Making your own oil drum BBQ can be a lot of fun. They're fantastic for smoking meat and making it taste incredible. They're also surprisingly easy to make as well, which means anyone can do it. Even if you're not a DIY guy, this is one project that you should definitely check out and try for yourself. Here are the vital steps to follow when the time comes to create your very own oil drum BBQ. Read through them all and don't skip any of the steps if you want a positive outcome.
The first thing you’re going to have to do is find a small oil drum. This is the thing that will make up the major component of your BBQ. It’s this that you will cut up and mold into the part of the BBQ where the meat and other foods will be cooked. You can buy these drums online, or you could head down to a local company that might have spare drums that you can get cheaply or for free. It’s worth calling around to these places because drums are commonly left lying around when they’re no longer needed.
Once you’ve got yourself a drum, you will need to make sure that you wash it out. This won’t be necessary if you’re bought yourself a brand new oil drum. But if it’s a used drum, washing it out is going to be essential. You don’t want to have oil left in the drum when you start cutting it or using it as a BBQ. This can be very dangerous because if sparks hit residual oil, you could injure yourself. So, scrub it out and ensure that no oil is leftover before going any further.
To make your oil drum function as a BBQ, you will need to create a segment that can be cut out and lifted up. You will then have a space where you can insert your grill and charcoal. So, you will need to mark out a 135 degree segment on the drum. Draw lines on the drum where this will be. It’s important to be careful and accurate when you take care of this part of the job.
Next, you should drill holes in the drum along the lines where you want to cut out the segment discussed above. This will make it easier for you to cut it out. It will allow you to get the jigsaw blade in when we move onto the next segment. You can use a drill to make these holes, and always make sure that you wear eye protection when you’re doing this. Just make sure that the holes you create are going to be big enough to fit in a jigsaw blade.
Cutting out the drum segment should be done carefully and steadily. If you mess this up, the whole drum will be ruined, and you’ll have to go back to the start and find a new one. That’s hardly ideal, so you should aim to get it right the first time. Double check the lines that you will cut along, and only begin if the jigsaw blade fits inside the holes that you drilled in the previous step.
When the segment has been cut away, you can get rid of that part. The majority of the drum that is left will almost be ready to use as a BBQ. You just need to add some legs to it. This will allow it to stand by itself when you’re using it. It’s up to you how you go about doing this. Some people simply choose to create a metal structure that it can be placed on. Or you could weld four legs in place to make it more sturdy.
Finally, you will need to place some things inside the drum that will support the grill. This might be as simple as putting some bricks in place that the grill can be balanced on. Make sure you leave some space for the charcoal to be placed. It’s then a good idea to light the BBQ to burn off any residue left in the drum before cooking with it. Then you can start using it to cook food straight away.
If you are after something a bit quicker and on the budget side, we would suggest looking at a bbq such as the landmann kettle, a few details can be found below.
Last update on 2023-03-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API