Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Some advice needed - Making a 55 gallon drum smoker.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Some advice needed - Making a 55 gallon drum smoker.

    Hey everyone,

    I apologize for the long read.

    So here's the scoop: I just received a 55 gallon drum from a friend, and i have a plan to build a horizontal smoker (not like the ugly upright style). I need you guys to poke some holes through my plan so i keep safe and efficient with the whole process.

    Here's what i know so far about the barrel itself:
    - This drum was used to hold Methyl Ethyl Ketone (Butanone) which is a flammable liquid (water soluble). It is emptied but of course has maybe a cup of liquid still swishing around at the bottom.
    - Its a black steel drum that a fridge magnet sticks to. The reason i think its NOT galvanized OR stainless is because of the black paint and the fact that there is surface rust around some of the top and body. PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong here because that will kibosh this whole process if its galvanized
    - It is a sealed drum with a metal spout and hole in the lid

    Here's my crazy plan:
    - First the flammability issue. I'm going to assume for a second that this isn't galvanized, because that complicates a lot. I want to use a drum de-header, because its non electric and would cause little to no sparking. however, the "non spark" versions of these cutters are upwards of 300+ dollars for a can opener that i'll only ever use once. the regular models are as cheap as 40 dollars. Not sure if anyone has experience with drum de-heading. since there is little flammable liquid in the container, i feel like i can fill the container up a quarter way with very soapy water, swish it around, and dispose properly of the excess liquid. then i would pour cat litter in to soak up any remaining liquid after a couple days of letting it dry. After its been cleaned enough, i can use the regular de-header without worrying that sparks will cause any explosion.
    - Once the heads off it will be easier to give it a full scrub down, and then a good burning of a couple logs to burn off anything that's left in the container. I would then buy a steel drum cover for sealing it up in the future.
    - After thats done i'd make 4 cuts with an angle grinder through the side of the body, making the lift door. I would drill screw holes for hinges and also screws for shelving support.

    After all of that, there will be minor adjustments for whether or not i feel like i can do an offset reverse flow, or i just want to do a single chamber. i'll be buying/building a cart to put the barrel up on with wheels for easy movement. I just want to get over these couple initial hurdles and get to the meat of this project. Thoughts/suggestions/comments/criticism are more then welcome, and as always i really appreciate the help.

    #2
    Red Alert! You need to start with a food grade drum. MEK is nasty stuff. We have a lot of useful info about making a UDS: http://amazingribs.com/links/build_y...ker_grill.html
    Big Poppa Smokers offers a UDS Kit: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...rum-smoker-kit

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Max Good View Post
      Red Alert! You need to start with a food grade drum. MEK is nasty stuff. We have a lot of useful info about making a UDS: http://amazingribs.com/links/build_y...ker_grill.html
      Big Poppa Smokers offers a UDS Kit: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...rum-smoker-kit

      Are you saying that there's no way to convert an MEK drum safely? I've already got it, and i don't mind putting the work in, even if its a process to make it safe.

      Comment


        #4
        Welcome cdarv, I would start first to say it's not the liquid it's the vapors in that drum that are DANGEROUS!
        Vapors are what will ignite and burn not the liquid So make sure there are NO signs of it left before cutting.
        OR
        Better yet do what Max recommends get a food grade drum. should be able to find on craigslist easily.

        I would consider a UDS style as I think it would be to thin to control any kind of temp as an offset.
        A UDS works well like a PBC and you don't see many turned sideways I would assume for a reason.
        Be safe and hope this helps.
        Last edited by Powersmoke_80; February 7, 2016, 09:47 AM.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Powersmoke_80 View Post
          Welcome cdarv, I would start first to say it's not the liquid it's the vapors in that drum that are DANGERUOS!
          Vapors are what will ignite and burn not the liquid So make sure there are NO signs of it left before cutting.
          Wash the drum out with soapy water a couple times and if you fill it with water to de-head that way there will be no room for vapors.
          Probable not galvanized, and I would consider a UDS style as I think it would be to thin to control any kind of temp as an offset.
          A UDS works well like a PBC and you don't see many turned sideways I would assume for a reason.
          Be safe and hope this helps.

          Thanks! how much water do you think i need to fill it with after washing it out a couple times with soapy water?

          The only reason i want the smoker to be a horizontal grill is for the size application. i've already got an electric smoker as well as a weber 22 SnS setup, so i'm looking for something that easily does multiple racks of ribs/full briskets easily for volume cooking. I might not make it offset because of the extra needs, but i certainly want to make it horizontal.

          Comment


          • Powersmoke_80
            Powersmoke_80 commented
            Editing a comment
            I'm not sure but I think Max has a better idea.

          #6
          There are numerous suppliers across the country and there's a good chance one is near you. if not, Lexington Container Company is one that a reader told us about. Brian Spoeneman gave us these tips for selecting a drum:
          New drums. New open top 55 gallon drums can be found for as little as $80. Reconditioned drum. Open top 55 gallon reconditioned drums can be found for as little as $50, not including delivery. The supplier needs to be a state licensed re-conditioner and you must require that the drum has not held chemicals. Believe it or not, metal is porous and chemical residue is hard to remove. State employees will visit licensed reconditioners on a regular basis to ensure that the company is following proper cleaning procedures and that the equipment being used is operating within state regulations, which vary from state to state.

          Comment

          Announcement

          Collapse
          No announcement yet.
          Working...
          X
          false
          0
          Guest
          Guest
          500
          ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
          false
          false
          {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
          Yes
          ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
          /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here