Bkndsdl's Double Barrel Smoker (DBS) Build

[Bkndsdl]

Hey guys, I have wanted to build one of these for a while so here goes.

Started with two 55g drums I got from work. One is a Upright Drum Smoker I built; I plan on using this for my firebox. The second is a simple grill I made from another drum.

Here's what I started with.

My first UDS. Nothing special here......worked great, but really limited on cooking surface area. One of the big reasons I wanted to build the DBS.



Here's the grill I built. Again, nothing special, other than cooking surface area.......I could easily do 6+ racks of ribs in here.

[Bkndsdl]

I don't have a lot of $$ to be using on these projects, so I decided I wanted to use the lid closing rings as my standoffs between the drums.



After some careful measuring here's what I came up with. The barrels will be roughly 10" apart. These are now fully welded out. Using these, I didn't have to bend any flatbar or try to figure out the circumference of the barrels. These attach to the barrels, so they are already the correct diameter.

[Bkndsdl]

fast forward a bit........



I didn't take a lot of photos of the mounting of the two drums together. I basically took a 24" long piece of ductwork (purchased at Lowes'), cut it in half, then installed them in between the drums. I took some soapstone to mark the shape of the barrel onto the two tubes, removed the tubes and then took a pair of tin snips and made cuts up to the soapstone about 1" apart. I then reinstalled the tubes and bent the tabs that I cut to the barrel. Then I screwed a few of the tabs to the barrels to hold them in place.

You may notice the firebox is open; I originally decided to use the lid from the UDS as my entry into the firebox. I used a band that had a handle on it rather than a bolted one. My idea was that this would be the best way to enter the firebox, but it ended up being an immense pain. I later decided to build a new door for it (pics to come).

[THUMPERRRR]

I like what yer doin man,,,
cool supports...(good thinkin)

if it was me an mine I would frame the bottom one or stiffen it somehow
as I forsee some real possibilities of egging happening over time with heat and food weight added...

[Bkndsdl]

I like what yer doin man,,,
cool supports...(good thinkin)

if it was me an mine I would frame the bottom one or stiffen it somehow
as I forsee some real possibilities of egging happening over time with heat and food weight added...

Thanks Thumperrrr. I have since replaced the removable lid for a welded on door. I took another barrel and removed its bottom and welded it onto the bottom barrel, so it's a lot stiffer. However, you got me to thinking....I think I will do some stiffening inside the firebox on the top side, the bottom side has two pieces of angle on the bottom for the firebox to set on. Good catch!

[Bkndsdl]

Here's a shot of my lid gasket. High temp sealant was applied to the lid, then I sprayed some veggie oil on the body of the grill. Slowly closed the lid to get the shape right, and let it dry. Works like a charm......



And here's the finished product. I added the latches to keep the lid snug, and they work great. Simple draw latches from Lowe's. I also found the dampers for the tubes from the firebox to the cooking chamber from Lowes; they work great.



...........and some eye candy.......smoked these using the 3-2-1 method, and it held 250 like a rock all the way through......



I'll get some better shots of the things I mentioned and post those this afternoon.

[Mikey]

...........and some eye candy.......smoked these using the 3-2-1 method, and it held 250 like a rock all the way through......



I'll get some better shots of the things I mentioned and post those this afternoon.

It appears that you have enough room for an additional rack. I'd do one with 4 legs for easy install & removal when needed.

[Bkndsdl]

It appears that you have enough room for an additional rack. I'd do one with 4 legs for easy install & removal when needed.

LOL........That's next on the agenda. I want to actually add some more racks above and below the existing one. When I built this smoker I wanted it to be both a smoker and a grill, so I have some lower grates in it. When I do my sober chickens, they are a bit too close to the top of this smoker; to fit them in, I have removed the upper grate and used bricks to hold a grate just above the lower grate and put the chickens on there, but I want to add another shelf so I don't have to use the bricks. Also want to add another grate level above for more square footage. More rib space would be nice........

I like the idea of making another rack to sit on top, rather than what I was originally thinking of doing, adding a sliding rack and all......lots of extra work basically. I bet I could make them to where they were the perfect height for the sober chickens too, so I could be able to just remove the upper rack and place these inside.......good idea, thanks man!

[Richtee]

You got a baffle plate above the heat smoke intakes? If not you might consider trying one... you probably have a couple hot spot issues if not.

[THUMPERRRR]

You got a baffle plate above the heat smoke intakes? If not you might consider trying one... you probably have a couple hot spot issues if not.

indeed...

[Bkndsdl]

You got a baffle plate above the heat smoke intakes? If not you might consider trying one... you probably have a couple hot spot issues if not.

At the present, I have solved this problem with water pans directly above the tubes. I have yet to use both tubes for a cook, usually one is closed and the other has a water pan over it. I made some deflectors from a barrel but haven't had to use them yet.

[Mikey]

I bet I could make them to where they were the perfect height for the sober chickens too, so I could be able to just remove the upper rack and place these inside.......good idea, thanks man!

You're welcome. When you make the rack w/4 legs, slot them then make another set of 4 legs longer and slot those. This will make that rack adjustable and you'll only need one. Mount the longer legs to the shorter legs w/nutz and bolts and presto chango, you'll be good to go.

[Bkndsdl]

A little late, but here's the pics of the door. I made this from a homemade fender that was on my trailer. I am the king of re-use......





The frame was made from angle. I took the bottom out of a drum, welded it on the drum opening, then added the door frame and door. I still have to add sealant to the door, it sucks air bad......so bad that when I cooked a brisket last week I had to totally close the air intake.....I plan on adding a slide intake on this door as well.

[Bkndsdl]

I smoked two racks of ribs and some steaks last weekend and I didn't have to adjust the temp one single time. It was rock solid between 245 - 255. It uses a bit more fuel than the UDS (which is understandable), so my next venture is to insulate the firebox. After that I want to build a frame with casters to move it around easier and build a few more racks inside.

[Mikey]

A couple of water heater blankets aka smoking jackets should do the trick