Build your own Barbecue

Westindieman

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Anybody done this and sourced the grill tray and shelves at a reasonable price? Im shocked at how expensive it is to buy those DIY bits separately and it seems to work out around half the price of buying a decent barbecue around £150, why is that? Are those the most expensive bits on a barbecue?


http://www.blackknightdirect.co.uk/?gclid=CLWR9KqgsrEC****tAodDh4Adw

£30 for a grill!
 
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HI,

If you live in the UK, then building your own, permanent barbecue area in your garden, is prohibitively expensive, as well as being expensive for the amount of times each year you may actually get to use it. (How many times in the past year, has it been good enough weather to get a barbie out, and start cooking with it? Twice? Three times maybe?)

My parents wanted to do this a few years ago, but when you start adding-up all of the actual costs involved, versus the money you can spend on a decent BBQ itself, it doesn't add up.

If I were you, if you really feel it's something you want to invest money in, just spend £100 on a decent stand-alone BBQ. Don't try building-one, as it simply won't be worth your time, energy and hassle.


Pooch
 
Try searching for 'replacement bbq grill. replacement bbq grill | eBay Any cheaper?



What design are you going for? Im planning to make my own from an old beer keg as below..

 
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HI,

If you live in the UK, then building your own, permanent barbecue area in your garden, is prohibitively expensive, as well as being expensive for the amount of times each year you may actually get to use it. (How many times in the past year, has it been good enough weather to get a barbie out, and start cooking with it? Twice? Three times maybe?)

My parents wanted to do this a few years ago, but when you start adding-up all of the actual costs involved, versus the money you can spend on a decent BBQ itself, it doesn't add up.

If I were you, if you really feel it's something you want to invest money in, just spend £100 on a decent stand-alone BBQ. Don't try building-one, as it simply won't be worth your time, energy and hassle.


Pooch

You make a really good point there but isnt it the same point with a standalone?
I have just found this
Bar-Be-Quick Build in Grill and Bake with Oven - All barbecues - Barbecues - Garden - Home & garden - Sainsbury's

and if I spent £20 on the bricks and half a day building it I think it would be so satisfying.

Ari33 I cant see your keg (dont know if its due to restrictions at work) but like that idea too as I love that smoked flavour they give and wonder if anyone could advise if you still get that from gas BBQs?
Mine isnt going to be gas btw but I did wonder if charcoal gives a different flavour to gas BBQs.
 
I disagree in part. If you have the bricks already available, as my brother-in-law did, then it is worth doing as you can just remove the grills when it's not in use. I think he bought his from Amazon; something similar to this.
 
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Westindieman, do you know what could look exactly like a BBQ grill (after an angle-grinder/ hacksaw has met it)?

A shopping trolley! Why not try asking your local supermarket if they have any that are being binned?

Just an idea ;)
 
Hi Westindieman,

You make a really good point there but isnt it the same point with a standalone?

Well, yes, I guess it is. I was thinking that if you loved barbecue's, buying a ready-made one will cost you less than building one yourself. So, whilst you may only get to use your barbecue a couple of times a year, you can at least keep it in a shed (to stop it getting rusty/weather-damaged/covered in bird poo, dead insects and bugs, spiderswebs, etc). Plus, it won't take up so much space in your garden.

Seeing a home-built barbecue pit that rarely gets used, may depress you, and be a constant reminder of how much money and time you spent buidling it, and how little time you spend using it.

Hope that clarifies things. :)


Pooch
 
I built one (a brick one) with grill and an oven bit under the coal tray (amazing cooking a roast in there while burgers etc are cooking on top). Cost £35 for the grill bit and oven from Argos (no longer available, it seems), and about 100 bricks + mortar. Got the bricks for £20 or so, and used about 3 bags or mortar at £3.50 each. Best decision I ever made.

edit: Like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Premium-B...rden_BBQ_s_Accessories_LE&hash=item4aba29c15d

But built higher...
 
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When we moved into our house they had a brick built one, they also put a roof on it so they could BBQ when the weather was bad.
 
When we moved into our house they had a brick built one, they also put a roof on it so they could BBQ when the weather was bad.

That seems a silly idea. Why would anyone want to spend time making a barbecue, getting it all nice and hot, cooking the food, only to be doing so in miserable weather, and then having everyone eat indoors? :confused:

Surely the whole point of having a barbecue, is that you can cook and eat outside?


Pooch
 
That seems a silly idea. Why would anyone want to spend time making a barbecue, getting it all nice and hot, cooking the food, only to be doing so in miserable weather, and then having everyone eat indoors? :confused:

Surely the whole point of having a barbecue, is that you can cook and eat outside?


Pooch

Surely the point in a barbecue is so you can barbecue food?

