Ugly Drum Smoker

I knew a girl named "stacks" once...sadly, no pics .



'Pologies Thawley...I'm not the best photo guy, and I'm not sure my digital camera is from this century or not. It was a gift, possibly a re~gift...

Those are SOOOOoooooo bitchen. Stainless allen screws, to boot. You're my kinda guy, Bones.

What's a application/source for the stacks? Motorcycle? Hot Rod Briggs&Stratton? You gonna put red, rubber balls in'em like the sprintcar guys do when the engine's not runnin'?

Pretty trick, man.

Thanks man...Nope, no application to speak of. Pops wouldn't come off any of the stacks I know that he's got stashed in his garage for his MG. I picked these up off Ebay for 7 bucks or so.

I've been thinkin' about getting some of those dual stack covers. Maybe two sets, cause I'll probably melt the first set.

Wish I could have found a way to make 6 or 8 of 'em look cool on the lid of a barrel...maybe I'll side draft 'em next time??? It might not cook any good or draft worth a damn, but it'd look cool...!

My first attempt...

This weekend I'm going to begin my first attempt at building one of these beauties! I picked up my first barrel from the guy who posted in Recycler. He had several empty food grade barrels (all with the interior lining, having contained apple juice concentrate). He sold it to me for $25, which I thought was fair considering its proximity of location. I opted to only get 1 barrel this time around since this wil be my first attempt at fabricating a smoker.
Currently, I am planning on using an old fireplace grate for the firebox (it's slots are thin enough for lump char), and bolting pipes to the sides for ventialtion (probably 2-3 at 1/2" - 3/4" a piece). I think I'll also drill 4 - 1/4" holes on the lid (in a tight square formation) and mount a pipe fitting over it for my upper exhaust (I'm thinking it will be a 1" diameter pipe that goes over it). I have no welding skills, so I am going to attempt to do this all with drills and bolts.
I'm little nervous about burning off the inner lining with potential heavy fire and fumes, but I'll be sure to post pics in the coming weeks as I build it.
Thanks everyone.

rlic80 said:

I'm little nervous about burning off the inner lining with potential heavy fire and fumes...

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Yeah, I've heard enough stories about neighbors and fire trucks to keep me from doing a big, hardwood burn in my back yard... I ended up using a Harbor Freight propane torch. Much cleaner.

In your neck of the woods, I'd guess you could also take it down to the beach and burn it in.

Hey Thawley...Any idea what kind of temps that 3M vehicle wrap can take? Do ya think the sides of a UDS are too hot?

This is gettin' out of control...LoL

Bottles 'n Bones BBQ said:

Hey Thawley...Any idea what kind of temps that 3M vehicle wrap can take? Do ya think the sides of a UDS are too hot?

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Pretty sure that stuff is about the same as most vinyl. Maybe try a few vinyl stickers on it first. We had a guy at the SoCal bash last month with USMC stickers on his pellet smoker and they looked alright....

Thats cuz USMC stickers wont burn!!

Thawley said:

Yeah, I've heard enough stories about neighbors and fire trucks to keep me from doing a big, hardwood burn in my back yard... I ended up using a Harbor Freight propane torch. Much cleaner.

In your neck of the woods, I'd guess you could also take it down to the beach and burn it in.

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Thawley...what exactly did you do with the propane torch? Just burn off the interior lining? I might be able to get access to one and if that is simpler and quicker than a barrel burn, I'd gladly welcome it.

When postioning the first Food Grate. Does it need to be 24" from the bottom of the charcoal basket, ie 24" from the bottom grate, or 24" from the top of the charcoal basket, ie where the top of the pile of coal would be.

rlic80 said:

Thawley...what exactly did you do with the propane torch? Just burn off the interior lining? I might be able to get access to one and if that is simpler and quicker than a barrel burn, I'd gladly welcome it.

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I flamed it from the outside and got it hot enough to burn the coating of the inside. There's not enough oxygen to keep the flame going if you work from the inside...

AlabamaGrillBillies said:

When postioning the first Food Grate. Does it need to be 24" from the bottom of the charcoal basket, ie 24" from the bottom grate, or 24" from the top of the charcoal basket, ie where the top of the pile of coal would be.

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AGB...It's pretty much builder's choice, IMHO. I'm of the idea of putting your top and bottom grates in where you want 'em to fit your cooking style or if the drum has a desinated purpose (ie...large cuts of meat ~vs~ small ones ~vs~ all around utility), and second build your basket the way you want it. I think the distance is fairly forgiving and the first place to find any wiggle room if you need it...

