Kazan-brazier: features of the device and manufacturing

Food cooked on fire has incredible taste, seductive aroma and is invariably associated with summer vacations. Almost every summer resident and owner of a private house has a brazier - this is the first assistant for preparing a barbecue from meat or fish. However, such a device can be much more functional, which allows you to cook other dishes over an open fire. We are talking about the so-called kazan-grill.

A brazier is understood as a metal bowl with a grate for cooking dishes over an open fire. The principle of operation of such structures is quite simple. At the bottom of the bowl, logs are burned in a special container, the resulting coals are used for cooking. In addition to firewood, you can use ready-made coals.

Kazan-brazier is a stove, the flame of which heats up the thick-walled dishes (cauldron) installed in it. There is also a barbecue grill for cooking barbecue. This device allows you not only to fry meat on a wire rack or skewers, but also to cook pilaf, soups, and boil water. You can organize a real oriental tandoor for the preparation of "correct" Uzbek and Turkmen dishes, flat cakes.

In general, the structure is a metal box and a base of several sheets of metal, installed under the cauldron. It is lowered into the furnace firebox by 2/3 of its part, this is the only way to achieve uniform heating of the container, which is one of the main secrets of delicious pilaf. The brazier is an open-type firebox, so the height of the work surfaces should be comfortable and safe. If the visible part of the cauldron is too high, the user may get burned. If it is too low, he will have to bend over all the time during the cooking process, which is inconvenient. The optimum height is 80–85 cm from the ground.

The secret of the unique taste of dishes cooked with the help of a cauldron grill also lies in the use of a certain type of firewood. First of all, you should remember that it is unacceptable to use plywood, lumber, and also softwood to get fire in the grill.

Most modern barbecues are made of metal, which is due to the high thermal efficiency of the material, its fire safety, the ability to manufacture mobile devices, and ease of maintenance. A traditional brazier is a copper or cast iron version with a wall thickness of at least 2 mm. The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning such a design is the large weight of the barbecue. However, it is precisely such a structure that is able to withstand temperatures up to + 700 ° C, does not lend itself to corrosion, allows you to cook at once for a large company, is stable, strong and durable.

Such devices are good due to their low cost and the ability to mount them for the specific needs of the owner. If necessary, the devices can have removable pipes for removing smoke or a kettle installed in the oven, equipped with a smokehouse and a barbecue area.

Stationary devices are usually laid out of bricks, because when using them, it is possible to create whole complexes (with a brazier, barbecue, cauldron, countertop, and others). Such buildings are distinguished by a long period of operation and an attractive appearance. Only red refractory and fireclay bricks are suitable for installation.

Depending on the mobility of the barbecue, there are several varieties.

• Stationary Are massive structures that cannot be moved. As a rule, they are laid out of bricks, have several cooking surfaces, can be equipped with a visor, a roof.

• Portable Are mobile devices that are easy to transport. They can be folding, prefabricated, and also mobile (they have wheels).

If we are talking about metal barbecues, then they can be thick-walled and thin-walled. The first ones are distinguished by a long service life, they are usually stationary. The second is the prerogative of mobile devices, since thinner walls provide less weight for the barbecue. It is logical that a small mass of a mobile barbecue is one of its most important criteria.

Stationary "stoves" can be angular and universal. Thanks to its compactness, the angle unit saves space in the garden. A universal grill is an option, the installation of which is not tied to a specific place on the site, and also includes several cooking surfaces.

As for the material of manufacture, depending on its type, braziers are of several types.

• Brick. It is characterized by the ability to flare up to high temperatures and give off heat for a long time. This allows you to cook several dishes at once or cook dishes for a large company in several batches, without fear that the grill is cold. Such devices, unlike metal counterparts, do not corrode, endure the negative effects of the external environment, the service life of a properly folded barbecue is a century. It is the brick structure that allows you to organize a combined brazier, including several hobs, a countertop and even a sink. Finally, such devices look solid and respectable. They will definitely become a decoration of the site. The "disadvantages" of brick braziers are the rather long term of their construction (at least 14 days is required to prepare the foundation), the laboriousness and high cost of the construction process.

• Metal. It is characterized by fire safety, fast heating, easy installation. The simplest design can be made by hand from metal sheets or a suitable barrel size. There are also forged options that are distinguished by their sophistication in appearance.

• Combined. Combines both brick and metal elements. As a rule, it is made of metal in a metal box. This option has an iron base under the cauldron.

Depending on the number of hobs and their purpose, cauldrons are distinguished:

• with barbecue grill (ideal for cooking fried meat, fish);
• with a smokehouse (the smokehouse can be used not only for obtaining dried and smoked meat, but also for preparing barbecue);
• with a cauldron, in which it is convenient to boil water, cook soups, boil potatoes and pilaf.

If you want to make a stationary grill, then first of all you should decide on the place of its installation. It should be a flat area with normal soil moisture.It is advisable to place it at a distance of at least 4 m from the house and the bath, as well as other flammable buildings. Do not install the structure near fences. It will be inconvenient to use the machine at the edge of a path, road or between beds. Better to fit it into a recreation area.

