55 gal drum smokers

W

woodfolks

Guest
Just wanted to see if anyone had some pictures, plans,
Ideas on A 55 Gal smoker that was Not an upright
Drum Smoker (UDS)

Also I am new to this can anyone let me know what a BDS stands for.


My reason for the Horizontal 55 Gal Drum was moree cooking area.
I would think that you would have to add a fire box
for an offset smoker. Mabey put a grill rack
In the middle.

This would give you 35" length by about 22.5' wide or so
Much bigger then the 22.5" UDS ( I know you could double the
Racks on the UDS, This would give you more area)
 
google "double barrel drum smoker" I think you'll be pleased with what you find.
 
IMO, the double-barrel smoker is quite an undertaking for something that's just sheet metal thin and only has so much life to it before burn or rust out....even if there's no welding required. It looks like a pretty big fuel hog to me.

If you're thinking about an offset made with drums, the Char-griller offsets and others are CHEAP, and some of them are pretty big. Tell you what though, you're gonna go to a WHOLE LOT of trouble getting an offset made out of a drum to cook anywhere near as good as a BDS clone or UDS. Heck, I don't even have a firebox on my char-griller...because I have a UDS and a wsm. However.... "It's the cook, not the cooker."
 
Do some homework on google as there will be some good info there. Wouldn't be a project for us but certainly an alternative smoker. Cooking area may not be the best criteria to look at. Just a thought. Good luck finding some info and keep us posted on what you end up doing.
 
This one was posted in another thread by Norcoredneck. It looks to me like a good design. I think as long as you could get the doors to seal good, it should cook real simular to a UDS, if you use a UDS style charcoal basket. I have two barrells that are waiting patiently for me to get to them!! I love the way that the UDS is very fuel efficient, but I hate doing the "rack shuffel" and I like the ease of entry into my offset, but it is a fuel hog. I think this one would be a good compromise between the two styles of smokers.

http://jmillerid.com/wordpress/2009/12/55-gallon-drum-smoker/
 
My first drum smoker.
 

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Hey Dave Russel- here's another "BDS clone".
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77034&highlight=mechanics+illustrated

When I was a wee little guy back in 1959 I remember my grandfather smoking bacon in two stacked oil drums while he was waiting for the brick smokehouse that he later had. I don't think he was unique and I bet that lots of barrel smoking was going on all over the States and I also bet alot of them never heard of Mechanics Illustrated. I think alot of those ol'timers are sitting up there licking there lips at the pron the Brethren are turning out.
So when was the BDS moniker coined?
 
I have to say, i'd hate to see you waste your time, I did.

I used 3 Stainless drums to build a double drum set up.

Its not worth the extra rack space as far as I'm concerned, you don't get the flavor or bark and its a bitch keeping the temp in range.

But sometimes you just gotta learn yourself, maybe you'll make it work!

Whatever you decide, let us know how it goes!
 
h20loo said:
Hey Dave Russel- here's another "BDS clone".
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77034&highlight=mechanics+illustrated

When I was a wee little guy back in 1959 I remember my grandfather smoking bacon in two stacked oil drums while he was waiting for the brick smokehouse that he later had. I don't think he was unique and I bet that lots of barrel smoking was going on all over the States and I also bet alot of them never heard of Mechanics Illustrated. I think alot of those ol'timers are sitting up there licking there lips at the pron the Brethren are turning out.
So when was the BDS moniker coined?
Click to expand...


Before researching pit designs using 55 gallon drums, if I'd ever seen an UPRIGHT drum that was being used as a pit, I probably would've assumed it was a burn drum. Drums used as horizontal pits were simply the only ones I was familiar with until I came across designs by Clark "Smoky" Hale. Well, my first drum cooker had a fuel door that's similiar to the single drum design he illustrates, and I would shovel hickory coals into the bottom of the drum from a seperate burn drum. Let me tell you what...that is hard work.

Anyway, my second drum cooker was basically copied from what I found online about the Big Drum Smoker. The differences were neglible, so I've often referred to it as a "BDS clone", just as others have. It stands to reason that someone used Jim Minion's charcoal method to cook bbq in an upright 55 gallon drum before the BDS was marketed, but I just never came across that idea before the BDS. I take it that some here don't take kindly to seeing the term.

Dave
UDS, wsm, wots, char-griller
 
I was right where you are at about 6 months ago. I researched, asked tons of questions, got LOTS of advice from the Brethren, and basically I came to the conclusion (through all of the advice) that the UDS was the way to go.