My new basket cooks better than my old one even though it's 2-3" taller than the old one (about 18" from top of basket to top grate). That's my take on the sitcheeashun anyway...

AlabamaGrillBillies said:

When postioning the first Food Grate. Does it need to be 24" from the bottom of the charcoal basket, ie 24" from the bottom grate, or 24" from the top of the charcoal basket, ie where the top of the pile of coal would be.

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With mine, the first grate is 6 inches from the top. Second grate is 6 inches below that.

Well, what i'm thinking of is having a 'hotter' bottom rack where the temps might be say 250 to 275 even, and a 'cooler' top rack where temps could be between 250 and 200. Cooking things like chicken and ribs on the bottom rack and butts and brisket on the top.

Let me toss this out for idears.....My top grate is 7" from the lid. The over/under cooks are a slight hassle cause you have to remove the entire upper grate to tend the stuff on the lower one. I have made a grate extender for my Eggs that looks like this. What do you think of a 1/2 ring with a 1/2 grate to sit on the regular grate? Maybe used for potatoes, corn, smaller stuff like a short rack of ribs, a few wings etc. If it was 3" high you could still reach under it with tongs, or just spin the whole device 180°. (those bottom crossbars would not be needed.

thirdeye said:

What do you think of a 1/2 ring with a 1/2 grate to sit on the regular grate? Maybe used for potatoes, corn, smaller stuff like a short rack of ribs, a few wings etc. If it was 3" high you could still reach under it with tongs, or just spin the whole device 180°. (those bottom crossbars would not be needed.

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I'm in...put me down for at least one!!! :wink:

Hey Thirdeye, speaking of...What MIG welder would you suggest for the small home shop? Just for tinkering around the shop. Surely nothing ever over 1/4", I don't imagine...

Bottles 'n Bones BBQ said:

I'm in...put me down for at least one!!! :wink:

Hey Thirdeye, speaking of...What MIG welder would you suggest for the small home shop? Just for tinkering around the shop. Surely nothing ever over 1/4", I don't imagine...

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I've been a welding inspector for 31 years and MIG (hard wire and flux-core) is definitely where it's at for the workshop as far as ease of use, skill level, thin materials etc. I'm sort of old school because 4 or 5 years ago when I got a new machine for my workbench I went with a 150 amp stick/TIG unit. Stick for the variety of filler options and being able to use it just about anywhere, sometimes without the perfect weld prep. TIG, because I have always admired the men that have mastered it. I will have a MIG welder someday....

Anyway back to your question. I don't know what your budget is but I like Miller. I used to not like their beer or their welders, now I drink Lite and own a Maxstar. For you, the Millermatic line may be something to look at to compare features. The 140 even has Auto-Set. Remember you will need a bottle of gas, a hood and some accessories. I've played with them at a couple of welding demo's, they are nice.

You really need to try some on for size. There are some Lincoln machines at home centers that have similar features to the Miller. Some welding dealers have demo machines so you can get some trigger time before buying.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/

Thanks man...BTW, bought a 12 pack of 16 OZ Miller Lites the other day. First time I've ever seen such a thing...'bout time!!! LoL

Speaking of welding, I have a lazy eye (crooked eye farker) and have bad depth perception. I was on disability with a broken leg (in a hip cast) and had to pay a muffler shop $20 to weld 2 scissor jacks together to raise my bed. He did such a $hitty job when my first Income insurance check came in I bought a 250 amp Miller mig. I am not a great welder but I can stick things together. I needed a 115V welder to do fencing and I bought a Hobart 135, neighbor was hooked after playing with mine. He bought a Miller 135. They are almost identical (Miller owns Hobart) except his had a reostat for voltage where mine has a position click.. Wish mine had the adjustment when doing small stuff. If you go on Ebay welding outfits have lots of deals most with free shipping because they are drop shipped. Around the holidays most give freebies, carts, covers, consumables. Important thing to remember is don't buy cheap. Get a major brand so you can get replacement parts. It is as addicting as BBq. Since then I got a Miller SD180 tig/stick that I can not seem to get the hang of, and my favorite a plasma cutter my wife and daughter bought me. Join the Miller club online they have a E-newsletter that is cool, lots of ideas. Go to http://www.cyberweld.com/ good place. Buy a good helmet, autodarkening, best you can afford. Take it from One eye, it's too late when you can't see what your missing.

Man alive! That was long read, it took me all afternoon(while working). Now I am convinced that I need a drum smoker. I read in one of the posts that it cooks from the bottom only. So if I wanted to use rib racks would I need to flip the ribs over in the racks? One of my probs right now is that I can't cook many racks on what I have now and I think a drum would do the trick. Thanks.

Jason