First, and foremost, I didn't want to have to be leaning that far over to tend to my food that was cooking. I do not claim this to be the best or end all design. Week 6, The Finals: Click here for an article about how to cook whole hog and a recipe. 1. ( Log Out / In addition, your concrete drive could explode. Second put your sheet metal into place at your openings. Cinder Block - These are the building blocks, literally, of your pit. Note that Hite uses sheets of cardboard for his lids as seen in the photo above, but I strongly advise against this. Alright, calm down! I was barbecuing and going to be using the low and slow ideology. On the day of the roast, wrap it in foil and set it on top of the blocks. x 8 in. Dec 31, 2013 - How to build a barbecue pit for cooking a whole hog from concrete block (cinder block), including illustrated plans with dimensions and various designs We are finally at the good stuff. One of the areas I found lacking in many other pit designs found on the web was the ability to control two things; airflow, as well as the ability to add additional fuel when needed. I dry stacked my blocks on a level surface. Many people might think that making cinder blocks require hard labor, but the production of cinder blocks is easier than one may think. A sheet that large will cost about $200 but it might be worth it as it won't rust like the other expanded metal sheets. You should have an L shape with 4 blocks in 1 direction and 3 blocks running perpendicular at a 90 degree angle. Once the grate is down you are going to need to cut four more supports about 6" larger than the openings at each end. At the ready have a grate of... 2. Of course you could always have it cut down if you like. 3. You will notice that the grate will extend past the blocks on each end length-wise about 1" to 1 1/2". A view of the angle iron’s resting between each layer. This is because you purchased a full 8 foot long sheet and the six blocks you laid isn’t 8 feet long because your cinder blocks aren't really 16" wide. If you purchased a larger sheet you can cut it with metal shears, or bend it to stand in place. If it is a larger pit you are going to want openings on either end. What can I say, I was a fan of Lego’s when I was a kid. 2. But we put a significant amount of thought into it and I believe it met our needs and surpassed our expectations. Half Blocks - I wanted my pit to look nice and uniform and not have any rough edges. As mentioned earlier you could use 13 gauge priced at $40. I was roasting a pig and needed something a little larger. Now you are ready to start stacking block again. x 4 in Concrete Block The 16 in. My favorite part of every project, the build! These fumes can cause Metal Fume Fever, or Zinc Poisoning. 6. If not, an angle grinder, chisel and hammer, etc. ~ Materials If your cinder block fire pit is on a grassy surface, consider removing four to six inches of soil and setting the first course of cinder blocks below ground. Make sure it is square on all sides. Start laying your block and create one continuous row including where your openings will be. Start with level ground. Because I had extra materials available, the decision was made to add some cross supports to level 3. I purchased 9 gauge. Rake about 4 inches of coals on each end of the... 3. However, there will just be a little more work involved each time you would like to add charcoal, or control temperature. However, if you purchased the patio blocks this is where the first row is laid continuously all the way around. 1. Next, lay your second row using full size block and using the sash units at your corners. However, as you will notice in the previous pictures you need to place your angle iron support in place for your grate. The pit needs a few basic components; primary structure, support for the pig, airflow / temperature control, and a heat source. These will offer the heat resistance needed at a reasonable cost, as well as being very easy to work with. Click here for an article about how to build an Old School pit from concrete blocks like the one used in the finals.. Week 5: Click here for Meathead's recipe for Turducken. In many cases the heart of the brick barbecue is provided by a standard, pre-built gas or charcoal barbecue insert that has been incorporated into the brick structure. without an expensive cooker. The sky is the limit when painting is in question. A flat piece of metal bar stock will not work as it does not have the support strength, and will begin to flex. After all rows of cinder blocks are in place, add a three- to four-inch layer of … You don't have to place a block at your planned opening. When adding the second level, offset each block by 1/2 creating a staggered effect. However, if you plan on keeping your pit around for a while, try to find a place that has stainless steel grating. 2. The intention of this was to provide a second cooking shelf for items like potatoes, corn, etc. A sweeter, more subtle wood such as apple will give plenty of leeway and prevent most of the risk of over smoking. If you are not than all your block is going to be crooked, which in turn means your pit is going to be less stable. x 16 in. I will break it down into a few sections: ~ Design Theory The lower the gauge you purchase the thicker and stronger the material is going to be. We use 48 blocks to build a roaster four blocks high, four blocks long and two blocks wide. However, when foiling the pit before the cook (more on this discussed on “The Roast” page) you will have to tear down the majority of the pit. Across the width it will rest on your block about an inch on each side. One thing that is important to mention here, is the selection of metal. The block laying style repeats itself, uneven layers 1, 3, 5 have one pattern, even layers 2, 4, 6 have another one. You would not want to cook on galvanized material as it can release toxins into your food. Jeremy grinding off the sharp edges on the angle iron while Ken supervises. For the primary structure, I used “standard” cinder blocks (8″x8″x16″). However, I did have a method for my madness. Using gloves, shovels, rakes, etc. ~ The Stretcher Also remember, there are an infinite number of ways one could design a pit. