I’m probably late to the party with this - but check out this thread
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436
Gonna build one - cheap, easy, 16 hour unattended burns. Scouring craigslist for a weber kettle now…(need the lid),
I don’t have the patience to wallow through that thread.
Are there any pics?
Pics it is…
There’s bling-y modified ones too throughout the thread.
Wow! Thanks.
That’s a lot of smokin going on!
I’ll hit that thread again.
Oh yeah. Man those are awesome. I was at a party in Texas once and that is how the caterer BBQ’d.
There were all of these hooks in there and and they hanged the meat. Then hot coals with wet wood on top. Very strong smoke flavor though.
Im more of a cold wisps of smoke kind a guy. The smoking I have done recently was done in a cardboard box over a hot plate and pie tin of wood. Works great for ribs, then finish on the grill. Or just cold smoke some fish.
What really has me interested in this is a guy on there is throwing a 20lb shank in there overnight, and swears it tastes just like whole hog spit roasted. The fat vaporizes on the coals below and seasons the meat some more. And two round grates to hold the meat seems to be the more popular method vs hanging it. They have been adapted by some for cold smoke too. Those guys with bbq are just as nuts as us with beer; Valves, stainless, fans, wheels, carts, exhaust stacks etc.
I’m a cold smoke and hot smoke sort of cook now. Love them both! Cap and others convinced me over to the cold side.
Cold smoking and grilling ribs, however, is just short of heresy (heresy would be boiling them first).
What?!
You’ve never rolled up a rack of ribs, popped them in the pressure-cooker for 5 minutes then threw them on the grill?
BTW works great.
What do you guys think of this. Im building a giant smoker grill. It is for the building where my shop is. Its gonna go in an open courtyard of the commercial complex.
I am going to make it out of found objects. In the court yard just laying there is an old 250 gallon oil tank and a 54 Chevy four door. I want to make it out of the Chevy, making the grill under the hood and the smoking chamber in the passenger compartment but I dont think I can get the owner of the car to go along. He claims he is going to fix it up.
So, no doubt it will be the oil tank. I am thinking that I can cut it open and build a fire in it for a few days to burn it to bare metal, removing all of the paint and residual oil. Thats my question, will I be able to remove the toxicity by burning? The tank seems pretty new and the word is that it was only used to store a water soluble machine oil used on horse hair packaging machines. (The very machines that pack horse hair that will be used to make the brushes for “curling” that weird Olimpic game.) Still dont want to take any chances.
Anybody ever convert a used oil tank?
The paln is to make the oil tank on legs for a grill/smoking chamber and use a small air compressor tank as the off set fire box.
In fact the air compressor tank would be attached via a 5" schedule 40 pipe. The pipe would go up and down and up again to create some surface area for heat diffusion.
It will be on its own concrete slab and will have a roof of corrugated galvanized steel.
So far have all the stuff but the concrete, all found objects.
.
Sounds like alot of work but you asked for it.
Thats interesting, dont think Ill have to go that far. It is already filled with water and Im just going to cut it up with the torch.
I didnt get much in a search yet except for the forum that beerocd posted above and this discussion. http://www.bbqsource-forums.com/invboard/lofiversion/index.php/t5691.html.
Im thinking a huge fire will get rid of everything.
There are plenty of food grade barrels around, at least I gather…I don’t know. Whatever you do, get that fire very hot, if you do decide to use the oil drum. I can’t vouch for its safety but I can’t declare it unsafe either!
I’ve been looking for stainless steel drums on Craig’s list and haven’t found anything. New they’re like $150?
Anyway I was at Lowes and Home Depot looking at the inexpensive Brinkman smokers and wasn’t very happy with what I saw.
So I bought a 31 gallon galvanized can with a tight-fitting lid, a grate and some machine screws. Haven’t put anything together yet because I have some concerns. For example, how big to drill the air inlet holes and how much charcoal to use so I don’t have to lift anything out till it’s done. Maybe My money back and a Weber Smoky Mountain would be better. Just balking at the $300.
Another concern/desire is I want to load it up and walk away for at least three hours. My current fabbed up smoker can have some wild swings and I have to tend to it frequently. 
This formed the basis for my current smoker. Riveted flashing to help seal up the bottom and surgical towels to seal the lid. Tonight I redid the gaps with foil snakes and it’s pretty tight now. Hmmm we’ll see…
I wouldn’t use galvanized steel for grilling…the coating will generate toxic fumes when heated.
Check out the MSDS!
I know you don’t like computers but - a simple 10 dollar fan could probably replace your compressor. Yeah, you probably want to get all Rube Goldberg and 5H!T, but just sayin…
And well, water soluble - power wash it, then burn the snot out of it, get a spray bottle of oil and spray the whole thing while it’s hot and you’re good to go. Lotta guys don’t even paint theirs, just keep it coated with oil. black is black.
Man, a buck fitty for stainless - that’s a steal! Six hundred new for a 55 gal. Back to the UDS thread for you, overnight smokes not a problem with steady temps. I have a partial barrel out of stainless (custom made with perf bottom) that cost me six hundred, and then the final hundred on the weber kettle which happens to be a perfect fit. I use an aluminum foil snake as a gasket to fit them together. So I have basically a pseudo WSM. I stopped using the water pan cuz it’s a PITA to clean after a smoke.
I did ribs today - starting temp was 260 and over 4 hours it dropped to around 250.
Thanks! I’ll return it.
I’m just hitting 4 hours on some baby-backs. The temp has held steady on one charge of lump and the ribs look fabulous. 
I’ll try the 123 method next batch.
I got a new smoker last week thanks to Jeff’s Backyard which I highly recommend!
The BGE is like picking up a Stradivarius after what I’ve been using!
Dialing in the temp was no problem!
you’re going to love that. welcome to the eggdiction. let me know when you pick up your NEXT one!
I’m going to use it alot. So easy to bring up top temp it’s almost like turning on the oven! Bread, pizza, steaks, roasts… turkey, fish you name it!