Fold a brick tandoor with your own hands. How to make a tandoor at your dacha: from a brick, wooden or plastic barrel. Laying the foundation for the tandoor

Cooking over an open fire is one of the oldest forms of culinary art.

Nevertheless, even today we love to treat ourselves to barbecue and other dishes prepared in this way.

Almost every non-nomadic people has their own national oven or other device for cooking over an open fire. Eastern peoples from the Caucasus to northwest China traditionally cooked food in a tandoor oven.

What kind of oven is this?

A tandoor is a furnace made of clay or hemispherical ceramics with a round neck.

Enr can be kindled with both coals and brushwood. Food for cooking and fuel for ignition are placed in the throat, which is one of the main distinguishing features of such an oven.

Origin story

The word tandoor is of Turkic origin, and was originally the Turkic analogue of the Russian stove. He stood in the house of every inhabitant from the Caucasus to China, and performed its main function - heating the home.

Over time, this furnace spread beyond the borders of the Turkic world. Its phenomenal properties were quickly appreciated by other nations.

The special design of this oven allows you to maintain a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius in its throat, which allows you to cook food quickly with an unsurpassed taste, while maintaining all its useful properties.

Although today this oven is used mainly for cooking meat dishes, traditionally bread and other flour products were baked in it.

Choosing a building site

The tandoor is traditionally set on a clay platform. Therefore, a place for its installation must be chosen even.

You can also specially dig a small foundation for laying the platform so that the furnace is not located too high.

For safety reasons, the structure should not be installed near electrical wires and gas communications. It is also recommended to clean the ground around the stove from dry leaves and branches.

The tandoor can be installed indoors, for example, in the summer kitchen in the country. This arrangement is convenient for cooking, but then you need to build a chimney.

But since this stove can be used outdoors at any time of the year, installing it outdoors shouldn't be a problem.

In the photo, the installation diagram of the tandoor in the country

What designs are

Tandoor can be:

stationary;
portable;
with a vertical neck;
with a horizontal neck

The classic tandoor is always stationary. By tradition, it is lined with bricks to keep warm, and is installed on a reliable specially prepared platform.

The modern design is often portable for ease of use in the country. This oven can be installed on any flat surface.

Most modern tandoors are made with a vertical neck, as their main purpose is the preparation of shish kebab and other meat dishes. The vertical version is universal. You can cook almost any dish on it.

A stove with a horizontal throat, common in Central Asia, is suitable only for making samsa and bread. The horizontal version is installed so that the throat is directed to the horizon.

Can you make your own?

The design of factory production is quite expensive, so many barbecue lovers have the idea to build such an oven on their own.

Everyone can design a tandoor with their own hands, and this will not require big expenses, because any owner in the country should have all the necessary components.

Master class: portable design

To make a portable tandoor with your own hands, you will need:

large outdoor flower pot;
medium flower pot;
a small desktop flower pot with a perforated bottom;
a metal disk with a hole in the middle (a weight for a barbell or a combined dumbbell is suitable);
pebbles for landscape design;
of the tools you only need a hacksaw.

First step

First you need to take a large outdoor flower pot and put it on the ground, on a flat surface in an upright position.

Then, in this pot, place a small tabletop flower pot with a perforated bottom in the same upright position.

For stability, put a metal pancake in a small pot. This pot will be used as a firebox.

The constructed structure must be checked for strength by shaking in different directions. If she freely “walks” around the country house, you need to take a heavier disk.

Second step

At the middle flower pot, you need to saw off the bottom with a hacksaw.

There is no need to throw it away, as it will still be useful to us.

Then the pot with the bottom cut off must be turned upside down and placed evenly in a large pot.

Third step

As a result of the first two steps, a free cavity formed between the walls of the large flower pot and the inverted middle one. We need to fill it with pebbles for landscape design.

On the one hand, this allows you to maintain the desired temperature in your throat, and on the other hand, it serves as a good element of decor.

Thus, we got a tandoor. In the throat, which serves as the upper part of the middle pot, you need to put coal or other solid fuel, and kindle it.

After that, the oven will quickly pick up the desired temperature so that you can cook meat delicacies on an open fire.

The cut bottom of the middle pot will serve as a lid to keep the heat in while the oven heats up.

On the video you can clearly study the manufacture of the tandoor with your own hands:

Stationary design

At home, you can also build a stationary tandoor. It is somewhat more difficult to build than a portable one, but possible.

If you have recently carried out repair and construction work, you will surely find everything you need.

For the construction you will need:

2 medium floor terracotta flower pots;
refractory bricks;
multi-colored refractory bricks for facade work;
cement mortar.

Of the tools you will need:

angle grinder;
a container for mixing the solution and a spatula;
hacksaw.