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Now there are only two things left to do. He is a master of fire control, and if yours burn, they could ruin the hog. This is a materials list for the pit I built. Some people will flip the pig itself during the cook. They will also be used as supports for your cooking surface. I have seen several examples of re-bar being crisscrossed together and held in place with bailing wire. A more cost-effective choice in normal circumstances would be rebar, but be creative and use what you have available. Equally space supports (I am using 3 angle irons) and mark the blocks. Several years ago, my son-in-law, Thomas Larriviere and I built this cinder-block pit in my backyard so that we could host the whole-hog cooking demonstrations for. I dry stacked my blocks on a level surface. It is critical that you do NOT use galvanized metal. A piece of expanded metal is then cut to size and welded to the frame. Take your time with this first layer. This can be used as a cooking surface. Remember this will need to support the weight of the pig as well as the stretcher. 2 - 8' x 30" corrugated metal roofing sheets. Gather all your materials. Learn the steps that go into a whole hog cook from beginning to end. Line it with a steel ring to aid have the flames and focus the warmth. Galvanized metals are rated to withstand heat nearing 392 degrees F. It is probably safe to say that at no time during the cook temps will get that high, but the consequences if it were to happen can be severe. Insert 25" long, 3/8" rebar. If you are placing it on a grass surface I would recommend cutting out the sod first. Just construct some type of frame and basket that will allow you to pick the pig up and out of the pit after it is done cooking. This could also be used as a support for a heat shield if needed, although unlikely (a board or sheet of metal between the pig and the heat source to prevent burning). more on this later), * Angle grinder with mason and metal discs (for cutting notches in blocks to make room for angle iron), * Circular saw with mason blade (for cutting notches in blocks to make room for angle iron), * Leather BBQ gloves (these can be used to move coals around to the desired position as well as removing the pig for the flip and when it is finished), * PVC heavy duty gloves (used to handle meat when serving, check the links page for the ones I used, they were great! This dimension is only achieved after placing the mortar between the blocks. 6 in. For a square fire pit, place the cinder blocks side by side instead. If there’s ever a time to go whole hog—in every sense—it’s Uncle Sam’s birthday. A cinder block pit smoker for cooking whole hogs for only $250. I’m pretty sure it could hold the weight of 10 pigs. Burning grass will not produce a good smoke flavor you want in your food. This is a fully functional and easy to operate smoker capable of producing smoked meats. You will definitely want some help with this, so be sure to find who in your group of friends likes to get their hands dirty. - These are the building blocks, literally, of your pit. Cinder block fire pit is a low cost DIY project which will give you a gathering place in the backyard and you can spend a lot of fun time organizing a bonfire or just enjoying the game of the flames. They are welded together making a rectangular frame. Step 10: Rebar Grate Support Measure off alignment for rebar supports. By rotating, shifting, removing, or sealing we can now regulate the amount of oxygen that will feed the fuel source. A simple square shaped fire pit placed in your backyard is easy to make. but for this build we used aprox 60 lbs. It takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to build your pit, depending on how many breaks you take to get another beer. Although the build went very smoothly, there were a few lessons learned: 1. ~ Fuel Source Now you have a well constructed barbecue pit that looks good, to boot! ~ Lessons Learned. - This is going to be used as your block supports to create your openings for your charcoal. I dry stacked my blocks on a level surface. If you have a surface that is not very maneuverable but not level, you could place a layer of sand down first. - I wanted my pit to look nice and uniform and not have any rough edges. 3. As an afterthought, I decided to put 1/4 yard of crushed limestone in the bottom of my pit. Look for a metal supply wholesaler in your area that will sell to the public. A sheet of plywood laying around will do the trick. There is something to be said about building your pit out of a few blocks and some steel. Now place your grate on top. Having two sheets is beneficial when you want to check on, or tend to, your food without moving a larger sheet and losing too much heat. This was purely based on availability and cost (I was given the materials for free). DIY Fire Pit. With so many other variables to deal with on a project of this scale, adding one more just seemed unnecessary. I chose good ol’ fashion Kingsford charcoal briquettes, and I have several reasons why.