Do-it-yourself gas grill: step-by-step instructions for building a homemade one
Connoisseurs of classic barbecue are sure that for fun outdoor gatherings it is worth building a gas grill with your own hands, without overpaying for the finished product. This simple design will allow you to cook your favorite grilled dishes at any time of the year, and you can install it both in the gazebo and on the terrace or balcony.
Today, purchasing a gas grill for a barbecue is not a problem, but if you want to get a truly reliable design and save on buying a finished product, you can build a gas grill yourself. Let's figure out what this requires.
The content of the article:
Types of gas grills
Depending on the purpose of using the grill, its size may vary. Thus, to prepare dishes from small or large pieces of meat, different designs will be used, each with its own manufacturing features.
Grill from an old gas stove. To prepare kebabs, sausages and small steaks in the kitchen, it is enough to build the simplest option. The heater is a home gas stove, on which an old saucepan with the bottom cut off is installed. A stainless steel grill or mesh is attached to the top of the pan.
Mobile grill with separate burner. This option is ideal for preparing large portions of steaks or homemade sausages. Since it is unlikely that a “royal” portion of barbecue can be prepared in the kitchen, you will need to build a mobile structure with the ability to connect to a gas cylinder.
Large gas grill, handmade, often made from an old receiver, and involves installing a lid, a temperature regulator, and a massive grille.
It’s not difficult to build a grill from an old gas stove, but in this case all “outdoor gatherings” will be limited to barbecuing in the kitchen. The ideal option is to make a mobile grill with a separate gas burner, which can be installed in any corner of the yard.
In the article we will look at both methods, which will allow you to familiarize yourself with the construction features of two different gas grill designs and choose the appropriate option for yourself.
Required design components
Regardless of the structure of the structure, the classic gas version has unchanged components, which include:
Frame. Food grade stainless steel is used as a grill container. When building a structure with your own hands, they often install a frame from an old gas cylinder, beer bottle kegs or a large saucepan.
Heaters. Often, burners from a conventional gas stove or homemade nozzles are installed. The main condition is that the heaters must be insulated from dripping fat.
Lattice. The structure should be made of small stainless steel rods and fixed to the sides of the grill.
Skewer with rotating mechanism. Both on the sides of the container and on its lid, it is necessary to mark triangular cuts for rotating the skewers.
Collection of fat. To prevent the burners from being completely filled with grease, it is necessary to install a tray in advance.
Lid. The presence of such a simple element distinguishes a grill from a barbecue, since only the lid ensures the highest possible temperature inside the container and distributes heat evenly.
Required set of tools
If, to build the simplest possible structure, you can limit yourself to only metalworking tools - a hammer, a metal file and a drill, then when making a high-quality autonomous device you will need to arm yourself with the following:
- measuring equipment. Specialized tools include a caliper, ruler, and level;
- welding machine and electrodes. To connect two stainless steel elements it will be enough use welding. In the absence of such equipment, the body will have to be welded from ordinary iron;
- metal cutting equipment. In this case, all metal cutting work is carried out using a grinder or plasma cutter.
If you have previously worked with professional equipment, then you can quickly understand the principle of constructing an autonomous grill. The main condition is compliance with the rules of proportionality, on which the correct functioning of the gas barbecue will depend.
Preparatory work before installation
The process of cooking meat on a grill involves interaction with an open flame, so it is important to secure the location of the structure in advance.
If the gas grill is installed outdoors, then you will need to prepare a stable base for it with good fire protection characteristics.
If the barbecue design is based on an old gas stove, and its installation will be carried out indoors. The floor and walls will have to be finished with slabs of fire resistant materials for which tin sheets or ceramic tiles are ideal.
For such a design it is better to allocate a separate room with good ventilation, and try to install it away from objects with a high level of flammability.
Grill from an old gas stove
If you have an old gas stove at your dacha that still performs its functions, then it will only take you a few hours to assemble a homemade barbecue.
First, you will need to carry out calculations of the stove and the components of the future grill, on the basis of which you can draw up a detailed drawing or diagram. After preparing the equipment and acquiring all the necessary materials, you should begin manufacturing the structure.
A small hole is drilled in the bottom of the stove to collect fat and liquid.When cooking meat, a huge amount of fat is released on the grill, which can prevent the burners from burning. A pipe is connected to the hole and a flexible tube is secured. This installation will allow you to maintain cleanliness not only inside the fryer, but also under it.
Next, you will need to assemble a frame that acts as a base for the frying chamber. The structure is welded from several steel angles. The upper frame must have dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the stove and the side of the stove. The suitable height of the legs is 70 cm, while at a height of 10 cm from the floor, fittings are welded to the legs, from which the frame for the gas cylinder is formed.
After assembling the frame, you should begin making the sides and bottom of the grill. The height of the sides should be no more than 20 cm. First, the sides are welded to each other, after which the bottom is welded between them.
To ensure sufficient heat flow, holes with a diameter of 10 mm are drilled into the bottom, and the distance between them should be 7 cm. The holes should be located so that there are no burners under them. A stainless steel grill is installed above the bottom.
A rectangular grill lid is cut out of a steel sheet, and a handle with a wooden overlay must be welded in the center. The lid itself should have slots for the grille handle. If you plan to use the gas grill as a homemade barbecue, then along the edges of the sides and lid you will need to make triangular cuts for skewers.
The next stage is assembling the finished structure and connecting the grill to gas cylinder. You will need to install the frame on a flat surface and fix it in a static position.If necessary, permanent grooves can be welded for additional stability.
