Wanting to dip my toes into Rocket Heater grill for outdoor grilling

I use a nice Propane Grill currently and it works, but I'm curious about trying a rocket design for grilling. I'm thinking portable enough so I could move it under cover, enough of a grill cover to do say 4 ribeyes at a time. We're in a semi-suburban area with lots of trees, so lots of wood falls from the skies periodically.

I have some DIY skills but have never done any welding. Poking around Amazon I find some inexpensive rocket heaters with grills but I'm reluctant to just go with the reviews. Mostly the inexpensive ones seem to be designed for camping trips which is of course totally reasonable but I could do a step up from camping!

Any thoughts, experiences?

Do you want to grill directly on coals or with a kind of pan in between the fire and whatever you want to grill?

I'm thinking a grill over the chimney of the RMH. 16 inch square or so. No coals. Or someething like that.

Hi Jim;
Hmm, grilling steaks over a roaring J-Tube could be problematic.
The best method might be to use a hot J-Tube with coals and add small amounts of wood once your steaks are on the grill.

You talked about being able to move this under cover.
Would a tarp be acceptable?
Consider using new clay bricks and building a traditional rocket stove; there is no welding involved!
A clay sand mortar will keep it airtight.
A simple tarp cover will keep the rain from soaking the bricks and eventually harming the mortar.

J-Tubes are simple to build.
New solid clay bricks are easy to locate in most areas.
A bag of graded sand (home D) and a bag of dry clay.
I'll be happy to supply you with the dimensions.

If a rocket stove should burn clean, so clean that you might be able to have food in contact to flue gases, then it will be hot, very hot. If you want to have it like this, go ahead. Or you construct a kind of heat exchanger, that will cool down the flue gas before it comes in contact with your food.

I much prefer to grill on medium to low temperatures, which is only possible with coals. I made myself a grill with refractory slabs and it works really fine.

Rocket stoves seem better suited for heating a griddle than a grill.

Make sure your toes are dripping wet, and be ready to remove them immediately. Try to avoid touching them to any metal or masonry.