Our Homepage | Donation to Forum Overhead | Welocme | Merchandise | Associations | Purchase Subscription | Amazon Affiliate |
|
Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
|
Thread Tools |
08-04-2009, 11:00 AM | #1 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 08-02-09
Location: DeSoto County, MS
|
Design Ideas Please
A buddy of mine just hooked me up with this old propane tank.
HPIM0565.jpg What I would like to do is to make a psuedo drum smoker/ steak and burger grill. The design in my head has two side-opening, french style doors (cut from somewhere below the center line to about 3/4 of the way to the top), two cooking grates, and some sort of semi-internal fire box with a circular baffle that would double as a surface to place coals for grilling. The tank has an outside diameter of 41" and I'm guessing about a 39-40" inside diameter. (I put the 5 gallon bucket next to it for scale) It will need to be raised at least 24" to put it at a comfortable hieght. What I would really appreciate from you guys are some design ideas, mainly airflow, vent, and firebox considerations. This could be a really cool project and I want to keep the "Damn, I wish I had thought of that before" to a minimum. Thanks! ps; gonna follow all safety precautions before cutting into this thing. |
|
08-04-2009, 11:07 AM | #2 |
Take a breath!
Join Date: 06-17-07
Location: Disneyland
|
Similar designs have been known to put out a lot of heat.
|
|
08-04-2009, 11:36 AM | #3 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 06-26-09
Location: sAn leAnDRo, CA
|
That is gonna be one heck of a kettle grill. You might need a catwalk to reach the middle of the grate.
__________________
[COLOR=DarkGreen][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]me: I don't drink anymore Yelonutz: me either, but, then again, I don't drink any less [/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] [COLOR=Pink]SSS[/COLOR] [/COLOR][/SIZE] |
|
08-04-2009, 08:43 PM | #5 |
Found some matches.
Join Date: 07-27-09
Location: indiana
|
Would be an awsome big green egg! haha or something similar.
|
|
08-04-2009, 10:16 PM | #6 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 06-26-09
Location: sAn leAnDRo, CA
|
How heavy are the walls on that thing, I am not sure you could make a lid out of the top. I would imagine you would need doors on at least two sides.
__________________
[COLOR=DarkGreen][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]me: I don't drink anymore Yelonutz: me either, but, then again, I don't drink any less [/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] [COLOR=Pink]SSS[/COLOR] [/COLOR][/SIZE] |
|
08-05-2009, 11:17 PM | #7 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 08-02-09
Location: DeSoto County, MS
|
Not sure how thick the walls are but I'm definately going with side opening doors rather than a lift up lid/door. Got a pretty nasty injury as a kid when my uncle's home-made propane-tank bbq pit door fell closed on my hand. If it had fallen closed on my fingers rather than my wrist, it surely would have cut (or mashed) them off.
One tip for anyone making a pit out of an old propane tank....dont clean it out near the house! I was able to unscrew the pressure valve with a large crescent wrench and a cheater pipe. There was only residual gas left in the tank but it was enough to stink the whole place up. That nasty, rotten egg, oniony smell. I filled it up with the garden hose to chase all the gas out and it still smelled worse than a skunk fart. Pumped it out, rolled it back behind the shed and refilled it along with a gallon of Mean Green degreaser and two bottles of Dawn liquid and I'm still catching a whiff. The wife is not pleased. |
|
08-05-2009, 11:52 PM | #8 |
Moderator
Join Date: 12-11-07
Location: El Paso, TX
Name/Nickname : Bob
|
I'd paint it black and weld a bunch of pieces of thick rebar to it and make it look like a German Ship mine!! That's a cool prop tank. Never seen one like that. I sold my 500 gallon tank cause the farking metal was pretty dang thick and heavy.
Here's what I see. First off, I'd save that lid that covers all of the valves. I'd try to make a round UDS out of it and use that lid for the coal basket. Just needs holes put into it with a torch or plasma cutter maybe. I'd go with a large bottom door to access the fire basket on one end and then maybe three vents on the bottom. For the top access, I like the French door idea of yours and since it is round..........I would recommend a lazy suzan rack set up on the inside. Best way to access everything and make two, maybe even three tiers of racks. Top center vent and a grease drain on the bottom. I would love to have a tank like that. I would forego the baffle and do with a UDS.....meat over the coals approach. you better stick around and show us pics fo the process. I want to see it finished. Good luck.
__________________
PBC-Courtesy of Poobah, 22.5 Weber Kettles-A, K, DR Stamped, 18.5 Weber Bar-B-Kettle Black and Red, Weber 18.5 Smokey Joe Platinum, Weber Genesis Silver, Lil' Chief Smoker, Discada Set Up,OKJ Highland Offset. BobBrisket Jr.-MUDS, WSJ Silver My BEST Compliment....."You're a good cooker, Dad!"--My Son :) Miss You, Marty and Bull! RIP |
|
08-06-2009, 12:26 AM | #9 |
Got Wood.
