Tandoor manufacturing scheme. DIY brick tandoor

Tandoor is one of the most ancient types of stoves, which is still popular today. The inhabitants of Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Mongolia and even Japan know well what a tandoor is. The oven has a jug-like shape, and the dishes in it are juicy, aromatic and mouth-watering in appearance. In addition, tortillas, meat or vegetables are cooked without oils and fats, which is especially beneficial for health. In the tandoor oven, it is easy to cook deliciously delicious tortillas, barbecue, samsa, poultry, bake potatoes, vegetables or fish.

The tandoor stove can be of very different shapes, but most often it is a ceramic "barrel" with a round opening at the top or in the side wall. Unlike traditional Russian ovens, cooking requires a small amount of wood or a bunch of saxaul.

Note: Food is not prepared using an open fire, but due to the temperature from the heated walls.

Cooking time is significantly reduced due to the closed space.

The stove is positioned below floor level directly in the ground or on a solid platform. The structure is a hemisphere with a volume of up to 1 cubic meter. In the side wall or on top there is an opening with a diameter of up to 70 cm. Making a traditional Uzbek tandoor with your own hands is quite problematic because of the complex technology. It is much easier to purchase a portable model or build a brick brazier.

Traditional uzbek tandoor

When used, the brazier is melted with wood, charcoal or brushwood. Then the walls are wiped from the inside from burning plaque and cakes are attached to them. Take out finished products using long-handled hooks or special paddles. Fuel, product loading and ash removal are performed through the same hole.

Portable tandoor

Products are made of high quality kaolin (fireclay clay) with a wall thickness of 3 to 7 cm. This material is characterized by high heat resistance, heat capacity and heat transfer. As a result, cooking time is reduced and very little fuel is required. The ovens are shaped like barrels with double-deck lids and carry handles on the sides. For greater structural strength, the furnaces are pulled together with vertical and horizontal steel strips.

This tandoor has additional accessories:

Lattices, grill nets, baking sheets;
Grips and hooks;
Skewers;
Poultry nozzles;
Devices for simultaneous cooking of several dishes.

The lid contains a device for vertical fastening of skewers. In the lower part there is a blower for kindling the brazier and extracting ash. There are professional models, for example, the Sarmat tandoor is great for cafes, restaurants and large companies. In such a brazier, you can cook up to 8 kg of meat in just 10 minutes.

Portable models should be stored in a dry place, as clay absorbs moisture well and the walls can crack at low temperatures. It is best to store the oven under a canopy, cover, plastic wrap, or in a dry, enclosed area.

The electric tandoor looks like kitchen stoves. There is a heating element under the hearth of the furnace, which heats the air inside. In terms of quality, the dishes are significantly inferior even to those cooked in a homemade brick tandoor. The problem with electric models is that the heating element dries up the air, and meat, fish and poultry are not so juicy and aromatic.

The main advantage of electric tandyrs is the possibility of using them in city apartments, where it is not possible to heat the stove with charcoal or wood. In addition, the design of the products makes them more of an elegant gift than a complete culinary technique.

How to make a tandoor yourself

The easiest way to buy a portable tandoor is in a store, and a stationary oven can be made by hand. To do this, you need drawings, and a wooden template, which will greatly simplify the task. It is easiest to make a tandoor with your own hands from special refractory bricks, which will require from 350 to 1500 pcs. The binder is prepared from chamotte clay, water and table salt. You can use a ready-made masonry oven mixture.

The height of the masonry is 3 bricks, after which the structure is coated with kaolin clay and left to dry for 1-3 weeks. To do this, it is heated with a small amount of firewood for several hours. After complete drying of the furnace, the product is fired to increase its strength. The shape of the oven can be spherical, oval, jug-like, and even a straight pipe. Brick tandoor can be used only after the clay is completely dry.

Advantages of a homemade tandoor:

Dishes are prepared very quickly;
Low fuel consumption;
Tandoor can be done by hand;
It is not required to constantly monitor the cooking process;
A wide variety of dishes
You can cook in the tandoor in any weather.

Video: building a tandoor

A hand-made brick tandoor is good because some defects can be corrected over time. For example, additionally coat seams and cracks with clay. This cannot be done in a real tandoor.

Kiln lighting

Tandoor lighting technology depends on the season. In hot weather, you can put all the wood in the oven at once. In winter, it should be melted gradually - first, small chips to warm the walls, then firewood. Birch, acacia, sycamore and oak wood is best suited for tandoor, as they have a high heat transfer coefficient during combustion. It is not recommended to use the wood of fruit trees due to the specific odor emitted, and conifers are rich in resin content.

