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gave up on ever finding a BGE chimnea

RRP
RRP Posts: 25,880
So I decided to construct this outdoor burn pit. Only cost me about $200 and at 54" diameter a whole bunch more people can sit around it compared to a chimnea anyway! 

Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.

Comments

  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    Looks really nice Ron.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    That's nice Ron. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • The_Stache
    The_Stache Posts: 1,153
    No expectations ... No worries!
    Kirkland, TN
    2 LBGE, 1 MM


  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Thanks guys! BTW the picture depth is deceiving - it would appear the blocks are merely resting on pea gravel when in fact it has 3.5 cubic feet of pea gravel inside.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    edited June 2017
    i will take a burn pit over a chiminea any day. we have some serious pits up at the camp, mines small at 5 foot wide, 8 foot deep, 4 foot high in the back compared to most of the neighbors. not so upscale as yours, its all crumbling cinder blocks, time for a rebuild ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    i will take a burn pit over a chiminea any day. we have some serious pits up at the camp, mines small at 5 foot wide, 8 foot deep, 5 foot high in the back compared to most of the neighbors
    8 feet deep sounds like an abandoned well or former privy pit! But if not then why so deep?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,741
    That a great looking fire pit, Ron. Nice work.
    Stillwater, MN
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    Very nice job Ron. Spending hat money on a fire pit seems like a wise investment over the 11# propane cylinder. Seriously....nice job.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • 4Runner
    4Runner Posts: 2,948
    I should do this.  Very nice.  
    Joe - I'm a reformed gasser-holic aka 4Runner Columbia, SC Wonderful BGE Resource Site: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm and http://www.nibblemethis.com/  and http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html
    What am I drinking now?   Woodford....neat
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    edited June 2017
    Ron, it is absolutely killing me to say that you can tell a mans money by his belongings. However I will not succumb to temptation no matter how strong it may be. 
    Thus I will simply say; awesome brother. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    edited June 2017
    SGH said:
    Ron, it is absolutely killing me to say that you can tell a mans money by his belongings. However I will not succumb to temptation no matter how strong it may be. 
    Thus I will simply say; awesome brother. 
    Huh? $200 "belongings"? Thanks, buddy! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • BJM2932
    BJM2932 Posts: 119
    Looks great. Just add fire/refreshments, and you're in business!
    L BGE
    Paoli, PA

    Instagram


  • JohnnyTarheel
    JohnnyTarheel Posts: 6,533
    Nice pit brother
    Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,676
    edited June 2017
    Look's very nice!
  • ryantt
    ryantt Posts: 2,532
    Ron I sent you a PM. 
    XL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 


  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    Strong work Ron, you did good, opting out of the novelty chimnea.  

    Like fish, I'll take a pit any day.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • RRP said:
    Thanks guys! BTW the picture depth is deceiving - it would appear the blocks are merely resting on pea gravel when in fact it has 3.5 cubic feet of pea gravel inside.
    And you can cook on it!!???!
    Huntsville, Al LBGE
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited June 2017
    i
    RRP said:
    i will take a burn pit over a chiminea any day. we have some serious pits up at the camp, mines small at 5 foot wide, 8 foot deep, 5 foot high in the back compared to most of the neighbors
    8 feet deep sounds like an abandoned well or former privy pit! But if not then why so deep?
    i build my pits open in front, high in back, throws the heat forward in winter, we use the pit in the winter as well. 3 feet in front is more to catch the forwrd jumping embers and for putting long logs in where you push them to the back while burning. its also wheel barrel accessible
    Clever.
    In Live Fire Cooking by Paula Marcoux, she unearthed archaelogical site digs and found pits built this way many moons ago, disc shaped and sloped to intentionally bank heat with large stones.  She and her husband have a cool tutorial.  It also works for moving embers closer to cook over with a transfer shovel.  

