New Toy Drum Smoker

[Rustyc30]

Found this on a USA BBQ sight and built one last weekend and I have to say cook things so bloody well and gives meat a nice smoke flavor with out being to over the top. Doing some Baby Back Ribs on it now can't wait to see how they taste.

Does anyone else hot smoke meats?

 

[theMISSIONARY]

What wood are you using in it?....i assume you are using wood

 

[fraser_john]

This is exactly what I have been planning on building! I just cannot find a drum.

As for wood, you can buy good smoking wood from Rays Outdoors or BBQ Galore. Soak it in water first so it does not catch.

 

[theMISSIONARY]

I will have to grab a drum from work......only it will need lots of cleaning we use lots of nasty chemicals

i have seen one bloke who used something other than wood for smoking.....i cant remember what it was i thought it strange at the time

 

[paul]

Ive seen the 44 cut down a bit before and used as an extension in the middle of a webber before.

 

[kook]

I've got a WSM (vertical smoker) with similar design.

I'm really happy - if I set the fire up right I can get 12 hours out of it easy without needing to refill. Thats using heat beads, charcoal I find I need to replenish after about 8hrs.

I'm using apple wood for smokewood at the moment as I got a load of it for free. The only stuff I've seen in chunk form at BBQ's galore is hickory, all the rest seems to come as tiny chips which you need to replenish regularly.

So far I've done chickens, baby back ribs, spare ribs, pork shoulder (Boston Butt), ABT's, sausages, chillis and salt in the smoker. I may do a beef brisket next Saturday (10-12hr smoke).

Smoking some rock salt might sound crazy, but it makes a great seasoning for any dishes where you want a very subtle smoke-like flavour added.


edit - One quick question - how are you maintaining a nice low smoking temp (100-120C) in there without a water pan or similar? Are you just using a small fire and replenishing often?

 

[Rustyc30]

I use charcoal with a few pieces of soaked smoking wood in it. A good way to make sure that you have gotten rid of anything in there is to stoke it up and give it a good burn out should remove any left over nasties.

Did some ribs on it last night which came out a treat.

Next weekend i'm going to do a 4kg pork shoulder give a long slow smoke till it just starts to fall apart

 

[Rustyc30]

Load up the basket with fuel then control the amount of air flow it has 3 1/2" hole at the base 2 are covered with the check plate and the other has a ball valve so by adjust that you can hold it 110-120 for ages. Longest I have done so far is 6 hours and used about a 1/4 of the charcoal next weekend will be around 8hrs or so

 

[Thirsty Boy]

do a bit of web search guys - there are lots of options for smokers. One of the more popular being a bog standard metal garbage tin.

Search for "trash can smoker" and you will see a few different takes on it. I use an electric hot plate as the heat source and just sit a cast iron smoker box on the element to put the smoking wood in.

I've seen the same thing done with nothing more than a big carboard box...

Mind you - I really like Rustyc's version. One of these days when I get a bit more room...

 

[juddda]

You don't need to be extravagent with the equipment when smoking food. You can use a simple cast iron smoker box (Aldi had some recently for $9) on a hooded gas bbq with some saw dust. Or you can use a weber with half the amount of coals as you would a normal roast and throw on some soaked wood chips when you first put the meat on.

The trick is to do it "low and slow" (a long period of time, usually 6-8 hours depending on the size and cut of meat and low temperature between 110-120 Deg). It is important to not let it get below 100 deg otherwise you could end up sick. :icon_vomit:

We have been playing with smokers for around 12 years now and have 9 smokers of various shapes and sizes.

It is time consuming, the meat practically falls off the bone and is as tender as a ..... but the results will leave you wondering why you did not try it before :icon_drool2:

 

[Mercs Own]

Rustyc what was the site??

 

[SDJ]

This is my UDS (ugly drum smoker) I built this thing and it will run on 5 kilos of heatbeads for 14+ hours at 250F, found the info I needed at a US BBQ site


so far I have cooked MOINK balls (beef=MOO + pork= Oink ...... MOINK) italian meat balls wrapped in bacon then seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayene pepper and lightly smoked, served with sweet chilli sauce and my latest AG IPA.


also did a pork shoulder that was dry rubbed with similar spice to the MOINK balls than marinaded and basted with apricot jam before being smoked with nectarine wood.


I am constantly amazed at how well this thing will keep its temperature, I am using fridge magnets to block the air intake holes and set temp, it normaly varies by about 8-10 degrees F when sitting outside in the wind.

I also cooked 2 chickens but forgot to get pics, it was dam good eating!!

 

[Rustyc30]

SDJ

their great arn't they firing mine up again today to cook some baby back ribs for dinner and have a 5kg pork roast to go on it next weekend

 

[browndog]

What did you paint that drum with Rustyc ?

cheers

Browndog

 

[TidalPete]

What did you paint that drum with Rustyc ?

cheers

Browndog

I presume black stove paint would do a good job Tony.
This thread has got me interested in getting a smoker.

TP :beer:

 

[SDJ]

SDJ

their great arn't they firing mine up again today to cook some baby back ribs for dinner and have a 5kg pork roast to go on it next weekend

Dammed straight they are!! I am finding it tough getting used to the smoke flavour though (perhaps I use to much wood?) next weekend I am doing some ribs and am going to do them with "Oh yeah" sticky rib sauce and without smoke, just long and slow cooking.
might do a fattie as well and some ABT's

this sort of cooking needs a bold full flavoured beer so I am thinking of doing another ECB and keg it for awhile.

 

[ausdb]

Ive seen the 44 cut down a bit before and used as an extension in the middle of a webber before.

I added the middle section of a 44 to my weber to cook a "beer can" turkey a few Christmas's ago. The extra volume slowed the cooking right down and terned the weber into something between a smoker and a weber kettle. The 8.5kg turkey took about 6 and a half hours to cook but man it was tasty

 

[wakkatoo]

anyone help out with a decent website on this? Had a bit of a search and found some forum discussion but nothing that really fully details how to build, then use it.

Cheers

 

[robbo5253]

I added the middle section of a 44 to my weber to cook a "beer can" turkey a few Christmas's ago. The extra volume slowed the cooking right down and terned the weber into something between a smoker and a weber kettle. The 8.5kg turkey took about 6 and a half hours to cook but man it was tasty

Is this a direct fit? Do you cut where rings are or in the flat section?
Did you cut a door in the 44 so you could top up the coals/wood or the meat?

Cheers

Robbo

 

[Chad]

This is my UDS (ugly drum smoker) I built this thing and it will run on 5 kilos of heatbeads for 14+ hours at 250F, found the info I needed at a US BBQ site

I found you hanging out over here in this ridiculously long thread.

I took a wire disc to my drum today to clean up the inside and applied first coat of kettle paint. Good to finally see my smoker coming together.