Is this drum safe for uds??

[smeltitdeltit]

Hi all. Ive built my Big Poppa Smoker and already had a couple of cooks on it but just found out my wife is expecting which has gotten me paranoid about chemicals etc.
The drum was recycled and used to contain fruit juice and was lined.
The recycler seemed to be knowledgeable and refused to sell me drums that had had chemicals in them previously.
He says the drum I was sold was put in a kiln and “heated to the point it glowed”
It was then sealed.
I had the new lid sand blasted as well as the exterior. The sandblaster forgot to do the interior, and I didn’t realise until I got home, over an hour and a half away.
The interior was metal but had a faint black/grey residue that came off on my fingerstips.
I called the drum recycler and he said that they don’t use any rust coating and it was ash/soot/residue from the heating in the kiln and burning off the lining. He suggested I give it a wash.
I washed it with a high pressure hose and as it dried it immediately started to rust as you can see, this was literally 2 minutes after I washed it:




Anyways Im considering pulling it apart and getting a brand new unlined un-rust proofed drum and having it sandblasted inside and out before re-building just for piece of mind. That would cost me a couple of hundred $$$ though, and aam wondering if im wasting my money?
I cant do a proper burnout with wood pallets etc in my city.
Is there any point in re building, or im I being overly paranoid??
Thanks!

 

[wmarkw]

You are fine as long as you trust the seller guy.

 

[Nuco59]

Don't worry about tearing it down and doing a burn out. If the interior developed rust after drying from your power wash, the liner coating was toast (literally).

Enjoy your smoker.

 

[Fishhook]

Don't worry about that small amount of rust. The first couple cooks will season the inside and the rust will be gone..

 

[smeltitdeltit]

Whilst i dont know the seller, he was from a fairly large drum refurbisher, and id inagine theyd have easier ways to make $30 than to poison some guy but guess you never know.
He did say that another drum i liked i couldnt have because it had contained chemicals and his boss wont sell drums for bbq lurposes that had had chemicals in them.
But i could say the same thing about the "new" drum i found. At some point your going to have t trust the person your buying off.

I could also perhaps take the whole uds to a sandblaster and have them blast the inside again?

Many thanks again!

 

[Doug Crann]

Bust up a couple of pallets and build a raging fire, it will remove anything left behind....but if it was heated in a kiln I would not worry about it.
Flash rust....also nothing to worry about. Make sure the drum is dry. Soak a rag in alcohol. Flash rust should win right off. If it don't hit it with some steel wool. Wipe it again with alcohol and then with cooking oil. If you don't season the drum it will flash rust.

 

[mchar69]

I could also perhaps take the whole uds to a sandblaster and have them blast the inside again?

You are good to go, the rust is a good indicator that the inside was clean.
Good luck on your new baby.

 

[Learning to BBQ]

Yup, that rust on the inside is good, its your indicator that the inside is 'clean'. Rub her down with some vegetable oil and do a seasoning. I wouldn't even bother with a burn out.

 

[smeltitdeltit]

If i were to go the brand new unlined barrel route do they still need a burn, the manufacturers says they use no rust inhibitor on theirs (im in Australia so may be a different policy to the US)
My plan would be to spray a bit of water in and see if it rusts as confirmation and if so i would imagine its pristine and could be used straight away.??

 

[Porcine Perfection]

You are fine. If the drum was heated until it glowed, then whatever was coating that drum is in the air for the rest of us to breath. Thanks!

New parents! This must be your first. :-D The child will put a variety of nasty things in its mouth before it turns two. A barrel with fire in it is the least of your worries.

Enjoy parenthood brother! Two o'clock feedings is a great time to put on that brisket.

 

[smeltitdeltit]

You are fine. If the drum was heated until it glowed, then whatever was coating that drum is in the air for the rest of us to breath. Thanks!

New parents! This must be your first. :-D The child will put a variety of nasty things in its mouth before it turns two. A barrel with fire in it is the least of your worries.

Enjoy parenthood brother! Two o'clock feedings is a great time to put on that brisket.

Ha ha. Yes its our first, its that obvious!?
Many thanks guys. Loving the UDS already and this forum is a goldmine for a beginner!

 

[Fwismoker]

Boy all those holes you drilled sure look familiar! Any tips on different ways cooking with it just holler.

Here's some mods for you in this thread.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181918

 

[cueball21]

G'day, Mate!

Congrats on the soon to be ankle biter. Nothing a man ever does is better or more important than being a good dad.

As for your drum, burn it out, wipe it out, season it with veg oil, do it again the next day for a week, burn it out again, then relax. You're well and done.

As a dad for the first time at 41, I understand the angst about doing a perfect job; but there is no such thing. Me mum and dad raised 9 before WWII. They all fared well (including me) despite asbestos, lead paint, DDT, and God only knows what else. The difference in my generation and the one you're raising is that we didn't take much of our food from preserved sources made by folks at least as interested in profits as in our welfare. You are wise to be concerned, but you should turn your attention to buying foods that are not processed for profit. Find local suppliers straight from the garden or pasture. Buy fresh eggs, preferably from hens that aren't penned. Better yet make a chicken yard and raise your own. Fresh eggs and fresh chooks? What can be better? Do everything you can to bypass processed foods (you won't be wholly successful) and you will have done the best you can for the little 'un. Give Mom a kiss from an old 'merican who wishes you three well.

 

[smeltitdeltit]

G'day, Mate!

Congrats on the soon to be ankle biter. Nothing a man ever does is better or more important than being a good dad.

As for your drum, burn it out, wipe it out, season it with veg oil, do it again the next day for a week, burn it out again, then relax. You're well and done.

As a dad for the first time at 41, I understand the angst about doing a perfect job; but there is no such thing. Me mum and dad raised 9 before WWII. They all fared well (including me) despite asbestos, lead paint, DDT, and God only knows what else. The difference in my generation and the one you're raising is that we didn't take much of our food from preserved sources made by folks at least as interested in profits as in our welfare. You are wise to be concerned, but you should turn your attention to buying foods that are not processed for profit. Find local suppliers straight from the garden or pasture. Buy fresh eggs, preferably from hens that aren't penned. Better yet make a chicken yard and raise your own. Fresh eggs and fresh chooks? What can be better? Do everything you can to bypass processed foods (you won't be wholly successful) and you will have done the best you can for the little 'un. Give Mom a kiss from an old 'merican who wishes you three well.

9? Wowee!!
Agree with everything you said about buying local and buying good produce.
As for the week of burns, not sure if you mean the super hot pre burns folk do with pallets of wood or if a basket full of coal and all the vents open would suffice. I cant light a bonfire in my neighbourhood without getting arrested!
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Q Junkie]

As said before, that surface rust that occurred within just a few minutes of getting it wet means that drum is bare metal and ready to be seasoned. Just either spray it with veg oil or wipe it down with veg oil or cheap bacon and run a half basket of coal through it and even cook the bacon that you wiped it with if you want. Just don't eat the bacon. Then, as we say up here "it is on". Enjoy the trip. :clap2:

 

[smeltitdeltit]

As said before, that surface rust that occurred within just a few minutes of getting it wet means that drum is bare metal and ready to be seasoned. Just either spray it with veg oil or wipe it down with veg oil or cheap bacon and run a half basket of coal through it and even cook the bacon that you wiped it with if you want. Just don't eat the bacon. Then, as we say up here "it is on". Enjoy the trip. :clap2:

Cheers! About to fire her up now actually.
Thabks again