Although such a dish as barbecue is of eastern origin, we all simply adore meat cooked in this way, without even knowing which country is its homeland. Yes, and it is difficult to determine, since practically in each of the Turkic-speaking countries there is a consonant name of this dish.
Only one thing can be said: a barbecue is required for its preparation. The name of its inventor is also unknown. We only know that the coals should be below, and the meat should be placed above them. But the popular "lefty" A. P. Loginov took and refuted this axiom, inventing a vertical brazier. For what? Just his wife - a supporter of healthy food, and according to some information, food cooked on an open fire, is harmful to the body. 
Features of the vertical barbecue
Regardless of their appearance, all classic barbecues work according to the following principle: pieces of meat are placed on the coals on the skewers. Melting fat falls on hot coals and saturates smoke with benzapiren. It is a very strong carcinogen that is harmful to the body.
The peculiarity of the vertical construction of the barbecue is that with this arrangement, the smoke does not permeate pieces of meat.
Outwardly, such a barbecue looks like a box, inside of which a grid for fuel is installed. Smoke, along with harmful substances, rising vertically upwards, does not come into contact with meat. The skewers themselves are centered around the brazier.
Due to a certain distance from the coal, the meat is roasted on the side that is directly turned to the roaster.
As fuel, you can use not only firewood, but also finished coals.
Skewers are installed in fasteners that are located on the sidewalls. The grate protects them from contact with fuel. Above the broiler itself you can place the platform, install a kettle or pan on it and combine the preparation of two dishes.
The lower part of the structure is in the form of a grill. It is located on it fuel (wood or coal). Cell sizes should not allow coal to fall out. Only ash has such an opportunity.
A drip tray is installed at the bottom.
Reference! Since the meat is affected by heat and hot air, the cooking process does not take very much time, and the meat itself is roasted evenly.
Leaking fat accumulates in the pan. Due to this, it does not burn, soot and smoke do not form from it. The meat has a characteristic aroma for this dish, and the surface of the barbecue is not covered with soot.
In contrast to the horizontal brazier, this arrangement has a number of positive qualities:
- The safety of the finished dish. Due to the construction, the brazier allows to place the meat out of contact with fire, which prevents the ingress of smoke on the product. Despite the fact that the meat is far from coal, the effect of roasting is quite high, regardless of the amount of coal. The meat is cooked under the influence of heat, which comes from the body and smoke.
- The increased capacity. The special design of the barbecue allows you to fix skewers immediately from all sides. If the roaster is large, it is possible to simultaneously load up to seven kilograms of meat.
- Multifunctionality. At the same time you can cook several dishes: directly kebabs, and on the platform installed above you can cook others.
- The uniqueness of the design. Plates for installing skewers have special grooves that allow you to change the distance from the brazier.
- Fire safety. The coals are separated from the product by a grid, which excludes the possibility of moving fire to neighboring objects.
DIY vertical barbecue
With some skills, free time and a place where work will be done, such a design can be made independently. At the same time, such an unusual brazier will not require engineering education, but the ability to work with angle grinders and welding will not be superfluous.
Closed option
For work, you can use a variety of materials. Cast Iron - It is resistant to wear, but it is difficult to handle. Galvanized steel looks beautiful, but when the temperature becomes very high, it can release harmful substances. However, it is unlikely to achieve such heating during barbecue frying. The most common is stainless steel. Many manufacturers recognize her as the most suitable material, since it is not afraid of temperature jumps. Below is a diagram number 1.
Work should begin with the preparation of the drawing. This will avoid errors with dimensions and correctly calculate the proportions. The sides of the outer box are best made trapezoidal. Steel thickness can be from two to four millimeters. But the range from three to five millimeters will be more correct.
Thin metal is subject to deformation and already in three years of use will completely burn. Its good to use for the development of a compact, portable barbecue. Thick steel makes the structure heavy, but increases strength and extends the service life to ten or more years.
Tapering in the lower part and having an extension at the top of the design makes it possible to quickly install the skewers. Yes, and observe the cooking process will be much easier. An important point of this design option is the saving of combustible material. To weld sides, you need at an angle of seventy-five degrees.
Attention! The height of each side should allow you to set the skewer at full length, starting from the handle and ending with the tip. The sting must rest on the bottom or holes must be provided for it.
In order to keep the skewers, strips are welded around the perimeter of the upper part. It is possible, having bent the edges of the box, to make slits in which the skewers will be placed. The distance between the slits should be at least six centimeters. If the slits are large enough, this will allow you to adjust the distance between the broiler and the skewer. Below is the scheme number 2.
In the process of cooking, skewers can be interchanged. Those on which the meat is less roasted, located closer to the center, and where it has already reached the condition - in the corners. The fact is that the heat inside the barbecue is not evenly distributed. In the central part it is stronger, and weaker in the corners.
Collecting the box is only part of the story. It is also necessary to make a grid into which combustible material will be loaded. It should be located in the center. The dimensions of the cells must be such that the coal does not fall out and does not obstruct the movement of the air flow.
The height of the fuel part of the brazier must match the box and have equal proportions with it. But the size should be less than half. The outer casing from the "firebox" should be at a distance of at least twenty centimeters.
Attention! Barbecue should rise above the ground at a level that is convenient to work with him.
Unlike stainless steel, ordinary metal must be painted. And if you chose such material for your design, then do not be lazy to apply acrylic varnish, which is able to resist moisture.
If the product is not painted, then very soon rust will form on it, it will serve not for long. It does not make sense to paint the inner surface, because no paint can withstand extreme heat, but the outer surfaces are necessary. This will protect against corrosion and allow the structure to look organically in any surrounding space. The paint must be environmentally friendly and heat resistant.
Open option
Vertical barbecues may not have an external housing. It is better to make such a construction collapsible so that you can take it with you on a picnic. The central part, as in the closed version, is designed for fuel. That's just it is necessary to fasten the strap with grooves for the installation of skewers.
Skewers on these planks will be arranged in a classic way - horizontally. But the safety of the barbecue will be preserved. The fire is away from the meat, and not directly below it. This design can be both one-sided and two-sided. That's just need to rotate the skewers more often, so that the meat is evenly roasted from all sides. Scheme number 3. 
Reference! Uneven temperature distribution in such a grill can be made an additional advantage. In the corners we arrange fish or vegetables, and in the central part - meat.
The disadvantage of this brazier is a longer cooking procedure. After all, coals are far from the product. And the power of habit plays its role. Many kebab lovers will be against this design. What kind of kebab without smoke?
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