Note: In the tandoor, in no case should you use coal, as it contains coke gases that are harmful to health.

Pellets and charcoal produce a lot of heat, so they should be kept low. When laying firewood, it should occupy no more than half of the volume of the furnace, otherwise most of the heat will be spent on heating the air, and not on the walls of the tandoor. The average heating time for the oven is approximately 1 hour. It is easy to determine the readiness of the tandoor for use - after the firewood burns out, the plaque flies off the walls, and they become clean.

How to bake cakes in a tandoor

Safety engineering

It is not recommended to heat the tandoor indoors, near trees and combustible materials. In stationary models, the height of the fire during kindling can reach 1 meter, so at this moment it is better to keep at a safe distance. Water must not get on the hot surface, otherwise irreparable cracks may appear due to the large temperature difference.

Children should not go near the glued-up oven, as the temperature inside can reach 300-400 ° C, which leads to strong heating of the outer surfaces. In order to avoid burns, heat-resistant gloves, oven mitts and mittens should be used. Before putting the portable tandoor oven for storage, you need to wait for it to cool completely.

The most important characteristic of the product is its ability to keep heat reliably and for a long time. Models with skewer slots in the lid are not airtight, so the taste of the dishes is much worse. When choosing a brazier, you should pay attention to design, practicality, external qualities, manufacturer's guarantees. If the tandoor is planned to be moved frequently, then its weight should be taken into account, which mainly depends on the wall thickness.

A pleasant bonus is the availability of additional accessories in the form of grates, skewers, shovels and other devices. It is best to purchase glazed models, as they are much more practical than analogs made of plain white clay. It is almost impossible to remove grease and soot stains from a porous surface. In addition, glazed tandoors have a more attractive appearance. A high-quality brazier is not only a real find for gourmets, but also a wonderful gift that will be written off in the landscape design of a summer cottage.

Fans of out-of-town recreation cannot imagine their pastime in the country without barbecue. And really, can there be something tastier than fresh meat, richly flavored with spices and thoroughly fried on charcoal? If this exists in nature, then it can only be meat that is baked in a brick tandoor. Who does not know, the tandoor is a special Turkish oven, thanks to which a shish kebab with simply incredible taste is obtained. And the whole secret of such an exquisite taste lies in the fact that the meat is baked extremely evenly, and solely due to the fact that the spread of heat in such a structure is balanced. So, today we will find out how to build a tandoor with our own hands, get acquainted with the possible options and provide detailed instructions for manufacturing.

How to make a tandoor on your own

Option number 1. Traditional clay tandoor

According to the ancient technology mentioned earlier, a true tandoor should be molded, not built. Moreover, for this, kaolin clay (ideally of Akhangar origin) should be used, which has excellent thermal insulation qualities. To prevent the furnace body from cracking under the influence of high temperatures, wool of sheep or camels is added to the clay. It is extremely difficult to make an authentic tandoor, as Asian craftsmen do not widely spread about the exact composition of kaolin clay. Simply put, you have to perform all the manipulations "by eye", constantly conducting experiments.

An approximate manufacturing technology for the classic version of the described furnace looks like the following.

Step 1. To make a tandoor with your own hands, you need to mix the clay with wool (the length of the fibers of the latter should be about 1-1.5 cm). The result should be a fairly viscous mixture that resembles sour cream in consistency.

Step 2. Next, you need to wait 7 days for the resulting composition to dry and acquire the required condition. During all these days, the mixture should be stirred periodically so that drying occurs evenly. All water accumulating on top must be removed immediately (it cannot be mixed into the composition).

Note! The lower the moisture concentration in the composition, the lower the risk that the furnace will crack during drying or firing. When the preparation period is over, the consistency of the mixture should resemble dense plasticine, suitable for modeling.

Step 3. From the resulting "plasticine" you need to mold long sheets of an oblong shape with a thickness of at least 5 centimeters. From these plates, gradually moving in a circle, and you need to build a tandoor.

Traditional dimensions look something like this:

the neck should be 50-60 centimeters in diameter;
before narrowing, the diameter should correspond to 100 centimeters;
the recommended construction height is from 100 to 150 centimeters.

From the bottom in the side of the case, it is necessary to leave a hole through which air will flow inside.

Step 4. When the oven is ready, it is transferred to the shade and left to dry for another 30 days.

