# Want to build a beer keg smoker



## glued2it (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi my name is glued2it and I'm a alcoholic 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Since I drink from a tap here at home, I got a a keg in really good shape and kept it. (paid new deposit) 

I've been thinking about building a smoker out of a keg for some time.
When I got this one I knew it was time to fabricate.

Has anyone here done this? IF so do you have som pics?

I like the offset style smoker and can't really figure out how to do the firebox.

Any Ideas?

Also if anyone in the tulsa area could help with the fabrication, It would greatly appreciated. Of course we'll have to cristen it!


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## Deer Meat (Oct 3, 2007)

I know someone on here has an avatar with kegs in it, probably a smoker of some sort. I'm sure they will be along soon.


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## squeezy (Oct 3, 2007)

Yes ... I have seen it somewhere???


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## chadpole (Oct 3, 2007)

I think it is Navionjim with all the kegs stacked up in his carport.


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## jocosa (Oct 3, 2007)

Those three kegs are a three-tier brewing system...   the BEST use for a used sanke keg!


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## navionjim (Oct 3, 2007)

Well that would be mine, but I'm afraid that is a shot of my brewery. Oddly though I was thinking of building a smoker from kegs too so I'll be watching this space.
Jimbo


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## glued2it (Oct 3, 2007)

Here's some pics of the kegerator. That's my brine pot by the keg.


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## Deer Meat (Oct 3, 2007)

Cool loookin brewery Jim, how does it work?


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## deejaydebi (Oct 4, 2007)

A buddy of mine from work is building one from a few large 15 gallon kegs- he upgrading from the flowerpot smoker I showed him awhile back. 

We were tlking about using one vertically for the firebox and one horizontally for the cooker.


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## urban griller (Oct 4, 2007)

Not a Beer Keg Smoker, but this should start people thinking!












Cheers
Chris


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## squeezy (Oct 4, 2007)

That gives a whole new meaning to R2D2 ... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Like to see it in action!


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## nitrousinfected (Oct 4, 2007)

Since we are on the subject of building smokers out of things that were never intended to be............

What about a deisel fuel tank? They are large ( 150 gallon ) aluminum tanks, only problem is getting the deisel smell and residue out of the tank. Any suggestions. Have had thoughts of gettin a brand new one, but they are $1500 to $2000 dollars. Other than the obvious issue of cutting up a something you just paid that much for, it is alot more than I want to spend on a project.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.


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## jocosa (Oct 4, 2007)

Urbangriller - I like the firebasket in the background...  would love to find someone local to make us a few for our reenacting purposes... those just aren't readily available here in the U.S.


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## richtee (Oct 4, 2007)

This I will say: They are stainless, and if you have never dealt with stainless, you don't yet understand how tough steel can be. It's kinda small for a smoker, tho, no? Buy an ECB and be done with it. I will be using a keg for a firebox for the "Beast" There's some pix in the thread, if ya search it. took me almost 2 hours with a diamond wheel to cut two holes in the dammed thing!


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## glued2it (Oct 4, 2007)

Going to use a plasma cutter to slice it up. I already have a el chepo smoker. 
The point is to have a beer keg because I think it's cool! Not because it's practical.
The size is good. There's only 3 people in my family.We still have to hand off left overs to friends and relatives. Or freeze them.

Very rarely do we have cook outs. We don't like enough people to spend that much time with them. (especially relatives!)
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Just kidding! (kinda)



I considered doing the double barrel style, 
But I like the horizontal style with offset smoker.
Since the bottom and top of kegs are not flat, The firebox becomes more of a issue.
 I might just go for grill insted of a smoker.


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## richtee (Oct 4, 2007)

You can pick your friends, your weapon, and your nose, but not your relatives.

Carry on, soldier.    ;{)


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## urban griller (Oct 5, 2007)

I know this is going to make you all jealous!

Here are photos of my beer keg grill, purchased on ebay for $5 and not modified at all (its just such a classic, I don't have the heart to modify it).








Notice the elaborate venting system, there are a set of these on the bottom as well.








The grill tray is from a long since dead oven.











And the entire thing is tastefully mounted on hardwood fixed to a set of platic chair legs with castors added and decorative touches from Wild Turkey (see the stencil on the front board).












You can't beat a classic!

Cheers
Chris


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## richtee (Oct 6, 2007)

Beauty eh?  :{)


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## squeezy (Oct 6, 2007)

Just another grill .... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ... kidding ... funky!


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## navionjim (Oct 10, 2007)

At the risk of repeating this post...

of folks asked me about this so I guess I'll just post this here.

Anyway the Brewery is a mobile unit built on a steel frame with wheels. All three tuns, hot liquor, mash, and kettle are made from SS Sanky beer kegs and fitted with ball valves and wells for Ashcroft thermometers. Everything is hard-lined except the hose from the counterflow chiller to whatever fermenter youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re using. (I always used 20 gallon white poly drums.) 

All three tuns have 175,000 BTU burners, and all gas controls, (actually all the controls) are mounted on a central front mounted panel. There is an on-board water filter and supply lines to all three vessels, the top center tank has a sight glass and is for hot liquor which gravity feeds the left lower mash tun. 

The mash tun has its own 110 VAC pump for recirculation (vorlof) and a 175,000 BTU burner for use in RIMS or step mashing and for transferring wort to the brew tun (kettle). (I also used it to hit strike temp before doughing in the goods) The mash tun is fitted with a hinged SS perforated-plate false bottom and SS lines to the lower outlet valve. All lines and valves outside the Tuns are copper, all those within are Â½â€ SS. Everything is hard mounted to the frame.

The brew Kettle has a separate 110 VAC recirculation pump (hot pump) for whirl pooling the finish hops and transferring the hot wort through the counterflow wort chiller which is mounted behind the control panel in the center of the system There is a fourth (not an Ashcroft) thermometer for the chiller outlet . The entire system is designed to be self cleaning using re-circulated boiling water or the chemical of your choice. The mash side is separated by a central ball valve so a second mash can be run while the brew kettle is in operation. I always used 90 minute mashes and 90 minute brew cycles. So one Â½ barrel keg can be brewed in 3 hours and another one every 90 minutes thereafter, for as long as you want to keep it up.

This system has only been used once in the last five years but before that I brewed about three times a month for several years. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d want to clean it up and cycle some one-step through it before I passed it on. I also have a half dozen or so â€œcorn cansâ€
aka Pepsi Syrup SS Kegs and the tap fittings, gas bottles, regulators etc for the tap system. For that matter I have every tap head from Golden Gate to Sanky. A brand new bracketing thermostat system and taps and tower for converting a chest type freezer to a kegerator. Then there are a couple of large boxes of brewery and yeast culturing equipment. A professional refractometer, A 300X lab microscope with slides and cover glass. Several hydrometers boxes of test tubes and on and on.

There is also a SS distillation tower which I purchased from accompany on line as well as a small one from Still Spirits from New Zealand. It would take a pick up to haul all this stuff and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll have to figure out what it would cost. I have well over $1,500 into the brewery alone but would consider an offer in any case. Let me know if your interested in any or all of this I hate to see it just sitting there.


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## deejaydebi (Oct 10, 2007)

Sure is a beauty Jimbo!


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