Rest in the country can become unforgettable if, instead of the standard barbecue, familiar to everyone, a furnace of a different design is installed here. Tandoor is still used by the peoples of Asia in the process of cooking. With it, you can create real culinary masterpieces. Food takes on a special taste. How to build a tandoor with your own hands will be discussed later.
Features
Tandoor (photo of one of the options is presented below) is a vessel made of clay, which tapers up. There is a hole through which fuel is placed inside, as well as food for cooking.
The blower settles down at the bottom. It is closed by a shutter. This allows you to maintain the necessary traction. It is important that the material does not crack during heating, and that the walls maintain a constantly high temperature inside. It will be difficult to create a real tandoor from the same materials that Asian masters use. Therefore, to ensure good thermal insulation of the clay vessel, it is bricked. Between the walls there is space. It is covered with sand, clay or salt.
Such a tandoor device allows the inner walls to accumulate heat. The furnace inside is heated up to 200-400 º. Clay gives off temperature slowly. Therefore, the heat inside such a focus remains at a high level up to 4 hours. At this time, with the help of the tandoor you can cook a variety of dishes. You can bake, cook and fry.
Maintaining a uniform temperature inside, as well as the closed design of the oven, allows the products to remain juicy. They cook quickly, acquiring a special taste and aroma. Scones are prepared by attaching the dough to the walls of the oven, the skewers are hung on skewers. Also, a grill is arranged inside, which is fixed using special fasteners. You can cook many dishes on it.
To properly exploit the tandoor, you need to perform several actions. First, a fire is made inside. The walls should warm up well. They turn red with heat. At this point, the blower remains open. Walls in the process of burning a fire absorb the heat.
When the combustion process is completed, coals will appear, you need to close the blower. The walls are sprayed with water. This will prevent food from sticking. After that, prepared dishes are loaded inside. They also need a little sprinkle with water. To make cooking even, the oven is covered with a lid.
Classic clay stove
The classic tandoor (photo below) was made at all times from special clay. There are special requirements for the material. The classic tandoor is molded from Ahangaran kaolin clay. It allows you to create a vessel with high thermal insulation qualities.
To avoid cracking of the material during heating, camel, sheep’s wool is added to it. Because of these features of classical technology, it will be quite difficult to make the classic version of the tandoor. Obtaining special kaolin clay, for obvious reasons, is difficult in our country. The secret of the Asian composition of the master is now kept secret.
Clay for tandoor can be prepared according to a special recipe. This option is suitable for those owners who at all costs wish to create a classic tandoor. Need to prepare kaolin. It is mixed with wool, which must first be cut with fibers of 10-15 mm. It should be a viscous mixture.
Clay is left for a week, stirring it periodically. So she can evenly dry. If water settles on top, it is drained. No need to mix excess liquid into clay. The less water that remains in the composition, the less likely it is that the furnace will become cracked when heated. After a week, the material will resemble plasticine. From such clay, you can dazzle any object.
Further, oblong-shaped sheets are created from the material. They should be at least 5 cm thick. Moving in a circle from them mold a furnace. In the classic version, the height of the tandoor is 100-150 cm. The diameter in a wide place is 100 cm, and in the neck - 50-60 cm. At the bottom you need to leave a blow-hole.
The tandoor dries in the shade for approximately 30 days. It is best to overlay the walls of the furnace with fireclay bricks, the price of which is approximately 50-60 rubles. a piece. As a solution, you can use all the same clay or a special refractory composition. Between the walls of the vessel and the brick casing sand is poured. Each layer must be well tamped.
Inside the tandoor is covered with cottonseed oil. Next, clay is fired. The temperature rises gradually. The procedure lasts a day. Cracking may cause cracks.
Brick tandoor
A modern stove is fireclay brick tandoor. The price of such a building will be slightly higher than when using clay. But technically, creating such a design will be easier. The thing is. That without special preparation the master, most likely, will not be able to create an earthenware vessel the first time, which does not crack when heated. The technology is mastered by trial and error.
Brick structures can be created by a craftsman who does not have much experience in creating furnaces. The risk in this case will be less. According to reviews, clay tandoor for many falls apart already in the first week of drying. The use of bricks guarantees the high quality of the finished furnace. A drawing of a fireclay brick tandoor is presented below.
