cheap one off homemade bbq.

June 14, 2006 3:11 PM

any ideas on how to make a simple one off bbq out of things fond in the house

england are playing tomorow and me and my mate fancy a bit of tuck while watching the game. Problem is both of us dont have a bbq or the money to buy a real one of disposable one (yeah we are broke). Have thought of a few hacks but im sure there are more elegant ones out there...

any ideas..anyone????

posted by thegeezer3 to food & drink (15 comments total)

If you've got a yard you could build a wood fire, fold your food up in tinfoil, and bank the coals on top of it. I'm not sure if that counts as elegant, but it works and it leaves you free to watch the game and drink beer.
posted by nebulawindphone at 3:20 PM on June 14, 2006

Get a couple of cinderblocks and an old baking pan to hold the coals. You can put your "tuck" on a stick lie it across the coals on top of the cinderblocks.
posted by any major dude at 3:24 PM on June 14, 2006

I once saw my next door neighbor use the metal drawer from a large file cabinet as a bbq in his yard. It wasn't pretty, but it worked for him.
posted by jeremiahWasABullfrog at 3:31 PM on June 14, 2006

A couple of bricks and the grate from inside your oven. (and as suggested earlier a baking sheet for the coals.
posted by bitdamaged at 3:40 PM on June 14, 2006

In the U.S. you can buy a "disposable grill" that you could easily make...

Go to Tesco or Sainsbury's or something and buy a disposable roasting pan and some charcoal, fill the pan with charcoal and light. Take the (right on bitdamaged) oven grate and put it on top and cook up your meal... slam a few beers... check your food... eat it up.
posted by sablazo at 3:53 PM on June 14, 2006

cheers everyone... probably the cinderblock/brick idea will be used.

thanks again
posted by thegeezer3 at 4:04 PM on June 14, 2006

If you don't want to spend the money on charcoal, cooking over oak (or any hard wood) coals will give your meat an excellent flavor.
posted by wsg at 4:07 PM on June 14, 2006

If you live near a pound shop you can buy a disposable BBQ, my local pound shop has stacks of them.
posted by essexjan at 4:10 PM on June 14, 2006

dont have a bbq or the money to buy a real one of disposable one

I am guessing there is a small typo here and "of" == "or"

Which would make a disposable bbq not an option.

Cheers
posted by scarabic at 4:15 PM on June 14, 2006

Cardboard Box Smoker

Terra Cotta Pot Smoker (not a clay figurine of a guy doing a bong hit)
posted by Frank Grimes at 4:19 PM on June 14, 2006

whatever the solution, you need to have a way for air to circulate under the charcoal.


Punching holes in the baking sheet would serve this purpose.
posted by Megafly at 5:11 PM on June 14, 2006

typo indeed.

But i didnt know that disposable bbq kits are available for only a pound. hmm there is a pound shop near me but im sure it only sells naff deodrants that result in armpit warts.

As for coal, nay worries ill just pinch it off my mum muh ha ha ha!
posted by thegeezer3 at 5:52 PM on June 14, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Do you have an oven with a broil setting? Your broiler is an upside-down bbq grill. Lay some foil down on the bottom rack, and place the food directly on the top/middle rack. Voila -- upside down grill.
posted by frogan at 7:23 PM on June 14, 2006

Big name supermarkets will also do disposables for ~£1. Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's will also be cheap, probably as cheap as buying charcoal if you haven't already got it in. We get through a lot as BBQ season starts early in Cornwall. Don't forget matches.
posted by biffa at 3:39 AM on June 15, 2006

Put some busted-up bits of wood (old pallets work nicely) in a biggish terracotta pot, the sort that would normally contain a small shrub. Light. Place grilling surface on top of the pot, which can be anything metal - a metal hubcap off a car will do. Force air down into the pot using the blower on a vacuum cleaner, or a leaf blower.
posted by Ritchie at 7:53 PM on June 15, 2006