Re: retrofitting brick barbecue

Posted by Rado (211.29.255.225)

In Reply to: retrofitting brick barbecue posted by Mike

Hi Mike,
Oven on the picture was built by Bevan & Saskia, link below takes you to this oven gallery page for more photos and originator's text. They mentioned doing also BBQ close by, I will email them if they finished it and for new images and add them in.

I don't know how much space mainly in the depth you have available in the existing structure. You could extend it backwards if needed. This oven does not have chimney, as you can see everything's being done through its front entry vent, by this way normal oven use is achieved, it is very good oven for pizza, roasts or baking of course and you could create it on too.

Best would be if you could make a slab on top, this might involve removing few top bricks including the chimney at the back. You could also fill the grate on the bottom by placing bricks inside creating new flat surface and create oven's hearth on top. I am not sure if the structure is strong. Most probably it is strong to place wood oven on, eventhough the new surface slab for the hearth could be added on top without bonding the old with new - it'll prevent heat expansion moving existing walls. Insulation under could help too. Further on build the oven refractory part on top as you would with any other oven. Insulate it well so it cooks for a long time from each heat up. Ones all done both the old and the new part could be painted with lime as e.g. leaning the two to one. Sure you can do the visual effect real nice, although focus first on the structural matters, email some pictures I can have a look to comment more.

You can mix your own inexpensive refractory mortars at home, or insulations too, just go to my "Building details" page and then sub-links from the text. Link is in every page left hand side menu. Best is to use firebricks, these work really well for ever and are not dear at all considering what will brick oven do for you. There are other options to replace firebricks if needed here in forum discussed a few times. Everything is possible, always! r

3 more pictures of the same oven

Re: retrofitting brick barbecue