Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Mortar for Large Brick Smoker in Bolivia

I'm planning to build a large brick smoker soon and realize that normal mortar and heat aren't really friends. I've heard of a clay that is used in a portland and sand mix, but the problem is that I don't have the resources or knowlegable sales people like the States.
Any general guidelines I should follow?
Sand and Portland are common here. Also, there are brickmakers in my area; so obviously the clay used in brickmaking is available. Does that do anything for my cause?

Thanks for any help

I don't know about Bolivia, but in los llanos de Venezuela, it is not uncommon to use regular brick mortar to make a parilla. It may not last forever, but it will last a long time IMHO. For a smoker (ahumador?), I would think that the operating temperature (usually less than 300 F, often much less, for a longer time) would be lower than for a grill (blazing heat, quick searing, etc.). So, the mortar and the brick would not get as hot as in the blazing firepit of a grill or parilla. Choose the brick carefully, to see that they can stand the heating and cooling cycles.

If you are very concerned about the mortar, you can make a brick oven without mortar, but you have to stack the bricks very carefully. If you search the web for "brick barbecue mortar" you'll see several sites that explain the details, with pictures.

BTW what wood do you plan to use for smoking the meats?

Good luck.

Hi, bigskydreams

I don't know so much about the temperature of your smoker, but I guess you can get a lot of information in this site

http://www.usa-ros.com/

What you need is refractory cement (cemento refractário)

Ojala esto sirva. Buena suerte!!!

Hi Patricia,

Refractory cement may be difficult to locate in Bolivia. It sure would stand the temperature. If it is available and affordable in the local market, it might be a better bonding material for the oven bricks.

Yet, a smoker usually operates at low temperatures, in the neighborhood of the boiling point of water, or slightly higher. At those temperatures, a good cement mortar ought to do OK, if the refractory cement is hard to find, in Bolivia.

In Venezuela, many brick and stone grills are made using a good grade of regular cement mortar. I have not seen one fail, yet. And those grills operate at higher temperatures than would a smoker oven.

My brother-in-law has a fairly large brick and stone grill, in Merida, Venezuela. We have fired it up countless times, during the past decade, using wood or charcoal, to fairly high steak-cooking temperatures, and not a sign of problems with the bricks and stones and the cement mortar, ... yet.

Hi Armentarius,

Welcome to our Forum.

I live most of my life in Latin America!!!!, and I understand your concerns, however, as moderators, we try to offer solutions as bigskydreams is asking for.

Best,