Scheme for the manufacture of tandoor. Do-it-yourself tandoor made of bricks

Tandoor is one of the oldest types of ovens, which is still popular today. What is a tandoor is well known to the inhabitants of Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Mongolia and even Japan. The oven has a pitcher shape, and the dishes in it are juicy, fragrant and appetizing in appearance. In addition, cakes, meat or vegetables are prepared without oils and fats, which is especially beneficial for health. It is easy to cook amazingly delicious cakes, shish kebab, samsa, poultry, bake potatoes, vegetables or fish in the tandoor oven.

The tandoor oven 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 stoves, cooking requires a small amount of firewood or a bunch of saxaul.

Note: Food is cooked not with the help of an open fire, but due to the temperature from the heated walls.

Cooking time due to the closed space is significantly reduced.

The stove is arranged below the floor level directly in the ground or mounted on a solid platform. The structure is a hemisphere up to 1 cubic meter. There is an opening in the side wall or on top with a diameter of up to 70 cm. Making a traditional Uzbek tandoor with your own hands is quite problematic due to 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 fired with wood, charcoal or brushwood. Then the walls are wiped from the inside from the touch of burning and cakes are stuck to them. Finished products are taken out using hooks with long handles or special blades. Loading of fuel, products and extraction of ash is carried out through the same opening.

Portable tandoors

Products are made from high-quality kaolin (chamotte clay) with a wall thickness of 3 to 7 cm. This material is characterized by high heat resistance, heat capacity and heat transfer. Due to this, the cooking time is reduced, and very little fuel is required. The stoves are shaped like barrels with two-tier lids and carrying 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;
Tacks and hooks;
Skewers;
Nozzles for a bird;
Devices for simultaneous cooking of several dishes.

In the lid there is a device for vertical fastening of skewers. In the lower part there is a blower for kindling the brazier and extracting the ashes. There are professional models, for example, the Sarmat tandoor is large 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 walls can crack at low temperatures. It is best to store the oven under a canopy, a cover, a film or in a dry closed room.

The electric tandoor is similar in appearance to kitchen stoves. Under the hearth of the furnace is a heating element that heats the air inside. The quality of the dishes is much inferior even to those cooked in a home-made brick tandoor. The problem with electric models is that the heating element dries out the air, and meat, fish and poultry are not so juicy and fragrant.

The main advantage of electric tandoors 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 full-fledged culinary technique.

How to make a tandoor yourself

It is easiest to buy a portable tandoor in a store, and you can make a stationary oven with your own hands. To do this, you will 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 pieces. The binder is prepared from fireclay clay, water and common salt. You can use 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 for several hours with a small amount of firewood. After the kiln is completely dry, the product is fired to increase its strength. The shape of the furnace can be spherical, oval, pitcher-like and even in the form of a straight pipe. Brick tandoor can be used only after the clay has completely dried.

Advantages of a homemade tandoor:

Dishes are prepared very quickly;
Low fuel consumption;
It is quite possible to make a tandoor with your own hands;
It is not necessary to constantly monitor the cooking process;
Great 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. In a real tandoor, this will not work.

Kindling the furnace

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

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

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

How to bake cakes in the tandoor

Safety

It is not recommended to melt 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 a safe distance. Water must not fall on the hot surface, otherwise irreparable cracks may appear from a large temperature difference.

Children should not approach the glued 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, potholders and mittens should be used. Before you remove the portable tandoor oven for storage, you need to wait for it to cool completely.

The most important characteristic of the product is the ability to retain heat reliably and for a long time. Models with slots for skewers in the lid do not have tightness, so the taste of dishes is much worse. When choosing a brazier, you should pay attention to design, practicality, external qualities, and manufacturer's warranties. 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 nice bonus is the presence of additional accessories in the form of grills, skewers, shovels and other devices. It is best to purchase glazed models, as they are much more practical than analogues made from 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 fit into the landscape design of a summer cottage.