My reasoning was that it seemed to me that there were a lot more design concerns with a horizontal smoker (diffusers, tuning plates, vents, insulated firebox, airflow, etc.). I read a lot of posts where people had to do a LOT of adjusting, modification, and farting around with their offsets to get them to perform the way they wanted. All the reading I did on UDS's suggested that they were farily foolproof as long as a few details were followed.

I agree, still, with your reasoning that the a 55 gal drum on it's side yields more cooking area. Being a newbie, I just didn't want to deal with the headaches of not getting it right the first time.

I decided on building the UDS. I've got 2 racks in mine, and it'll hold quite a bit of grub. I still want to have a horizontal offset one day, but for now....I'll continue to perfect my methods and keep on learning on the UDS. Right now, bewteen my 2 smokers and my 2 grills, I'm good.

I don't know your level of BBQ experience, so I could be just talking out of my arse here, but I'd suggest the UDS as a GREAT starter smoker (if that's what you're after). Heck, for that matter, I scored my ECB for $15 from CL and with a couple of cheap mods, I did just about all my initial 'Q' learnin' on that thing. By the time I did finally build my UDS, I was off and running right away. Lots less "tinkering" to keep the fire consistently rolliin along.


Anyway.....good luck on whatever you decide. I'm just saying that for the ease of construction, and overall hassle-free performance, it's hard to beat the UDS. ESPECIALLY when you're learnin like me.



Q on!
 
THanks for th in put
I am new to smoking
The more I read and get info
I have come to a conclution.

I am going with 2 UDSs
one is almost done
It should br
OK for my needs.
2nd
I Will pick up a WSM as soon as I can.

Can you get 2 briskets and two pork Butts on an
18.5" WSM or do you only put one brisket and one butt on
THe 18.5
Or should I think about a 22.5" size only
 
"Can you get 2 briskets and two pork Butts on an
18.5" WSM or do you only put one brisket and one butt on
THe 18.5
Or should I think about a 22.5" size only"

You can get two brisket flats on a rack, but not two whole packers.


Concerning the large wsm, lot's of folks like 'em, but the bulk and weight will require a different re-fueling routine than the easy way a lot of us use with the little wsm. Of course, portability and space will have a downside as well. However, the large one is a much better chicken cooker, and you can pit cook directly over the coals with the top rack just like you would with what folks here are calling an UDS.
 
Wampus said:
I was right where you are at about 6 months ago. I researched, asked tons of questions, got LOTS of advice from the Brethren, and basically I came to the conclusion (through all of the advice) that the UDS was the way to go.

My reasoning was that it seemed to me that there were a lot more design concerns with a horizontal smoker (diffusers, tuning plates, vents, insulated firebox, airflow, etc.). I read a lot of posts where people had to do a LOT of adjusting, modification, and farting around with their offsets to get them to perform the way they wanted. All the reading I did on UDS's suggested that they were farily foolproof as long as a few details were followed.

I agree, still, with your reasoning that the a 55 gal drum on it's side yields more cooking area. Being a newbie, I just didn't want to deal with the headaches of not getting it right the first time.

I decided on building the UDS. I've got 2 racks in mine, and it'll hold quite a bit of grub. I still want to have a horizontal offset one day, but for now....I'll continue to perfect my methods and keep on learning on the UDS. Right now, bewteen my 2 smokers and my 2 grills, I'm good.

I don't know your level of BBQ experience, so I could be just talking out of my arse here, but I'd suggest the UDS as a GREAT starter smoker (if that's what you're after). Heck, for that matter, I scored my ECB for $15 from CL and with a couple of cheap mods, I did just about all my initial 'Q' learnin' on that thing. By the time I did finally build my UDS, I was off and running right away. Lots less "tinkering" to keep the fire consistently rolliin along.


Anyway.....good luck on whatever you decide. I'm just saying that for the ease of construction, and overall hassle-free performance, it's hard to beat the UDS. ESPECIALLY when you're learnin like me.



Q on!
Click to expand...

These are wise words!
 
I built a double barrel a few years back because I couldn't stand the SnP I was using, even with mods, heat baffles, etc. The double barrel has performed flawlessly so far. I lined the fire box with firebricks to preserve the steel and keep the temps more even and clean out the ashes after each use. Any water/moisture and ashes = acid, which will eat through the barrel faster the the heat will.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/v...tdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=phret&start=0
 
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