How to Build a Wood Fired Oven Barbecue

A wood-fired oven is a luxury that most people don't have access to at home, but you can build your own barbecue oven out of concrete blocks with a poured concrete base. Concrete is an ideal material, because while it is cheap and easy to work with, it still retains heat well, creating a thermal mass to bake with.

66-lb bag of concrete
Shovel
Boards, 1-inch-by-4-inches, 5-feet long
Trowel
Concrete bricks, 16-inches-by-8-inches-by-8-inches
Concrete bricks, 8-inches-by-8-inches-by-8-inches
Steel sheet, 5-feet-by-5-feet and 1/4-inch thick

Instructions

- 1
  Dig a 5-foot-by-5-foot square in your backyard. The square should be located at least 10 feet away from any buildings or structures. Dig down 4 inches into the ground.
- 2
  Place a 1-by-4-inch board on each side of the square, so that the boards form four sides.
- 3
  Mix the cement according to the manufacturers instructions and pour it into the square. Smooth it down with a trowel. Let the cement rest according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
- 4
  Place a layer of 16-by-8-inch-by-8-inch bricks on the slab, around the perimeter as if building a wall, except for the front. On the front, place one brick on each side, leaving a 44-inch space in the middle, where the opening will be.
- 5
  Place a second layer on top of the first layer, but this time start on either end with an 8-inch-by-8-inch-by-8-inch brick so that the bricks are offset.
- 6
  Place a third layer of bricks on top of the wall, just as you did with the first layer, except on the back. Leave two bricks out of the center of the back wall. This serves as the chimney for the oven.
- 7
  Set the metal sheet on top of the wall.
- 8
  Cover the metal sheet completely with a layer of 16-inch-by-8-inch-by-8-inch bricks. This creates an insulated roof.

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