An outdoor fire pit is an excellent way to spice up your backyard or patio. It’s always fun to sit around a roaring fire with friends and family. Some are permanent structures, some are temporary, some are portable and some fire pits are even made to be cooked on so that you can enjoy a fire and enjoy delicious grilled food. There … Read more
My Homemade Lakeside Fire Pit I used your basic fire pit plan for a 5′ diameter pit in our backyard. I modified it by using 4″ x 8″ x 16″ concrete block standing on end to form the outer ring with a 2″ space between it and the fire brick on the inner ring. The … Read more
How to Start a Fire in a Fireplace? It seems silly but starting a wood fire can actually be tricky at times! I’ve got some fire starting tips and info that will help. Except where noted, all of these can be used to start fires in your fireplace, outdoor fire pit, or campfire. Safety note: I … Read more
How to Use Electric Charcoal Starter? One excellent choice for a charcoal starter is the electric charcoal starter, also known as a charcoal iron. This is an excellent choice, as the charcoal chimney, because it does not require the use of nasty chemicals to get your coal going quickly! These are relatively inexpensive and really get your … Read more
Curing meat, fermenting foods and other natural ways of preserving foods are something that I’ve relatively recently gotten into. But over the last few years I’ve grown to love making cured meat and other naturally preserved foods such as fermented, dried and smoked foods. These food preparation methods may seem foreign or advanced to those … Read more
A cast iron fire pit is a common outdoor fire pit available almost everywhere. There are several producers of these backyard fire pits. Here is a bit of an intro to cast iron firepits. Strength and Durability – Cast iron is a strong and heavy metal which can withstand quite a pounding. Most cast iron pits … Read more
A reader submitted the plans he designed and used to build a Parrilla grill in his Panama home. This is a truly beautiful grill, in the classic parrilla style but with the capability to do rotisserie cooking as well as smoking/slow-cooking/barbecuing. You can find the details and pictures of this great grill on my homemade grill page. The grill … Read more
The best firewood is of course the type that best suits your needs which can vary depending on whether you are cooking or using the wood for heat in a fireplace. There are many types of wood that are suitable either for the fireplace or for cooking. Here I will repeat some of the basic … Read more
A terracotta pig grill, like this one, is a type of outdoor grill that you don’t see as often in the United States. However, these grills and other types of terra cotta grill can have some advantages and many can be found on the market. One form of ceramic grill are the newer models such … Read more
Grilling has become a way of life for some people, and many have invested on the best types of grillers to make each outdoor eating experience spectacular. However, there are times when grilling up some vegetables and meat is not possible. The weather may be preventing you from going camping and having grilled food you … Read more