[TATERDAVID]

been asked about this a few times so i thought i'd show some more pictures and talk alittle about the build.

i got the idea from a few of the smokeing website i check out so this isn't some crazey idea i thought up but a well researched and tested bbq


i have less than $100 into this smoker and there is nothing that even comes close to it for a reasonable price.

i bought the drum new for $64 out the door from penn barrel inc in pittsburgh. you can find drums anywhere but i wanted new just to save on the hassel of burning and all that. well worth the money. if ya go there you want a NEW UNLINED OPEN TOP BARREL. if you have a weber lid take it with you sometimes they fit better on the bottom of a closed head drum so try it out

heres a picture of the inside of the drum when new. they come with a light anti rusting agent so ya gotta wash that out real good with soap and water

i had the weber lid already my uncle had one he was throwing out so i got it for free. keep an eye out for these lots of good parts.


heres the charcoal basket. i can burn for over 16hr on one load so its very fuel efficent. if you have been paying attention i have used this drum almost every weekend and sometimes saturday and sunday and only used three or four bags of coal i can't remeber exactly but we'll call it 4.

it was made by rolling some expanded metal bought at home depot(took 2 peices) around a propane tank and bolting together with STAINLESS STEEL bolts and nuts. i bought these at home depot as well. the bottom peice is from the donor weber my uncle gave me so freebee. i think i got about 2.5 -3 inchs of space for the coal ash to fall thru, this is very important.

here you see the cooking grate, its a cheapo 22.5 in bought at walmart on clearence for 8 or 9 bucks. its held up by 3 STAINLESS STEEL BOLTS AND NUTS. these i had so they were free. DO NOT USE GALVANIZED STEEL IN YOUR SMOKER

heres a temp gage i installed its a cheapo walmart clearence also was somewhere around $8. i use digital thermos so this is just for an emergency if my batteries died or something like that but if you don't have a digital you need this

now in the first and 3rd picture you can see the vent holes on the bottom and see i have a valve on one. this method works very well for controling airflow but i have since removed the valve and the nipples and am using magnets as i like them better. no pictures of them but i can take some.

as for what height to drill holes that all depends on the drum and lid set up for your cooking grates. there is lots of info out there for you guys to look at

this drum is very easy to use and fuel efficeint. wind and cold has no effect but i did have to shut it down one day cause even with 40# of weight i was afraid it was gonna blow over other than that never a problem.

I can take more pictures if anyone needs some these i had loaded already

i'll leave ya'll with some Q-VEIW

 

[Poke Boater]

Tater,

You da man!!! Thanks for your detailed explanation & pictures.

 

[TATERDAVID]

thanks poke

some of you may notice the funny parmasian cheese container hanging on the front of the drum. thats just a waterproof holder for my remote thermo. this thing is a must have accesorry to any smoker especially in winter. i can sit inside and know exactly what is going on in my smoker and it has alarms you can set if it goes above or below a separate temp. its worth every penny trust me

 

[FrankDegamma]

Pretty dang neat. Thank you so much for the pics and explanation. Gonna start by getting me a barrel.
Willy

 

[TATERDAVID]

there is tons of info on these things out there. finding a drum is the first step.

to me it was worth buying a new drum but you don't have to that can save some cash if you have the tools to clean a used drum.

good luck and if ya got any question give me a shout

 

[great white hunter]

That's pretty cool Tater!

 

[Bountyhunter62]

That was a nice project!

 

[TATERDAVID]

I'll be fire'n it up later so i'll take some more pictures. if anyone has anything specific they want a picture of let me know.

 

[35Whelan]

Neat... Thank's for sharing.. I'm in the market for a smoker and was considering building one.

 

[TATERDAVID]

this is a great smoker

i am gonna post a start to finish smoke of some chicken wings today so stay tuned. i am gonna start around 4-4:30

 

[TATERDAVID]

i got a ton of pictures guys and was hopeing to do this in real time but i'm gonna be alittle behind till the food is actually on, then i will have time to come up and load the pictures. so far i got all the prep work done and am getting ready to fire it up

 

[TATERDAVID]

alright lets smoke some wings

my house sits on top of a big hill in the middle of a big feild, to say its windy here is an understatement. its windy enough today i wouldn't even think of useing my offset smoker but i have no fear the drum will perform flawlessly

roll the drum out on a dolly, i keep my drum in the garage

this is kinda the basics of what i need, i did add another peice of oak and leather gloves

this is what was left from last time i cooked on the drum, thats one good thing when your done you shut down the airflow and you reuse whats left of your charcoal

add more coal, i had enough but added for visual effect. i only use kingsford blue

2 peices of oak and 2 of sugar maple. i always remove bark, some don't. the peice of maple in the front had a bug in between the bark and wood. you can kinda see where it burrowed

put wood in charcoal basket and place basket in smoker.

okay we are caught up i'm heading out to light it up. more picture to come

 

[TATERDAVID]

alright got 12 peices of charcoal in the charcoal chimney. use newspaper to get it started. had to put it in the burn pit as as i said its very windy

open lid vent holes

open airflow holes. i am useing magnents and think they work really well. heres them fully open and the a picture of using the magnent to control airflow. i have 3 holes on the drum

lit coals in the drum

place cooking grate and thermo in smoker. be sure to pam your cooking grate

now you wait for the drum to come up to temp

heres the chicken wings i'm using. these aren't to bad but we get some really nice ones at the farm market. the spice is something my wife brought home its pretty good

wings on the drum

well thats about it, let'm cook for awhile. i ussually put them on the grill and add the franks and butter sauce about 15 minutes before they are done

 

[Leglifter]

What kind of temps are you maintaining with that rig?

 

[TATERDAVID]

I haven't tried for low temps but I have run from 220 up past 350 I don't run much hotter than that on my digital thermos as its hard on them. right now I am at 275 center drum its about 250 around the outside

 

[35Whelan]

Dave .... Looking good.. You already have me searching for a place for a 55 gal. drum here in Jersey. We smoke alot of stuff in Illinois and it's great. I gotta make one of these. Only thing I might change is a cold bottle of Beck's instead of the Miller... LOL

 

[Peppy]

This looks like a project I'd like to try this summer. We love using the fryer for all types of food when we are on the road camping, but this would be great for the home front!!

You've done a great job with the pics and all.... I'm hungry now, that's for sure.

 

[35Whelan]

Dave,and other's there's a place called Restaurant Depot, there is one near Pittsburg, they sell to restaurant's or those serving food. You need a tax id to join. They have some great deal's on food. So if you know anyone that can join check them out...

 

[Leglifter]

I haven't tried for low temps but I have run from 220 up past 350 I don't run much hotter than that on my digital thermos as its hard on them. right now I am at 275 center drum its about 250 around the outside

So its more of a grill than a smoker, right?
And the wood smoke on the meat makes it taste..... Better

 

[TATERDAVID]

There are many definitions of smoker, chicken cooks you want a higher temp


If I wanted to SMOKE a pork shoulder what temp would you recomend??? Just curious I love pulled pork I hate to think I been doing this all wrong