# New Yakitori grill



## roadfix

I just finished building a 3-foot long yakitori grill and fired it up last night using some charcoal.  I cooked a few items so I can determine final charcoal grate height and size and number of intake holes needed.
I originally thought about painting it with black hi temp bbq paint but on second thought I might leave it raw for that rustic look.  We don't get much rust around here so I'm not worrired about that.  A coating of cooking oil will prevent some of that.

Here's a front view of the grill.  Thanks for looking.


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## Alix

Oooooooo! Pretty! What did you cook?


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## Dawgluver

That is cool!


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## roadfix

Alix said:


> Oooooooo! Pretty! What did you cook?


Hi!  I grilled some chicken thighs, beef sirloin, salmon, and rice balls (on sticks & grilled)


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## powerplantop

Wow, looks great!


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## Alix

Kind of jealous. More than kind of actually. 

I'm pretty impressed that you built that yourself!


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## roadfix

Thanks, I bought myself a light duty welder a couple of weeks ago and this was the first welding project I had in mind.


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## Kayelle

It's beautiful RF! I wouldn't paint it either. 

Now you need to add yakitori grill to your list At the Patio!


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## MrsLMB

Wow .. very impressive !!  You will be loving that thing in no time at all !


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## CraigC

roadfix said:


> Thanks, I bought myself a light duty welder a couple of weeks ago and this was the first welding project I had in mind.


 
Stick or TIG? I watched a guy assemble a huge frame of 316 SS using a 110VAC TIG. Some of the steel was 4" square tube.


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## roadfix

CraigC said:


> Stick or TIG? I watched a guy assemble a huge frame of 316 SS using a 110VAC TIG. Some of the steel was 4" square tube.



I got an 80 amp 110v inverter stick welder from Harbor Freight.  Tiny box.


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## Kayelle

RF, are you going to get some Binchotan charcoal at a whopping $5.00 per pound?

Yakitori Style: Japanese Grilling Tools - Photo Gallery - Photo 1 | SAVEUR.com


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## chopper

roadfix said:


> I got an 80 amp 110v inverter stick welder from Harbor Freight.  Tiny box.



I hope you have better luck with your welder from Harbor Freight then we did.  We got a mig welder, and had to take it back because it didn't work well.  Got a replacement, and it worked ok for a bit and then quit working.  When my husband went back the third time, they said that they didn't have any more of those left, and offered him a Hobart in trade for only $100 more.  It was a great deal, and the Hobart works great.  Only problem for others is, I don't think they sell the Hobart any more. 

What a great first project.  It looks wonderful!


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## roadfix

Kayelle said:


> RF, are you going to get some Binchotan charcoal at a whopping $5.00 per pound?



Absolutely not.  I'll be using regular American briquettes at 25 cents per pound.  

Many yakitori joints around here run their grills on gas.


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## roadfix

chopper said:


> I hope you have better luck with your welder from Harbor Freight then we did.  We got a mig welder, and had to take it back because it didn't work well.  Got a replacement, and it worked ok for a bit and then quit working.  When my husband went back the third time, they said that they didn't have any more of those left, and offered him a Hobart in trade for only $100 more.  It was a great deal, and the Hobart works great.  Only problem for others is, I don't think they sell the Hobart any more.
> 
> What a great first project.  It looks wonderful!


Thank you.
I read a bunch of reviews, including some threads on a couple of welding forums before I decided to get this particular model.  Even a few experienced welders seem to like this little stick welder and use it themselves for small jobs.
So far I'm liking this unit.  I'm just sorry I didn't do this some 20 years ago.  A small welder like this would have been great for the countless projects and repair jobs I've done over the years.


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## CraigC

chopper said:


> I hope you have better luck with your welder from Harbor Freight then we did. We got a mig welder, and had to take it back because it didn't work well. Got a replacement, and it worked ok for a bit and then quit working. When my husband went back the third time, they said that they didn't have any more of those left, and offered him a Hobart in trade for only $100 more. It was a great deal, and the Hobart works great. Only problem for others is, I don't think they sell the Hobart any more.
> 
> What a great first project. It looks wonderful!


 
I have never liked wire fed welders.


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## buckytom

Alix said:


> Oooooooo! Pretty! What did you cook?




umm, yakitori?

lol, sorry. couldn't help myself.

that's a beauty, rf. i agree, no black paint. what about a clear coat?


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## vitauta

what a cool looking grill you have made, roadfix! I think he deserves a name though, something 'studly'... like YAKMAN, maybe.