Step 5. The walls need to be overlaid with fireclay bricks, and in this case, both kaolin clay itself and a special clay kiln mixture, which contains plasticizers and quartz sand, can act as an adhesive. Sand or salt should be poured into the cavity between the formed layers, periodically tamping it when filling.

Step 6. The inner surface is coated with cottonseed oil.

Step 7. After that, it remains only to perform the firing of the finished furnace, that is, to bring the material to the state of ceramic. In this case, the temperature should rise gradually and not very quickly. The duration of firing can reach 24 hours, this is explained by the fact that if raw clay is subjected to sudden heating, then it can crack.

Video - Traditional tandoor: technology and curious facts

Option number 2. Making a tandoor with your own hands from a barrel (simplified technology)

It's no secret that making such a furnace using the technology described above is extremely difficult, especially in the absence of special skills and knowledge. And many home craftsmen will confirm this. The surfaces are crooked, and the clay often cracks when it dries. To avoid this kind of trouble, a simpler "recipe" for this design was developed, which is based on creating walls of clay around a barrel made of wood.

To create such an Asian oven, you must prepare in advance:

kaolin clay;
vegetable oil;
fireclay sand (and its fraction should not exceed 0.5 millimeter);
a wooden barrel with iron hoops;
wool (one of the options listed above).

And now let's find out how a tandoor is made from all this with our own hands. First fill a barrel full of water and wait at least 24 hours for the wood to soak and swell. Then mix wool (0.5 part), sand (2 parts) and clay (1 part), wait a few days until the resulting mixture dries. The next step is to drain the water and dry the wood completely. The inner surfaces of the barrel are treated with vegetable oil and then soaked overnight. Next, the barrel is covered from the inside with a 4- or 5-centimeter layer of the resulting clay mixture. The composition is leveled with wet hands so that the walls are as even as possible. When moving up, the thickness of the clay layer should increase, that is, the neck of the furnace should gradually narrow. Traditionally, it is necessary to leave a small hole at the bottom through which air from the outside will enter the housing.

Note! To dry, the structure should be transferred to a ventilated, shaded and dry place. The process can take 3 to 4 weeks. Over time, the barrel will begin to lag behind the clay walls.

When everything is dry, the iron hoops must be removed, and the barrel itself must be removed from the tandoor. Next, the furnace is placed on a thick sand “cushion” and fired, that is, it is melted for the first time. Inside, you need to light a small flame and maintain it for about 6 hours, periodically loading small portions of fuel. After this time, the stove is covered with something, the fire is kindled more and, as a result, is brought to the maximum indicator. It is important that the tandoor subsequently cools down slowly.

If you wish, you can additionally insulate the stove to improve its thermal insulation qualities. To do this, you can build brick walls around it.

Option number 3. We make a brick tandoor on our own

So, making a classic version of the stove is quite difficult, we have already found out. What is really there, not all masters succeed in this! Therefore, in order to simplify the task and not risk in vain, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the technology for making a brick tandoor - this way you are guaranteed to get the desired result, despite the fact that the finished oven will be very different from the traditional option described above.

First you need to prepare:

oven brick;
wood pattern;
masonry sand mixture;
cement;
kaolin;
reinforcing mesh;
sand.

The main thing is just beginning - the manufacturing procedure itself. The process consists of several stages, we will consider the details of each of them.

First stage. Base

Choose a suitable flat area on which the future tandoor will be located with your own hands. Dig a round hole there, the diameter of which should slightly exceed the planned diameter of the structure. Fill the bottom of the resulting pit with a "pillow" of sand (the thickness should be about 10 centimeters).

Cover the finished "pillow" with an iron mesh made of reinforcing rods or thick wire.

Fill the pit with concrete mixture, level everything carefully using an iron rule. Remember to check the levelness of the surface with a horizontal level. Now wait at least 7 days for the mortar to set and the concrete surface to regain its original strength.

Second phase. Brick walls

Start laying bricks in a circle, the diameter of which you indicated at the planning stage. Typically, this is about 100 centimeters. Place the bricks on the end and, using the frame as shown in the image below, begin to form a circle. For laying, use only an oven mortar consisting of chamotte clay, appropriate plasticizers and, of course, quartz sand. This will lead to the fact that the composition will not crack during firing, will quickly set and will generally be plastic.

Traditionally, leave a small hole at the bottom of the case, which will serve as a blower during operation. It can be either a small window equipped with an iron door or a chimney.

