Do-it-yourself vertical barbecue grill: features of a vertical barbecue

Although such a dish as barbecue is of eastern origin, we all simply adore meat cooked in this way, without even knowing which country is its homeland. Yes, and it’s difficult to determine, since practically in each of the Turkic-speaking countries there is a consonant name for this dish.

Only one thing can be said: a barbecue is required for its preparation. The name of its inventor is also unknown. We only know that the coals should be below, and the meat should be placed above them. And here’s the national “lefty” A. P. Loginov took and refuted this axiom, inventing a vertical barbecue. For what? It's just that his wife is a supporter of healthy food, and according to some reports, food cooked over an open fire is harmful to the body.

Features of the vertical barbecue

Regardless of their appearance, all classic barbecue grills work according to the following principle: pieces of meat are placed on coals on skewers.

Melting fat falls on hot coals and saturates the smoke with benzopyrene. It is a very powerful carcinogen that is harmful to the body.

A feature of the vertical design of the barbecue is that with this arrangement, smoke does not impregnate pieces of meat.

Outwardly, such a barbecue looks like a box, inside of which a grid for fuel is installed. Smoke along with harmful substances, rising vertically upward, does not come into contact with meat. The skewers themselves are centered around the roasting pan.

Due to some distance from the coals, the meat is fried on the side that is directly turned to the fryer.

As fuel, you can use not only firewood, but also finished coals.

Skewers are installed in fasteners that are located on the sidewalls. The grate protects them from contact with fuel. Above the fryer itself, you can place a platform, install a kettle or pan on it and combine the preparation of two dishes.

The lower part of the structure is in the form of a grill. It is on it that fuel (firewood or coals) is located. Cell sizes should not allow coal to fall out. Only ash has such an opportunity.

A drip tray is installed at the bottom.

Reference! Since meat is affected by heat and hot air, the cooking process does not take much time, and the meat itself is fried evenly.

Leaking fat accumulates in the pan. Due to this, it does not burn, soot and smoke are not formed from it. The meat has a characteristic aroma for this dish, and the surface of the barbecue is not covered with soot.

Unlike the grill of a horizontal design, this arrangement has a number of positive qualities:

1. The safety of the finished dish. Due to the design of the barbecue, it is possible to arrange the meat out of contact with fire, which prevents smoke from entering the product. Despite the fact that the meat is far from coal, the effect of frying is quite high, regardless of the amount of coal. The meat is cooked under the influence of heat, which comes from the body and smoke.
2. The increased capacity. The special design of the barbecue allows you to fix skewers immediately from all sides. If the roasting pan is large, it is possible to simultaneously load up to seven kilograms of meat.
3. Multifunctionality. At the same time, you can cook several dishes: barbecue directly, and on the platform installed on top, you can cook others.
4. The uniqueness of the design. Plates for installing skewers have special grooves that allow you to change the distance from the fryer.
5. Fire safety. Coals are separated from the product by a grid, which eliminates the possibility of moving fire to neighboring objects.

DIY vertical barbecue

If you have some skills, free time and the place where the work will be carried out, a similar design can be made independently. At the same time, such an unusual brazier will not require engineering education, but the ability to work with angle grinders and welding will not be superfluous.

Closed option

For work, you can use a variety of materials. Cast Iron - It is resistant to wear, but it is difficult to handle. Galvanized steel looks beautiful, but when the temperature becomes very high, it can emit harmful substances. However, it is unlikely to achieve such heating during barbecue frying. The most common is stainless steel. Many manufacturers recognize her as the most suitable material, since it is not afraid of temperature jumps. Below is a diagram number 1.

Work should begin with the preparation of the drawing. This will avoid size errors and correctly calculate the proportions. The sides of the outer box are best made trapezoidal. The thickness of the steel can be from two to four millimeters. But a range from three to five millimeters will be more correct.

Thin metal is subject to deformation and already in three years of use will completely burn. It is well used to develop a compact, portable brazier. Thick steel makes the structure heavy, but increases strength and extends the life of up to ten years or more.

Tapering in the lower part and having an extension at the top, makes it possible to quickly install skewers. Yes, and observe the cooking process will be much easier. An important point of this design option is the saving of combustible material. You need to weld the sides at an angle of seventy-five degrees.

Attention! The height of each side should allow you to set the skewer to the full length, starting from the handle and ending with the tip. The sting must rest on the bottom or holes must be provided for it.

In order to keep the skewers, strips are welded along the perimeter of the upper part. You can bend the edges of the box to make slots in which skewers will be placed. The distance between the slots should be at least six centimeters. If the slots are large enough - this will allow you to adjust the distance between the fryer and the skewer. Below is the scheme number 2.

In the process of cooking, skewers can be interchanged. Those on which the meat is less roasted, place closer to the center, and where it has already reached the standard - in the corners. The fact is that the heat inside the barbecue is not evenly distributed. In the central part it is stronger and weaker in the corners.

Collecting the box is only part of the story. It is also necessary to make a grid into which combustible material will be loaded. It should be located in the center. The cell sizes should be such that the coals do not fall out and the movement of the air flow is not impeded.

The height of the fuel part of the barbecue should correspond to the box and have equal proportions with it. But the size should be less than half. The outer casing from the “furnace” should be at least twenty centimeters apart.

Attention! The brazier should rise above the ground at such a level that it is convenient to work with it.

Unlike stainless steel, ordinary metal must be painted. And if you chose just such a material for your design, then do not be too lazy to apply an acrylic varnish, which is able to withstand moisture.

If the product is not painted, then very soon rust will form on it, it will not last long. It makes no sense to paint the inner surface, because no paint can resist the intense heat, but outer surfaces are necessary. This will protect against corrosion and allow the design to look organically in any surrounding space. The paint must be environmentally friendly and heat resistant.

Open option

Vertical barbecues may not have an external housing. It is better to make such a design collapsible so that it can be taken with you on a picnic. The central part, as in the closed version, is intended for fuel. That's just on it you need to fix the strips with recesses for installing skewers.

Skewers on these planks will be arranged in a classic way - horizontally. But the safety of the barbecue will be preserved. The fire is away from the meat, and not directly beneath it. Such a design can be either one-sided or two-sided. Just rotate the skewers more often so that the meat is evenly fried on all sides. Scheme number 3.

Reference! Uneven temperature distribution in such a barbecue can be made an additional plus. In the corners we arrange fish or vegetables, and in the central part - meat.

The disadvantage of this barbecue is a longer cooking procedure. After all, coals are far from the product. Yes, and the power of habit plays a role. Many kebab lovers will be against this design. What kind of barbecue without haze ?!