First step

Stationary tandoor requires the construction of a platform. To prevent the furnace from being too high, we will make the platform below ground level.

To do this, you need to dig a rectangular hole in the ground and fill it with cement mortar. After the mortar hardens, the surface must be sanded and you can proceed to the next step.

Second step

Now you need to build a base of refractory bricks, which you need to lay out on a cemented surface. On top of the refractory bricks, you need to lay out multi-colored facade bricks in a circle to give the furnace a recognizable shape.

The color of the bricks has no technical significance, so you can choose a shade that is in harmony with the design of the yard.

Third step

In one terracotta pot, you need to make a hole on the side closer to the base. In order for the stove to ignite well, it needs good air access, which such a slot will provide.

The cut piece of the pot should not be thrown away, it will come in handy for controlling the power of the fire in the stove by closing the slot.

Fourth step

On the formed base, you need to put one terracotta pot in an upright position. Using a hacksaw, you need to cut off the bottom of the second pot.

Then gently spread a layer of mortar on the first pot with a spatula, and plant the pot with the cut bottom upside down on it. After that, you need to wait until the solution hardens.

Fifth step

The remaining facade bricks need to be overlaid with fastened pots. The masonry must be done in such a way that it is one with the round base that we made earlier.

In order for the bricks to look beautiful, they need to be processed with an angle grinder, giving the necessary shape. Mortar can be used to fix bricks.

On this, the manufacture of a stationary tandoor ends and you can safely start cooking.

Thus, making a tandoor is easy and affordable, the main thing is to have a desire and some materials at hand.

The construction of a brick tandoor has recently attracted more and more people. Today we will tell you how to make a tandoor with your own hands from brick.

Although at first glance, this is an easy job, but this one is not. If you take the classic version, then it is difficult to make it. But for beginners, there are also modern methods, you can practice on this.

Device and principle of operation

To decide how to make a brick tandoor, you first need to understand the principle of the system. After all, without knowing this, there is nothing to get to work. Tandoor is a kind of clay vessel designed for cooking various dishes.

In the lower part of the vessel there is a blower to provide draft, and in the upper part there is a hole designed for laying fuel and installing cooked dishes.
To increase the efficiency of such a stove, a clay vessel is lined with bricks, and a material capable of storing heat for a long time is poured between the brick and the clay base of the stove. It can be sand, salt, clay, etc.
The heat released during the combustion of fuel is accumulated, while the walls of the tandoor are heated to a temperature of 250ºС-400ºС, and the temperature conditions in the tandoor are maintained for 3-4 hours.
Throughout this period, bread can be baked in the oven, boiled or fried. The design of the furnace allows the accumulated heat to be released not outside, but inside the furnace, due to which such high efficiency is achieved.
The heat in the tandoor spreads evenly throughout the entire volume, thanks to which the meat is fried evenly, the pilaf turns out to be unique, and the bread is surprisingly fragrant.

Method for making clay tandoor

Real masters use the classic ancient technology, which is that the tandoor is molded, not built. Clay of Akhangar origin, which has high thermal insulation characteristics, is taken as the basis.

So that the stove can withstand high temperatures and cracks do not appear on the clay structure, camel or sheep wool is added to the composition of the clay. Making a brick tandoor is a modern and more affordable option.

Attention: Making such a stove with your own hands is quite difficult, since the exact composition of the clay solution is not known. Therefore, the composition will be an important point in manufacturing.

Technology can have the following operations:

Clay (kaolin) is mixed with wool (fiber size can be in the range of 10-15 mm). The finished mixture should be viscous and, in consistency, resemble thick sour cream.
After that, the clay mixture, within a week, dries up and reaches its condition. Throughout the entire drying period, the mixture is constantly stirred to obtain a homogeneous mass. If during this period, moisture appears on the surface of the solution, it must be immediately drained. The finished mixture should have a minimum of moisture, and in consistency, the mixture should resemble a dense homogeneous plasticine, from which various figures can be sculpted.
From such a plastic material, you can begin to sculpt a tandoor. Work begins from below, in a circle with a constant rise upwards. The tandoor has standard dimensions: height - 1-1.5 meters, main diameter - 1 m, neck diameter - 0.5-0.6 meters.
At the initial stage of modeling in the lower part of the vessel, a hole is left for the blower. The wall thickness of such a vessel lies within 5 cm.
After the process of forming the tandoor is completed, and it will really resemble an earthen vessel, 1 m in diameter, having a narrowing and a neck, 0.5 m in diameter, the finished structure is left to dry in the shade for 1 month.
After the base of the tandoor dries and there are no cracks on it, it is installed in the right place and covered with mammoth bricks. As the masonry rises to the furnace neck, sand, clay or salt is poured into the space between the masonry and the clay structure and carefully compacted. At the same time, it is necessary to control efforts so as not to disturb the masonry. As a solution, you can use a traditional clay mortar, with the addition of quartz sand and a plasticizer.
Then, the resulting structure is coated with cottonseed oil. Naturally, such an operation is carried out from the inside of the tandoor.
In conclusion, the most important operation is carried out, which can last for 24 hours. During this time, the clay acquires the properties of ceramics, while the firing temperature rises slowly so that the furnace does not crack.