If the height of the furnace is 100-120 centimeters, then four rows of bricks will be enough. What is characteristic, when laying the last row, a tapering neck should form in parallel, therefore, at this stage, the brick should be laid with a slight inclination towards the inside.

Stage three. We carry out coating and cladding

Cover the inner and outer surfaces of the constructed furnace with refractory clay, the thickness of which should be approximately 5 centimeters. In addition, decorate the tandoor body with natural stone - this will make the finished product look more attractive.

Fourth stage. We make kiln firing

Let's make a reservation right away that the firing procedure in this case is performed in the same way as in the previous two options. It is necessary to light a fire inside the tandoor, the walls of the stove should gradually heat up to a high temperature (more precisely, up to 400 degrees), and then slowly - and this is very important! - cool down.

For a more detailed acquaintance with how to build a brick tandoor at home, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the thematic video below.

Video - Making a tandoor with your own hands

Features of operation

There are a number of requirements that must be followed when using a furnace such as a tandoor. Let's start with kindling. Much depends on the season. In winter, for example, the temperature should rise gradually - first kindle the chips, let them burn out, after which you can add the main fuel. In the summertime, it is quite possible to do without preliminary kindling with chips. As for the volume of fuel, it should be 2/3 of the total volume of the furnace. You can put more, but a lot of heat energy in this case will simply evaporate without heating the walls of the case.

As for the temperature restrictions, they are absent at all in relation to the tandoor. Use it whenever you want, the main thing is not to forget what was said in the previous paragraph.

Cleaning the stove is also simple: just take a scoop, a poker and collect the ash. If fat gets on the walls, do not worry - with subsequent use, it will simply burn out.

Benefits of using construction

The problem of poor roasting of kebabs is familiar to everyone: with poor-quality heat treatment, part of the meat is roasted to a black crust, while the remaining pieces are almost raw. Why is this happening? The reason lies in the uneven arrangement of the coals under the skewers, as well as the fact that they are coals with different temperature indicators. And the results of such frying are described above.

But a brick tandoor is a completely different thing. Thanks to the unique design, such an oven allows you to completely forget about such an unpleasant thing as under-baked meat. Another advantage of the tandoor is that not only meat is baked in it, but also traditional oriental flatbreads - delicious, and at the same time very useful for the body.

Tandoor - design features of the oven

The device of such a furnace is very similar to most of the structures of this kind, however, some differences still occur. So, the inner surface is made of an unusual (at least for such furnaces) material - ceramics. But both wood and coal can serve as fuel (brushwood can also be used).

Outwardly, the brick tandoor is very reminiscent of a hypertrophied clay jug, which was overlaid with brick. Coal or wood is placed directly inside the structure and then set on fire. Then, when the fuel turns into coal, kebabs are placed in the oven. Tellingly, the meat can be hung on a hook to a special pole, which should be taken care of in advance, and laid with a sharp end on the foundation.

Note! Another advantage that a brick tandoor has is that it retains heat for a long time. Thanks to this, you can have time to make several batches of baked meat at once.

An interesting fact: the described oven first appeared in distant Mesopotamia, and soon gained considerable popularity among Asian peoples. It is for this reason that a number of oriental cuisines cannot be imagined without this wonderful oven.

Operating principle

To figure out how to make, you must first familiarize yourself with the principle of operation of this structure. As an example, let's take a look at the classic Uzbek tandoor made of bricks. Outwardly, such a tandoor is comparable to a clay cauldron, but only turned upside down (the top seems to have been swapped with the bottom). At the bottom of the furnace there is a special hole, which is also called a blower.

The base, consisting of clay, is lined with bricks. What is important, there is a slight air gap between the inner and outer layers, which is subsequently filled with sand or salt (the latter option is more preferable).

The fuel is stored in the housing through a hole located at the top. Although there are options for the oven, in which it is located on the side, however, in the classic Uzbek version, this arrangement is practically not found.

Note! The main disadvantage of the tandoor is that the ash is removed from the body through the upper hole, which for obvious reasons is very inconvenient (this does not apply to portable ovens).

And to make it more convenient to fry a barbecue, a special grill is provided in the oven of the Uzbek version. On such a grid, you can put not only meat, but also, for example, fish or vegetables. All of these products are guaranteed to bake equally well.

Note! If the tandoor is built correctly and in compliance with technology, then you can cook on it within six hours after a one-time kindling.