Fans of country rest cannot imagine their pastime in the country without barbecue. Indeed, can there be anything tastier than fresh meat, richly flavored with spices and carefully roasted 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 is obtained with simply incredible taste. And the whole secret of such an exquisite taste lies in the fact that the meat is baked extremely evenly, and only due to the fact that the distribution of heat in such a design is balanced. So, today we will find out how to build a tandoor with our own hands, get acquainted with the possible options and give 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, kaolin clay (ideally, of Akhangar origin), which has excellent thermal insulation qualities, should be used for this. To prevent the stove 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, since Asian craftsmen do not spread much about the exact composition of kaolin clay. Simply put, you will have to perform all the manipulations "by eye", constantly conducting experiments.

An approximate manufacturing technology for the classic version of the described furnace is approximately as follows.

Step 1. To make a tandoor with your own hands, you need to mix 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, reminiscent of sour cream in its 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 must not be mixed into the composition).

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

Step 3 From the resulting "plasticine" it is necessary to mold long sheets of oblong shape with a thickness of at least 5 centimeters. From these plates, gradually moving in a circle, 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 height of the structure is from 100 to 150 centimeters.

From below, 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 for another 30 days to dry.

Step 5 The walls must be overlaid with fireclay bricks, and the adhesive composition in this case can be either kaolin clay itself or a special clay oven mixture, which contains plasticizers and quartz sand. Sand or salt should be poured into the cavity between the formed layers, periodically tamping when backfilling.

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 ceramics. 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 curved, 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 the creation of 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 mm);
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 full barrel of water and wait at least 24 hours for the wood to soak and swell. After that, mix wool (0.5 parts), sand (2 parts) and clay (1 part), wait a few days until the resulting mixture dries. The next step is to drain the water, the complete drying of the wood. The inner surfaces of the barrel are treated with vegetable oil, after which they are soaked overnight. Next, the inside of the barrel is covered with a 4- or 5-cm 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 outside will enter the case.

Note! For drying, 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 removed from the tandoor. Next, the furnace is installed on a thick “pillow” of sand and fired, that is, it is first melted. Inside, it is necessary to kindle a small flame and maintain it for approximately 6 hours, periodically loading small portions of fuel. After this time, the stove is covered with something, the fire is made stronger and eventually brought to the maximum rate. It is important that the tandoor subsequently cools down slowly.

If desired, you can additionally insulate the oven 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 oven is quite difficult, we have already found out. What is already there, not all masters succeed in this! Therefore, in order to simplify the task and not take risks in vain, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the manufacturing technology of 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 version 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 constructed from reinforcing bars or thick wire.

Fill the hole with concrete mixture, carefully level everything 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 the brick in a circle, the diameter of which you indicated at the planning stage. As a rule, it is about 100 centimeters. Lay 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 fireclay 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 during operation will serve as a blower. 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. Typically, when laying the last row, a tapering neck should be formed in parallel, therefore, the brick at this stage should be laid with a slight inclination towards the inside.

Third stage. 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, trim the body of the tandoor with natural stone - so the finished product will look more attractive.

Fourth stage. We make kiln firing

Immediately make a reservation that the firing procedure in this case is performed in the same way as in the previous two options. Inside the tandoor, it is necessary to kindle a fire, the walls of the furnace must 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

Operation features

There are a number of requirements that must be followed when using a furnace such as a tandoor. Let's start with kindling. A lot depends on the season here. In winter, for example, the temperature should rise gradually - first kindle the wood chips, let them burn out, after which you can put the main fuel. In the summer, 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 thermal energy in this case will simply disappear without heating the walls of the case.

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

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

Benefits of using the design

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

But the 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 undercooked meat. Another advantage of the tandoor is that not only meat is baked in it, but also traditional oriental cakes - tasty, and at the same time very healthy for the body.

Tandoor - design features of the furnace

The device of such a furnace is very similar to most of the structures of this kind, however, some differences still exist. 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 (firewood can also be used).

Outwardly, the brick tandoor is very similar to a hypertrophied earthenware jug, which was overlaid with bricks. Coal or wood is placed directly inside the structure, after which it is set on fire. Then, when the fuel turns into coal, kebabs are put into 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 quite a long time. Thanks to this, you can have time to make several batches of baked meat at once.

An interesting fact: the described furnace 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 design. 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). In the lower part 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, between the inner and outer layers there is an insignificant air gap, which is subsequently filled with sand or salt (the latter option is more preferable).

Fuel is placed into the housing through a hole located on top. Although there are variants of the furnace 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 stoves).

