Really nice and thoughtful of you Skidder to do that for a Brother. Kudos to you. Everyone needs a drum.
Here is my Drum #2.
Three vents:
1 is a 1/2" nipple
1 is a 3/4" nipple
and 1 is a 1" ball valve
On the first drum I found that 1 - 3/4" nipple was too much and a full open 3/4" valve on the riser was not enough to maintain temp.
Did the first test cook/season yesterday and that 1" valve in conjunction with the 1/2" nipple worked great. Here's what we had
Some burnt ends, my first, the pit seasoning basic fatty and a tube steak for the little boy.
This doesn't show well, but here is the pic of the thermometer at 250*
and a close up of the found in the trash Weber Top, with the edge pounded flat and then rounded over to fit the drum. Works like a charm.
Maybe some ribs today.
