Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post about building a brick smoker pit, written in the style you described:
Alright, so I decided to build a brick smoker. I’d been wanting a real, legit smoker for ages, and store-bought ones are either flimsy garbage or cost a fortune. Plus, I like building stuff. It’s, like, satisfying, you know?
First thing I did was dig a hole. A big one. I mean, this thing was going to be pretty substantial, so the foundation had to be solid. I made it about a foot deep and wider than I thought I needed, just to be safe. Better too big than too small, right?
Then came the gravel. I dumped a bunch of bags of paver base gravel into the hole and tamped it down real good. This took a while, and my back was definitely feeling it. But it’s gotta be level and compact, or the whole thing will be wonky.
Next up, the concrete. Mixed a whole bunch of bags – way more than I expected. I poured it into the hole, on top of the gravel, and smoothed it out as best as I could. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough. Let that cure for a few days. Gotta be patient, which is NOT my strong suit.
Laying the Bricks
Okay, brick time! This was the fun part, but also kind of tedious. I started laying the bricks around the perimeter of the concrete slab, using mortar to stick them together. I’d never really done masonry before, so there was a bit of a learning curve. My first few rows were… rustic. Let’s just say that. But I got the hang of it eventually.
- Used a level constantly. Seriously, every brick. Gotta keep it straight.
- Mortar is messy. Got it everywhere. On my hands, on my clothes, on the bricks… everywhere.
- Took my time. Rushing leads to mistakes, and I didn’t want to have to redo anything.
I built the walls up layer by layer, leaving a space for the firebox and another for the smoke chamber access. Made sure to stagger the joints, like they show you in those DIY videos. It looked pretty good, even if I do say so myself.
For the firebox,I built a smaller box,connect the firebox to the smoke box.
Then for the top I use some big and strong stone,place on the top of the smoke box,make sure it can handle the heat.
The whole thing took about a two weekend, working on and off. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. And it worked! First cook was some ribs, and they were amazing. Fall-off-the-bone tender, smoky, delicious. Totally worth the effort.
If I did it agin,I must calculate the size of the box,it is too big to me.
So, yeah, that’s my brick smoker story. If you’re thinking about building one, go for it! Just be prepared for some hard work, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s all part of the process.
