Build your own smoker from an old metal barrel.
A barrel smoker is one of the most common pieces of custom-made barbecue equipment owned by grilling aficionados. While grilling itself is one of the mainstays of cookout cuisine, a smoker allows you to take flavors to the next level, adding a rich, smoky tang to the foods cooked within. While commercial smokers can cost over $1,000, you can make a smoker from a barrel for a fraction of the cost. Make sure your barrel comes with a lid.
Instructions
1. Place the barrel in a safe place away from any structures. Light a fire in the bottom of the barrel and burn off all the residue inside and outside of the barrel. Let it cool.
2. Mark four holes in the barrel, one on each side, about 3 inches from the bottom of the barrel. Make additional holes 5 inches down from the top of the barrel. Drill the holes using the 3/4-inch metal bit and drill.
3. Cut the scrap sheet metal with the metal cutters into four 4-by-4-inch squares. Attach them to the outside of the barrel by screwing them into the barrel just above the bottom holes--one screw for each metal piece. Sink the screws almost all the way into the barrel, but leave them a little loose so that you can swivel the pieces of sheet metal and use them to control the air flow through the bottom vents.
4. Thread bolts through the holes near the top of the barrel and tighten them firmly with the a wrench. Place the grill rack on top of the bolts, which act as a foundation for the rack. Drill holes into the lid and use the bolts to attach the handle. Place the lid on top of the smoker and drill a final hole in the top of the lid, roughly 6 inches out from the edge, to use for inserting a meat thermometer to test the temperature.
Tags: bottom barrel, Drill holes, from barrel, inches from, into barrel, outside barrel
