Building a smoker out of a 55 gallon drum need help

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tonyhoods

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 6, 2014
16
10
Bell,ca
So this is my first smoker I'm building, I have a clean 55 gallon drum that had cleaning solvent in it, what can I do to make sure the inside of the barrel is safe for me to cook in any help would be great thanks
 
So this is my first smoker I'm building, I have a clean 55 gallon drum that had cleaning solvent in it, what can I do to make sure the inside of the barrel is safe for me to cook in any help would be great thanks
Does it have a lining? If so that will need to be removed. As for the solvent I would give it a good wash with Dawn and water fallowed by a long hot burn out.

Happy smoken.

David
 
First step is to join the UDS group on this site. Second step would be to drill the holes for your valve and nipples. Third step is to round up a pallet and stuff it in said barrel. Final thing is to light the fire. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/82909/ok-here-are-my-uds-build-pics/20 this is a good post on how to do the basic design which is what I have. There are lots of fancy options you can do but this is the least amount of fuss for a great smoker. The search engine at the top of this page is very very good. You could read for days about UDS builds all over the world. Happy smoking and get that fire lit! Don't forget beverages.
 
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I'm pretty sure it has some kind of lining, I'm gonna cut the top off and wash it down real good with soap n water, once it's dry I dump a bunch of wood and just let to burn? I know I have to put a valve at the bottom where my fire is gonna be right to control air I take, and holes were my rack mounts are gonna be?
 
Drill your bottom holes first before the burnout. Otherwise you will have a hard time getting a good hot fire. If it has a red liner in it you need to scrub that out with comet cleanser and steel scrubbers then grind out what is left. Personally if it was me and there was the dreaded liner in there I would find a different barrel, plus I like the removable top barrels much more as you can use the top for the lid. Take some time and check out some other guys builds so that you know what you need and most importantly what you don't. If you have any more questions fire away.
 
Thanks man, from what I can see the inside of the barrel walls look like a silver ish color maybe even bare metal
 
Do I need to put more then one air I take valve at the bottom? Or is it just preference
 
I agree with timberjet. I started with a red lined barrel I have a sandblaster and it still was a PITA.





Also I used 3 3/4" for the air intake. If I was doing it again I would have gone with 4 1" for intakes. Most of the time I only have the 1 3/4" ball valve opened for cooking. But it sure would be nice for getting up to temps real fast.

Happy smoken.

David
 
You need at least three and I have four. Three would suffice. I used a 3/4 inch ball valve and three three inch by 3/4 nipples with caps. Most guys swear by black pipe not galvanized. I used black. You can get electrical conduit nuts to hold the nipples and valve tight but if you get your holes right you can thread the fittings right in. Make sure you drill the holes a little way up off the bottom of the drum so you have clearance for your valve and yes, all you have to do is burn that drum out and season it.
 
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Awesome thanks along it's this is my first smoker build, I use a small brinkman water smoker but it's to small for me now I could only do 1 rack at a time and I have to cut that rack in half just so it fits,
 
I work at a machine shop so I can maybe just weld some pipe fittings and put the valves there
 
Ah the good old days..... I had that same smoker many years ago as my first smoker. I do not miss it, not one bit. Hahahaha......Well it does make a nice flower planter.
 
 
I agree with timberjet. I started with a red lined barrel I have a sandblaster and it still was a PITA.





Also I used 3 3/4" for the air intake. If I was doing it again I would have gone with 4 1" for intakes. Most of the time I only have the 1 3/4" ball valve opened for cooking. But it sure would be nice for getting up to temps real fast.

Happy smoken.

David
Yeah, come to think of it bigger valves would be nice in the winter time.
 
Should I put 4 valves on the bottom or 4 pipes with nipples I would only have control of how many pipes suck in air but I wouldn't be able to control the flow
 
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