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Fanman
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# Posted: 14 Aug 2023 07:52pm
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We have this old stone fireplace / grill behind our cabin, built many years ago, long before we moved in. Probably 60-100 years old.
Anyway, although I have cooked on it it's a pretty inefficient grill, and while it's decent as a fireplace it's not in a great location for it (chosen, no doubt, to make use of the rock in the middle of the patio). But it's in a good location for cooking, so lately I've been putting the grill in front of it.
I don't want to remove it, it's got some history, so I'm thinking of how to use it better. I do want propane for the convenience. A tabletop grill set on top of it would work, but nobody seems to make a decent size tabletop grill, they're all small portables. Grills made for built-in installation are all too large and too expensive. Another option is to build some pipe burners (which I've done before, for a larger oil tank cooker) to set under the existing grate with some lava rocks, and build a stainless sheet metal pan and cover.
A decent size portable would be my first choice, as I could still use it as a fireplace if I want to... or I could buy a conventional grill (or repair my old one) and hack off the legs and add handles.
Anybody know of a decent size tabletop grill? Or have some other ideas?
Excuse all the junk on top of it in the picture, I'm in the middle of several projects and as everybody knows flat surfaces attract junk.
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pabear89
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2023 11:09am
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Looks like a good fireplace. I like cooking over a open fire but I see the problem with the coals being too low so a large fire base would be needed to use for cooking.
I think if you drilled some pins inside the walls and placed a metal plate on them to raise the coal bed up close to the grill would help. a quick easy-to-use and remove when you just want to sit around the campfire times.
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Fanman
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2023 12:43pm
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I could make it a better wood/charcoal grill and I would enjoy cooking on that sometimes, but much more often I need a gas grill that I can simply light for a quick burger or sausage. Also a cover for more efficient cooking.
I may just cut the legs off my existing gas grill and set it on top for the time being.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2023 08:48pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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I like a multi-use spot like that.
Could weld up a rebar cris-cross 'under' grate, or use a field disc blade, for coals to slide in/out and leave it out if/when you want to use chunky wood.
There are plenty of portable rectangular charcoal and gas grills free to cheap 'out there' you could set on top.
Btw, if you use gas try to get/mod one with a long enough gas line to keep the tank outside the stones.
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Fanman
Member
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# Posted: 18 Aug 2023 09:50pm
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Yes, I'll get an extension hose to put the tanks behind the stones.
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Fanman
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2023 01:43pm
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This is what I ended up with, at least for now. Crude, but I can still use it as a fireplace when I want to.
IMG_20230904_132658_.jpg
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IMG_20230904_132722_.jpg
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2023 02:29pm
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MkI versions are often a bit rough to prove proof of concept 
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