Here’s a quick and nasty project from the last few days.
I love grilling and smoking with my Lodge Sportsmans grill and my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, and wanted a workstation for the deck. So for a bit of lumber and ply, and some free recycled chimney bricks off craigslist, I’ve now got it.
I cleaned up the bricks with a 4.5″ grinder w. wire brush and built the crude but functional frame. Then I arranged the bricks in a “herringbone” pattern and filled in the gaps around the edges.
The Balinese bell fends off spirits that stop food from cooking. 🙂
BTW, I highly recommend the Lodge Sportsmans grill. It costs about twenty bucks more than your typical stamped steel BBQ, but has a number of advantages:
– It’s made from cast iron, and with proper care will last a century.
– Cast iron distributes heat evenly.
– The grill gets super hot (if you want it to) and makes nice “grill marks”
– The entire grill is compact enough that once cool, it can be emptied of ash (I use a shop vac) and carried into the kitchen for cleaning. The grill surface fits in a kitchen sink.
– Temperature is well controlled with a draft door.
– Charcoal can be easily added through the door flap for extended grilling sessions.
– The grill surface can be inverted to hold a cast iron griddle; now your good for bacon, eggs, and flapjacks.
You’re not going to feed a banquet with this grill, but for four to six people it’s great.
The only downside is the lack of a lid (for melting cheese on burgs), but I just throw on a stainless mixing bowl. No worries.
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Is that you in the last picture ???
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Yup... slobber slobber slobber....yum...ribs!!!
That's his mother-in-law.
Hahaha.
But durn... I seem to be cursed with the "qued for moderator approval" thing again... nothing gets posted without Dan M. releasing my messages. No idea why.
I replied to Boss's snide remark, now I'm replying to Dan's snide remark. I think I need to make a few more snide remarks of my own.
Your Mother In Law!!!!!
Anyway... If anyone is in need of a chuckle, and you like UK humor...here's a good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mo0rx82D3M
I hope ya know I was only poking fun.
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Wouldn't expect anything less from you....
;-)
I am quite fond of my little Lodge grill too. I have an 8 foot long stainless steel restaurant table to set mine on. I must say, your view while grilling far surpasses mine!
>>>Nicely done. I assume the
>>>Nicely done. I assume the bricks are dry laid?
Yup...they all just sit there in a mortar-less state. With the big changes in humidity here I don't think it would work any other way.
>>>What's the story behind the Balinese ball? If there is one.
Took six months off work one year, years ago, and did the backpack trip through southeast Asia. The wooden bell is a funky sculpture I picked up in Bali. I tell everyone it's a Balinese god that oversees my BBQ ribs and pulled pork.
Cool!
I love grilling seafoods! That Lodge Sportsman grill looks like it can really last for a long time - the grill looks robust.
Did that scupture brought good luck to your grilling? :D
Hi Jaz.
>>>I love grilling
Hi Jaz.
>>>I love grilling seafoods! That Lodge Sportsman grill looks like it can really last for a long time - the grill looks robust.
It's quite robust, and should last a lifetime with proper care (it's all cast iron). But I noticed that while the sides, grill, and grates are all quite thick, the bottom onto which the ash falls is thin. This part is not available separately.
Methinks this is a business-driven design. For those clients who take care of the grill, keep it out of nasty weather, and don't let fallen ash get soggy wet, the grill will last a very long time. But those who leave it out in the weather, with wet ash sitting on the bottom, will find that it rusts through in a year or two, and they'll need to buy a whole new grill.
>>>Did that scupture brought good luck to your grilling? :D
So far so good! Many good burgs, kebabs, etc....