The Morgan's Open-Grill

e decided to build an open-pit style grill for our yard. We are using a space next to our oven for a few reasons... It's a good safe place for an open fire and hot coals, it was a good use of the weird little space next to the oven, and the stucco finish will make it blend into our "oven complex".

We had been researching traditional style Italian barbecues and had really liked the concept, but adding another chimney to a cooking "appliance" in our back yard just didn't suit us. We have been cooking a lot on open grills lately (an old Coleman unit and a fire pit in our patio table), and we feel just a simple open grill will suffice for our needs.

The premise of the design is to use it from the front side of the oven where we just need to lean slightly forward over the bench that runs along the front of the oven.

We began by pouring a small concrete slab to provide a level support and then dry-stacked concrete blocks. We inserted some rebar into the wet slab where the voids in the corners of the concrete blocks would go... Dry stack blocks and fill voids with concrete. We then made a form around the top and filled with concrete with rebar pieces inserted horizontally. This concrete protrusion will encompass the firebrick that will line the pit.