Okay, so, I’ve been wanting to build a brick smokehouse for a while now. I mean, who doesn’t love some good smoked meat? I finally decided to take the plunge and get it done. First thing I did was watch a bunch of videos online and sketched out a rough plan. You know, just to get a general idea of what I was getting myself into.
Planning and Prepping
Once I had a basic plan, I gathered all the materials. This was a bit of a chore, I’ll admit. I drove around to a few different hardware stores to get all the bricks, mortar, and other supplies. I definitely got my workout in that day, loading and unloading all those heavy bricks. My back was not happy, but I pushed through it.
Laying the Foundation
Next up, I dug out the foundation. This was probably the hardest part, to be honest. The ground was hard as a rock. I spent a whole day just digging and leveling. Let me tell you, I was sweating buckets. But, you know, no pain, no gain, right?
Building the Walls
After the foundation was set, I started laying the bricks. I’m no professional bricklayer, so it took some time to get the hang of it. There were definitely some wonky-looking parts, but hey, it’s my first time. I mixed the mortar, which was a messy job, and slowly but surely, the walls started to take shape. It was actually pretty cool seeing it come together.
Adding the Roof and Door
Once the walls were up, I built a simple wooden frame for the roof and covered it with some metal sheets I found. For the door, I just used some scrap wood and fashioned a basic door with some hinges. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
The First Smoke
Finally, the moment of truth. I fired up the smokehouse for the first time. I threw in some wood chips and a few racks of ribs. The smell was amazing. After a few hours, I pulled out the ribs. They were perfectly smoked and tasted delicious! All that hard work definitely paid off.
Conclusion
Building this smokehouse was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it. I learned a lot along the way, and now I have a sweet setup for smoking all kinds of meat. If you’re thinking about building one yourself, I say go for it! Just be prepared for some hard work and a lot of sweat. But trust me, the end result is worth it.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
- Take your time and enjoy the process.
- The first bite of smoked meat will make it all worthwhile.
I might add some more stuff to it later, like maybe a thermometer or some shelves. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Happy smoking, everyone!