What is the secret of such high heat-saving properties of the structure? And the secret lies in the materials from which such furnaces are built. Such materials have simply incredible heat-accumulating properties: so, if you try hard, then the walls of the tandoor can be warmed up to a temperature of 400 degrees.

As for the varieties of tandoor, the classification in this case is based on the place of installation of the device - for this parameter, the described furnaces can be:

pit;
terrestrial;
portable.

In today's article, several options for creating a tandoor at home will be considered at once, but special attention will be paid to making a brick oven. This is explained by the fact that, for example, a portable structure is, in fact, a kind of barbecue, and a pit is used in most cases for heating small rooms. So let's get started.

The tandoor is made in the form of a container, hollow inside. A hole is made on the upper surface for laying food and firewood. A blower is installed below, providing traction in the device. To strengthen the thermal insulation, an additional brick shell is made, and sand or clay is poured between the body and the brick fence.

During the burning of wood, the tandoor gets hot, the temperature in it can rise up to 400 degrees. The oven retains heat well, so the heat can be kept up to 4 hours, during which it is allowed to cook dishes continuously. The food is cooked quickly because the heat is not spreading outside, but inside the vessel. The device prepares aromatic dishes, evenly grilled meat, puffed bread and other uniquely tasty products.

Advantages and disadvantages

The original country oven for cooking is simple to erect, it is easy to operate. But, despite these significant advantages, it also has several important disadvantages that you should pay attention to before starting to build.

Benefits

Fuel economy.
Maintaining optimal temperature.
No difficulties in use and maintenance.

Heating a tandoor requires much less firewood or coal than a barbecue or barbecue. With the help of one bookmark of firewood, you can cook about five servings of kebab, when in the grill you will not get even two. Shashlik in a tandoor is prepared much faster and easier, you just need to hang the skewer inside and close the lid.

The meat will cook by itself, you do not need to turn it over constantly. Good tandoors with thick enough walls cook food much faster than thin-walled ones, due to the greater accumulation of heat and a longer preservation of it inside.

disadvantages

There is no chimney.
During operation, it is necessary to constantly use special gloves to resist burns.
After the firewood is fired, a soot deposit appears on the inner surface.
Heavy, thick-walled tandoors are difficult to transport.
Food and fuel are put in the same hole.

If you want to use the oven indoors, you can make a portable tandoor on wheels, lighter and more compact. To get rid of soot, it is enough to clean the walls with a hard brush and rinse with water.

Making a real clay tandoor

The ancient technology involves the manufacture of an Uzbek stove using molding. Tandoor is molded from special kaolin clay, which differs from the usual one by good thermal insulation properties. During operation, the device may crack, in order to avoid such unpleasant consequences, camel or sheep wool is added to the clay.

Asian masters in the construction of real tandoors do not spread secrets that allow to achieve a better result. Therefore, you have to make a furnace without knowing the exact composition of the mixture. How to make a tandoor out of clay with your own hands is described in the following paragraphs.

Scheme

This scheme of a classic clay tandoor reinforced with brickwork is quite simple to build.

The finished tandoor will measure 900 × 900 cm.The width of the upper opening is 350 cm.

Materials and their quantity

Tandoor is made of kaolin clay with an admixture of wool. Pieces of wool should be approximately 15 mm wide. The amount of clay used depends on the final consistency of the mixture and the presence of other components in the composition. The finished mixture should be viscous and thick. For the manufacture of the case, clay and chamotte sand are mixed in proportions 1: 2. The mixture is filled with water and left for several days.

The walls are made of refractory bricks. For the presented scheme, approximately 1000 bricks are needed. Sand is poured between the brickwork and the furnace body for better thermal insulation. It will take about 30 kg.

Tools

To build a tandoor with your own hands, you need the following tools:

Shovel.
Bulgarian.
Construction level.
Putty knife.
Armature.
Solution container.
Wire for fixing brickwork.

Different circuits may require additional tools. For the presented scheme, the above elements are sufficient.

