# question regarding a double barrel wood smoker



## Rick E (Sep 27, 2019)

A friend of mine was going to throw this old double barrel smoker away, so I grabbed it and I'm now in the process of restoring it.
If it hadn't been for the cool old hardware, I would have helped him throw it away.

The barrels were pretty much rusted out, so I picked up two new food grade, heavy wall barrels.
I had the barrel interiors and the cast iron components sand blasted.

 While you cannot see it in the photo, the original smoke stacks exited the upper portion of the upper barrel.























It will have three dampers.... one damper on the lower to upper flue, and damper on each on the smoke stacks.

I have been looking on line at the different styles, and came upon this schematic below.
I went with a single flue in the center, rather than a double.
Note where they show the chimney outlet locations on either end of the upper barrel..... they show them mounted down low!













I also plan to make a V shaped diverter to install over the top of the flue, as to direct the smoke more evenly towards the front and rear of the upper barrel.


*So now my questions for  those of you who use and/or have used this style double barrel smoker:*

… outlets near the top ends of the upper barrel?

… outlets near the bottom ends of the upper barrel?

… temperature to maintain for the different types of meat? As you can see in the first image, this will have dual thermometers.

… smoking duration for the different types of meat? Salmon, Beef, Pork, Chicken???? 

… types of wood that you prefer?  I have a line up on some Alder, Maple and Apple.

Regarding the chimney outlets...…  I'm thinking that with the outlets located low, the upper barrel will hold the smoke better and perhaps longer.
However, with them located low, I'm concerned that there may be a loss of heat and smoke at the cook surface area.

  I've not used a larger double barrel smoker like this before, so I will welcome any and all suggestions from those of you who have used this style. ​ 

Thanks in advance​


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## dirtsailor2003 (Sep 27, 2019)

I've never used this type of smoker. However I would suggest that you keep the chimneys up high. Having them low trapping in smoke will create stale not good tasting smoke. You want good air movement to maintain good thin blue smoke across the meat. White stale smoke will leave an acrid taste on the meat. 

All of the woods that you mentioned are good for smoking. Oak, pecan, cherry are also good woods to use.


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## Rick E (Sep 27, 2019)

Thank you for the response........ that makes good sense.... I'm leaning towards doing that!


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## daveomak (Sep 27, 2019)

Salvage the picaroon...  If that doesn't happen, cut off the head and I'll pay for the postage to get it here....


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## radioguy (Sep 27, 2019)

A friend of mine had one and needed help tweaking it.  It was double barrel, with only one damper/flue between top and bottom.  I got it to cook fairly well by putting a metal plate with a few holes in it over the fully open damper / flue to act as a deflector.  Main temperature control was  by fire size. It really needed to be fed fresh air, I ended up putting in additional  air intakes.  Also downsized the stack from 8" to 6". 

Not a great cooker in my opinion. I got it to be usable after all those mods.  I would just make a UDS out of your barrels.  Much better temp control in my opinion.

RG


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## Rick E (Sep 28, 2019)

radioguy said:


> A friend of mine had one and needed help tweaking it.  It was double barrel, with only one damper/flue between top and bottom.  I got it to cook fairly well by putting a metal plate with a few holes in it over the fully open damper / flue to act as a deflector.  Main temperature control was  by fire size. It really needed to be fed fresh air, I ended up putting in additional  air intakes.  Also downsized the stack from 8" to 6".
> 
> *Not a great cooker in my opinion.* I got it to be usable after all those mods.  I would just make a UDS out of your barrels.  Much better temp control in my opinion.
> 
> RG



Thank you.
As per my thread title, I will be using this as a smoker, not necessarily as a cooker!

However, I do like your idea of a "metal plate with a few holes in it over the fully open damper / flue to act as a deflector."
I had planned to do that! In fact, the original unit had such a plate in it. 

Minus some sort of base frame and wheels,  cleaning and painting, etc, I will hopefully be finished with this over the weekend.

Rick E.


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## pigbark (Sep 28, 2019)

my dad made these in the late 80s to early 90s... you have the better design with 2 inlets into the CC .  they cook better.. the problem I see with yours is there isnt going to be much air flow because your door only has small openings down low.. you will have to crack the door open to get enough air moving.. if you do add new holes for air, put them up higher so they dont affect your fire / wood usage... they work good if set up properly and they hold more meat than a Ugly Drum .. where is your grease going?


