How to Make an Offset Brick Smoker

Choose a location in your yard for the smoker. Keep in mind that once you build the smoker, you cannot move it. Mark an outline approximately 2 feet by 3 feet on the ground with a shovel. Use the shovel to scrape off the grass and 2 inches of the dirt underneath the grass.

Pack down the exposed dirt with your shovel. Cover the dirt with a 1-inch layer of sand. Spray the top of the sand with water from a garden hose and pack it again. Apply a layer of premixed concrete to the top of the sand with a trowel. The concrete should sit even with the surrounding soil. Let the concrete dry for 24 hours.

Cover the top of the concrete with a 1-inch layer of fresh concrete. Apply a layer of premixed mortar ½ inch thick on the sides of a brick, and press it against the fresh concrete. Add mortar to each brick and place it on the concrete until you completely cover the base.

Apply a 1-inch layer of mortar to the top of your first layer. Cover the sides of a brick with mortar and set it down on the bottom layer of bricks. Continue until you create a second layer of bricks. Keep stacking the bricks until it reaches a height of 3 feet.

Measure 12 inches across the top of the bricks and mark the spot. This gives you a firebox 12 inches long and a cooking area 24 inches long, minus the size of the bricks. Spread a layer of mortar on the market spot, and press a metal pipe 2-by-6-inches on the mortar. The pipe pushes the smoke into the cooking area.

Apply a layer of mortar to the edges of the firebox area. Stack the bricks 12 inches high, leaving the front of the firebox exposed. Move to the cooking area, and place two layers of bricks around all sides. Stack the bricks 12 inches high from the top layer and leave the front exposed. Cover the tops of each side with more bricks and mortar.

Attach a brick fireplace door to the damper. Drill through the brick with an electric drill and affix the screws for the door into those holes. Repeat the process with the opening on the cooking area. The fireplace doors keep the smoke inside, but they can be opened and closed when needed.