Okay, so the other day, I got this wild idea to try and cook with bricks in my grill. Yeah, you heard that right, bricks. I’d seen some stuff online, and I figured, why not give it a shot? It’s all about experimenting, right?
Getting Started
First things first, I needed bricks. Not just any bricks, though. I went and grabbed some plain, old-fashioned red clay bricks – the kind you’d use for a house, you know? I figured those would be the safest bet, heat-wise. Made sure to get ones that hadn’t been treated with anything, no weird chemicals or coatings. I washed these bad boys thoroughly. I mean, really scrubbed them. Didn’t want any dirt or dust flavoring my food.
The Setup
Next up, the grill. I have a standard charcoal grill, nothing fancy. I fired it up, got the coals nice and hot, just like I would for any regular barbecue. I arranged the bricks in the grill, creating a little “oven” inside. My intention was to trap some heat. Made a kind of platform, so the food wouldn’t be directly on the coals. It was a bit of a balancing act, getting them to stay put.
- Fired up the charcoal grill.
- Placed cleaned bricks inside the grill.
- Formed a platform for indirect heat.
The Cook
For the food, I went with something simple: chicken. I seasoned it up with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. I Wrapped the chicken in foil. I figured that would help keep it from drying out, since I wasn’t sure how this whole brick thing would turn out. I placed the foil-wrapped chicken on top of my brick platform. Then, I just closed the lid and waited. And waited. And, well, waited some more. It definitely took longer than usual. I peeked a few times, checking the temperature with a meat thermometer. I was aiming for that golden 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Result
After what seemed like forever, it was done! Pulled the chicken out, unwrapped it. The result? surprisingly, It was actually pretty good! The chicken was cooked through, juicy, and had a slightly smoky flavor. I am not going to claim it was the best chicken I’d ever had, but for something cooked on bricks, it was definitely a win. I’m guessing the bricks helped distribute the heat more evenly or something. Who knows?
What I learned
Would I do it again? Maybe. It was a fun experiment, and it definitely made for a good story. But honestly, it was a lot of extra work for a result that wasn’t that much different from regular grilling. Still, it’s cool to know that you can cook with bricks if you really want to! My main takeaway? Don’t be afraid to try weird stuff in the kitchen (or, well, in the grill). You might just surprise yourself.
