This article is about brick barbeque plans. Building a barbeque should be an opportunity to freshen up the look of your backyard, to improve your handyman skills and to create beautiful memories with your family. In addition, if you like well-cooked food, you will spend most of your weekends trying new delicious recipes on your brick barbeque grill. In this article we will show you step by step, how to build a simple brick bbq with a pleasant design. Even if you don’t have experience in working with concrete or bricks, our plans will help you get the job done in a professional manner.
Choosing the location of the barbeque is a real challenge, as you should take into consideration several aspects. On one hand, you have to place it near to your home, as you have to make many trips into the house, to get the meat and the utensils. On the other hand, if you build it too close to your front door and windows, the wind might blow the smoke directly into your house. In addition, we recommend you to consult the local building codes before starting the project, as you should leave certain distances from the trees, fences or sheds.
The foundation of the barbeque is essential for your project, therefore you have to dig it deep enough and reinforce it with rebars. The depth of the foundation varies according to the soil structure, but usually it is between 5-15”. Mix 2 parts cement, 3 parts sand, 4 parts gravel wit water until you get a compound with the consistency of cream. You could mix the concrete in a wheelbarrow or you can do it much faster if you rent a power mixer.
You have to place the barbeque grill at a proper distance from the ground, to have easy access to it while cooking the meat or vegetables. Usually, we place the grill at about 30” from the ground, while the firebox should be placed 5” below. In addition, we recommend you to buy the grill before building the brick barbeque, as to adjust its dimensions according to the grill width. If you build the bbq first, you might end up not finding a grill that fits in the space and you would spend more money on a custom made grill. See all my Premium Plans in the Shop.
Made from this plan
Materials
- Bricks and refractory bricks (about 300 bricks and 15 refractory bricks)
- Concrete (foundation and countertop)
- Rebars for the reinforcing structure
- Refractory cement
- charcoal bbq kit
Tools
- Safety gloves, glasses
- Wet saw (to cut the bricks)
- Hammer, spirit level, carpentry pencil
- Concrete mixer
Tips
- Read carefully our other articles related to barbeque construction
- Place the brick bbq far away from inflammable substances or constructions
- Work with attention and with great care, as this is an easy project
Time
- One weekend, two workers
Brick barbeque base plans
Brick bbq foundation plans
First of all, you have to build a sturdy foundation for the brick barbeque. Therefore, you should use batter boards and string to lay out the foundation (24 x 24 ”), making sure you check if the corners are right angled, with the 3-4-5 rule. Next, use shovels to digg the trenches (at least 15”) and build a strong form, with 6” wide wooden boards.
Use a level to make sure the form is perfectly horizontal and secure it by installing several stakes.
Brick bbq base plans
After you have poured the concrete in the form and level it with a straight edge, you should let it dry out for several days. Make sure you vibrate the concrete, either by hitting the form with a hammer or by using a rented concrete vibrator.
Next, start laying the bricks, as in the image. Use a trowel to spread mortar on the foundation and set the brick properly. Use a spirit level, to check if they are plumb and horizontal.
Building brick barbeque
Mix more mortar (3 parts of cement with 5 parts sharp sand) and lay the rest of the bricks, in the stretcher bond. The right consistency of the mortar should be close to peanut butter. Check if the walls are plumb and if the courses are horizontal with a spirit level.
Brick barbeque base
Lay the rest of the bricks, in the same manner described above. In most of the cases, 10 courses of bricks are enough, but you can adjust the base of the barbeque, according to your height.
You should notice the dimensions of the brick bbq in the image. Work with great care and with great attention, if you want to obtain a neat appearance. Our barbeque plans and design are simple, but you still need to work with judgement to prevent mistakes.
Brick barbeque plans
Brick barbeque countertop form
After you have built the base of the brick barbeque, we have to pour the concrete countertop, which will support the cooking floor and the rest of the bbq.
Therefore, you should start by building the formwork, by using 2×6” wooden boards and 4×4 posts. From our experience, we recommend you to fasten the wooden boards together with screws rather than nails, as they will be easier to remove after the concrete will dry out.
Brick barbeque countertop plans
Cut the bricks on half longitudinally and place them around the form. We recommend you to cut the bricks in a L-shape at corners. Unfortunately, we can only apply mortar between the bricks, therefore you have to install rebar anchors between the joints (they will locks the bricks to the concrete coutertop).
Use Ø 10 rebars to build a dense net, and tie them together tightly with wire. Place the reinforcement structure inside the form and lift it about 1 1/2.
Brick barbeque countertop
Mix small quantities of concrete (3 parts cement, 2 parts sand, 4 parts gravel and water) using a power mixer and pour it in the form. Next, hit the sides of the form with a hammer to remove the pocket of air, or use a concrete vibrator.
Level the concrete countertop with a straight edge, pushing it along the sides of the form. Let the concrete dry out for several days, before laying the rest of the bricks.
Brick barbeque plans
Lay the rest of the bricks, in the same manner as in the previous steps (stretcher bond). Use a spirit level every time you add another course of bricks, making sure the walls are plumb.
Barbeque chimney plans
Brick barbeque lintel
Next, we have to install a prefabricated lintel above the entrance of the bbq, as in the image. If you cannot buy the beam from your local diy store, you can build a form, reinforce it with rebars and pour concrete.
As you can see in the image, you have to position the lintel pushed 2” towards the inside of the bbq, to be able to cover it with cut bricks. This aspects is essential, if you want to obtain a clean design.
Prefabricated beams support the chimney
Lay two courses of bricks around the lintel, as in the image, and clean the excess material with a damp sponge. Next, you have to place perpendicularly two prefabricated beams over the lintel, as you can notice in the image.
These beams will support the chimney, therefore you have to secure them with cement-based mortar at both ends. Work with great care, making sure both beams are perfectly aligned with the rest of the barbeque.
Brick barbeque chimney details
Next, place a full brick between the beams, at both ends, as in the image. Afterwards, you should feel the gaps with regular bricks, until you get a perfectly level surface.
Work with good judgement, as this will be the base of the brick chimney. Use a spirit level to ensure the surface is horizontal and fill the gaps with cement-based mortar.
Building the chimney of brick bbq
You should notice that the base of the chimney is perfectly level. Now, you can build the chimney of the brick barbeque, in a professional manner.
Even if you use our plans, which are optimized to use as many full bricks as possible, you still have to make several cuts. Therefore, we recommend you to rent a brick saw for one day and cut all the bricks. Alternatively, you can use a chisel and a hammer, but the cut edge won’t look good.
Brick barbeque chimney plans
Lay about 4-5 courses of regular bricks in the same manner as described in the previous steps. Use cement based mortar to bond the bricks and remove the excess material with a damp sponge (if you want to cement render the wall of the oven, you could skip this procedure).
Use a spirit level to make sure the chimney is plumb, and remove several bricks and lay them again, if needed.
Brick barbeque plans
The brick oven is almost ready to use, but we still have to do several finishing touches. Cut several bricks in half to build four towers at each corner of the chimney.
The roof of the chimney should be made either of natural stone or of concrete. Lay it over the pillars and secure it with cement based mortar. As you have seen in our plans, this barbeque is simple to build and has a beautiful design.
Thank you for reading our article about brick barbeque plans and we recommend you to check out the rest of our projects. Don’t forge to LIKE and SHARE our articles with your friends, by using the social media widgets.