Step by step instructions for sculpting

Kaolin clay is mixed with wool or fibers.
Mixing clay and wool
The finished mixture is left to stand for a week to achieve the required condition.
Flat "sheets" are molded from the mixture, their thickness should be at least 5 cm.
Clay sheets
The body of the tandoor oven is made from the sheets, laying out a round container with them.
Construction of a tandoor from clay

View from above

Do not forget to make a blower
It is recommended to lubricate the inside of the oven with vegetable oil.
We leave the structure to dry for 24 hours.
Lubricate the cracks that appear with clay milk and leave to dry further.
Lubricating cracks
Next, we strengthen the tandoor with brick walls, using the same kaolin as a solution.
Sand is evenly poured between the bricks and the body.
The next step is to make the lid. It can be made from wood:
After all the manipulations, you can proceed to drying the oven. Drying of the finished Uzbek oven should last at least two weeks. After the first drying is completed, the oven is heated with paper or shavings. After burning the fuel, the tandoor should completely cool down and heat up again the next day.
Ready tandoor

Typical manufacturing errors

Incorrect preparation of the mixture. Any deviations can provoke cracks. It is important to respect the proportions while preparing the batch.
Insufficient firing. Causes the device to transmit heat to the outside.
Improper drying. Drying the oven should be carried out in a warm place with low humidity.

Clay tandoor from a wooden barrel

It is much easier to make an Uzbek tandoor with a base from a wooden barrel with your own hands. It is not necessary to make flat sheets of clay to create a body, or to burn for a long time to give them a ceramic state. It is worth noting that the tandoor is made with a foundation for the reliability of the installation. The downside of this option is the impossibility of moving it.

An article on our website provides a description for a tandoor from a 120-liter barrel. The diameter of such a barrel is 526 cm, and the height is 170 cm. The following diagram provides a detailed description of the tandoor device with a foundation. Using the picture, you can understand how to make an Uzbek tandoor with your own hands:

Materials and their quantity

For the construction of a better and longer-lasting tandoor, it is best to use kaolin clay mixed with wool or fibers. Kaolin is better at preventing cracking. The mixture must also be made from clay with an admixture of chamotte powder in a ratio of 1: 2. The material from which the barrel is made is not important, it is still oak barrel or cherry, the wood used does not matter. The following materials are also required for construction:

Thermal filler such as sand.
Bricks.
Lattice.
Armature.
Water.

It is equally important to make the right mixture, the durability of the furnace and its performance depend on the composition of the clay for the tandoor. If you want to strengthen the device, you can build a foundation of bricks and the same clay mixture. To improve the thermal capacity of the furnace, sand is poured between the base and the brick shell.

Better to use good, ceramic bricks. Such a stove saves fuel much better due to the fact that it retains heat inside many times longer. It is not necessary to make a tandoor with a brick shell, the stove can be made simply from clay, but in terms of its qualities it will lag somewhat behind the most advanced version.

Tools

To make an Uzbek tandoor from a barrel, you need the same tools as for a simple clay tandoor with slight discrepancies:

Bulgarian,
Putty knife,
Master OK,
Drill,
Shank.

Manufacturing instruction

Finished construction with brick finish

When the tandoor is ready, you should not immediately apply it; first, the structure must be thoroughly dried. The tandoor oven must dry for at least a month, and if the bottom of the barrel has not been removed during construction, then the drying is extended to one and a half months.

Errors

Poor mixing of the clay mixture, from which the tandoor cracks or even spreads.
Excessive thermal insulation of the walls.
Fixing bricks on a poor-quality mix. It is best to use the same kaolin clay.

The tandoor, like any other oven, is a flammable device that can harm human health. For best performance and your own safety, it is important to follow the operating rules.

Locate the structure in an open area to avoid the ignition of nearby objects.
For the need to move the oven, attach wheels to it.
Be sure to check that there is no fire or hot coals in the device before leaving it unattended.
The base of the tandoor must be heat-resistant.
When melting, you should not use coniferous firewood, due to the release of carcinogenic resins.
When using the oven, it is imperative to use heat-resistant gloves and oven mitts.

Conclusion

With the help of simple actions, an exotic Uzbek oven is made, which can cook delicious dishes. Tandoor food will give you a unique sensation of oriental sophistication. In this convenient and interesting substitute for barbecue, you can cook not only meat or fish - the tandoor is famous for its fragrant cakes.

The dough is molded directly onto the inside of the oven base and baked in this way. Making a real tandoor with your own hands from clay is not only pleasant, but also very useful, because you can treat yourself and your loved ones with special dishes while relaxing in nature.

Making mistakes and getting burned. What are the secrets of building a tandoor, how to choose the right type and what to take into account in order to get not black coals of meat, but a delicious cake and tender kebab.

What is tandoor

The homeland of the tandoor is most of the regions of Central Asia. In Tajikistan it is called tanur, in Uzbekistan tandoor, and in Turkmenistan it is called tonur. Tandoras in India and tonirs in Armenia are built on the same principle. However, no matter how you call this universal brazier stove, you will not see big differences in design.

