Combination backyard heater/cook top/pizza oven/BBQ/Smoker

Brian In PA · Oct 15, 2017

Hi folks!
This is my first post here. I'm more of a tinkerer/wannabe inventor than a cook/chef/BBQ. I've built a backyard heater that also serves as a cook top, pizza oven, and BBQ/smoker which is powered by the heater. If anyone is interested its based on a rocket heater and the core of the firebox is built from ceramic fiber board insulation and lined with firebrick splits.

I'm just learning to cook, BBQ and smoke, so I'm eager to read all of your adventures here.

I'm curious if anyone has ever taken this approach. Its essentially a UDS powered by a rocket heater which you can cook on top of with a pizza oven added on for good measure.

I look forward to learning from all of you!

Thanks,
Brian In PA

pjtexas1 · Oct 15, 2017

Interesting. Any action pics?

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Brian In PA · Oct 15, 2017

pjtexas1 said:
Interesting. Any action pics?

Honestly I just finished it and I’ve only cooked a pizza in it so far. That’s why I signed up here, for ideas. The top of the barrel that forms the rocket heater gets to about 850 degrees F and the pizza oven runs around 600 degrees F while at full draft the UDS runs at 350 degrees F. The temps in the UDS are easily controllable and can hold at lower temps by closing the bypass drafts.

FrugalQ · Oct 15, 2017

Well, as you said about pic size. After a 12 round prize fight with my touch screen I got enough looks at that beast to be obscenely jealous.

Brian In PA · Oct 15, 2017

FrugalQ said:
Well, as you said about pic size. After a 12 round prize fight with my touch screen I got enough looks at that beast to be obscenely jealous.

Thanks, I’ll take that as a positive! (I think I got the photos to post at a better size though.)

I’m coming from trying to build rocket stove heaters, and came up with this idea for the stove to power a UDS (or what we call a “black oven” - one that is in the smoke path).

That second UDS barrel is lined with 300 pounds of firebrick to even out and prolong the heat. On about 6 medium sized pieces of hardwood firewood it will burn about 5 hours, and keep burning indefinitely as long as I add a piece of firewood every 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Brian In PA · Oct 15, 2017

If you’re not familiar with rocket wood stoves, here’s a quick video of my previous build that illustrates how strong the natural draft is in the firebox:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9B3zudbpco

Brian In PA · Oct 16, 2017

My apologies, but I'm pretty sure I managed to re size the photos. Here's the innards of the pizza oven as well as a better shot of the rocket stove with the firebox door open and the UDS.

Coat · Oct 16, 2017

I'll have two, please.

BillN · Oct 16, 2017

Cool, thanks for sharing.

Brian In PA · Oct 16, 2017

I picked up a Weber charcoal grill today cheap off Craigslist, to use its lid on top of the UDS to give it more space if I want to cook in something bigger like a turkey roaster.

Czarbecue · Oct 16, 2017

I hate to say this but I think the pictures are too small now to analyze. Who is heating who?

Big George's BBQ · Oct 16, 2017

Nice Work Looking forward to future pics

Brian In PA · Oct 16, 2017

Czarbecue said:
I hate to say this but I think the pictures are too small now to analyze. Who is heating who?

The rocket heater is in the 55 gallon barrel to the left, in my last picture (a little bigger) with the firebox door open and the UDS is on the right.

The top of the rocket heater gets hot enough to use it as a stove to cook on, or I can use it as a pizza oven. The UDS can run low and slow or up to 350 degrees F depending on the setting of the two bypass drafts and the draft in the Weber lid.

This is a photo of the flue arrangement, the rocket heater is on your RIGHT in this photo and the UDS on the left. When the draft in front of you is closed and the draft to the UDS is open, it forces the exhaust through the UDS and it exits into the exhaust at ground level:

Brian In PA · Oct 17, 2017

This thing burns incredibly hot and long on compressed hardwood sawdust fire brick fuel. Better than hardwood firewood. They’re made only from hardwood sawdust, no fillers/binders/adhesives/waxes.

Any reason NOT to use those for smoking in the UDS?

And if you are talking to a complete newbie when it comes to smoking and grilling, what would you recommend to start out with cooking? Can you recommend anything simple and hard to screw up?

JimmyR1Rider · Oct 17, 2017

As long as there are no fillers they're good to ise I'd say. Just like mojobricks or whatever they're called.

Interesting build.

Welcome to the forum.

Brian In PA · Oct 17, 2017

JimmyR1Rider said:
As long as there are no fillers they're good to ise I'd say. Just like mojobricks or whatever they're called.

Interesting build.

Welcome to the forum.

Ok good, thanks. They have these bricks for $195/ ton at a local landscaping outlet. My days of cutting, splitting and stacking firewood are over due to health.

NY Pork Junkie · Oct 18, 2017

That rocket heater core is a work of art. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it!:clap2:

jdefran · Oct 18, 2017

I think a walk-through video and live cook video would do this great contraption justice!

Brian In PA · Oct 18, 2017

NY Pork Junkie said:
That rocket heater core is a work of art. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it!:clap2:

Thanks! A lot of reading/research and thought went into the design, and a lot of blood sweat and tears in building prior prototypes as well as this one. I built this core out of layers of ceramic fiber board insulation cut out on a band saw, stacked and glued together and sealed with ceramic cement.

I was disabled by 4 strokes a year and a half ago, and my left arm and leg were completely paralyzed. I decided to make designing and building this stove my own personal form of “therapy,” both mentally, physically and emotionally.

Fortunately in the rehab hospital I recovered the use of my arm and leg and I just walk with a cane now.

Someday I’d like to offer that ceramic heater core as a kit so other people could build their own with a 55 gallon barrel. Since I gave up my job when I got sick I need to figure out a new way to make a living. (But I don’t want to run afoul of any guidelines against promotion of a product here so I’ll leave it at that.)

I came here to learn how to use what I’ve built!

Brian In PA · Oct 18, 2017

jdefran said:
I think a walk-through video and live cook video would do this great contraption justice!

It’s in the pipeline, but not till next month. I have another two projects to complete first, including building a rocket heater for my family room fireplace.

Combination backyard heater/cook top/pizza oven/BBQ/Smoker

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