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## chopper

vitauta said:


> what a cool looking grill you have made, roadfix! I think he deserves a name though, something 'studly'... like YAKMAN, maybe.



  I love it!


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## Dawgluver

How do you know it's a boy, Vit?


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## roadfix

Thanks for the additional comments.  The grill will get further modification over the weekend such as welding the charcoal grate mounts, drilling out small intake holes, making a small cutout underneath for easier ash disposal, and so forth...  I will also  get rid of the top cooking screen as I did not like the skewers resting directly on them.  I already have another idea for that.

I love the name YAKMAN, btw!....)


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## Kylie1969

Looks good!


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## Kayelle

Kayelle said:


> RF, are you going to get some Binchotan charcoal at a whopping $5.00 per pound?
> 
> Yakitori Style: Japanese Grilling Tools - Photo Gallery - Photo 1 | SAVEUR.com



Whoops, make that $10.00 per pound.....WTF?


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## roadfix

A friend snapped this photo with her phone camera the other night.  The grill was placed on a concrete ledge.
Riceballs on the left side, chicken in the middle, and beef on the other end...


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## roadfix

I worked a little more on the grill yesterday which included adding carrying handles and modifying the cooking surface.  Intake vents in the back and ash cleanout at the bottom were also added.  Will do some more grilling on it during the week to see how well it performs...


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## vitauta

I love the design, roadfix, it's sleek and antique.



*dawg, I just saw your question, how do i know the yakitori is a boy?' the usual way, dawg....(wink)


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## Dawgluver

vitauta said:


> I love the design, roadfix, it's sleek and antique.
> 
> *dawg, I just saw your question, how do i know the yakitori is a boy?' the usual way, dawg....(wink)



  And there's Vit, looking underneath the yakitori....


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## Kayelle

RF, I'm sure it will be very functional, but I'm also taken with the artistry of the piece. 

It looks like something that would be in a funky high class shop for the rich and famous of the Hollywood set. At the very least, I'd post a picture and a hefty price at Etsy - Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies

You could always keep your prototype masterpiece and make another for someone else. 
http://www.etsy.com/


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## chopper

Kayelle said:


> RF, I'm sure it will be very functional, but I'm also taken with the artistry of the piece.
> 
> It looks like something that would be in a funky high class shop for the rich and famous of the Hollywood set. At the very least, I'd post a picture and a hefty price at Etsy - Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies
> 
> You could always keep your prototype masterpiece and make another for someone else.
> http://www.etsy.com/



He would have to make another one.  Looks like this one is being used on a regular basis.  The food looks yummy!


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## roadfix

I did another test run last night, with some chicken bits.  The skewers resting on the metal rails are so much easier to manage with this setup.
I also cut out a small grate which can be placed on the rails for grilling non-skewered items like small slabs of salmon, for instance.

The briquettes burned out completely by morning for easy cleaning and disposal of ash.


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## FrankZ

Looking good.

What happens when you turn the skewer and the food decides it wants to stay cooked side down?  I suppose you could double skewer if that was a problem, but some sort of grate helps with that.

You should make something to cover and smother the coals when you are done cooking.  It may not be a lot, but I don't like wasting the charcoal.  I find my grill is not good at smothering so I dump mine in a small metal trashcan that is now my dedicated ash can.  I then sift the ash from the lump and reuse what isn't burnt up.

Grade A work on this though.  Bravo.


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## roadfix

FrankZ said:


> What happens when you turn the skewer and the food decides it wants to stay cooked side down?  I suppose you could double skewer if that was a problem, but some sort of grate helps with that.



Since the skewered bits are small and light in weight (these bamboo yakitori skewers are only about 5" in length) I don't seem to experience that problem of them spinning around the round bamboo skewers.  But as far as the entire skewer turning over due to weight imbalance, that doesn't happen either because the meat at the pointed end of the skewer rides on top of the rail.  Also, each skewer is in contact with one another as they cook so they stay put, and will not turn over on their own.

I can see this problem with kabobs and round skewers.  The heavier bits of meat will spin.  Of course, in this instance using flat skewers will solve this problem.


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## forty_caliber

Really great job on this.  I especially like that you welded it yourself.  

I think a little stand could be easily added so it's counter height.  This would be perfect for "tailgaters" since it's compact and produces finger food.   I believe they would sell faster than you could make them once they caught on.

.40


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## roadfix

Thanks .40.  If I need to use this elsewhere I have a set of metal sawhorses which the grill can sit directly onto and provide me with an ideal working height.


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