Of course, such an oven looks different from the classic Asian version. However, the food in such a tandoor is no less tasty. To make such a design with your own hands, you will need to prepare the necessary materials. First of all, you need to purchase a sufficient amount of fireclay bricks. In order not to have to buy it or to avoid overpayment for surplus, it is recommended to develop a drawing of the furnace. It must be accurate, indicating all sizes.
Based on the created project, it will be easier to calculate the required number of bricks and other materials. You also need to purchase a special refractory mixture for masonry. It includes a number of necessary elements. It is better to purchase ready-made mixtures. In them, the manufacturer provides the correct proportions of the ingredients.
You should also purchase kaolin (fireclay clay). To create the foundation, M400 brand concrete, sand and reinforcement for the mesh will be required. The template frame is made of wood. She will also need to purchase the required amount of material.
Kinds of oven
There are different types of tandoor. They can be divided into 2 large groups. The first of them includes a variety of stationary furnaces. They differ in large dimensions. The second group includes portable (mobile) varieties.
Stationary structures are made of brick or clay. For a summer residence, a personal plot with significant dimensions, this option will be preferable. With your own hands, this type of furnace is easier to make. One of the options for such designs is the pit tandoor. It is completely underground.
A real underground (pit) type tandoor is built on loess rocks. Its diameter is 50 cm and its depth is 35 cm. An oblique stroke is created nearby to supply air during combustion. If the rocks on the site are of a different type, the walls are laid on dry fireclay brick. An air duct is created from pipes. Experts say that the second option is slightly inferior in quality to the pit tandoor.
Most often, with their own hands they create ground tandoor. They can have either a vertical or horizontal loading axis. The first option is universal. In this oven you can cook any dishes. With horizontal loading, the tandoor is used for cooking various dishes (pilaf, kebab, tortillas, etc.). Food is taken out of the oven with hooks and buckets. Saving firewood in such a device will be significant. They will need 2-3 times more than when using a conventional barbecue.
Mobile tandoor is sold in stores. They do not create with their own hands. It is easier to purchase a similar stove, periodically using it in your country house. The wall thickness is 3-7 cm. Dimensions are relatively small.
Preparation for construction
You can buy a portable tandoor in a store, and building a clay version with your own hands will be quite difficult. Therefore, it is recommended that owners of private plots choose stationary structures made of clay and brick. This is a relatively simple structure, but you need to clearly understand how to properly create it.
The set of materials may vary depending on the type of furnace, its size. For example, one of the popular tandoor variants will be considered. This is an elevated type of furnace, which is equipped on the foundation. The tandoor will have a diameter in a wide place of 100 cm. In a narrow part it will be 50 cm. To support the weight of such a structure, you need to make a plate with a thickness of at least 10 cm.
For such a construction, it will be necessary to purchase 150 kg of sand, a metal reinforcing mesh with a mesh size of 5 cm (it will take 2 m²). You also need to purchase cement grade M400 in the amount of 7 kg. Fireclay bricks are purchased individually. Therefore, you need to accurately calculate its amount. Such a structure usually requires between 50 and 70 pieces of bricks.
To create a masonry, a refractory mixture of 20 kg is purchased. Also, fiberglass reinforcement with a cross section of 6 mm (minimum 15 m) will be needed. Costs for the purchase of refractory paint (1 l), steel wire with a cross section of 3 mm (15 m) should be included in the estimate.
You should also prepare a set of tools. Almost every home master has some of them. A number of tools will need to be purchased separately. You should purchase a plaster rule, a container for mixing cement, a grinder with diamond wheels. A spatula, a paint brush will be required. After that, you can get to work.
Foundation
How to build a tandoor with your own hands? First you need to create a foundation. The oven will be large enough. Therefore, stationary above-ground models must be built on the foundation. In this case, the design will be stable. It is worth considering if the soil is clay, the base should be reinforced.
If the soil is heavy, you can create a columnar foundation. On light soils, they often equip a monolithic base. For a tandoor with the indicated dimensions, it will be necessary to make a recess in the area of at least 15 cm. A plate will be flooded here. In its corners, recesses of about 80 cm should be made. Their diameter is 13-14 cm.