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

Note! If the tandoor is built correctly and in compliance with the technology, then you can cook on it for 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: for example, if you try hard, then the walls of the tandoor can be heated up to a temperature of 400 degrees.

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

pit;
ground;
portable.

In today's article, several options for creating a tandoor at home will be considered at once, however, 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 type of barbecue, and a pit is used in most cases for heating small rooms. So let's get started.

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 enhance thermal insulation, an additional shell is made of brick, and sand or clay is poured between the body and the brick fence.

During the burning of firewood, the tandoor heats up, the temperature in it can rise to 400 degrees. The oven retains heat well, so the heat lasts up to 4 hours, during which it is allowed to cook dishes continuously. Food cooks quickly because the heat does not spread outside, but inside the vessel. The device prepares aromatic dishes, evenly fried meat, puffed bread and other uniquely tasty products.

Advantages and disadvantages

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

Advantages

Fuel economy.
Maintaining the optimum temperature.
No hassle to use and maintain.

To heat a tandoor, you need much less firewood or coal than for a barbecue or barbecue. With the help of one bookmark of firewood, you can cook about five servings of shish kebab, when the grill does not work even two. Barbecue in the tandoor cooks much faster and easier, you just need to hang the skewers inside and close the lid.

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

Flaws

No chimney.
During operation, it is necessary to constantly use special gloves that resist burns.
After lighting firewood, soot deposits appear on the inner surface.
Heavy thick-walled tandoors are difficult to transport.
Food and fuel are placed 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. The tandoor is molded from a special kaolin clay, which differs from the usual 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 them to achieve a better result. Therefore, you have to make a furnace without knowing the exact composition of the mixture. How to make a clay tandoor 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 be 900 × 900 cm in size. The width of the upper hole is 350 cm.

Materials and their quantity

The tandoor is made from kaolin clay mixed with 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 body, clay and fireclay sand are mixed in proportions of 1: 2. The mixture is poured 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.
Fittings.
Solution container.
Wire for fixing brickwork.

Different schemes 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 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 a tandoor oven is made from sheets, laying out a round container with them.
Building a clay tandoor

View from above

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

Typical Manufacturing Errors

Incorrect preparation of the mixture. Any deviations can provoke the appearance of cracks. It is important to observe the proportions during the preparation of 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 case, to fire 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 disadvantage of this option is the impossibility of moving it.

The article on our website portal 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. With the help of a 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-term tandoor, it is best to use kaolin clay mixed with wool or fibers. Kaolin better prevents cracking. The mixture must also be made from clay with an admixture of fireclay powder in a ratio of 1:2. The material from which the barrel is made is not important, anyway, oak barrel or cherry, the wood used does not matter. The following materials are also required for construction:

Thermal filler, for example, sand.
Bricks.
Lattice.
Fittings.
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 brick and the same clay mixture. To improve the thermal capacity of the furnace, sand is poured between the base and the brick shell.

It is better to use a good, ceramic brick. 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 oven 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 differences:

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

Manufacturing instructions

Finished construction with brick finish

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

Mistakes

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

Tandoor, like any other stove, is a flammable device that can harm human health. For best performance and your own safety, it is important to follow the rules of operation.

Locate the structure in an open area to avoid ignition of nearby objects.
To move the oven, attach wheels to it.
Be sure to check the absence of fire and hot coals in the device before leaving it unattended.
The base of the tandoor must be heat-resistant.
When melting, do not use coniferous firewood, due to the release of carcinogenic resins by them.
Heat-resistant gloves and oven mitts must be used when using the oven.

Conclusion

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

The dough is molded directly onto the inner surface of the oven base and thus baked. 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 to special dishes while outdoors.

Making mistakes and getting burned. What are the secrets of building a tandoor, how to choose the right type and what to consider in order to get not the black coals of meat, but a delicious flatbread and tender barbecue.

What is tandoor

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

It is a ceramic container of various sizes, with a hole at the top or side. Fuel (coal, firewood, brushwood) is placed inside a kind of clay jug, and warms it up so that the thick walls of the furnace keep the desired temperature for a long time.

Types of tandoor

Since the appearance of the first tandoor, it has not undergone any significant changes. Everything is also used to create it 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 its installation.

