How to Make a Barrel Smoker

A barbecue is a warm-weather favorite, whether for a backyard get-together to a tailgating party. Creating your own barrel smoker enables you to smoke your own meats, to ensure that you have delicious food to share and enjoy with others. This smoker is a simple design, requiring only an empty metal barrel, common household tools and some pieces of scrap metal. Does this Spark an idea?

Print this article

Fire wood
Match
Metal oil drum
Drill with 3/4-inch bit
3/4-inch bolts
Four pieces of scrap metal
Metal cutters
BBQ paint
Metal handle

Instructions

- 1
  
  Burn a fire in the metal oil drum, so that the flames are higher than the top of the drum, to burn off any residue remaining in the drum. Empty the drum after fire has burned out.
- 2
  
  Drill four holes in the drum, 3 inches up from the bottom of the drum, and evenly spaced around the circumference (at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock).
- 3
  
  Create two more rows of holes, one 5 inches from the bottom of the drum, and one 6 inches from the top of the drum.
- 4
  
  Spray the drum with the BBQ paint.
- 5
  
  Cut the scrap metal sheets so that they are approximately 4 by 4 inches, and drill a hole in one corner of each square.
- 6
  
  Attach the scrap metal to the barrel with bolts through the holes 5 inches from the bottom, tight to the barrel, but not so tight that they can not swivel. Control the air flow to your smoker by moving the pieces in front of and out of the way of the holes--3 inches from the bottom.
- 7
  
  Firmly thread bolts through the holes 6 inches from the top of the barrel. You can rest your rack on these bolts when cooking with your smoker.
- 8
  
  Use the drill and bolts to attach the handle to the top of the lid, to enable the lid to be lifted when cooking.
- 9
  
  Drill a hole in the top of the lid, about 6 inches from the perimeter. This will be used for putting a meat thermometer into the interior of the barrel to test temperature.
- 10
  
  Place your basket for coals in the bottom of the barrel, and your grate over the bolts to begin cooking with your barrel smoker.

Comments

How to Make a Steel Barrel Smoker
Any backyard barbecue aficionado will tell you that the only "true" way to barbecue is with a smoker. Grilling has its place...
Barrel Grills & Smokers
For those who like to cook meat outside--whether it be hamburgers for the Fourth of July or turkey for Thanksgiving--barrel grills and...
Specifications of Billy Cook Barrel Saddles
Billy Cook saddles are a line of saddles designed and manufactured by Billy Cook in Oklahoma. The line includes a wide variety...
How to Make a Food Smoker Out of a 55 Barrel
Smoking food is an easy way to add an earthy, smoky flavor that brings a new dimension to the flavor. Store-bought smokers...
DIY Drum Smoker
Use a drum smoker to slow cook meats with a delicious, smoky taste. You can easily and cheaply build your own drum...
How to Build a Vertical Barrel Smoker
Building something to smoke your meat is what separates the men from the boys. It's going to be a lot easier to...
How to Use a Barrel Smoker
A barrel smoker has a barrel-shaped cooking chamber, an offset firebox with a damper and an upturned elephant trunk-like chimney with a...
How to Cook With a Handmade Charcoal Barrel Smoker
Handmade charcoal smokers are becoming increasingly popular. Simple to make out of old barrels, they are a great way to give a...
Homemade Whiskey Barrel Smoker
Barbecue enthusiasts are always looking for ways to enhance the flare and flavor of the food they smoke. Using a whiskey barrel...
How to Build a Homemade Oil Drum Smoker
There are two basic options for a 55-gallon drum barbecue smoker: horizontal or vertical. Either will work. Horizontal smokers split the barrel...
How to Build a Smoker From a Wine Barrel
Wine barrel smokers cook evenly and retain heat well. They are safer than smokers made with a galvanized trash can, which can...
How to Make a Smoker From a 30 Gallon Barrel
A barrel smoker is one of the most common pieces of custom-made barbecue equipment owned by grilling aficionados. While grilling itself is...
How to Cook With a Charcoal Barrel Smoker
A charcoal barrel smoker works just like any other smoker, using indirect heat to cook food at low temperatures. Charcoal is often...
How to Build a Smoker for Fish & Meat
Smoking fish and meat gives it a distinctive flavor that you can't get any other way. Smokers also allow you to slowly...
How to Smoke Meat in a Barrel Smoker
A barrel smoker consists of two chambers, both in the shape of a barrel. The larger chamber is the firebox and contains...
How to Build a Drum Barrel Smoker
Build your own smoker for a fraction of the cost of buying one new. The upright drum smoker uses direct heat to...
How to Use Charcoals in a Barrel Smoker
Using charcoal in a barrel smoker requires a lot of attention to keep the fire going throughout the smoking process. But the...
Differences in French Oak & Oak Wine Barrels
Many things impact the flavor of wine, such as the kind of grapes used, where the grapes were grown and even what...
How to Convert a Beer Barrel to Gallons
A barrel is a hollow cylindrical container used as a standard size of measure. Barrels are often used to store various liquids,...