Building a Grill/Smoker

I'm planning to build a Grill/Smoker/Fireplace by our patio this fall. Currently the plan is looking something like:

- Rumford fireplace (http://www.rumford.com) both for enjoyment and to burn wood down to coals. I do have some concerns though if it will burn hot enough to make good coals. Opening size will be 36"x36"

- Sydney, Well, half of Sydney since I'll have the rumford. (http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/wdh.htm)

- Grill - Basically a box with a 24"x32" grill surface. Given space limitations I've thought about having a firebox in the lower section directly under the right-hand side of the grill with a firedoor instead of an offset. Any thoughts on how this will work?

I'm planning on venting the grill into Sydney. Ideally this should allow me to cook directly on the grill, indirect on the grill with the fire in the lower firebox, cool-smoke in Sydney with a fire in the lower grill firebox, or smoke in Sydney with the fire in the bottom of Sydney.

Questions/Problems:

- Do I need to use firebrick and refactory morter or will regular brick/morter work? I do plan to use firebrick for the rumford, but it looks like Dave just used regular brick for Sydney except for the top.

- Any ideas on where I can find some good 16"x12" firedoors? I'll need 3 (2 for Sydney and 1 for the grill).

- Cover for the grill. I thought about getting a couple of 16" doors from someone like LifeTyme. Any other thoughts/ideas?


All thoughts/ideas/comments/suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,

JSF

All of your ideas sound good to me. I am going to try to get hold of Jack Daniels and see if I can get my hands on an aging barrel. They are made of oak, and numbered, and it is against Federal law to re-use them. I have a set of plans from the old Popular Meechanics Handyman's Encyclopedia for "OL' Smokey,' a grill/smoker built from a whiskey aging barrel or similar wooden barrel. Let us know how you come out.

Starpacker

starpacker wrote:

All of your ideas sound good to me. I am going to try to get hold of Jack Daniels and see if I can get my hands on an aging barrel. They are made of oak, and numbered, and it is against Federal law to re-use them. I have a set of plans from the old Popular Meechanics Handyman's Encyclopedia for "OL' Smokey,' a grill/smoker built from a whiskey aging barrel or similar wooden barrel. Let us know how you come out.

Starpacker

Did you actually read somewhere that its against the law for JD to reuse their barrels? That makes no sense to me. The whole reason for the charcoal interior was that they flame the barrell for cleaning.

In any event you can actually order a whole barrell of Jack Daniels from JD. Get some friends together and split the cost! And you keep the barrell. Unfortunately, I can't find the URL of where you get go to find info and buying the whole barrell.

Good luck!

Robert