Eating outside is a nice addition if you can get it but you dont need to :)
 
That seems a silly idea. Why would anyone want to spend time making a barbecue, getting it all nice and hot, cooking the food, only to be doing so in miserable weather, and then having everyone eat indoors? :confused:

Surely the whole point of having a barbecue, is that you can cook and eat outside?


Pooch

Surely the point of a barbecue is to eat bbq food?

Also when it is hot and sunny the chef may not want to stand in the sun for a long time.
 
Westindieman, do you know what could look exactly like a BBQ grill (after an angle-grinder/ hacksaw has met it)?

A shopping trolley! Why not try asking your local supermarket if they have any that are being binned?

Just an idea ;)

Lol yea, it would only cost me a pound too lol.


I just read the rest about trolleys being binned. Thought you were suggesting I make off with one.
Thanks though, would prefer a proper made grill.
 
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Lol yea, it would only cost me a pound too lol.


I just read the rest about trolleys being binned. Thought you were suggesting I make off with one.
Thanks though, would prefer a proper made grill.


its a good point though. If you could get enough trolleys you could buy an angle grinder and have a nice sideline of flogging grill trays on ebay :laugh:
 
That seems a silly idea. Why would anyone want to spend time making a barbecue, getting it all nice and hot, cooking the food, only to be doing so in miserable weather, and then having everyone eat indoors? :confused:

Surely the whole point of having a barbecue, is that you can cook and eat outside?


Pooch

I'm sure you could disagree with yourself in an empty room. :D

It's about the taste, not the weather.
 
I'm sure you could disagree with yourself in an empty room. :D

It's about the taste, not the weather.

Back to my question about the taste. Dont you lose that with gas barbecues?
 
Back to my question about the taste. Dont you lose that with gas barbecues?

I think there are Gas BBQ's that come close. But I think you have to spend a bit of money.

I have a brick built one, we made with some cheap left over bricks a mate didn't want. It's been standing for 17 years, and I love it. So I may be a bit biased against gas. Having said that the brother in law has an expensive gas one, and the food always tastes nice.
 
I really want to build one but not sure where I could put one in my garden and it still be in a good place for cooking.

I have a fire pit with grill which I currently use and it's nice to have a bbq then stick on a few logs.
 
The BBQ taste/flavour is usually about the fat dripping out of the meat and burning on the charcoal.

Cheap gas BBQs don't handle this well at all.

More expensive ones that are designed right have 'flavouriser' bars so the meat fats drip onto them and gets burnt up similar to as it would with charcoal.

If you BBQ a lot, it's worth spending the money on a decent gas BBQ, or a brick built one.
 
The BBQ taste/flavour is usually about the fat dripping out of the meat and burning on the charcoal.

Cheap gas BBQs don't handle this well at all.

More expensive ones that are designed right have 'flavouriser' bars so the meat fats drip onto them and gets burnt up similar to as it would with charcoal.

If you BBQ a lot, it's worth spending the money on a decent gas BBQ, or a brick built one.

Spot on, I have a £99 one from B&Q, it was ok for the first 2 years, but now the flame diffuser has rusted.

I want to get a Weber Gas next.
 
If you live in the UK, then building your own, permanent barbecue area in your garden, is prohibitively expensive, as well as being expensive for the amount of times each year you may actually get to use it. (How many times in the past year, has it been good enough weather to get a barbie out, and start cooking with it? Twice? Three times maybe?)

I bought a new bbq at the weekend and have used it four times already and even in this very poor summer I used the old one a couple of dozen times at least.
 
Back to my question about the taste. Dont you lose that with gas barbecues?

Grilling directly over the charcoal or something heated by gas, i don't notice much difference in the outcome. Lump wood charcoal maybe imparts some extra flavour but it's a close call.

Indirect cooking, and especially BBQ where you cook low (110C) and slow (>6h) with smoke, charcoal comes into its own.

My neighbour and i want to build a stick burning pit this autumn looking for a tank the right size at the moment.
 
Brick Built BBQ for coal is the way forward. I have recently learnt how to smoke the meat and it makes a lot of difference.

The stainless grills i used were custom made for the size i wanted as the grill area has two shelves one for longer smoking and one for grilling. These are 1.2m x 0.4m

I then have a chimney that goes through a slate roof too keep the weather off.

Since these photo's i have added some stainless sheet to the sides to keep wind from blowing over it and disturbing my smoke parcels.

One of the pics shows a friend of mine from texas giving his opinion that i should have gone bigger lol
 

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mmm some of the pics failed to load will try photo bucket in a bit.

Go brick built over gas. I now BBQ in all weathers and i just do it patiently. Did one over the weekend took 3.5 hours from lighting it to eating but the food was superb.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z113/MattS-17/IMG_0242.jpg
 
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