How many FireBricks ?

[Sramsey]

I checked the hardware stores and online and seems i only could find a box of bricks. Though i know i don't need that many. So i contacted a local fireplace specialty shop and he sells them individually. Though how many do i need? I was trying to look at pics from some setups and seems they can come in the size of a typical red brick, and i also saw some slender ones.

What size do you have? How many should i buy? Can you post some pics of your setup please, so i can get a better idea on how many i want to buy?

[AcrossFromHoss]

Hey Sramsey,
here is my usual set up....

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I used 2 stacks of 2 fire bricks to form my charcoal area then place a 5th laying towards the back of the kettle. Id like to add two more to that back section for a total of 7 i just havnt gotten around to getting them. for this cook i stacked them to form a lower bed where if I am doing a larger bed of coals i will stand them up like this....

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in this 2nd setup i place the other 3 in the open area. you could get away with 2 if your just looking to shield your charcoal bed but i think having 7 is ideal. for me anyway. Also I found the 2nd photo on google its not mine so if it needs to be taken down im sorry i was just trying to show him a picture of the set up.

[CharliefromLI]

Check a masonry supply. They usually will sell them loose. I use two that are the size of normal red bricks

[Sramsey]

thanks guys. Both places replied. $3.50 was the low price, didn't tell me the size. The other one i think was $7, but was brick size. maybe the the $3 was is more like the first pick. Ill pick up a few and see if i want more.

[ClubChapin]

I think there are two sizes, Full and Splits.  In the pic above, those are splits.  The full are twice as thick.

[1buckie]

Maybe get a couple, three of each.....I find extra things to use them for like blocking up pizza or baking pans on top of the cooking grate & then still having some for charcoal dividers....

[Sramsey]

Maybe get a couple, three of each.....I find extra things to use them for like blocking up pizza or baking pans on top of the cooking grate & then still having some for charcoal dividers....

Is that so it doesn't burn the bottom?

[1buckie]

@Sramsey
Yes, but maybe more so it gets it up higher in the kettle so the top cooks evenly.....this is not really the best example of the reason......

For pizza, it really makes a difference having it up like that so the toppings cook up before the bottom burns.....

You can also use them for retaining & blocking heat like MacEggs pizza setup here:



And under as a riser in AZ Mikey's set withour the Kettle Pizza slot:

[Jammato]

Part of the genius of the kettle is the way it can be adapted for so many things. I do not even know if GS knew what he had when he changed the design to the shape we use today. He basically was just trying to get the air movement to be even and let the kettle cook evenly and retain the juicy goodness.
When you read the stories (rumors ?) of him developing the original kettle it shows he did have a love of both grilling and experimenting.
Any time you use the fire bricks you are introducing mass to the heat equation and that means both the amount of fuel to heat them and the amount of time they will keep even heat going in the kettle. I have seen guys bake cakes during campouts in these things using firebricks. Now think of that, being able to bake a cake nowhere near any kind of support except what you brought. The kettle is a great tool.
There is history of the American indians heating up good sized rocks and dropping them into pots to make the water boil. now that is a great thought on how to cook.
Anyway, what I am driving at is buying 4 or 6 just to have enough to do the coals is fine, but if you have a place to get a few, why not buy 10 and do some cooking experiments. I am sure the end results will be edible.

[1buckie]

"Any time you use the fire bricks you are introducing mass to the heat equation and that means both the amount of fuel to heat them and the amount of time they will keep even heat going in the kettle."

There are two different types of firebrick......

To Hank and Terry and anyone else that has used the specific fire bricks mentioned in the original post:

When researching, I found that there seem to be two types of what people commonly call "fire bricks". 

The first kind have an insulative property. in other words, you can place them next to a fire and they will try to remain cool to the opposite side.  These might line a residential fireplace or the outside of an outdoor fire place.  The other type is a conductive brick, which is intended to absorb and retain heat.  These are what you would line the interior and especially the bottom baking surface of a pizza oven so that the crust gets done.

For my purposes, I would prefer the former - a brick that does not conduct or radiate heat to the opposite side.  Long story short, is that the type of bricks in the OP?.

From this thread:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/in-praise-of-firebrick/

I knew this from way back in high school from being around the people in the ceramics studio (I was in the painting / drawing bunch) next door.....they built a 10 foot tall 6 foot wide kiln....
But forgot all about how this stuff worked.......I believe the insulator ones are lighter & more porous like & the conducting ones are heavier & more dense / solid..........

[Jammato]

Great information 1buckie
I would never had guessed there were 2 types of fire bricks. Are they both called fire bricks?

[MrHoss]

...I believe the insulator ones are lighter & more porous like & the conducting ones are heavier & more dense / solid..........

Hmmmm. I have about 12 firebricks. All the thinner ones bought from 2 different places. One type is the lighter porous one and the other much heavier and dense. It had not occurred to me that I had firebricks that performed differently.

@1buckie - Any thoughts on what would be good applications for one type or the other?

[1buckie]

...I believe the insulator ones are lighter & more porous like & the conducting ones are heavier & more dense / solid..........

Hmmmm. I have about 12 firebricks. All the thinner ones bought from 2 different places. One type is the lighter porous one and the other much heavier and dense. It had not occurred to me that I had firebricks that performed differently.

@1buckie - Any thoughts on what would be good applications for one type or the other?

It seems the more porous, lighter ones might be the type with the "insulative property" & might be best used for blocking heat, as in banking coals & keeping an area on the outside a bit cooler...

The "conductive" type, guessing those are the more dense & heavy, might be best for blocking up pizza or right under something you'd want to transmit heat to....

Look back up to the quote by G$......didn't actually see the research, but I think the differences are that way based on this:



these are 'Turds that were hanging out over the prop-up brick I use against an upright flip-up.....heavy & dense.....
You can see below, I learned my lesson, as the bacon wrapped doughnut is NOT over the brick.....



Not absolutely sure, but these newer ones I bought at a decorative stone place I believe are the insulator type.....a little lighter, but not by much........this could be actually the dense heavy stuff, just a newer version of it.....



.....but, it seemed to take awhile to come up to temp & heat the CI pan for a baking...



Best guesses.......

[1buckie]

....I do believe they are both termed "firebrick", but have no idea how they would be differentiated at a supplier, unless you find someone who really knows their goods....maybe a ceramic supply?

[addicted-to-smoke]

I bought 4 bricks at a construction reclamation place for maybe $1 apiece after not wanting to spend $15 or whatever for a new set online: http://www.vintagebricks.com Many urban areas have one or two little outfits like that. Might have to go downtown.

My research, right or wrong, said that solid, red clay bricks are basically the same things as "firebricks" so I suppose they fall into that insulator category mentioned above by 1buckie.

I know mine do! Two, lined up on end fit in either an 18.5" or 22.5" kettle to form a hot/warm barrier if that's what you want. YES, you need a lot more coals to cook food this way.

I use two, laid flat on the cooking grate to raise and insulate my pizza stone on the 18.5". You can instead position them on edge if using a 22.5" (both usages assume kettle lid in place ...) but positioned on-end means heat is getting through them unless you use a whole bunch of bricks together. At that point you'd also be considering a cast iron or at least Weber's Gourmet grate since the brick weight would skyrocket and likely harm the normal cooking grate, long-term.

@1buckie that pie picture has got me re-thinking my bricks even though you're using them there exactly like I do for my pizzas ... I've been ITCHIN' to try some baking (or at least some non-meats ...) and more CI. The question is, do I have enough patience to wait for the heat to build and stabilize??