The barbecue in the garden creates a wonderful atmosphere for family meetings or celebrations with friends. Cooking outdoors in the summer is much more pleasant than standing over pots in a stuffy kitchen. It is also worth considering that well-prepared dishes on the grill can be healthier than those fried in a pan, or even baked or stewed in the traditional way. Look at the barbecues in the photo to choose the most suitable option for your garden, terrace or balcony.
Store-bought or DIY barbecue: photos of different options
You should start by purchasing a suitable grill, or construct one yourself if you are thinking of a solid structure made from stone, for example. It is worth rethinking the choice of the best roaster for the garden, in accordance with the location, needs and wealth of the wallet. The most popular are charcoal or wood grills. You can also buy an electric or gas grill for your garden.
Metal barbecues: photos and garden design ideas
The easiest way to decorate your garden with a barbecue is to buy a ready-made metal barbecue, which is relatively cheap and can be easily disassembled for transport. The main elements of such a grill include a metal box with a support on legs. For a Dutch oven to be stable, it must have at least 3 legs if it is a round model, or 4 if it is a rectangular model. Such barbecues operate using firewood or charcoal. Some barbecues are additionally equipped with a lid with a chimney, thanks to which steam is removed. In a grill with a lid, it is easier to maintain a uniform temperature, which allows you to quickly fry food. However, coatings also have a disadvantage - the more harmful substances contained in the smoke end up on the food.
What you need for work
To accurately calculate metal costs for a forged barbecue with a roof or a more economical model, you need accurate drawings or sketches indicating dimensions, as in the photo.
If there are few metal blanks, the product is made in 2-3 stages by purchasing decorative forging for a barbecue on wheels or a stationary type. You can save on the curls, but the base (roaster with legs) is done a day in advance.
Any production of small garden structures involves different types of work in technology. Much of what specialists are paid for can be easily done independently, and some equipment and tools can be rented.
To work you will need:
- machine for transformation and cold forging of metal blanks;
- mobile forge (for those with blacksmithing skills);
- welding machine;
- vice;
- Bulgarian;
- tool for making holes;
- metal scissors and other small tools.
For artistic forging, cast iron and ferrous metal are suitable, copper, brass and bronze are suitable for figured elements and legs. As blanks for a forged barbecue with a roof, you will need sheet iron, a corner, a rod and any scraps of metal that you can find if you inspect the estate. Furniture and construction supermarkets often offer ready-made decor:
- flowers and rosettes;
- leaves and bunches of grapes;
- monograms;
- balloons;
- curls and rings;
- fragments of floral ornament.
To create some forging elements with your own hands, use a manual pipe bender. It is very convenient to use a special cold forging machine. But you won’t need it if you take a cast brazier and weld the finished decor to it.
Brick grill
A garden grill can be a real decoration for your garden. You can build a unique garden grill from clinker bricks or stone that will last for years. The advantage of a brick grill is a large roasting pan, thanks to which no one will have to wait in line for kebab. A well-designed and carefully prepared garden grill is more than a metal Dutch oven. You can simply buy it in the store or build an original design yourself, tailored to the appearance of the garden and individual needs.
Good tips before bricklaying a barbecue in the garden
Placing a brick barbecue on private property does not require a building permit or landscaping notice. However, you should follow several rules when building a brick grill yourself:
- the structure must stand on a solid foundation slab (15-20 cm thick), laid on a layer of compacted gravel (20-30 cm thick), the grill can also be built on a reinforced concrete slab that already exists;
- it is best to use ready-made mortar for brickwork on the grill;
- use cement mortar rather than lime, any dirt should be washed off immediately before drying because it is difficult to remove later;
- It is necessary to build walls around the fireplace that protect from the wind;
- It is advisable to install a roof over the fireplace to protect the structure from rain, so that water will not collect in the fireplace;
- The area around the grill surface should be equipped with fireproof material for at least 60 cm.
Attention!
Do not light a fire in the barbecue immediately after it is built. Wait two weeks for the solution to dry. The first fire should be low so that the solution dries and can harden.
Standard sizes
Professionals say that when making barbecues it is necessary to be guided by optimal sizes. Below we describe the correct parameters for the ideal fryer, which will produce only tasty, juicy and aromatic kebabs every time.
- Width. This value directly depends on the length of the skewers. Classic skewers have a total length of 45–50 cm, and a working one – 30–35 cm. Therefore, the width of the grill should be no more than 40 cm. If it is larger, the meat will occupy a smaller area, and the heat emanating from the coals will be wasted .
