Wood fired Hibachi

[edschmidt]

All right, let me preface this by admitting Im on my third toquilla, (which happens to be when my best Ideas come). But o.k. Ive built my cast geodesic dome which has been in use for 18 months, Ive formed and fired a tandoor (lost interest) but now Im infatuated with the concept of adding a wood fired hibachi to my outdoor kitchen.

I see pizza making as "performance cooking" In that I get alot of OOHS and AAhs when I toss the dough and it doesnt land on the dog. But I look at those bennyhanna videos with the shrimp tossing etc and think that looks sweet. This is how I envision it. Firebox below going to a 1/2" thick 2'X4' plate of stainless steel at which time I would run a clay liner approx. 4' horizontally and run into a chimney from their.

So what do you think (not that itll stop me) Ive been tossing this around for about 2 months and cant get it out of my head, it seems really cool, and as a side benifit would probably attract the ladies (the first wifes not getting any younger)

Im thinking oven, then a corner which will contain the tandoor, and the hibachi at a right angle to that, thereby covering italian, indian, and asian cooking all in my backyard. I think Ill have the whole neighborhood holding hands and singing coombiya by nightfall.

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by edschmidt

All right, let me preface this by admitting Im on my third toquilla, (which happens to be when my best Ideas come). But o.k. Ive built my cast geodesic dome which has been in use for 18 months, Ive formed and fired a tandoor (lost interest) but now Im infatuated with the concept of adding a wood fired hibachi to my outdoor kitchen.

I see pizza making as "performance cooking" In that I get alot of OOHS and AAhs when I toss the dough and it doesnt land on the dog. But I look at those bennyhanna videos with the shrimp tossing etc and think that looks sweet. This is how I envision it. Firebox below going to a 1/2" thick 2'X4' plate of stainless steel at which time I would run a clay liner approx. 4' horizontally and run into a chimney from their.

So what do you think (not that itll stop me) Ive been tossing this around for about 2 months and cant get it out of my head, it seems really cool, and as a side benifit would probably attract the ladies (the first wifes not getting any younger)

Im thinking oven, then a corner which will contain the tandoor, and the hibachi at a right angle to that, thereby covering italian, indian, and asian cooking all in my backyard. I think Ill have the whole neighborhood holding hands and singing coombiya by nightfall.

I suggest going to bed.
But first kiss the wife.
And tell her how much you love her.

Then build the hibachi.

and I thought I'd be happy with a pizza oven..........


at least I now know my next project!

[Brauma]

Ed, you might want to consider running your idea by Dave Klose at BBQ Pits by Klose - Houston, TX. Dave is one of the leading BBQ pit makers in the country and from what I understand, he is very open to new and custom designs. You could pattent your idea and get Dave to build it.

Dave is famous for making 1/2" thick fireboxes and he probably has them laying around pre-built. If nothing else, you could probably just buy a 1/2" firebox from him then fabricate your hibachi on it.

Good luck!

[asudavew]

How to Throw a Teppanyaki Party | eHow.com


an interesting link for you

[Brauma]

Originally Posted by asudavew

How to Throw a Teppanyaki Party | eHow.com


an interesting link for you

That article needed pics! I would love to see someone washing a 3'x4' x 12" plate steel with warm dish soap! Not to mention buying something that big at "the building supply store".

1/2" plate is serious stuff. You can only get it at a metal yard or metal fab shop. You would most likely have to buy a full sheet and pay to have it cut down to 3x4.

Really not cost effective. The cost of steel is thru the roof these days with the war plus China is in an industrial revolution. They have been buying every scrap of iron ore for many years.

Sorry to get too serious about the post. I've done a bit of welding in my day.

I would like to see pics of your wood fired hibachi, Ed. Please keep us in the loop. I dont have any tequilla but Ive got some good rum that may get more ideas flowing!

[edschmidt]

Sounds a little scary to me also, and the other problem is it would corrode in short order. I went to a local scrap yard and the thickest stainless steel they had was 1/4" and it would be something like $180 which I think was reasonable, but think I would need more mass. Ive noticed when Ive seen these in action that only a maybe 1' circle in the center seems to be heated with the rest of the grill heated by convection. This seems to make sence considering different foods need different temps. I did think about using the 1/4" stainless on top, and welding 1/4 regular steel underneath, but I think there would be a corrosion problem which would stop efficient heat transfer (dissimular metals and all) So off to checking the scrapyards for a 2'X4' sheet of 1./2" stainless. P.S. I think 3' seems a bit excessive, I wouldnt want to reach too far over a piece of stainless at 800+ deg..

[Brauma]

Or, find a thicker piece of stainless approx 1' in diameter and have it welded underneath for the mass.

[dmun]

Why not buy a wood/coal kitchen range?



The late art-deco looking ones like this go for peanuts, and the cast iron top will give you a load of thermal mass under your stainless plate. It will also give you a nice vent path for getting the wood smoke out of your face, as well as some sophisticated vent and ash handling tools. If you didn't like the look you could always build it into a brick enclosure.

eBay has a nice one now in Ontario.

[Brauma]

Holy Crap, Dmun! My dad has an old wood fired stove like the one listed on Ebay in his shed right now! Are you saying these things are worth money?! The one he has is his mom's (my grandma's) and its in bad shape. Its heavy as lead and falling apart.

I may have to go take a second look at it.