To learn more about this stove, as well as find out what it actually is, you can watch the video in this article.

Simplified design of a tandoor with a barrel at the base

Some craftsmen, having tried to make a tandoor with their own hands, point to the fact that you should have some experience to make it. As a result of such efforts, it is not possible to obtain a perfectly even structure around the entire circumference: there it is oblique, there it is crooked.

As a result of this, a new approach was formed and a new technology for the manufacture of such a stove was developed. This technology is based on the principle of obtaining a similar design in the process of forming the base of the tandoor, using a wooden barrel.

For this you need:

Kaolin (clay).
Fireclay sand with a grain size of up to 0.5 mm.
Camel or sheep wool.
Wooden barrel.
Vegetable oil.

The works are as follows:

A barrel is taken and filled with water so that the wood swells, after which the water is drained and the barrel is given some time to dry out a little.
During this time, a clay solution is prepared in combination: 1 part of sand, 1 part of clay and 0.5 parts of wool, after which it is left for several days until the desired consistency and uniformity are obtained.
Before the formation of the tandoor, the inner surface of the barrel is smeared with sunflower oil and left for 12 hours for impregnation.
After that, they begin to apply the clay solution to the inner walls of the wooden barrel. The thickness of the layer can be in the range of 4-5 cm. A small hole for the blower is left in the lower part of the structure. A neck of the required size is formed in the upper part.
After the molding process is completed, the finished structure, together with the barrel, is placed in the shade to dry. This process can take 3 weeks or more.
After drying, and together with the clay construction, the wooden one also dries, which at the end of drying will lag behind the clay one, the wooden barrel is disassembled. To do this, metal hoops are removed from the barrel.
The liberated tandoor is installed on a thick sand cushion, after which they start firing it. To begin with, a small fire is made in the tandoor and maintained for 6 hours, after which the tandoor is covered with a lid and, adding fuel, bring the temperature to the maximum.
After that, a slow cooling process is performed, which can last up to 6 hours. We can safely say that the Asian stove is ready if no cracks are found on its surface.

Attention: In order for the tandoor to become a real tandoor, it should be lined with bricks and insulated with clay or sand to increase energy efficiency.

Modern version of the tandoor

Making a classic Asian clay tandoor requires not only skill, but also patience. It is very difficult to get a structure that will not fall apart before it is finally installed, having gone through all the technological processes, and most likely it will be like luck. How to make a brick tandoor, now we will consider in detail. Its price will not be high and therefore worth a try.

To begin with, we make a brick tandoor project. It can be a brick tandoor horizontal and vertical.

Attention: A horizontal brick tandoor will do a little harder than a vertical one. Here, just fastening the brick will need to be propped up until it dries completely.

In order not to take risks once again, you can make a stove, like a tandoor, but from refractory bricks. Despite the fact that the appearance of such a stove will be somewhat different, it will perform its functions.

To make a brick tandoor, you need to have the following materials:

Brick for tandoor will need fireclay
You will also need a clay mortar for masonry.
Chamotte clay (kaolin).
Cement, sand, rebar, gravel.
Wooden template.

Attention: The dimensions of the brick tandoor in this option you choose yourself. It all depends on the area and your desire.

The work on the manufacture of the ala-tandoor oven involves the following steps:

Stage number 1. Foundation construction

First, you should find a suitable place, after which, a hole of a suitable diameter is dug.

Usually, the diameter of the pit is slightly larger than the diameter of the future stove.
Sand for a pillow is poured at the bottom of the pit, 10 cm thick. Reinforcement is laid on top of the pillow and poured with concrete mortar.

Attention: In this case, it is necessary to control that the surface is horizontal. To do this, you can use the building level.

Stage number 2. Laying brick walls of the furnace

In a circle, with a diameter of 1 meter, the walls of the future furnace are laid out.

At the same time, the brick is installed on the end, and with the help of a wooden template, a regular circle is formed.
Masonry is carried out using a furnace mortar made on the basis of chamotte clay, quartz sand and a plasticizer.
In the lower part of the brick structure, an opening for the blower should be left. To do this, you can use a metal blower door.
For a furnace with a height of 1-1.2 m, it is enough to lay out four rows of bricks placed vertically on the end.
From the last row of bricks, it is necessary to form the neck of the tandoor, for which the bricks are laid at a certain angle.

