If you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty and want to build your own grill, a Santa Maria grill is a great choice. One of the things that prevents most of us from doing this is a lack of information and skills. When you die without good guidance, it often feels like you’re shooting in the dark.
This article will bring you out of that darkness. You should have your grill up and running in no time. Before we get into that, let’s start with the basics.
What is at the Santa Maria Grill?
The Santa Maria Grill has its origins in Argentina. The eponymous city of this grill is in the Argentine province of Catamarca. In this region there is only a normal grill. You will often find it as an Argentine barbecue. Those who exported the idea give it the name we know it by. What kind of grill is that?
A Santa Maria grill is an open frame grill known for its heat retention and mobility of the grate on which the meat is placed. It features a rotating chain system that allows you to lower and raise the meat. This is a useful feature when dealing with unpredictable flames. You can raise the grate when the flames are raging and lower it when things die down.
It is this mechanism that made the tri-tip grill popular. The cut of beef is notoriously difficult to cook due to its low fat content, which means it’s easy to overcook. The roller mechanism makes it easy for the user to react to heat fluctuations and move the meat away from or closer to the fire.
It is the system mentioned above that makes the results exceptional. Compared to most other grills, your steak is less likely to burn on a Santa Maria grill.
How does a Santa Maria Grill work?
Most Santa Maria grills are rectangular in shape. They have 2-3 layers inside. A two-tier system has one layer for firewood and one for meat. The three-layer variant has an additional layer that serves as a grease tray, which would also function as an asian tray. This often makes the cleaning process a little easier.
It can be 3 or 4 sided. A 4-sided Santa Maria grill requires the grate to remain raised while the fire is lit and allowed to settle. Once set, the handle WILL be rotated to place the meat that distance above the fire. On the 3-sided version, SHE can move the logs while the grate IS lowered.
How to build a Santa Maria Grill
To build your grill you will need Santa Maria style grill plans. These describe the enabled items and the steps you need to take to create them. Don’t worry, we’re going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to build your DIY Santa Maria BBQ.
What do you need:
- A welding machine
- Metal cutter
- Hard hat and face shield
- Clamps
- Tape measure.
- Sheet metal(sheet metal, at least 6mm thick)
- Red/red stainless steel
- Metal table legs
- Metal rod
Before purchasing any of these accessories, it is important that you decide on the size of your grill. You can do most of the planning on a piece of paper to make the process as foolproof as possible. The first decision you need to make is whether you want a closed flame or something open.
There are pros and cons to this. When you have 4 sides on your grill, the heat is fairly controlled, resulting in higher temperatures than if you had 3 sides.
Choosing 3 walls gives you easy access to the wood and inlay without having to move a few things. Since Santa Maria has a good system built in for easy access, this may not be such a big problem. Turning the crank raises the Santa Maria grill insert.
Step 1: medicine
Use your tape measure to measure the length and width of your sheets. Make clear marks and lines on the sheets to indicate where YOU want to trim the sheets to the desired size.
You can start by measuring and marking the bottom of the grill. Once you have the base in place, measure the leaves, which will make up their length and width.
Step 2: tailor
Use the lines YOU marked in the previous step as a guide and your metal cutter to cut the sheets to size.
You will also need to create grooves for the layers of the grill to sit in. Use the measurements of the thickness of the grid to calculate how wide these grooves should be.
Step 3: Solder
Start with the long sheet(s) and place it on the edge of the base. Take a moment to make sure the edges line up perfectly. Once you are happy with the alignment, start soldering. Weld the corner, the middle and the other corner in that order.
Do the same with the rest of the pages.
Step 4: Fix the legs in place
The legs are another sweat job. You can do this with the grill upside down at this point, or make this your third step. With this last option, YOU will weld the base plate to all four legs before you weld the sides of the grill to them.
Step 5: Rotating Mechanism
Weld two equal length bars on each side of the grill. You want to make sure this is centered. This is where the swivel rod will die below. It can be reinforced, creating a triangular structure. In this case, weld support points on both corners of the grill.
The chain is attached to each end of the newly laid bar. One of the things YOU should consider when working with the chain is the length. It should be long enough to roll into the flame and reset safely. Some thorough weight testing is paramount here. This WILL put YOU to the test when using your grill.
Precautions and Safety Features
The final part is proper security. Sharp edges are the greatest hazard. They need to be sharpened. The rotating mechanism handle WILL likely BECOME hot during cooking. To make is safer, it must be insulated. Wood can be placed on top for this purpose. We have already touched the chain. Make sure the chain is well welded. The pressure test should only be performed to be on the safe side.
Conclusion
Although building a Santa Maria grill requires several steps, it is certainly doable. If you don’t have that much experience with welding and other related skills, you should plan extra time for this project. A chart will go a long way. If you can get hold of a quality tool, it will make your life easier. All the best for your project.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