It is a ceramic container of various sizes, with an opening on top or on the side. Fuel (coal, wood, brushwood) is put inside a kind of clay jug, and heats it up so much that the thick walls of the stove keep the required temperature for a long time.

Types of tandoor

Since the appearance of the first tandoor, it has not undergone any significant changes. All the same, kaolin clay, camel or sheep wool, sand and bricks ... It is these materials that are necessary for the construction of a real Central Asian tandoor. However, there is a division of the furnace into types based on the place of installation.

Land tandoor installed in the yard, on a clay platform. For bread, samsa, shashlik, tandoor set vertically, horizontal setting is applicable only for baking bread.

Yamny or earthen tandoorplaced in a hole dug in the ground. Clay and fireclay are used in its construction. In ancient times, this type was often used for heating a room.

Portable tandoor Is a modern oven with iron carrying handles. Small in size, in the shape of a barrel with a lid, it successfully replaces the usual for us brazier .

Principle of operation

The Uzbek clay tandoor is a classic version of the stove, similar to a clay pot, which was turned upside down and the bottom and throat were swapped. Using his example, we will consider the features of the device and the principle of operation of the tandoor.

A hole (blowing) is made in the lower part of the tandoor. Outside, the clay base is lined with bricks. Sand or salt is poured between the brick and the walls of the tandoor. Fuel (coal, wood) is placed on the bottom of the boiler through the upper hole, and ash is removed through it. A grill is installed inside for cooking meat, fish or vegetables.

All the materials from which the tandoor is made have a high capacity to accumulate (accumulate) heat. When heated, the walls of the furnace retain a high temperature for a long time (from 250 to 400 degrees). After the tandoor reaches the required temperature, the walls are thoroughly wiped from soot and ash, and the famous Uzbek flatbreads are laid on them.

We have prepared for you step-by-step instructions for the construction of a clay tandoor in the form in which it still faithfully serves many residents of these regions.

The classic size of the tandoor is the height of 1-1.5 m, the diameter of the boiler body is 1 m, the diameter of the upper hole is 50-60 cm. To form a clay jug, kaolin clay is taken, which experienced craftsmen call "living". Brick is used for facing the furnace. Therefore, you need to stock up on clay, bricks and some sheep or camel wool.

The wool fibers are cut into pieces 10-15 mm long and mixed with clay. After kneading, the clay should acquire the consistency of sour cream.
The resulting mixture is exposed in a dark place for a week so that it settles.

Attention! The finished solution must be checked periodically, remove excess water, but make sure that the mixture remains moist. If you dry it, the tandoor will crack.

Usually, clay sheets with a thickness of 5 to 15 cm are molded from the settled mixture. It is difficult to form a tandoor from such sheets without a well-developed skill, so you need a barrel.
To make a tandoor from a barrel with your own hands, loosen its hoops a little, fill it with water, and leave it to swell for 5 days. Then drain the water, let the barrel dry, and treat the walls from the inside with sunflower oil. Give it 12 hours to soak and the tandoor mold is ready.

Please note that both clay and barrel it is necessary to start preparing for construction at the same time.

Now we roll sausages about 50 cm long and 6 cm in diameter from the finished clay. Roll each of them to a thickness of 2 cm, cut into ribbons and start laying out the inside of the barrel.

The tandoor is a special jug-shaped brazier designed for cooking. These ovens are most common in the East. Now they are increasingly used in Europe, since they have a lot of good qualities. They are stationary, or small, portable. Historically, a tandoor is a clay product, but in modern conditions it is much more convenient to build a tandoor from a brick with your own hands.

Historical reference

The first such ovens appeared in Asia. According to legend, they were invented by a shepherd named Tandoor. He saw that tulips close at night, and insects protect themselves from the cold. The young man made a bud from clay and began to cook his own food in it, kindling a fire inside. The food was delicious and stayed hot for a long time. The young man became rich by making and selling tandoors. Became a respected person.

Another legend attributes a sacred meaning to the tandoor. It was allegedly invented by the Sarts in the tenth century. They lived on the territory of modern Uzbekistan and were fire worshipers. They believed that the tandoor is a spiritualized dwelling of beautiful spirits - peri, an analogue of European fairies. Only after many years did it acquire practical significance. This happened when the Sarts were conquered by the Mongols, and they were able to appreciate their invention.