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## Hawging It (Sep 28, 2019)

Really cool!!


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

Any suggestions on smoking temperature and duration for the different meats?


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

Dang it.... the system doesn't show me that it was posted.
I deleted the content. 
See below!


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

davemak said:
			
		

> Salvage the picaroon... If that doesn't happen, cut off the head and I'll pay for the postage to get it here....



I'm not following that one!


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

Update:

 I ended up installing the outlets at the top of the upper barrel after having read what dirtsailor had to say.  Thank you dirtsailor for that suggestion and explanation!

 Radioguy, I plan to use this for a smoker, not necessarily a cooker or a BBQ. And by the way, my stacks are 6" and they rise approximately 15" above the upper-most part of the smoker barrel.

Pigbark, the original system did have a grease pan and an outlet. *If I  smoke only in this unit,* *how much grease can I expect to see? 
*
As for combustion air,   I may need to crack the main door at first to get the fire going,  but I'm thinking that the two combustion air openings will be OK.  If not, I will first enlarge these openings. If that does not work well, I can later add two more adjustable air inlets.  

Hawging it, thank you. I'll post a few pictures of it when I am finished with it.


I ended up buying two new bottom-to-upper barrel cast iron joining brackets via Amazon.  I was extremely disappointed with the quality of them. 
The feet are NOT perpendicular to the vertical sections, causing them to NOT lay parallel against the barrel surfaces. Also, the feet have NO contour that matches the barrel's radius. It's as though they were cast to fit against a hexagon or an octagon surface, not a round barrel!
I ended up grinding material away from each one in order to get a better fit.... and even at that, they still look like crap.
It would be so easy for the casting company to change the design and give these brackets not only the correct 90* angle (at the feet), but also a contour (at the feet) that fits the radius of an average 55 gallon drum.
Again, I am very disappointed in these.
If you buy one of these kits, plan to spend some time modifying the feet.


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## pigbark (Sep 29, 2019)

grease will depend on the fat content of the meat. Pork Butt will have more than a Pork Loin etc. every cut is different ..  

what you dont want is grease dripping down into the fire box..


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## pigbark (Sep 29, 2019)

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/porta...e-minimum-internal-temperature-chart/ct_index


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

pigbark, thank you. I'll print that and will keep it as a reference.




			
				pigbark said:
			
		

> grease will depend on the fat content of the meat. Pork Butt will have more than a Pork Loin etc. every cut is different ..
> 
> what you don't want is grease dripping down into the fire box..



Understood.  
However, is this a concern when cooking, and not as great when simply smoking?
In other words, if I smoke only, will I need to be as concerned with grease?


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## daveomak (Sep 29, 2019)

The picaroon....   Dave


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

Dave, I know that tool as a "peavy" in our area.  Possible a "picaroon" in other areas.  
I did not follow what your first post was suggesting.  But no.... the project is moving forward and the peavy stays!  
It's rather cool!  I will probably remove part of the point on it as to be a bit more safe.


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## pigbark (Sep 29, 2019)

Rick E said:


> pigbark, thank you. I'll print that and will keep it as a reference.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


a Cooker in my area can be anything used to cook with.. a smoker , grill , rotisserie,  a pellet grill etc. any way you look at it , when your cooking meat, the fat starts to render around 130 F .. 
a pork butt for example , most folks take it to 165 to 180 for sliced , 195 to 210 for pulled pork.. that's a huge temp span.. the higher the IT on a butt the more fat is rendered .in turn more grease..  I would try to catch it in a pan..


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## Rick E (Sep 29, 2019)

I plan to incorporate a grease catch into the center flue deflector that I build.


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## Rick E (Oct 1, 2019)

This is what she looks like as of yesterday.








I ended up going with pneumatic tires on the one end of my platform, and just blocks at the other end. (hard caster wheels will not roll as smoothly as these will)  I will probably make some type of handles for the blocked end. Basically, it would be moved similar to moving a wheel barrow.



I have yet to do and/or install:

.... a diverter plate just above the center flue. I plan to cut 1" spaced holes in it to allow the smoke to more evenly enter the smoke chamber.

.... grease catch system.

..... meat rack. I may do a second rack just above the main rack.

....  burn-in or smoke seasoning the interior.... perhaps 2 to 4 hours with wood fire. (all interior components have been sand-blasted clean of any paint)

Any other suggestions will be welcomed!