    My KBQ pad was built with a slight inward slope to keep things contained.  
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    Focker said:
    i
    RRP said:
    i will take a burn pit over a chiminea any day. we have some serious pits up at the camp, mines small at 5 foot wide, 8 foot deep, 5 foot high in the back compared to most of the neighbors
    8 feet deep sounds like an abandoned well or former privy pit! But if not then why so deep?
    i build my pits open in front, high in back, throws the heat forward in winter, we use the pit in the winter as well. 3 feet in front is more to catch the forwrd jumping embers and for putting long logs in where you push them to the back while burning. its also wheel barrel accessible
    Clever.
    In Live Fire Cooking by Paula Marcoux, she unearthed archaelogical site digs and found pits built this way many moons ago, disc shaped and sloped to intentionally bank heat with large stones.  She and her husband have a cool tutorial.  It also works for moving embers closer to cook over with a transfer shovel.  

    My KBQ pad was built with a slight inward slope to keep things contained.  
    ive seen one once back 30 years ago built that way and then made one at the house with stone, back side built up with clay. its a small pit but it really throws the heat. the camp is rustic cinder block but every stone i find i pile on the back side. the one i saw was at a site dig, penobscot tribe, water was really low that year and they found all sorts of stuff, they said it was for smoking salmon. was pretty cool, was about 20 miles from the road with the boat fishing when i found people working a site that was under water for the last hundred years and you could still see traces where they lived hundreds of years before that catching salmon every fall. they had a nice piece of flint that was still good to skin a fish, been looking for one ever since
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • News2u
    News2u Posts: 335
    Very excellent.
    Beef...It's what's for dinner tonight.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    edited June 2017

    And you can cook on it!!???!
    Yes - I can/could, but probably won't bother to do so! The inner steel ring has a piece of pipe welded inside so that a steel post with a grate also welded to it can "swing" in and out over the fire. 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    Focker said:
    i
    RRP said:
    i will take a burn pit over a chiminea any day. we have some serious pits up at the camp, mines small at 5 foot wide, 8 foot deep, 5 foot high in the back compared to most of the neighbors
    8 feet deep sounds like an abandoned well or former privy pit! But if not then why so deep?
    i build my pits open in front, high in back, throws the heat forward in winter, we use the pit in the winter as well. 3 feet in front is more to catch the forwrd jumping embers and for putting long logs in where you push them to the back while burning. its also wheel barrel accessible
    Clever.
    In Live Fire Cooking by Paula Marcoux, she unearthed archaelogical site digs and found pits built this way many moons ago, disc shaped and sloped to intentionally bank heat with large stones.  She and her husband have a cool tutorial.  It also works for moving embers closer to cook over with a transfer shovel.  

    My KBQ pad was built with a slight inward slope to keep things contained.  
    ive seen one once back 30 years ago built that way and then made one at the house with stone, back side built up with clay. its a small pit but it really throws the heat. the camp is rustic cinder block but every stone i find i pile on the back side. the one i saw was at a site dig, penobscot tribe, water was really low that year and they found all sorts of stuff, they said it was for smoking salmon. was pretty cool, was about 20 miles from the road with the boat fishing when i found people working a site that was under water for the last hundred years and you could still see traces where they lived hundreds of years before that catching salmon every fall. they had a nice piece of flint that was still good to skin a fish, been looking for one ever since
    Really cool my friend. 
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    edited June 2017
    That looks sweet.  By any chance do you have step by step pictures to show its construction?  $200 not bad!  I always heard to acheieve true wealth it's more important to limit what's going out than grow what's coming in.   
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    thetrim said:
    That looks sweet.  By any chance do you have step by step pictures to show its construction?  $200 not bad!  
    I bought the material at a home improvement center here in the Midwest called Menard's. They have a large wall mounted display of various projects such as the one I made. When you buy the blocks they sell you the pattern for 1 cent. The whole key is leveling the area and then it's a simple process of stacking the stones up against and around the steel liner. They have a 30" and the 36"  which I chose. From there it's stack 13 blocks first row then 13 on the next etc for 4 rows - easy-peasy! You then fill the inside with pea gravel to promote  drainage and to protect the stone. The spark screen was extra, but the pit is in a heavily wooded area. Since I will be using it this Fall when the ground is often covered with dry leafs I thought $42 extra was worth the money for the protection.

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    Oh yeah, fire pit is key.   That was a requirement when we bought our current house (that the yard/zoning/neighborhood) would tolerate a campfire.

    I don't have a cover like yours, but that's a nice way to make sure no errant embers fly out.  You can sleep easier after a burn.   And of course, your setup will be perfect to put a grate over for grilling or drop a dutch oven inside. 
    LBGE/Maryland