Attention: You may have to cut them with a grinder, otherwise it will be difficult to form a neck. The slope is made inside the brick structure.

Stage number 3. Clay coating and finishing

From the inside, the structure is coated with a layer of clay, about 5 cm thick, and from the outside, the structure is finished with natural stone.

Stage number 4. kiln firing

The kiln firing technology is the same as for firing the classic tandoor. First, the structure should be simply dried with a small fire. And about three times. After that, you can already use the tandoor for its intended purpose and are not afraid of anything.

How to build a brick tandoor you now know. I want to say right away that the construction of clay in manufacturing will be less laborious.

Only here you need to choose the right composition. It is easier to make a brick tandoor, but it will not be quite a classic. So look at the photo and choose your option.

Tandoor is a special jug-shaped brazier designed for cooking. These furnaces are most common in the East. Now they are increasingly used in Europe, as they have a lot of good qualities. They are stationary, or small, portable. Historically, a tandoor is a clay product, but in modern conditions it is much more convenient to build a brick tandoor with your own hands.

History reference

The first such ovens appeared in Asia. According to legend, they were invented by a shepherd named Tandoor. He saw that tulips close up at night, and insects protect themselves from the cold. The young man made a bud out of clay and began to cook food for himself in it, kindling a fire inside. The food was delicious and stayed hot for a long time. The young man made a fortune by making and selling tandoors. Became a respected person.

Another legend ascribes sacred meaning to the tandoor. Allegedly, it was invented by the Sarts in the tenth century. They lived on the territory of modern Uzbekistan and were fire worshipers. They believed that the tandoor is a spiritual dwelling of beautiful spirits - peri, an analogue of European fairies. Only after many years did it acquire practical significance. This happened when the Sarts were conquered by the Mongols, and they were able to appreciate their invention.

The manufacture of the clay tandoor is shrouded in mystery, which is guarded and passed down from generation to generation. If you make a tandoor without skill, it will crack from the heat. There are secrets that are known. Clay is carefully sifted like flour for dough. Sheep or goat wool is added to the clay. After firing, it burns out, and pores remain in the vessel. During construction, a barrel is often used - wooden or plastic. She keeps her shape. After construction is completed, it is removed. Knowledge of these secrets is not enough to make a clay tandoor. In the country, they usually build a brick one.

This does not detract from his excellent qualities. The ancient nomads at each of their camps made stoves out of anything, keeping the principle, and the food turned out delicious. That is, initially the tandoor is a fire in a recess that saves it from the wind.

Tandoors are common in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Japan. They have been used there for centuries. It is difficult to say who is older - the tandoor or the Russian stove.

Tandoor is the most famous name of this oven. The term is of Turkic origin. In Armenia they are called tonir, in India - tandur, in Tajikistan - tanur, in Georgia - tone, in Azerbaijan - tandir. All of them have differences, but one principle of manufacture and operation.

Construction

Building a tandoor, like any other business, requires preparation.

Training

It is necessary to choose and prepare a place for the furnace. It should be located far from the house and landings. A site with minimal moisture is desirable. Everything superfluous must be removed from it. It must be level.

refractory brick;
sand, clay, fireclay mortar;
grate (lattice);
cement;
asbestos pipe;
shovels;
trowels;
level.

Foundation

The best place for a tandoor is sandy. If there is no such place on the site, a shallow round pit is dug and wakes up with sand, compacted. On this site, a foundation is made of brick or concrete. You can use a reinforced concrete slab. This is a good option, but it adds to the cost of the oven. In addition, the slab must be laid very evenly.

The construction of the furnace

Walls are laid out on the finished foundation. The brick is placed on the end or in 3 rows. The first row is placed around the circumference and linked with a solution. The inner diameter of the circle is 0.5 meters. An asbestos pipe is inserted into the second row, it will serve as a blower. Internal coating is made with fireclay mortar or clay. It is more convenient to do it immediately as the next row is installed.

On the second row grates are installed. You will need four rows in total.

When the oven is laid out and dried, all joints are sealed from the outside. Clay cement is used. When plastering, the brick should be moistened, otherwise it will take water from the solution. When this layer dries, a second layer is applied - from clay mixed with straw. It will play the role of a reinforcing and insulating wall, it is allowed to dry for three days. If it rains during the laying of the tandoor, the construction must be covered with a film. At the end, the tandoor is covered with a third layer. In composition, it is like the first.

The oven is ready. The lid can be made from an iron sheet by welding a handle. It will help keep you warm as much as possible. You can ennoble the tandoor externally, overlay it with natural stone. They start working when everything is dry.

