Design ideas for multi use charcoal/woodburning firepit/bbq/smoker area

[nomaen]

Hi.
I'm looking to design a multi use fireplace for my property that I can use to cook on, as a potential source for hot smoking and as a fireplace to sit around.
I'm okay with moving coals/fire around to different locations but would ideally like it to be integrated.
Someone must have battled this design challenge before and can tell me if it's impossible or too much compromise, or point me to some good ideas. I've had a good look online but can't find any thing that suits.

Thanks!

 

[PaulOinMA]

I picked up a 1940s Sunset barbeque book at a library books sale. They have lots of books over the years and contain plans to give you some ideas.

A Peek at Sunset's Very First BBQ Book

Grilling is so much a part of the modern Westerner's DNA that it's hard to imagine a time when the gear wasn't available at every hardware store and recipes weren't at our fingertips. In 1938, Sunset's Barbecue Book arrived to help.

www.sunset.com

I posted an example of a plan in here ...

Outdoor fireplace - flue height

Hi all, Im about halfway done building an outdoor brick fireplace with chimney. I have 6 feet of 13x13 clay flue liner that i am planning to use to get some draft. The opening is roughly 26x32. Is that enough height and a big enough flue to get enought draft so the smoke wont billow out of the...

www.hearth.com

 

[Poindexter]

Coming at the same problem as the crew chief of the youth BBQ team at my church, I need more than one cooker. I think I want a pavilion or picnic shelter with a poured concrete floor about 10x20 feet, maybe 3x6 meters roughly. Or bigger. Bigger is good.

At one end would be a masonry fireplace with a bake oven integrated. But under the roof several freestanding cookers, some work surface/ counter top areas, and some fuel storage out of the weather.

Right now, with no roof, I have an Argentine style parrilla, an ugly drum smoker, two heavily modified Webbers (medium size), a gas grill and a CSM POS (internet searchable) that runs at 350 dF no matter what I do to it. The last is handy for bacon wrapped siracha onion rings, but little else. And I got 8 inches of snow in the forecast tomorrow with a traditional soup recipe to push out.

I am fine with storing cordwood, firewood , in drying sheds outside the pavilion, but I want my charcoal storage out there in the pavilion where it can stay dry, as well as two salts, a pepper grinder, some paper towels, a couple oils, blah blah. Herb garden a few steps away. Spatula, fire starter. I buy hard wood lump charcoal ten bags at a time, perhaps one hundred kilos.

If the roofed concrete floor area is large enough I will bow to my wife and allow a small dining table with perhaps four chairs.

My current parrilla (24x48 inch floor) is really too small to cook for more than 2-3 people. My next one will be 24x72 inches minimum. This is the kind of stuff you have to have dialed in to commit to permanent masonry. With a roof and a floor I will have the flexibility to adjust stuff. I do have the parts for an offset smoker (currently disassembled) that can handle two salmon filets or possibly one beef brisket, but I cannot possibly do two beef briskets on it.

One thing I will add fairly quickly, with adequate square footage, would be a rocket mass heater so there is somewhere warm to sit.

 

[Bad LP]

There is not going to be a cure all one design fits all for this.
Purpose built pieces or compromise the task.

 

[clancey]

Of course you need a table--large and lots of chair--comfortable ones

11 Backyard BBQ Area Design Ideas

A look at different ways to make use of your outdoor space for barbecues and gatherings, regardless of the size or style of your particular yard.

www.backyardboss.net

 

[30WCF]

I built a brick smoker. I hot and cold smoke with it. It’s not the whole kitchen, but it has an open fireplace if you leave the door open and sit by it, grill, and smoker.

 

[30WCF]

 

[30WCF]

 

[30WCF]

 

[area_man]

View attachment 288668

View attachment 288667

Did you just follow plans and go along or are you a mason? I knew a guy in college who built brick fireplaces by hand, he worked one weekend a month to pay for school, room, and board and worked maybe one month over the summer. Seemed to be quite a valuable skill.

 

[30WCF]

I have seen brick laid before. I did a little reading on designs and just gave it a go. I had the brick in the yard that was there when I bought the house. I just needed the fire brick and a little metal. I knew better but took a gamble and just used regular mortar from Lowe’s. It’s been there and used quite regularly about 7 years now and is just fine.
Once in a while I build a small fire and leave the door open and sit by it, but it’s usually just a low slow fire to maintain the coals for cooking. I add a split about every 45-60 minutes and it holds 225-250 once the brick is warm and the air vent is adjusted almost all the way down. Poultry gets a little more air and cooks at around 325.
I have cranked it up to 700 and cooked a pizza or two in a couple minutes, but that cracked a couple bricks and I had to knock them out and put in some new ones. Good pizza though.

 

[clancey]

Pretty skillful I would say--nice..clancey

 

[30WCF]

I have a bunch of pics in an old phone somewhere of the build, but not much on this one. I’d be happy to pull some measurements if you want and share what I can if this is what you are looking for.

Warming a split while the first one burns helps keep the billowing smoke down when you feed it.

I don’t know why I can’t find a pic of a whole brisket at the moment.

But the fire box is separated from the smoke chamber with some cast iron, (actually an old wood stove). There is a gap around the edges that lets the smoke through, but buffers the direct heat. There are also old tobacco sticks in the top right where the taper of the chimney starts for hanging fish and sausages.

 

[30WCF]

Oh, wait, it just took me a minute…

 

[30WCF]

Found a link to the build. There are some broken Photobucket pics, but look through all 7 pages and they will start working again off and on.

Brick build

Ive been using a metal off set for several years and had a spot in mind I always thought it would be cool to have a smoker built. So, I had this old fish pond in the yard that the wife and I have been wanting to get rid of. It had a brick border around it and it didnt look like there was that...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

If you look on that site and search brick smoker or whatever keywords, you will get tons of builds to come up.

 

[EbS-P]

My starting point would be what do I want to cook and how many people will I be cooking for. Ideally I want a grilling( wood or charcoal) pit minimum 30”x30” that can can be accessible on 3 or more sides round?, a wood fired oven, and a nice work/prep space and a giant wok burner. Electric outlets close by and maybe 2 or 3 propane burners. If I got serious about smoking and electric smoker. Unless I had money to burn then a pellet smoker/grill.

 

[30WCF]

Ah, ok. Then check out the smoking meats forum anyway. There are all kinds of builds for outdoor kitchens.

 

[30WCF]

This is the section with all the builds.

Brick Smokers

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[nomaen]

Amazing response. Thanks Hearth Forums team. Much appreciated. @30WC a modified version of what you have posted looks like exactly what I'm after, thanks!