Having drilled such holes, it is necessary to create reinforcement for them. For this, fiberglass reinforcement was purchased.
Next, you need to prepare the concrete mixture. It is necessary to mix 3 parts of sand, 1 part of gravel (fraction with a diameter of 1 cm), 1 part of cement. Adding water to the composition, they achieve a thick solution.
A layer of sand is poured at the bottom of the prepared pit. It is watered and rammed. Next mounted formwork from roofing boards (width 15 cm). Its height above the ground is 5 cm. A reinforcing mesh is laid at the bottom. Concrete is poured inside. He sets for at least 7 days. The surface is best covered with cellophane. Concrete is periodically watered with water in order to avoid cracking.
Base
Brick (stone) tandoor with his own hands is equipped on the base. When the foundation dries (at least a week), you will need to lay out the base of refractory bricks. This material will not absorb moisture. It is ideal for creating a wood or charcoal stove. The blocks are very durable, can withstand the weight of the walls of the tandoor.
Fireclay brick does not collapse under the influence of temperature differences. A stationary oven will be able to withstand any frost in winter, as well as subsequent heating in the cooking process.
The base will be round. It is necessary to prepare a pattern of a suitable size. With its help, the shape is set in chalk. In the presented example, the diameter of the pattern is 75 cm.
First, a layer of roofing material is laid on a concrete base. This is necessary to create waterproofing, extend the life of the furnace. Next, bricks are laid on it. They stack one on top of the other. It turns out a rectangular base. Then, with the help of a pattern, a circle is drawn in chalk on the created base. Unnecessary parts are cut with a grinder. This creates a perfectly round base.
After that, the masonry process begins. First, the refractory composition is mixed with water. It is applied to a layer of roofing material. Next, prepared bricks are laid out.
Walls
Considering the technology of how to build a tandoor, you should pay special attention to the process of creating walls. Bricks are laid vertically. In order for them to be firmly fixed, it is necessary to spend a sufficient amount of refractory solution. The inner edges of the brick should fit snugly together, creating the inner surface of the furnace.
Seams are very carefully smeared with a solution. The first row must be pulled together with wire. Its ends twist. They need to be hidden in one of the seams. The same procedure is done when creating the second and third row. In the second layer, you need to cut the bricks on the wedge.
When the base of the brick walls is created, the tandoor needs to be plastered. During this process, a refractory mixture is used. The layer thickness should be at least 1 cm. The upper edge should be rounded. It is necessary to wait until the mixture has completely dried. Moreover, the stove during this period is covered with cellophane.
Coating the walls inside
Considering options for how to build a tandoor, it is worth noting that in some cases, craftsmen plaster the walls of the furnace with refractory plaster not only outside but also inside. In this case, it is required not only to dry the composition, but also to burn it properly. To make an internal coating for the walls, kaolin clay can be used. Some masters argue that the addition of sheep's wool in such a composition is mandatory.
After mixing kaolin clay, you need to wait until the composition dries. To do this, it is kneaded for a week, periodically draining the water that appears on the surface. The surface of the furnace is covered with this material, carefully leveling the walls.
When the clay dries, you need to make a bookmark inside a small amount of firewood. They are set on fire, and the lid of the tandoor is closed. The blower remains open. The temperature should rise gradually. When the first batch of wood burns through, you can add them more. So gradually the temperature is increased to maximum.
This technique is more complicated, but the taste of dishes prepared in such a tandoor will be an order of magnitude higher. If the plaster is cracked, it is chipped and the procedure is carried out again. A minimum amount of water should remain in the clay. In this case, the probability of its cracking upon heating will be minimal.
Decorative finish
The tandoor stove can be a real decoration of the site. This is the central element of a vacation spot. Therefore, the oven should be not only functional, but also beautiful. The outer walls of the tandoor can be painted with refractory paint. This is the easiest option. Its shade must be selected in accordance with the features of landscape design. All elements of a place for rest should be in harmony with each other.
You can make a casing of natural stone. In this case, the walls will better accumulate heat. You can also make a second layer of brickwork. It must also be refractory. Between the walls fall asleep sand.
Having considered how to build a tandoor, you can give the place for rest on the plot a unique cozy look. Food cooked in such an oven will be extremely tasty.