How to Build a Brick Smoker BBQ Pit
- 1). Dig a round hole 1 foot deep and 5 feet in diameter. A base that is 5 feet in diameter accommodates a 3-foot-diameter grill area. Scrape out the bottom of the hole with the blade of the shovel and level as much as possible. Rake the bottom of the hole to finish leveling the ground. Tamp the ground with a hand tamper.
- 2). Add approximately 4 inches of crushed rock to the bed of the hole. Tamp the gravel with the hand tamper. Add approximately 3 inches of sand on top of the crushed rock. The crushed rock and sand help block the fire while creating drainage at the same time.
- 3). Build a circular wall three rows high around the inside edge of the hole's perimeter with retaining-wall blocks. Stack bricks so the seams between bricks are staggered from one row to the next. Stack most of the bricks tightly together, but increase the gap between bricks in two or three spots to provide air flow into the pit.
- 4). Cut a 5-foot-diameter circle from a sheet of expanded steel mesh with bolt cutters, a grinder with a cutting wheel attachment, a circular saw with a metal cutting blade, or a oxyacetylene cutting torch.
- 5). Place the steel mesh on top of the brick wall to use for grilling.
- 6). Stack another row of bricks on top of the steel mesh to create a protective lip around the grilling area.
- 7). Stack an additional row of bricks on top of the steel mesh. Seal the opening with a piece of plywood on top to use as a smoker.
