FoodBanter.com - Fire Bricks

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Greetings all,

I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?

Regards,
Scotty

phyteach wrote:
> Greetings all,
>
> I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
> CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
> and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
> regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
> putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
> above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?
>

Well, anytime you take something porous like a brick and heat it above
the boiling point of water it is possible to get an explosion. It is
unlikely, though. One way to sort this out is to heat some bricks over
300 in the cooker for a few hours. Any that are going to break will and
the rest will have all the moisture driven out of them. Wrap the whole
ones in foil after they cool and they should last for quite a while.

Refractory brick are formulated to take very high temperatures and wide
temperature swings. Regular bricks are fired at very high temperatures,
but are not happy with wide temperatures swings. They will break down
and crumble where a refractory brick will not. If all you are using them
for is thermal mass, you probably don't care if they turn, slowly, back
into clay.

Matthew

--
Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
You can't win
You can't break even
You can't get out of the game

"Matthew L. Martin" wrote:
>
> phyteach wrote:
> > Greetings all,
> >
> > I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
> > CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
> > and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
> > regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
> > putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
> > above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?
> >
>
> Well, anytime you take something porous like a brick and heat it above
> the boiling point of water it is possible to get an explosion. It is
> unlikely, though. One way to sort this out is to heat some bricks over
> 300 in the cooker for a few hours. Any that are going to break will and
> the rest will have all the moisture driven out of them. Wrap the whole
> ones in foil after they cool and they should last for quite a while.
>
> Refractory brick are formulated to take very high temperatures and wide
> temperature swings. Regular bricks are fired at very high temperatures,
> but are not happy with wide temperatures swings. They will break down
> and crumble where a refractory brick will not. If all you are using them
> for is thermal mass, you probably don't care if they turn, slowly, back
> into clay.
>
> Matthew
>
> --
> Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
> You can't win
> You can't break even
> You can't get out of the game

Depending on where you are try Tractor Supply Co, or a place that sells
wood stoves, both should carry them. Also check "real" building /
masonry supply companies, they should have them as well.

Pete C.

Brick,

It's not a fuel consumption issue. I actually expect to use
marginally more fuel (initially, till the bricks warm up.) What I am
trying to do is limit temperature swings when opening the cook chamber
to mop, or tending the fire. If I open the firebox door to tend the
fire, the temp drops about 25 to 40 degrees, and takes about 15 minutes
to recover. The hot bricks will give up heat when the door is open to
minimize the size and time duration of the temp swings. It's a cheap
thing to do that may improve performance, if only marginally. If I
ever did want to grill I can always pull the bricks out first. Thanks
to all who replied.

Regards,
Scott

"Matthew L. Martin" > wrote:
> phyteach wrote:
> > Greetings all,
> >
> > I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
> > CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
> > and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
> > regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
> > putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
> > above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?
> >
>You should be able to find refractory bricks at a pottery/kiln supplier.

--
Nick. To send your support to Any of Our Troops in Harm's Way, go to:
http://anysoldier.com/

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !

"phyteach" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Greetings all,
>
> I am having one heck of a time finding fire bricks to add to my
> CBSS (Char-Broil Silver Smoker) for heat retention. Home Depot, Lowes,
> and a slew of other local hardware stores do not carry them. Can I use
> regular red clay bricks wrapped in aluminum foil? I am planning on
> putting them in thebottom of the cooking chamber, so they shouldn't get
> above 300 degrees or so. Will these bricks explode or anything?

Stay away from places like HD and Lowes. Mediocre products for mediocre
people. Thousands of items, but never what you need.

Any good masonry supply will have them. Check the Yellow Pages.

> "Matthew L. Martin" > wrote:

>> >
>>You should be able to find refractory bricks at a pottery/kiln supplier.

Correct, but he does not want refractory brick, he wants fire brick.
refractory is very light and will not have the thermal mass he is looking
for. Fire brick, orange or yellow in color, is about the same density as
regular clay brick.

Refractory is used in kilns, boilers, etc. where temperature can reach 2000
degrees or more.. Firebrick is used to line fireplaces or other lower end
uses.