Escape the Fast-Paced World in Your Backyard
If you are looking for a slow-paced “experience” in a fast-paced world – look no further than your back yard. Nothing can be more relaxing than to sit around a campfire and share experiences with your family and friends.
You can create a wonderful barbecue out of a wheelbarrow. It can be turned into a rotisserie, a grill or just a big bed of coal to sit around and roast marshmallows while you talk.The metal wheelbarrow you have parked in your garage can make a versatile barbecue that will handle a whole meal. You will also need a few bricks, some foil and dirt. The great advantage of this grill is that you can wheel it wherever you want, and it’s just the right height to roast marshmallows or hot dogs from a lawn chair. The wheelbarrow also provides enough space for a rotisserie and a grill, as well as for direct cooking on the coals.
DIY Wheelbarrow Barbecue: A Creative Outdoor Grill
First, fill the wheelbarrow with about 6 inches of gravel, sand or dirt, just enough to insulate it from the heat. For efficient cooking with charcoal briquets, cover the area where the briquets will be placed with extra-heavy-duty aluminum foil. The foil will keep the coals from sinking into the dirt, and it insures that air will circulate to keep the briquets burning. Stack the briquets in the center of the wheelbarrow and light them. When they’re hot, spread them over the foil. And finally, slide a pair of oven mitts over the handles of the wheelbarrow so they will be handy while you are grilling.
Once the briquets are burning, line the sides of the wheelbarrow with bricks, then place a large grilling rack across them for barbecuing flat pieces of meat. (For easy cleaning on any grill, spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray before using it.) You can regulate the cooking temperature by taking away brick to raise the heat and adding them to decrease it. The most efficient grill height is about 4 to 6 inches above the coals. If you simply want to use the coals for stick cooking, don’t bother about the bricks or the racks.
Advanced Arrangements for the Adventurous Chef
If you’re a little more adventurous, you may want to try some other arrangements:
– Rotisserie, grill and open coals – use bricks on the back for a rotisserie, bricks just in front to support a wire rack, and then leave an open space for cooking over open coals.
– Rotisserie and grill – stack bricks at the back for a rotisserie and bricks along the side with a rack on them for a grill.
– Grill – place bricks on the four corners of the wheelbarrow and place a grilling rack on them.
– Open coals – cook directly on or over coals using foil or stick cooking methods.
Keep It Cool: DIY Chilling Station
Keeping salads and drinks cold can be a problem outdoors, but there is an easy solution. Take a laundry basket, a plastic baby tub, a wheelbarrow, a wagon or even a child’s plastic wading pool and fill with ice cubes. Place soda cans in the ice around the outer edges of the container. Then place the salad bowls in the middle of the container. The most secure way to place the bowl is to make an indentation in the ice with your hands, then place the bowl in and twist it from side to side.
Guests and friends will marvel at your creativity as you enjoy eating in and having a relaxing evening.