Making clay tandoor is covered with a secret that is guarded and inherited. If you make a tandoor without skill, it will crack from the heat. There are secrets that are known. The clay is carefully sifted like dough flour. Sheep or goat wool is added to the clay. After firing, it burns out, and pores remain in the vessel. During construction, a barrel is often used - wooden or plastic. She keeps her shape. After completion of construction, it is removed. Knowledge of these secrets is not enough to make a clay tandoor. In the country, they usually build a brick one.

This does not detract from its excellent qualities. The ancient nomads at each of their sites made stoves out of anything, keeping the principle, and the food was delicious. That is, initially a tandoor is a fire in a recess that saves it from the wind.

Tandoors are common in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Japan. They have been used there for centuries. It is difficult to say who is older - a tandoor or a Russian stove.

Tandoor is the most famous name for this oven. The term is of Turkic origin. In Armenia they are called tonir, in India - tandoor, in Tajikistan - tanur, in Georgia - tone, in Azerbaijan - tandir. They all have differences, but the same principle of manufacture and operation.

Construction

The construction of a tandoor, like any other business, requires preparation.

Training

It is necessary to choose and prepare a place for the oven. It should be located far from home and landings. An area with minimal moisture is desirable. All unnecessary things must be removed from it. It should be aligned.

refractory brick;
sand, clay, fireclay mortar;
grates (lattice);
cement;
asbestos pipe;
shovels;
trowels;
level.

Foundation

The most successful place for tandoor is sand. If there is no such place on the site, a shallow round pit is dug and wakes up with sand, compacted. On this site, a brick or concrete foundation is made. You can use a reinforced concrete slab. This is a good option, but it adds to the cost of the oven. In addition, the slab needs to be laid very evenly.

Furnace erection

The walls are laid out on the finished foundation. The brick is placed on the end or in 3 rows. The first row is laid in a circle and adhered with a solution. The inner diameter of the circle is 0.5 meters. An asbestos pipe is inserted into the second row, it will serve as a blower. Internal coating is made with fireclay mortar or clay. It is more convenient to do it immediately as the next row is installed.

Grates are installed on the second row. A total of four rows are required.

When the oven is laid out and dried, all joints are sealed from the outside. Used cement with clay. When covering up, the brick should be moistened, otherwise it will take water from the solution. When this layer dries, a second layer is applied - from clay mixed with straw. It will play the role of a reinforcing and insulating wall, it is allowed to dry for three days. If it rains while the tandoor is being laid, the started construction must be covered with a film. At the end, the tandoor is covered with a third layer. In terms of composition, he is like the first.

The oven is ready. The cover can be made from an iron sheet by welding the handle. It will help keep you warm as much as possible. You can ennoble the tandoor externally, overlay it with natural stone. They start operating when everything is well dry.

Earthen tandoor

Sometimes a brick tandoor is buried in the ground. It will be more convenient to use - less risk of burns, easier to lower food. The construction principle is the same. The pit must be dug deeper, three quarters of the height of the furnace. The blower pipe should be longer, it is led out. Saving on external decoration, it is only required for the part coming out of the ground.

Terms of use

The first ignition must be carried out carefully. The temperature should be raised gradually. Firewood is laid on two-thirds of the tandoor, it must be dry. Set them on fire through a blower. The food is loaded into the oven when the wood burns out, about an hour after ignition. The coals should be evenly distributed over the bottom of the oven. One dressing is enough to cook two dishes, and the second will take twice as long to cook.

If the tandoor still needs to be used, it can be warmed up to operating temperature much faster than during the first ignition.

Checking readiness for work is easy. The stick must be held along the wall inside. If the soot disappears and the wall is clean, the oven is ready for use.

The degree of browning can be adjusted by blowing air into the tandoor through a blower or lid.

The coals should smolder without burning, so the blower is not closed after firing. To avoid unnecessary traction, the lid is opened at the same time.

Do not pour water over the tandoor to cool it down. It will give irreparable cracks. He must cool himself, in a natural way.

It must be remembered that during ignition, the height of the flame above the stove can reach one and a half meters. The temperature inside reaches 480 degrees, the outer walls also heat up. Children should not be around, everyone should be careful to avoid burns.

We should not forget about fire safety.

Benefits

Tandoor cooking is becoming more and more popular. What contributes to this?

The flame is not blown out, the heat is long and even.

Cooking resembles an oven. No harmful substances are formed in food during cooking. Even the kebab turns out to be dietary.