Next, the gas stove is installed on the base and secured to the corners using self-tapping screws. A roasting pan is mounted above the stove, which can be fixed in grooves or simply welded to the frame. Immediately after installation, it is important to check the stability of the frying chamber. A gas cylinder must be inserted into a special strip for the receiver, which will subsequently be connected to the stove.
If the gas grill is working properly, then you can begin cosmetic procedures for cleaning and painting the finished structure. All steel parts should be cleaned of scale and rust, after which the product is coated with fire-resistant paint.
Making a gas grill from a receiver
A gas cylinder grill is an ideal option for lovers of classic barbecue when you have to cook meat for a large company. This large design is ideal for outdoor barbecues, without having to worry about preparing firewood or charcoal. The construction of a grill from a receiver is carried out in several stages.
As a body for the grill, you can use any food-grade stainless steel container with a diameter of at least 40-50 cm. This can be an enamel pan, an old beer keg or the housing from an old receiver. In this case, a propane tank will be used.
When preparing the gas receiver, the valves and axlebox valve are removed, after which the cylinder should be filled two-thirds with water, and boil. Next, a sector of 1/3 of the side surface is cut out, which will later be covered with a special lid. To remove paint from the container, you will need to burn it, and, after heating, remove the remaining coating using sandpaper.
To collect fat, it is recommended to install a special tray in the form of a removable bottom, or drill several holes in the bottom of the container and secure the tray to the frame. Nozzles are installed on the bottom of the container - metal tubes, 1-3 cm thick, with drilled holes of 3-4 mm.
It is through these holes that the gas-air mixture will pass. It is better to make the nozzles removable so that they can be cleaned in the future.
Installation of nozzles is carried out as follows: into the wall of the cylinder welded in A 3-4 cm piece of pipe (connector) connecting the nozzles and the mixer. The diameter of the pipe should be chosen so that the nozzle fits tightly into it by 2-3 cm, and at the same time is securely fixed.
A gas and air mixer is connected to the outer part of the connector, which is a tube with the same diameter as the nozzle and a length of 5-8 cm. A hole is made in the wall of the mixer into which the gas nozzle is inserted.
The grille is installed at a distance of 5-10 cm below the edge of the container. It is recommended to use a stainless steel grid with a rod diameter of 3-5 mm. If you don't want to spend time making the mesh, you can cut it from the original grill grate.The structure must stand firmly on supports and, if necessary, be easily removed.
The cut out part of the cylinder body will be used as a lid, which will need to be attached using hinges. You can install a thermometer in it, allowing monitor temperature inside the fryer and adjust the gas pressure. The final stage – welding handles on the lid for maximum comfortable use of the grill.
Since the receiver itself is quite heavy, it is better to install the finished grill on a metal base welded from a steel square pipe, with a separate place for a gas cylinder. To make the structure easy to move around the area, two of the four legs can be equipped with wheels from a wheelbarrow, for example.
After all work on the construction of the gas grill is completed, the outer surface of the body is painted with heat-resistant black paint.
We build an automatic spit
Installing an automated spit will help increase the functionality of such a simple design, allowing you to expand the menu of a classic barbecue. To do this, the design will have to be changed slightly: instead of a grate, install a skewer mount. On one side there is a simple tube in which the sharp end of the skewer is rotated, and on the other there is a triangular cutout for fixing it.
A motor from a conventional tape recorder is attached to the outside of the case along with the power supply. After installation, a strap from the motor is placed on the skewer, and the spit rotates at the speed that you set.In this case, the speed regulator is the diameter of the pulley.
Connecting the burner to the gas cylinder
When connecting a homemade grill to a receiver, you will need to purchase and install an adjustable gas reducer, which allows, if necessary, to regulate the gas pressure in the nozzle.
To safely use the system with a cylinder, you must perform the following algorithm:
- close the taps on the grill, open the cylinder valve and adjust the gas pressure using the reducer;
- light a match, turn the grill tap and ignite the gas above the nozzles through a special hole;
- After completing the cooking process, you need to turn on the gas on the cylinder, and after complete extinguishing, turn the grill tap in the opposite direction.
Often, a grill from an old gas stove is connected to the main gas; in this case, it is enough to screw the tap onto the pipe and connect it to the grill using a special gas hose. To achieve maximum safety during operation of the grill, it is important to seal all joints and threads.
What difficulties may arise?
The main task when creating a gas grill is to guess the proportionality of all the details. Cutting out too small a sector in the body will not allow fastening full size grill, which means it will be impossible to prepare the required portion. If you install a nozzle that is too powerful, the meat will simply start to burn during the frying process.
The inside of the case must be made of food-grade stainless steel or coated with a special heat-resistant Teflon-based compound.
Unless absolutely necessary, you should not paint the inside surface of the case, since choosing the wrong or poor-quality coating can lead to poisoning. All heated parts of a homemade grill should not emit smoke or odor - during the frying process, the meat absorbs all toxic fumes.
Therefore, before starting to prepare the first batch of barbecue, it is necessary to carry out a test run of the barbecue. During this time, all remaining paint and dirt will burn off, and your gas grill will be ready for further use.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Making a gas grill with your own hands does not require any special knowledge, because to do this you only need to understand the principle of operation of the structure. If you have all the necessary tools and materials, you can build a gas barbecue grill with your own hands with a connection to a gas cylinder, saving a round sum of money on the purchase of a factory grill.
With such a multifunctional gas grill, you can organize gatherings with friends while preparing a barbecue at your dacha:
If you can add to our material or share your own experience of creating a gas grill, please write your comments and ask questions in the block below.
I liked the design of the receiver. It really is a real full-fledged grill, and it’s not that difficult to make. Gas grills in stores are very expensive.