- Depth. When making a barbecue, it is better to focus on a depth of up to 20 cm. When frying, the layer of coals should be 5–10 cm, and the distance from the pieces of kebab to the coals should be about 8 cm. Based on this, we can conclude that the ideal depth is from 15 to 20 cm. If meat is most often cooked not on ready-made coals, but on firewood, then the grill can be made deeper so that more firewood can be placed in it. But with this method, it is necessary to take into account that the layer of coals should be larger, since the distance to the kebab increases.
Length. The size of this parameter depends primarily on the number of kebabs that are usually prepared. When frying, the distance between the skewers should be at least 5 cm in order to freely turn each of them. For a small company, a length of 60 cm will be enough to cook 6 skewers of meat at a time. If we are talking about large picnics, then the optimal length is considered to be 100 cm. At the same time, it will be possible to prepare 10 skewers of shish kebab. As for barbecue grills, a small grill up to 40 cm long is ideal for them.
Height. This is the only parameter that is selected purely individually. The design should not be too low, as you will have to bend over during the cooking process, or too high, this will also create unnecessary discomfort. Therefore, it is better to immediately decide who most often prepares this delicious dish, and, based on his height, choose the height of the grill. The ideal height is up to the chef's waist, so that the arms are bent. Depending on the height of the person, this can be a size from 75 to 125 cm.
Thickness.
The thickness of the walls of the barbecue is also an important parameter. The thicker they are, the more durable the structure will be. In addition, a roasting pan with thick walls retains heat better. When making a stationary barbecue in the country, you can use metal up to 8 mm thick. If the structure is mobile, then a smaller thickness is suitable - up to 4 mm. Such a grill will weigh much less. Date: October 10, 2021
Gazebo with barbecue: photo of beautiful design
The location of the garden grill as close as possible to the gazebo or directly in it is justified, because, as a rule, a stationary building in the garden plays the role of a summer living room, where you willingly welcome guests and enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Of course, there is nothing that would prevent the barbecue from being located in another part of the garden. However, such a place will require more work, since in addition to the barbecue, it is necessary to decide on an area for a table and a canopy on a flat surface of the ground. And in the gazebo you will have all this constantly, so it is better to place the barbecue directly in it or very close. In this case, the sounds and smells associated with the use of the grill will not disturb the neighbors, and the crown of the trees will not sag over the fireplace.
Barbecue grill: what to look for when choosing
Here are the most important details to pay attention to:
- the grill cannot be too small and flat - it will not allow food to be fried and distributed evenly;
- a portable disposable charcoal grill is best suited as a mobile equipment when traveling out of town, as it takes up little space, and after use it can be turned off and stored safely;
- Please note that a charcoal barbecue must have a closing valve, which balances the temperature inside, reduces drying out of food, regulates air flow; movable wheels for ease of movement; chimney for air draft and easy ignition of coals; additional shelves and other amenities.
Electric barbecue is an excellent choice for the balcony
An electric grill is the least difficult to use, as the temperature is easily adjusted, increasing or decreasing the heat output immediately after turning on the button. It does not require practice or special ability to maintain a high temperature in the fryer. The higher the heat output value, the faster the device will heat up, which significantly reduces cooking time. An electric grill allows you to cook healthier food with a low fat content, which, by the way, does not drip onto the coals, but is collected in a special bowl. Such devices can be easily used indoors, on balconies and terraces, since cooking does not involve the generation of smoke.
You can choose any type of grill that suits your personal needs. If you want barbecue with aromatic smoke, then purchase a traditional charcoal grill. Grill lovers can prepare aromatic dishes even inside their own apartment thanks to electric designs. The photo gallery will help you understand where it is best to place this or that type of barbecue on your property.
General requirements for forged barbecues
No matter how beautiful the appearance of the product, it must meet certain parameters:
- All parts are securely fastened with a welding machine so that the product does not fall apart during operation.
- The sides of the fryer are equipped with rows of holes to ensure that enough oxygen enters to support combustion.
- The height of the sides and the small diameter of the air holes prevent burning coals from falling out and protect clothes from igniting when working at the grill.
- It is advisable to provide grooves or holes for the skewers so that the kebabs do not move. Large models have a spit and grooves for grates, like an oven.
- A metal table or loops for tools on the end wall are an opportunity to free your hands from useful attributes after cooking is complete.
- Metal has significant weight, even if it is a collapsible grill or on wheels. A relatively light roasting pan will weigh down in the soil - it must first be compacted or placed with bricks.
- Heavy forged “steam locomotives” require a prepared site – cemented, asphalt or with paving slabs. Place it in a location where sparks from the fryer will not touch flammable objects.
- Cooking is about hygiene. It is important to think about where to cut meat and wash your hands. There are barbecues with a cauldron and a washstand.
- The thickness of the bottom of the metal brazier is sufficient so as not to burn out at high temperatures, and the forged legs do not bend under the weight of the box. All elements during operation must retain their original appearance, with the exception of the need for cleaning from soot.