building a bar-b-que grill

[Gourmondo]

Anyone ever built an old-school grill? My wife wants to have a grill constructed like her family had when she was a kid. It was a 1950's stone grill with a chimney her Dad built. Lots of people had them before mass-produced grills took over. You see them in state parks sometimes. She wants something that can handle both charcoal and gas. She's already had the gas line run to the spot she's picked out. She's not really interested in a drop-in gas grill because she is tired of having expensive grills disintegrate on her in this climate after a few years, so she just wants something fairly basic and sturdy. She is the chief grillmaster in our family and uses it a lot. We need a large grilling area that can handle a large Mardi Gras crowd. Anyone know someone who might be able do a job like this?

There some pictures of the kind of thing I'm talking about here:
http://www.vestalmfg.com/PDF/OutdoorFir ... rilles.pdf

Also, if you were designing/updating your patio, what things would you want that you don't have now?

[EatinAintCheatin]

Check out this website for grilling. It has a section for custom built grills which may have some useful info. And the posters on this site are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

EAC

http://www.bbqsource-forums.com/invboard/index.php

[Oyster]

Wow! Thanks Gmondo. That link was a blast to the past. The WAY past!

I had an uncle that had a masonary pit. Thing was huge, with chiminey. This was before the original portable grill pits became popular in the 60's. Very similar to that design, although no grill unit, just grates. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, sitting in a screened area, and I can remember drinking Regal/Jax/Falstaff/Dixies as a youngster while being engulfed in smoke!

Only thing I remember about it's usefulness was what my uncle said when asked if he liked it. The answer was: "I hate that SOB, it ain't nuttin but a G-- Damned Roach Pit!

[Isabella Maja]

Only thing I remember about it's usefulness was what my uncle said when asked if he liked it.
The answer was:
"I hate that SOB, it ain't nuttin but a G-- Damned Roach Pit!

Ya know, I always wanted one of these chimney type big hunky boulder type pits. But I never got one cuz I wondered the same thing. Would it just be a condo for roaches & rats? :eek:

And the throwback in time model shown in the brochure here with that storage space - well, that storage space would be mildewed soon.
Of course, unless you bleached it out once a week.

I often see beautiful outdoor kitchens & outdoor living/dining rooms.
I'd love that. But c'mom, who are we kidding?
We just don't live in that kind of climate. And I wouldn't want to.

But still . . . .

[Gourmondo]

Thanks for the replies. That's a good site, EAC. I hadn't considered the critter angle, but that's a good point; we sure as hell don't need any more of those.

And Isabella you are right about those neat pics of outdoor kitchens - I am always wondering where the layer of green slime is. A lot of those arrangements are fine in Sedona or West Texas, but this climate is hard on outdoor things even when they're protected from the elements.

Myself, I'd rather shell out for a new portable ever so often. As much as we use it, it's still not a bad deal, relatively speaking.

[globe9]

A good friend of mine constructed an outdoor kitchen in his backyard. He used cinder blocks and built up a small wall where he dropped in a Jenn-Air grill top. He covered the cinder block in stucco and painted to match the color of his house. On the top surface he used flagstone. He had the gas line run to this. He's been having this for about 5 years now and so far no mildew, roaches, rats, etc. The grill has stood up the elements well. He has a cover for it, but other than that, this thing isn't even covered by a patio cover or anything.

I really like this design and was considering making one myself. It's a fairly inexpensive way to build a good looking grill(the grill itself probably cost more than all of the materials put together LOL)

[Isabella Maja]

A good friend of mine constructed an outdoor kitchen in his backyard. He used cinder blocks and built up a small wall where he dropped in a Jenn-Air grill top. He covered the cinder block in stucco and painted to match the color of his house. On the top surface he used flagstone. He had the gas line run to this. He's been having this for about 5 years now and so far no mildew, roaches, rats, etc. The grill has stood up the elements well. He has a cover for it, but other than that, this thing isn't even covered by a patio cover or anything.

I really like this design and was considering making one myself. It's a fairly inexpensive way to build a good looking grill(the grill itself probably cost more than all of the materials put together LOL)

Would you snap a few pics for us. I'd like to see it.

Personally, I was thinking charcoal.

[Jerry]

What about a Big Green Egg?