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How To Build Backyard Custom BBQ Pits

By Cynthia Reed


Building a backyard barbecue, either above ground or below, can be as simple or complex as you want. Folks who love to cook outdoors enjoy owning custom BBQ pits. A pit can also serve as a smoker. For fairly little money, labor, and time, you can make your own backyard barbeque pit. You can be as detailed or simple in your design as you wish. Start by making a plan keeping safety in mind, and plan construction so that you end up with a quality pit.

Pick the location in your yard that will work best. Make sure the ground is level and relatively close to your house. This will keep you from traveling too far with utensils and food.

In addition, you want to be sure that smoke from the pit does not blow into your home or surrounding neighbor homes. Above all, you want to consider fire safety. Be aware of trees that may hang over the pit, distance from wood fences, and distance from buildings.

Decide on the kind of pit you want. Choose one that you have space for and that you like. Check the cost of all materials and tools you will need and set aside the time needed to complete the project. You cannot enjoy the pit if it is sitting unfinished. Enlist the help of friends and family who are handy to get the job done. You can pay them when it is done with BBQ.

Take the time to draw your plan. You can make it simple or detailed to suit your tastes. You may want to look online for DIY projects. If you have little experience with building choose a simple plan. Laying the plan out where it will be built can give you an idea of size and shape. You might choose a rectangular pit that has sides waist high. You can also all a smoker or cooling rack.

Once the plans are outlined, get your materials and tools together. For simple designs there is no need for a lot of tools. Typically you will use mortar, bricks, a shovel, level, a grill grate, and some type of cover for your pit when your are not using it. You may also want to use sand, paving slabs, bricks, and. Gravel.

Dig the hole for the pit no larger in diameter than your grill will cover. The depth can be as deep as a brick or cinderblock turned vertically. Squares and rectangles are the best shapes to use. Use the cinderblocks or bricks to sure up the sides by placing them around the inside edge making the structure solid. Use mortar to hold the bricks in place and prevent them from falling into the pit.

It is important to ensure that the grill will sit flat on top of your pit. You can create a defensible space around your pit by laying slabs or gravel on the grass at the edge of the pit. You can also clear away the grass around the pit instead of laying gravel. You can now enjoy the barbeque cooked on your DIY pit.




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