Earthen tandoor

Sometimes a brick tandoor is buried in the ground. It will be more convenient to use - there is less danger of getting burned, it is easier to lower products. The principle of construction is the same. The pit must be dug deeper, three-quarters of the height of the furnace. The blower pipe should be longer, it is brought out. Savings on external finishing, it will be required only for the part coming out of the ground.

Terms of use

The first ignition must be carried out carefully. The temperature must be raised gradually. Firewood is laid on two-thirds of the tandoor, they must be dry. They are set on fire through the blower. Products are loaded into the oven when the firewood burns out, about an hour after ignition. Coals should be evenly distributed on the bottom of the oven. One dressing is enough to prepare two dishes, and the second will take twice as long to cook.

If the tandoor needs to be used again, it can be heated to operating temperature much faster than during the first ignition.

It's easy to check if it's ready to go. The stick must be drawn along the wall inside. If the soot disappears and the wall is clean, the stove is ready for use.

The degree of roasting can be adjusted by supplying air to the tandoor through a blower or a lid.

The coals should smolder without burning, so the blower is not closed after heating. To avoid unnecessary traction, at the same time slightly open the lid.

Do not pour water over the tandoor to cool it. It will give irreparable cracks. He must cool himself, naturally.

It must be remembered that when ignited, the height of the flame above the stove can reach one and a half meters. The temperature inside reaches 480 degrees, the outer walls also heat up. Children should not be around, everyone should behave carefully to avoid burns.

Do not forget about fire safety.

Advantages

Cooking in the tandoor is becoming more and more popular. What contributes to this?

The flame is not blown out, the heat is long and uniform.

Cooking is like an oven. No harmful substances are formed in food during cooking. Even barbecue turns out dietary.

In this publication, we will look at ways to build a tandoor in the country - an outdoor wood-burning stove made of oriental-style bricks. After studying this material, you can choose the appropriate option and perform simple construction work with your own hands.

Construction of a traditional tandoor

First, a few words about what a tandoor is. This is an oven of an old design without a chimney, located outside and designed for cooking and baking according to oriental recipes - flat cakes, pita bread, samsa and so on. What the device of a stationary stove looks like is shown in the diagram.

What does a classic tandoor oven consist of:

foundation - reinforced concrete slab;
a clay firebox in the form of an amphora without a bottom, closed on top with a metal lid;
hearth part and outer walls made of bricks;
between the inner and outer walls there is a filler made of heat-intensive building material (sand, fine gravel);
at the bottom of the firebox there is an iron grate and an ash chamber with a blower door.

The principle of operation of the tandoor is similar to the Russian stove: the flame of burning firewood heats thick walls that retain heat for a long time. Due to which, after the fire is extinguished, homemade dishes of meat and flour are prepared: shish kebab, kebab or flat cakes (according to the old technology, the dough sticks to the inner surface of the firebox).

Reference. Similar commercially manufactured portable stoves are commercially available. They have a grill (as in a barbecue) and electric heating of the chamber.

We prepare building materials

To make a foundation and build a furnace, you will need the following materials:

a ready-made ceramic vessel for a tandoor furnace, resembling a pot without a bottom;
ceramic brick, preferably solid;
clay and sand for masonry mortar;
grate and ash pan door;
metal for the manufacture of the cover;
sand or fine gravel - to fill the gap between the walls;
cement M400, rebar and crushed stone - for pouring the foundation.

Finished ceramic insert in the oven

Note. It is quite difficult to make an internal ceramic insert shown in the photo with your own hands. If you can’t find it on sale, then you will have to build a budget version of the tandoor with clay coating, as described below.

The amount of building materials depends on the dimensions of the furnace, which are chosen arbitrarily. To correctly lay out the fuel chamber with convex walls, it is necessary to maintain the ratio of the diameters of the hearth and the upper opening, as shown in the drawing.

If you plan to use the tandoor on weekends, then making a large structure is pointless. Feel free to reduce the dimensions indicated in the drawing by 1/3, or half. The finished insert - an amphora does not have to be bricked around in a circle, the body can be built in a square shape, which is done in the photo.

Reference. It is allowed to lay a stove made of fireclay bricks and refractory clay, but at a price the construction will cost much more.

A brick wall of arbitrary shape is built around the clay insert - round or square

We fill the foundation

Since any brick oven is a heavy structure, it cannot be installed directly on the ground. Before you make a tandoor at your summer cottage, prepare a concrete base according to the step-by-step instructions:

According to the requirements for concreting foundations, it is allowed to load a fresh foundation after 28 days. The formwork is removed earlier - after 5-7 days. For more details on pouring the foundation slab under the tandoor, see the video:

Building a stove

To protect a home-made brick tandoor from moisture from the side of the foundation, cover the concrete surface with a double-folded roofing material, and then proceed to construction. The order of work is as follows:

Advice. When adding sand to the solution, make sure that the sample does not begin to crack when squeezed into a cake - this is a sign of a lean solution.

