Starting a New Project - DBS

BigdogKC

BigdogKC

Knows what a fatty is.
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I have decided since I like playing with 55 gallon drums so much that I should build a DBS. I have quite a bit of info from searching the site, but I have two questions I would like some help with, if you can.

1. I only see DBSs with one grill, how hard would it be to double it up, and have a two shelfer?

2. I beleive there used to be a site called Mike Sell something or other, out there with explicit instructions on how to build a DBS, but it is out of commision. Does anybody still have the instructions, or know how to contact Mike in order to obtain them?

Thanks gang!!
 
BigdogKC said:
I have decided since I like playing with 55 gallon drums so much that I should build a DBS. I have quite a bit of info from searching the site, but I have two questions I would like some help with, if you can.

1. I only see DBSs with one grill, how hard would it be to double it up, and have a two shelfer?

2. I beleive there used to be a site called Mike Sell something or other, out there with explicit instructions on how to build a DBS, but it is out of commision. Does anybody still have the instructions, or know how to contact Mike in order to obtain them?

Thanks gang!!
Click to expand...
It's easy to add 2 grates. I've built 9 total, all with 2 grates. I'm considering adding a third one in between the two grates to make more room for thin items like ribs and chicken thighs.

Here's a picture of mine with three racks of spares on the bottom and the trimmed tips on the top grate.

food003.jpg
 
Stack 'em, you can had prolly 6 racks or just hang everything. I have cooked a case of brisket or a case of butts in mine.
 
HoosierTrooper said:
It's easy to add 2 grates. I've built 9 total, all with 2 grates. I'm considering adding a third one in between the two grates to make more room for thin items like ribs and chicken thighs.

Here's a picture of mine with three racks of spares on the bottom and the trimmed tips on the top grate.
Click to expand...



Hoosier,is that a DBS in your pic cause it looks like an UDS.:wink:
 
Hey Bigdog,
My brother in KC is thinking about building one after his shoulder heals up. He and I were talking about two shelves also. We also discussed a possible way to make it easier to get to the shelves. Instead of cutting a hole in the drum for a door you leave the cooking drum whole except for the exhausts and use an open head drum. So to get to the chamber you take off the lid (which is sitting sideways of course) and have angle iron supports for the grates where you could slide the grates out to put the meat on or flip, change places, etc.. I think you gotta make sure the whole thing would be stable with a 3 foot or so grate loaded with meat pulled out but that should not be to tough to figure out. Then put the lid and drum ring back on.
 
Mike Sell's site is out of commission. Here's the info on mine at Smokering, and I hope it helps you.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27797

On the two grill issue, not practical IMHO. The smoke coming out of the bottom of the smoke chamber is pretty doggone hot, and you need a diffuser of some type to spread it evenly. I used the part I cut out of the smoke chamber barrel for the opening as my diffuser. I have often thought it would be good to install a couple more runs of angle iron and make some tuning plates, but the diffuser works really well as-is. Anyway, I would theorize that two shelves would make one very hot and the other fairly cool. Still a short rack up top might be a good experiment.

I have had 100+ pounds of meat on mine at one time, so that is plenty for me. Of course, if you want more grill space, you could build a version of this:

Smoker_11.jpg
 
jswordy said:
Mike Sell's site is out of commission. Here's the info on mine at Smokering, and I hope it helps you.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27797

On the two grill issue, not practical IMHO. The smoke coming out of the bottom of the smoke chamber is pretty doggone hot, and you need a diffuser of some type to spread it evenly. I used the part I cut out of the smoke chamber barrel for the opening as my diffuser. I have often thought it would be good to install a couple more runs of angle iron and make some tuning plates, but the diffuser works really well as-is. Anyway, I would theorize that two shelves would make one very hot and the other fairly cool. Still a short rack up top might be a good experiment.

I have had 100+ pounds of meat on mine at one time, so that is plenty for me. Of course, if you want more grill space, you could build a version of this:

Smoker_11.jpg
Click to expand...

Now that's hot. Someday I'm going to build one like that...
 
jswordy said:
Mike Sell's site is out of commission. Here's the info on mine at Smokering, and I hope it helps you.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27797

On the two grill issue, not practical IMHO. The smoke coming out of the bottom of the smoke chamber is pretty doggone hot, and you need a diffuser of some type to spread it evenly. I used the part I cut out of the smoke chamber barrel for the opening as my diffuser. I have often thought it would be good to install a couple more runs of angle iron and make some tuning plates, but the diffuser works really well as-is. Anyway, I would theorize that two shelves would make one very hot and the other fairly cool. Still a short rack up top might be a good experiment.

I have had 100+ pounds of meat on mine at one time, so that is plenty for me. Of course, if you want more grill space, you could build a version of this:

Smoker_11.jpg
Click to expand...

I have been toying with this idea. I saw this pic last week and I can't get it out of my head. I think I will stick with only one though....maybe I will build one like this later though..who knows. :p
 
Barbarian said:
Hey Bigdog,
My brother in KC is thinking about building one after his shoulder heals up. He and I were talking about two shelves also. We also discussed a possible way to make it easier to get to the shelves. Instead of cutting a hole in the drum for a door you leave the cooking drum whole except for the exhausts and use an open head drum. So to get to the chamber you take off the lid (which is sitting sideways of course) and have angle iron supports for the grates where you could slide the grates out to put the meat on or flip, change places, etc.. I think you gotta make sure the whole thing would be stable with a 3 foot or so grate loaded with meat pulled out but that should not be to tough to figure out. Then put the lid and drum ring back on.
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea, but I like to mop, and I would hate to have to slide them out every time I mopped. I bet it would work nice though.
 
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