# Old Country Brazos Firebox Grate



## rabbithutch (Nov 12, 2017)

I use the FB grate that came with my Brazos as a tuning plate and a jury-rigged a lame FB grate that I want to replace by one made to my design.  The FB has an I/S diameter of 19".  The cooking grate in the FB rests on runners that position it about the middle of the FB cylinder.  Some Brazos users use the FB cooking grate as a fire grate, but I use it to grill steaks and chickens and don't want to use it as a fire grate.  It is made with expanded metal that I think might not be up to a hot fire and might warp, or worse.

My question is:  How far above the bottom center line should the FB grate sit?  IOW, how much space should I leave beneath the fire grate?

My eye tells me that it should be about 5-1/2" above the bottom center line.  This will leave room for a coals rake or scuttle shovel to clear ash when it builds up on long cooks thus giving the wood more oxygen to burn cleaner.  This leaves a vertical clearance between the coals grate and top center line in the FB at ~13-1/2". 

I've looked for articles about FB layout wrt grate but found nothing really useful.  Probably just bad search foo on my part.

Would appreciate advice, insights, suggestions, etc. . . .   especially any relevant 'fire physics' that might be involved.

rabbit - overthinking things as usual, probably.


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