A cake is made to test the solution

To give the firebox a convex shape, use the wooden template shown in the photo. It is easy to put together from wooden planks, checking the angle of inclination of the support rail according to the drawing.

When laying the inclined walls of the tandoor, it is better to cut the inner corners of the bricks. It’s easier to work with an internal clay coating when the structure dries, which we will discuss later. The construction process is shown in more detail in the video:

Finishing the firebox and ignition

According to the old technology, the tandoor firebox is supposed to be coated with a solution of clay, sand and sheep's wool, which works as a reinforcing component. Now it is worth using modern materials that give the best result - refractory clay "Mertel MP-18" and liquid glass.

The consistency of the mixture becomes thick

Finishing is performed according to the following algorithm:

You will need to apply several coats to get an even coverage. Do not strive to make the surface perfectly flat, the main task is to ensure smoothness and remove flowability so that sand does not get into the pita bread.

After the finishing layer has completely solidified, kindle the tandoor with a small amount of firewood and heat it in a gentle mode, allowing the masonry to dry completely. Watch the video of the master for performing the coating procedure:

Budget options for tandoor

One of the easiest ways to make a heat-intensive cooking oven is to use a 200-liter iron barrel as a frame. The base will be an old automobile wheel, partially dug into the ground; there is no need to build a reinforced concrete foundation.

Manufacturing technology is simple:

Under certain conditions, the tandoor is laid out of bricks without the use of mortar. The stones are placed "on the butt" in the form of a semicircle and tied with wire. The procedure is as follows:

Advice. In order for the mortar to adhere well to the brick walls, moisten the latter with plenty of water from a spray bottle.

The finished tandoor must be ignited and heated several times. How to build the simplest and most inexpensive version of the stove, see the video.

Conclusion

In fact, budget construction methods make it possible to create an imitation of a tandoor, since they differ in a cylindrical or conical shape. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, a real Asian stove should have an amphora or jug-shaped firebox. If this was not achieved, you get a simple heat-consuming stove for cooking.

Structural engineer with over 8 years experience in construction.
Graduated from East Ukrainian National University. Vladimir Dal with a degree in Electronic Industry Equipment in 2011.

Fans of country rest cannot imagine their pastime in the country without barbecue. Indeed, can there be anything tastier than fresh meat, richly flavored with spices and carefully roasted on charcoal? If this exists in nature, then it can only be meat that is baked in a brick tandoor. Who does not know, the tandoor is a special Turkish oven, thanks to which a shish kebab is obtained with simply incredible taste. And the whole secret of such an exquisite taste lies in the fact that the meat is baked extremely evenly, and only due to the fact that the distribution of heat in such a design is balanced. So, today we will find out how to build a tandoor with our own hands, get acquainted with the possible options and give detailed instructions for manufacturing.

How to make a tandoor on your own

Option number 1. Traditional clay tandoor

According to the ancient technology mentioned earlier, a true tandoor should be molded, not built. Moreover, kaolin clay (ideally, of Akhangar origin), which has excellent thermal insulation qualities, should be used for this. To prevent the stove body from cracking under the influence of high temperatures, wool of sheep or camels is added to the clay. It is extremely difficult to make an authentic tandoor, since Asian craftsmen do not spread much about the exact composition of kaolin clay. Simply put, you will have to perform all the manipulations "by eye", constantly conducting experiments.

An approximate manufacturing technology for the classic version of the described furnace is approximately as follows.

Step 1. To make a tandoor with your own hands, you need to mix clay with wool (the length of the fibers of the latter should be about 1-1.5 cm). The result should be a fairly viscous mixture, reminiscent of sour cream in its consistency.

Step 2 Next, you need to wait 7 days for the resulting composition to dry and acquire the required condition. During all these days, the mixture should be stirred periodically so that drying occurs evenly. All water accumulating on top must be removed immediately (it must not be mixed into the composition).

Note! The lower the moisture concentration in the composition, the lower the risk that the oven will crack during drying or firing. When the preparation period is over, the consistency of the mixture should resemble a dense plasticine suitable for modeling.

Step 3 From the resulting "plasticine" it is necessary to mold long sheets of oblong shape with a thickness of at least 5 centimeters. From these plates, gradually moving in a circle, you need to build a tandoor.

Traditional dimensions look something like this:

the neck should be 50-60 centimeters in diameter;
before narrowing, the diameter should correspond to 100 centimeters;
the recommended height of the structure is from 100 to 150 centimeters.

From below, in the side of the case, it is necessary to leave a hole through which air will flow inside.

Step 4 When the oven is ready, it is transferred to the shade and left for another 30 days to dry.