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

Pit or earthen tandoor placed in a hole dug in the ground. Clay and fireclay are used in its construction. In ancient times, this species was often used for space heating.

Portable tandoor- This is a modern type of oven that has iron handles for carrying. Small in size, in the form of a barrel with a lid, it successfully replaces the usual for us brazier .

Principle of operation

The Uzbek clay tandoor is a classic variant of a clay cauldron-like oven that has been turned upside down and the bottom and throat reversed. 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, firewood) 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 materials from which the tandoor is made have a high ability 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 cakes are laid on them.

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

The classical size of the tandoor is 1-1.5 m high, 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 "live". Brick is used for facing the furnace. Therefore, you need to stock up on clay, bricks, and some sheep or camel hair.

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 put in a dark place for a week so that it settles.

Attention! The finished solution must be periodically checked to remove excess water, but make sure that the mixture remains wet. If it is too dry, 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 will need a barrel.
To make a tandoor from a barrel with your own hands, relax 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 we must start preparing for construction at the same time.

Now we roll sausages with a length of about 50 cm and a diameter of 6 cm from the finished clay. We roll each of them to a thickness of 2 cm, cut into ribbons and begin to lay out the inside of the barrel.

Tandoor is a special jug-shaped brazier designed for cooking. These furnaces are most common in the East. Now they are increasingly used in Europe, as 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 brick tandoor with your own hands.

History reference

The first such ovens appeared in Asia. According to legend, they were invented by a shepherd named Tandoor. He saw that tulips close up at night, and insects protect themselves from the cold. The young man made a bud out of 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 made a fortune by making and selling tandoors. Became a respected person.

Another legend ascribes sacred meaning to the tandoor. Allegedly, it was 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 spiritual 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.

The manufacture of the clay tandoor is shrouded in mystery, which is guarded and passed down from generation to generation. If you make a tandoor without skill, it will crack from the heat. There are secrets that are known. Clay is carefully sifted like flour for dough. 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 construction is completed, 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 his excellent qualities. The ancient nomads at each of their camps made stoves out of anything, keeping the principle, and the food turned out delicious. That is, initially the 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 - the tandoor or the Russian stove.

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

Building

Building a tandoor, like any other business, requires preparation.

Training

It is necessary to choose and prepare a place for the furnace. It should be located far from the house and landings. A site with minimal moisture is desirable. Everything superfluous must be removed from it. It must be level.

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

Foundation

The best place for a tandoor is sandy. 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 foundation is made of brick or concrete. 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 must be laid very evenly.

The construction of the furnace

Walls are laid out on the finished foundation. The brick is placed on the end or in 3 rows. The first row is placed around the circumference and linked 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.

On the second row grates are installed. You will need four rows in total.

When the oven is laid out and dried, all joints are sealed from the outside. Clay cement is used. When plastering, 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 during the laying of the tandoor, the construction must be covered with a film. At the end, the tandoor is covered with a third layer. In composition, it is like the first.

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

Earthen tandoor

Sometimes a brick tandoor is buried in the ground. It will be more convenient to use - there is less danger of getting burned, it is easier to lower products. The principle of construction 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 brought out. Savings on external finishing, it will be required only for the part coming out of the ground.

Terms of use

The first ignition must be carried out carefully. The temperature must be raised gradually. Firewood is laid on two-thirds of the tandoor, they must be dry. They are set on fire through the blower. Products are loaded into the oven when the firewood burns out, about an hour after ignition. Coals should be evenly distributed on the bottom of the oven. One dressing is enough to prepare two dishes, and the second will take twice as long to cook.

If the tandoor needs to be used again, it can be heated to operating temperature much faster than during the first ignition.

It's easy to check if it's ready to go. The stick must be drawn along the wall inside. If the soot disappears and the wall is clean, the stove is ready for use.

The degree of roasting can be adjusted by supplying air to the tandoor through a blower or a lid.

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

Do not pour water over the tandoor to cool it. It will give irreparable cracks. He must cool himself, naturally.

It must be remembered that when ignited, 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 behave carefully to avoid burns.

Do not forget about fire safety.

Advantages

Cooking in the tandoor is becoming more and more popular. What contributes to this?

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

Cooking is like an oven. No harmful substances are formed in food during cooking. Even barbecue turns out dietary.