[TATERDAVID]

well here she is almost done, still gotta mount the grill grates and the thermo but its mostly done, price is under $80 and that includes the brand new drum but i did have alot of the pieces and stainless hardware already

 

[TATERDAVID]

 

[TATERDAVID]

i still have to buy a thermo to mount on the side so final cost was around $100. i used a new drum so you could build this much cheaper but i was kinda lazey and took the easy route

 

[TATERDAVID]

I'll take pictures of the inside when I get the rack in, probobly this weekend

 

[TATERDAVID]

well heres the mostly finished product still some little things to do but i'm gonna season it tommorrow and she'll be ready to go

heres the inside with charcoal basket before drilling the grate holders and thermo

heres the charcoal basket, might trim the bottom alittle to let the ash fall out but we'll see how it works first

inside with grate and thermo in place

 

[TATERDAVID]

the inside was sprayed with pam in these shots also

 

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I got it at penn barrel inc out of pgh. I go by it all the time and figured [censored] just go buy a new barrel, cost more but I just don't have time to prep a usef barrel right now

 

[TATERDAVID]

Thanks, its a pretty simple build. I was grilling outside so no foul. I have used these drums before, they are awesome

 

[TATERDAVID]

These drums are the real deal, google "ugly drum smoker"

 

[TATERDAVID]

i probobly have less then a hour of actual work into it. gathering the pieces is the hardest part and decideing between buying a part or use something you already have. i have a whole box of stainless screws so that cut some cost.

i will do upgrades as time goes on but right now i just wanna get it ready to go. things i will add are a better thermo, another grill grate, maybe a fancey paint job and i'd love a rotisarie

 

[TATERDAVID]

Finally getting around to try this drum out. Started with 8lbs of charcoal with 10 lit coals at 6pm, temp is up to 225 already. I'm gonna run this test alittle high for about 4 hours then back her down. I can already tell I'm gonna like it. I shut one hole down so well run like that till we hit 250 and let her slowly go from there till it hits 300 then bring it back down to 225 till I'm ready for bed.

 

[TATERDAVID]

Hit 250 and closed 2nd hole.so we have valve wide open, gonna let her run for awhile and see how it does.outside temp is 30 degrees, almost no wind

 

[TATERDAVID]

Scratch that closing second hole temps droped so opened it back up. May have to play with the valve. Alittle

 

[TATERDAVID]

Been hanging right at 300 for awhile now. Good chicken cooking temp. Gonna let it roll for awhile to season then back it down. So far I'm totally lovin it

 

[TATERDAVID]

still hanging 300 haven't touched it other then gave a kick to help ash fall alittle

 

[TATERDAVID]

still hanging solid

 

[TATERDAVID]

airflow. i have three airholes and one has a valve to help fine tune. the others are either open or shut.

this thing is awesome. if anyone wants a smoker this is highly recomended. i been smoking along time and this thing rocks as far as temps and ease of use. yes electric is easy but doesn't have the right flavour jmho

 

[TATERDAVID]

Ran the smoker from 11am yesterday till about 8pm. I loaded 13lbs of charcoal and had maybe 5lbs left over after I shut it down. I didn't have to do anything other then give it a kick now and then to allow the ash to fall. I did move the valva alittle but mostly just left it alone. The thing had no problem maintaining temp, I ran at 300 degrees for about 4 hours then let it ride about 230 the rest. This thing rocks

 

[TATERDAVID]

I got a 8lb boston butt I'm gonna smoke some time this week.

 

[TATERDAVID]

very easy project, lots of online info. mine is just the standard drum build nothing fancy. the drum is much easier to use and efficient then my offset.

i recomend getting a new unlined drum, its worth the extra money