For a private house or summer cottage where you rest all year round, it is recommended to choose a stationary unit. In this case, the foundation should be placed on a flat surface, be not subject to soil creep and the action of groundwater. If the base-stand for the oven is mounted on a flat dry surface, then one cannot do without sealing the foundation.

For the manufacture of concrete for a pit, ready-made mixtures are used or a solution is prepared with his own hands based on sand and clay. It is better to take ravine sand rather than river sand, since river sand is grinded with water and does not have sufficient adhesion indicators. For the construction of the lower masonry of the furnace, first-class red refractory bricks are used, the firebox is laid from fireclay bricks. The vaulted and arched part of the structure is mounted using wedge-shaped bricks or red bricks turned to the desired shape.

The bricks are placed on a ready-made mortar for kiln constructions. However, you can cook it yourself. For this, a composition of sand and oily clay is kneaded. When laying the lower rows and facing, it is recommended to add cement to it (1 kg per bucket of ready-made mortar).

At the same time, it is important to immediately determine the place of installation of the device and make sure that the selected project fits well into it in terms of its parameters and generally suits the users.

After the drawing is drawn up, they begin to prepare the foundation. To do this, you need to dig a pit 5 cm wider than the dimensions of the future furnace. The depth of the pit should be 40 cm. Sand is poured on the bottom of the excavated pit, on top of it - rubble, after which everything is well compacted. In the process of tamping, the territory of the pit is necessarily watered with water, it is recommended to use special construction vibrators (if they are not there, then homemade tamper designs will do as well).

After that, the pit is ready for pouring concrete. At the same time, the concrete foundation is covered with a layer of sawdust 5 cm high. The next day the surface will gain 50% of its strength, the final strength will be achieved after 27 days. Laying can be done within 10 days after pouring. Remember, so that the street foundation does not crack during drying, sawdust should be used, because they prevent the risk of such a nuisance. During the summer heat, it is recommended to spray the sawdust layer with water.

The next step is the arrangement of waterproofing, which will prevent the concrete from returning moisture obtained from the soil to the layer of bricks. To do this, two layers of roofing material are installed on top of the foundation (it can be replaced with building tar paper), which are fixed with mastics or hot resin.

Next, it is laid on a waterproofing layer moistened with a solution of a felt or asbestos layer. It is recommended to build the first row of bricks without mortar, strictly observing the order. The first two rows are solid masonry. Starting with the next ones, they will already organize a place for the oven.

At the same stage, a blower door is installed, which can be bought or made by hand.At the same time, a gap is left between the door and the bricks so that when the heated metal of the door expands, the brick does not crack. The gap is laid with silicon-based insulation or asbestos cord.

During the construction of the side panels, a niche of 2-3 fireboxes should be left for coal and firewood. At the stage of arranging a place under the cauldron, special holders should be installed, fixing on which it will not come into contact with the stand. After that, you can proceed to the construction of the arched lintel. It serves not only as a decoration for the barbecue, but also distributes the load from the upper part of the brickwork, ensuring the reliability of the barbecue.

The arch is laid out with hewn bricks in an arc. As a basis for the latter, a reinforcing template is made. After the stove is ready and dry, the first (control) firebox should be made. It should be short, branches and paper act as a source of energy.

If you intend to assemble a stationary metal brazier with a cauldron, then first of all you need to create a drawing of the device.

When working, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

• the box is cooked from metal no more than 3 mm thick;
• a chimney should be welded to the structure so that the cooking process is comfortable and safe;
• the oven lid should fit snugly against it;
• the legs of the barbecue should be connected in pairs using jumpers;
• the upper part of the barbecue needs additional reinforcement, for which steel square rods 10 mm thick are used.

The most practical and attractive option for organizing a barbecue is to "fit" it into a recreation complex, which is a brick structure under a canopy with a barbecue grill, a smokehouse, and a tandoor. There are also tables, chairs, light wicker chairs. Try to integrate the complex with the landscape of the site as much as possible - plant branchy plants that wrap around the walls of the complex, use an identical decor.

The compact metal device can be placed on the veranda of the house. In this case, care should be taken to protect the veranda surfaces, for example, treat them with an additional layer of fire retardant impregnation.

Do not think that an extremely expensive stationary brick grill can look attractive and stylish. Even homemade models can be decorated with unusual elements. For example, this design looks like a real work of art. An unusual imitation of a ship is equipped with everything necessary for functioning, every detail is thought out here, fulfills not only an aesthetic, but also a practical function.

A brazier in the shape of an airplane looks no less original. Improvised fenders can be made removable, when assembled they serve as small tabletops.

If such solutions seem too extravagant to you, take a look at traditional-shaped barbecues with forged elements. Such designs look expensive, vintage, while they fit well into most exteriors.

Connoisseurs of minimalism and unusual solutions will like the brazier, which is a vertical pipe.

See the video below for an overview of the Buran 2 kazan-mngala.