Step 5 The walls must be overlaid with fireclay bricks, and the adhesive composition in this case can be either kaolin clay itself or a special clay oven mixture, which contains plasticizers and quartz sand. Sand or salt should be poured into the cavity between the formed layers, periodically tamping when backfilling.

Step 6 The inner surface is coated with cottonseed oil.

Step 7 After that, it remains only to perform the firing of the finished furnace, that is, to bring the material to the state of ceramics. The temperature should rise gradually and not very quickly. The duration of firing can reach 24 hours, this is explained by the fact that if raw clay is subjected to sudden heating, then it can crack.

Video - Traditional tandoor: technology and curious facts

Option number 2. Making a tandoor with your own hands from a barrel (simplified technology)

It's no secret that making such a furnace using the technology described above is extremely difficult, especially in the absence of special skills and knowledge. And many home craftsmen will confirm this. The surfaces are curved, and the clay often cracks when it dries. To avoid this kind of trouble, a simpler "recipe" for this design was developed, which is based on the creation of walls of clay around a barrel made of wood.

To create such an Asian oven, you must prepare in advance:

kaolin clay;
vegetable oil;
fireclay sand (and its fraction should not exceed 0.5 mm);
a wooden barrel with iron hoops;
wool (one of the options listed above).

And now let's find out how a tandoor is made from all this with our own hands. First fill a full barrel of water and wait at least 24 hours for the wood to soak and swell. After that, mix wool (0.5 parts), sand (2 parts) and clay (1 part), wait a few days until the resulting mixture dries. The next step is to drain the water, the complete drying of the wood. The inner surfaces of the barrel are treated with vegetable oil, after which they are soaked overnight. Next, the inside of the barrel is covered with a 4- or 5-cm layer of the resulting clay mixture. The composition is leveled with wet hands so that the walls are as even as possible. When moving up, the thickness of the clay layer should increase, that is, the neck of the furnace should gradually narrow. Traditionally, it is necessary to leave a small hole at the bottom, through which air from outside will enter the case.

Note! For drying, the structure should be transferred to a ventilated, shaded and dry place. The process can take 3 to 4 weeks. Over time, the barrel will begin to lag behind the clay walls.

When everything is dry, the iron hoops must be removed, and the barrel itself removed from the tandoor. Next, the furnace is installed on a thick “pillow” of sand and fired, that is, it is first melted. Inside, it is necessary to kindle a small flame and maintain it for approximately 6 hours, periodically loading small portions of fuel. After this time, the stove is covered with something, the fire is made stronger and eventually brought to the maximum rate. It is important that the tandoor subsequently cools down slowly.

If desired, you can additionally insulate the oven to improve its thermal insulation qualities. To do this, you can build brick walls around it.

Option number 3. We make a brick tandoor on our own

So, making a classic version of the oven is quite difficult, we have already found out. What is already there, not all masters succeed in this! Therefore, in order to simplify the task and not take risks in vain, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the manufacturing technology of a brick tandoor - this way you are guaranteed to get the desired result, despite the fact that the finished oven will be very different from the traditional version described above.

First you need to prepare:

oven brick;
wood pattern;
masonry sand mixture;
cement;
kaolin;
reinforcing mesh;
sand.

The main thing is just beginning - the manufacturing procedure itself. The process consists of several stages, we will consider the details of each of them.

First stage. Base

Choose a suitable flat area on which the future tandoor will be located with your own hands. Dig a round hole there, the diameter of which should slightly exceed the planned diameter of the structure. Fill the bottom of the resulting pit with a “pillow” of sand (the thickness should be about 10 centimeters).

Cover the finished “pillow” with an iron mesh constructed from reinforcing bars or thick wire.

Fill the hole with concrete mixture, carefully level everything using an iron rule. Remember to check the levelness of the surface with a horizontal level. Now wait at least 7 days for the mortar to set and the concrete surface to regain its original strength.

Second phase. Brick walls

Start laying the brick in a circle, the diameter of which you indicated at the planning stage. As a rule, it is about 100 centimeters. Lay the bricks on the end and, using the frame as shown in the image below, begin to form a circle. For laying, use only an oven mortar consisting of fireclay clay, appropriate plasticizers and, of course, quartz sand. This will lead to the fact that the composition will not crack during firing, will quickly set and will generally be plastic.

Traditionally, leave a small hole at the bottom of the case, which during operation will serve as a blower. It can be either a small window equipped with an iron door or a chimney.

If the height of the furnace is 100-120 centimeters, then four rows of bricks will be enough. Typically, when laying the last row, a tapering neck should be formed in parallel, therefore, the brick at this stage should be laid with a slight inclination towards the inside.

