Once you know the location of your future grill, and you’ve measured out how big a grill you need, have a quarry or hardware center deliver the load of bricks as close to the work site as possible. There’s no reason to lug heavy bricks any further than you have to.

Ideally you’ll place the grill on a flat steady surface such as your patio or a concrete slab. This will prevent any shifting thanks to uneven ground.

A good way to save money is to build the grill with legs – it uses fewer bricks.

Measure out a square the size of the grill and place 4 bricks in each one of the corners.

The next step is to brick and mortar up the 4 legs until you have 4 columns about 3 feet tall.

Place a long level across each leg to make sure it’s even with the others.

You’ll need to break out your saw for the next part.

Cut a rectangular piece of plywood the width of the square columns but 36 inches longer.

Center the plywood on top of the 4 columns with 18 inches of overhang on 2 of the sides. This makes a handy prep table for a minimal extra expense!

For added stability use a couple of concrete anchors to secure the plywood to the bricks.

The next step is to lay 2 rows of brick across the entire base out to the 4 corners. Be sure to use a fireproof mortar to seal any cracks. You don’t want hot coals working their way down to the plywood.

Looks like it’s starting to resemble a grill now, doesn’t it?

Mortar in place 2 rows of bricks around the entire outside edge of the grill bottom.

All you need to do now is repeat the brick rows along the sides and back until you have three walls about 18 inches high. Use a level to make sure all the walls stay perfectly straight.

Now that you have the exact as built dimensions for the grill you can go shopping for a grill grate.

If you’re lucky enough to have a barbecue store in your hometown try them first. They’ll be able to match up exactly what you need. It’s a bit more expensive, but ceramic coated grill grates are a great investment, you never have to worry about them rusting out.

Now that you’ve learned how to build a brick outdoor grill, built it, and found the right grate, all you need to do is light a fire and start cooking.