Ugly Drum Smoker

My son and I built this over the weekend and planning on cooking a pork butt on it tomorrow. Still need to paint it guess that's next weekends project. :-D Black and Gold of course GO STEELERS!!

pwa
img3668e.jpg
 
Pappy said:
I was thinking "Dang, where are you at with all that snow, Alaska?" Then I looked at your location. :tape:
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LoL and were just getting started with that white stuff.... actual were behind the norm but I'm sure it coming soon. Just fired up the UDS it -2F out were see how it does.

pwa
 
I still think

pwa said:
My son and I built this over the weekend and planning on cooking a pork butt on it tomorrow. Still need to paint it guess that's next weekends project. :-D Black and Gold of course GO STEELERS!!

pwa
img3668e.jpg
Click to expand...

I still think that if one was to work all day long on one of these, you could build it, paint it, and cook on it by 6 in the evening.
 
barbqrken said:
I still think that if one was to work all day long on one of these, you could build it, paint it, and cook on it by 6 in the evening.
Click to expand...

Almost huh! I get mine all built, in about 3 hours, then burn it out during the night (love sittin round a fire at night, but move that up to right after build 4 hour burnout, cool, and scrub, build the fire basket during burn out, I agree it could be done

Posted from my fancy android fone!!
 
Wow.....587 pages later....I finally read every post!

A bit numb at the moment. I am trying to locate a drum to start working on mine. I have a MIG welder and tools to build what ever I need to (by-product of restoring a vintage car in my garage).

Burning out a drum is not an option were I live as I would have the City, Fire Department, EPA, CARB (California Air Resource Board), Sierra Club, PETA, The Gladys Cravits Nosey Neighborhood Association, and the Colgate Cavity Patrol kicking in my door if I tried. So I need to go with a reconditioned bare-metal drum.

Has anyone in the So Calif ever bought drums from Apex Drum (Commerce, CA) or Ditty Drum (So. El Monte)? Both sell reconditioned open-top bare-steel drums for about $40. Ditty had one style that will work, and Apex had them in different gauge metal thickness that range in price from $40-$70.

Have been smoking on a GOSM Big Block for a number of years, and looking to get into doing some Charcoal smoking for the flavor. I figure a UDS is right up my alley.

-Regards
 
RangerJ said:
When I was building mine in Phoenix, this is the route I went. For me, it was a matter of what my time was worth to get the liner out. I decided to go with new drums for both of mine.

They were about double what is listed above, thats a great price!
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Yeah, $45 is an awesome price. I spent $70 on mine!

-r
 
PhilipW said:
I'm visiting Petaluma / Santa Rosa Cal next weekend and looking for a place to get a barrel to build a friend a smoker for while visiting. Does anybody know of a place to find them? I'd prefer a removable top for the build. New is ok as well.
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I haven't seen any replies to your post, so I'll just toss this out there... I got my drum at Capital Drum in Roseville, near Sacramento:

http://www.capitaldrum.com/

It's a bit of a haul, but if you run out of options and get desperate... LOL One good thing about the drum I got there is that they make the lids in that shop, so I got one that was freshly pressed and didn't have paint or a gasket applied. That way, I could paint it how I wanted to (gloss engine paint) and didn't have to scrape out the lid gasket. :thumb: It was also unlined. I washed it with dish soap to get out anything that was in there, but the very slight rust that I saw on the metal after I brought it home indicated that it was probably completely bare steel.

-Rodney
 
BigKev said:
Has anyone in the So Calif ever bought drums from Apex Drum (Commerce, CA) or Ditty Drum (So. El Monte)? Both sell reconditioned open-top bare-steel drums for about $40. Ditty had one style that will work, and Apex had them in different gauge metal thickness that range in price from $40-$70.
Click to expand...

I bought a refurbished, unlined, closed end drum from Ditty for $29. I took my dome lid with me and decided on the closed end drum as it required the least amount of work to make the lid fit snugly.
 
Yobtaf, I believe those have some kind of liner in them. So that isn't a good option for me as doing a full scale burnout is not possible where I live.

Carbon, thanks for the info. Did they ones you get have any kind of liner or rust inhibitor in them?
 
BigKev said:
Carbon, thanks for the info. Did they ones you get have any kind of liner or rust inhibitor in them?
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I definitely found no liner (at least the one I got) upon cutting the top open. It looked bare as far as I can tell. I took a weed burner to it to remove the exterior paint, while definitely burning off and sanitizing the inside at the same time.
 
any non galvanized/zinc ideas for covering up a 1" hole from the hole saw? I made an error and measured and cut with the drum facing the wrong. I have an air intake hole on the side up top. Unfortunately i have no access to a welder.
 
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GlobalTJB said:
any non galvanized/zinc ideas for covering up a 1" hole from the hole saw? I made an error and measured and cut with the drum facing the wrong. I have an air intake hole up top. Unfortunately i have no access to a welder.
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Maybe rivet in some sheet metal could even use sheet metal screw but rivets would be cleaner. Or just throw a 3/4 pipe plug in it :)

pwa
 
Last edited:
Rodney said:
I haven't seen any replies to your post, so I'll just toss this out there... I got my drum at Capital Drum in Roseville, near Sacramento:

http://www.capitaldrum.com/

It's a bit of a haul, but if you run out of options and get desperate... LOL One good thing about the drum I got there is that they make the lids in that shop, so I got one that was freshly pressed and didn't have paint or a gasket applied. That way, I could paint it how I wanted to (gloss engine paint) and didn't have to scrape out the lid gasket. :thumb: It was also unlined. I washed it with dish soap to get out anything that was in there, but the very slight rust that I saw on the metal after I brought it home indicated that it was probably completely bare steel.

-Rodney
Click to expand...

Thanks Rodney. Probably going to be too far for this trip, but excellent to know about.
 
GlobalTJB said:
any non galvanized/zinc ideas for covering up a 1" hole from the hole saw? I made an error and measured and cut with the drum facing the wrong. I have an air intake hole on the side up top. Unfortunately i have no access to a welder.
Click to expand...

A screw, a nut, and a couple of slightly pre-bent stainless fender washers about 1.5" in diameter? Shouldn't be too hard to find something that will stand the temps that'll exist at the top of your drum. A scrap of sheetmetal and some RTV would also work great, especially on clean steel, provided that you're only going to smoke on this drum and won't be grilling.

-r
 
Do you have to do a stacked UDS or can you do a sideways UDS? Does it matter? I realize if it's stacked you can determine how far to put your meat form the fire, but just curious if that's the only reason to do stacked.
 
Just put a magnet over it! Otherwise, I'd say another nipple and a cap.
 
Thanks for the advice. the magnets arent holding as well as i thought so i went to go buy the nipple/cap. Right next to the nipple was the 3/4" black iron plug which was cheaper and is threaded so i bought that. it screwed right in perfectly.
 
Found a drum for sale on Craigslist. It is a food grade drum with a removable top with the ring around the lid for $10 only used once. Sound like a good deal? Also as for the ring are they necessary to keep or can I toss it? For the food grade I'm guessing it'll have a liner what's the process of getting that liner burnt off? Thanks.
 
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