around the bricks as you lay them.
Check the first course of bricks is level and start the second course. Tap down any non-flush bricks with your trowel. Put stakes in at the end of each line of bricks, tie a string between them, and use this as your level line. You can move this level line up the stakes with each row of bricks you lay.
The bricks should overlap one another because this makes the wall stronger. Use a half brick if you need to, to stop any bricks sitting directly on top of another one. When you are six or seven rows up, use a metal cross-pan. Lay one row of bricks across the front of the pan to be your fire tray. Insert the grill pins into the mortar at a comfortable cooking height.
Leave some space between the bricks along the sides and back of the cross-pan so air can flow into the fire tray area. Think about the usual wind direction before you do this. You might also want to put stone along the walls of the grill but think about the moisture content in the stone because the stones might crack with the heating up and cooling down if they contain too much moisture.
And that is all there is to building a grill. If you want to have a go at building your own grill, you will earn the right to be doubly proud of anything you cook on it afterwards!
For more grill building ideas and instructions see our other articles in this series.
Part 1
How to Build a Grill Out of a 55 Gallon Drum
Part 2
How to Make a Charcoal Grill - Plans for Building a Charcoal Grill