Third stage. Carry out coating and cladding

Cover the inner and outer surfaces of the constructed furnace with refractory clay, the thickness of which should be approximately 5 centimeters. In addition, trim the body of the tandoor with natural stone - so the finished product will look more attractive.

Fourth stage. We make kiln firing

Immediately make a reservation that the firing procedure in this case is performed in the same way as in the previous two options. Inside the tandoor, it is necessary to kindle a fire, the walls of the furnace must gradually heat up to a high temperature (more precisely, up to 400 degrees), and then slowly - and this is very important! - cool down.

For a more detailed acquaintance with how to build a brick tandoor at home, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the thematic video below.

Video - Making a tandoor with your own hands

Operation features

There are a number of requirements that must be followed when using a furnace such as a tandoor. Let's start with kindling. A lot depends on the season here. In winter, for example, the temperature should rise gradually - first kindle the wood chips, let them burn out, after which you can put the main fuel. In the summer, it is quite possible to do without preliminary kindling with chips. As for the volume of fuel, it should be 2/3 of the total volume of the furnace. You can put more, but a lot of thermal energy in this case will simply disappear without heating the walls of the case.

As for temperature restrictions, they are absent in relation to the tandoor at all. Use it whenever you want, the main thing - do not forget what was said in the previous paragraph.

Cleaning the stove is also not difficult: just take a shovel, a poker and collect the ashes. If fat gets on the walls, do not worry - with subsequent use it will simply burn out.

Benefits of using the design

The problem of poor roasting of kebabs is familiar to everyone: with poor-quality heat treatment, part of the meat is fried to a black crust, while the remaining pieces are almost raw. Why is this happening? The reason lies in the uneven arrangement of coals under the skewers, and also in the fact that they are coals with different temperature indicators. And the results of such roasting are described above.

But the brick tandoor is a completely different thing. Thanks to the unique design, such an oven allows you to completely forget about such an unpleasant thing as undercooked meat. Another advantage of the tandoor is that not only meat is baked in it, but also traditional oriental cakes - tasty, and at the same time very healthy for the body.

Tandoor - design features of the furnace

The device of such a furnace is very similar to most of the structures of this kind, however, some differences still exist. So, the inner surface is made of an unusual (at least for such furnaces) material - ceramics. But both wood and coal can serve as fuel (firewood can also be used).

Outwardly, the brick tandoor is very similar to a hypertrophied earthenware jug, which was overlaid with bricks. Coal or wood is placed directly inside the structure, after which it is set on fire. Then, when the fuel turns into coal, kebabs are put into the oven. Tellingly, the meat can be hung on a hook to a special pole, which should be taken care of in advance, and laid with a sharp end on the foundation.

Note! Another advantage that a brick tandoor has is that it retains heat for quite a long time. Thanks to this, you can have time to make several batches of baked meat at once.

An interesting fact: the described furnace first appeared in distant Mesopotamia, and soon gained considerable popularity among Asian peoples. It is for this reason that a number of oriental cuisines cannot be imagined without this wonderful oven.

Operating principle

To figure out how to make, you must first familiarize yourself with the principle of operation of this design. As an example, let's take a look at the classic Uzbek tandoor made of bricks. Outwardly, such a tandoor is comparable to a clay cauldron, but only turned upside down (the top seems to have been swapped with the bottom). In the lower part of the furnace there is a special hole, which is also called a blower.

The base, consisting of clay, is lined with bricks. What is important, between the inner and outer layers there is an insignificant air gap, which is subsequently filled with sand or salt (the latter option is more preferable).

Fuel is placed into the housing through a hole located on top. Although there are variants of the furnace in which it is located on the side, however, in the classic Uzbek version, this arrangement is practically not found.

Note! The main disadvantage of the tandoor is that the ash is removed from the body through the upper hole, which for obvious reasons is very inconvenient (this does not apply to portable stoves).

And to make it more convenient to fry shish kebab, a special grate is provided in the oven of the Uzbek version. On such a grill, you can put not only meat, but also, for example, fish or vegetables. All these products are guaranteed to bake equally well.

Note! If the tandoor is built correctly and in compliance with the technology, then you can cook on it for six hours after a one-time kindling.

What is the secret of such high heat-saving properties of the structure? And the secret lies in the materials from which such furnaces are built. Such materials have simply incredible heat-accumulating properties: for example, if you try hard, then the walls of the tandoor can be heated up to a temperature of 400 degrees.

As for the varieties of tandoor, the classification in this case is based on the installation site of the device - according to this parameter, the described furnaces can be:

pit;
ground;
portable.

In today's article, several options for creating a tandoor at home will be considered at once, however, special attention will be paid to making a brick oven. This is explained by the fact that, for example, a portable structure is, in fact, a type of barbecue, and a pit is used in most cases for heating small rooms. So let's get started.