Rick E.
....


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## pigbark (Oct 1, 2019)

Looking Good.. where the main stack comes up into the CC , i would put a rack in rite there to hold a water pan, it can in turn catch any grease.. then  for the sides, you can drill a hole in each big rib one on each side and put a drip pin and a aluminum can to catch grease from the sides... 

alot of folks take some type of cooking oil or grease like Bacon grease and rub it all over the CC walls n grates etc. it helps keep it seasoned like a cast iron skillet... basically, it fights rust from forming..

if you can find some used fire brick for the FB and line the bottom where the main fire will be, that will help extend the life of the barrel 10 fold.. i use a old wood stove to fire my smoker with.. it has fire brick in it.. it helps alot


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## Rick E (Oct 3, 2019)

Update: 

I had planned to do an initial burn-in yesterday, but it turns out that the new upper barrel is smaller at one end.  My nice and square upper rack frame would not fit.  I will be re-working that today.

Meanwhile, here is what it will look like after I can finally assemble everything.

The "V" shaped metal heat deflector plate will also serve as the grease catch. It is slopped towards the left side and exists that end of the upper barrel.
While you can't quite see it, there is enough space above the "V" area for the grease to drip out and into a container.

Regarding the heat deflector plate.... it's quite large and wide, and only offers heat/smoke transfer at each side of it. 
I'm thinking about making six 1-1/4" holes in this (equal distance from V to edge) for better heat and smoke transfer. 
*Any thoughts on that?????*






I built a second removable meat rack. Not sure if this is necessary. 

I left some space between the fire bricks and the bottom of the grate. I like having some ash build up in that area...... I think that it will be just fine.

If all goes well today, I'll be building a burn-in fire later tonight. 








​


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## pigbark (Oct 5, 2019)

You fired it up yet?


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## Rick E (Oct 6, 2019)

I have done one initial burn in, and plan to do more soon.


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## pigbark (Oct 6, 2019)

Looks good, how are your temps across the top running ? Now, tell me a 55 gal drum smoker aint fun to build?  easy to maintain and clean as the ends come off and you have all that room to work in...nice job


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## Rick E (Oct 7, 2019)

pigbark said:


> You fired it up yet?


Yes, one initial burn in fire as shown in post #24..... and a few more to come later this week! 



pigbark said:


> Looks good, how are your temps across the top running ?
> I varied the fire and both thermometers read close to the same temperature.
> I'll be doing more burn in and further testing temps.
> 
> ...


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## Rick E (Oct 15, 2019)

*Update:*  I've now done two initial burn ins, and believe that she is just about ready for a test run. As suspected, a build up of ashes (under the metal grate and on top of the fire bricks) has made it easier to control and keep the wood burning.
I'm going to pick up some inexpensive carne asada (thin Mexican beef slices) for my first test run.

Meanwhile, I was given the remainder of a downed Cherry tree.
I spent a few hours cutting it up into short rounds and a few thin rounds from areas where I could not get into the longer ones. 
The wood is still pretty green, however.  It's is tough to split the larger rounds by hand, so my next move is to use my friends hydraulic wood splitter. ​
Here's a little trick that I taught myself years ago:  
I use my chain saw for making wood shavings for smoking. ​When cutting with the grain, the chain pulls out nice long shavings that work well on top of briquets and for the little electric smokers. 
I drain out the regular chain oil. Then I put vegetable oil in my oil tank as to not contaminate the wood.  It does not lubricate as well, so if you try this, plan on a little bit of bar and chain wear. 









I'm able to hold around 200* if I keep the fire supplied and keep an eye on the air intake.  I'm sure that after I do this several times,  I'll get it dialed in! 

I also found a miniature bucket for the grease catch. ​
*




*

​


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## Rick E (Oct 19, 2019)

I'll be building a Hillbilly style file cabinet smoker next week. 
Any thoughts re; how to proceed? 








It's hard to imagine that anyone would build one of these! 


.


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## hotsauce_johnny (Feb 20, 2020)

Rick E said:


> This is what she looks like as of yesterday.
> 
> View attachment 407383
> 
> ...


Hi this looks great!!  How did you make out with cooking/smoking?  What temperature ranges are you able to achieve with one flue going to the cooking chamber? 

I'm picking up a few barrels today and want to start on my first build.

Thanks.


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