Join Date: 08-01-09
Location: Portland Oregon
|
Tank thickness
I am going to take a guess that the skin is .188" which is 3/16 of an inch or probably even thinner. Propane is not a highly compressed gas, it does not take allot of pressure to keep it as a liquid. Remember the gas off the top of the liquid is what is used as fuel. The safety valves are not high pressure at all. The valves are designed to vent way before the tank ruptures. If that being the case the I.D would be 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch less that O.D. I have cut up some very large air tanks in the one hundred plus cubic foot size for very large commerical pits. One gallon is 7.48 cubic feet, these tanks were only 1/4 inch material.
Think about some sliding drawers to pull out and push in, that would stop the long reach. Keep us in the loop I love to see how folks work out problems with good design for ease of use. Sometimes it take awhole village to build a pit, yea a play on the old addage of "it takes awhole village to raise a child" but it is the same. Take a little here, learn some over there, and soon you have the picture in your mind of how to build this back yard beauty. So is everyone who helps with the design process get to come over for brisket and beer? |
|
08-06-2009, 12:43 AM | #10 |
Moderator
Join Date: 12-11-07
Location: El Paso, TX
Name/Nickname : Bob
|
Damn, I can't stop thinking about that tank!!! Here's what I think about the grates. Course yours will have different size grates to match the diameter of its location in the tank and not made of polymer.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KPYQPA/...SIN=B000KPYQPA You maximize space and can access by spinning the grates and therefore you will not need a big door. You could weld the center support to the top of the tank and the grates will then just hang. The only problem.................and its a big one.........you would need to cut the tank in half to install these kind of grates and then weld it back together. I dont know how insane you are.............but I;m insane enough to go that extra mile to get that grate setup. It would be so kick arse to have two or three racks of varying size inside that pit. Dang I'd love a tank like that.
__________________
PBC-Courtesy of Poobah, 22.5 Weber Kettles-A, K, DR Stamped, 18.5 Weber Bar-B-Kettle Black and Red, Weber 18.5 Smokey Joe Platinum, Weber Genesis Silver, Lil' Chief Smoker, Discada Set Up,OKJ Highland Offset. BobBrisket Jr.-MUDS, WSJ Silver My BEST Compliment....."You're a good cooker, Dad!"--My Son :) Miss You, Marty and Bull! RIP |
|
08-06-2009, 01:29 AM | #11 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-11-06
Location: Norco, Ca.
|
I had a buddy who came across something like this. Here is a video. It's Roughly 2 1/2 minutes into it.
http://www.ffwd.com/videos/121726631...2793&nextvideo |
|
08-06-2009, 01:49 AM | #12 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 07-13-09
Location: Metrolina
|
kettle GRILLS are fun, have a good time.
__________________
Hot Rod Hog Cookers Association, Charter Member, President |
|
08-06-2009, 02:23 AM | #13 |
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Join Date: 12-15-07
Location: England
|
You know there is a BGE Mothership, well this proves there is a fathership wondering about.
__________________
www.drsweetsmoke.com Slappin that bass like some delerious funky preist!!! UDS, Half Pint (Mini UDS), Weber, ProQ 20, Kegrilla *250 gallon cooker- 'The Meat Beast!!'* British BBQ Championships Grand Champion 2008 ~~~~ British BBQ Society - Southern Championship Grand Champions 2009
|
|
08-06-2009, 02:26 AM | #14 | |
Moderator
Join Date: 12-11-07
Location: El Paso, TX
Name/Nickname : Bob
|
Quote:
__________________
PBC-Courtesy of Poobah, 22.5 Weber Kettles-A, K, DR Stamped, 18.5 Weber Bar-B-Kettle Black and Red, Weber 18.5 Smokey Joe Platinum, Weber Genesis Silver, Lil' Chief Smoker, Discada Set Up,OKJ Highland Offset. BobBrisket Jr.-MUDS, WSJ Silver My BEST Compliment....."You're a good cooker, Dad!"--My Son :) Miss You, Marty and Bull! RIP |
|
|
08-06-2009, 03:56 AM | #15 | |
On the road to being a farker
Join Date: 06-14-09
Location: Northwest Louisiana
|
Quote:
That was what I was thinking too. The shape is wild. It kind of resembles a huge M67. With a tall smoke stack it will look like a cherry bomb.
__________________
Char-Griller Duo grill with side fire box |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Will this design work? | Ryan_289 | Q-talk | 5 | 02-21-2011 02:43 PM |
ideas for pit design | rehab6 | Q-talk | 4 | 08-24-2010 09:54 AM |
Design ideas for a smoker trailer? | dbhost | Q-talk | 14 | 01-10-2008 08:30 PM |
Thread Tools | |
|
|