Homemade Barbecue Grills & Pits

Oil Drum Grills

• Making a grill out of an oil drum can be a fancy or simple project. Essentially, all you need to do is cut a drum in half lengthwise, clean and sand it, build a frame, drill vent holes and lay in charcoal and grills. However, you can get much more elegant if you want to build a permanent backyard fixture. An elaborate rack to hold the grill, paint jobs, custom handles and other embellishments can improve on the basic design.

Brick or Stone Barbecue

• Stones or brick make good material for building a permanent barbecue grill in your backyard. Get a concrete pad to build on, and build an enclosure out of brick or stone and mortar to hold the grill. A simple option would include a small stone box with ventilation, a charcoal pit and a rest for grills. A more complex build could include a countertop installation for working on next to the grill or a smoker chamber for a combination smoker and grill unit.

Firebox Style Cindercrete

• A firebox style barbecue is usually built of brick or stone as well. However, a simple one to build could also be built from cindercrete blocks instead. Simply build a box from the blocks that is tall enough to build a strong wood fire in. Either lay a rack across the top of the firebox for grilling, or mount it inside the box to get more heat containment.

In-Ground Pit

• The traditional pit method of barbecue involves cooking meet in an actual pit in the ground. These pits are the simplest of all to build. Simply dig a hole in the ground big enough to build a bed of coals and to lay in a grill and meat. About 3-feet deep should work for all but the biggest meals. Build a fire until you have a deep bed of coals. Lay in a permanent grate or a temporary grill from green wood, place your meat on top, cover the hole and let the meat cook.