Well, the glaciers have receded, so it's getting near time for BBQ in New England. I wheeled the OK Joe out of the shed to its flagstone perch for the summer. And I started working on a (not so) UDS that I'll be selling on Craigs List this spring.
I learned a few lessons on my own build, so I think this one came out even better than the one I use regularly.
One thing I learned was that on most of the drums with a removable lid the OD of the lip is too large to fit a Webber domed lid on. But if you flip the barrel upside down the bottom's diameter is perfectly fine. I've heard that the same is true for the closed head drums. So, I flipped the drum over and cut-off the bottom with a sawzall and thyen ground down the sharp edges with my angle grinder.
I kind of like the bottom being the removable lid as it gives you some added options during use. If you leave the clamp off, you can pull the entire drum off the lid and set the charcoal basket on the lid while lighting, then just lower the drum down over the basket instead of lifting the basket into the drum. Thaty way if you need to mess with the fire for some reason (Which you really never should) you can pull the barrel body off with the food still on the grates. Also, you can easily clean up after a cook by lifting the drum body off the lid and have at it!
I put the upper grate 4" from the top because I knew this would always be used with the domed lid, and put the second grate is 6" below that. Still lots of room below that for a third tier if someone wanted one. I prefer to keep the racks as high as possible to stay away from the fire's radiant heat.
Got the drum for free from my son at the brewery, so it was well worth trying this, and it seems like it will work fine. That's a Chinese stainless steel ball valve that I bought 4 of on eBay for $26. Found an old Webber Kettle on Craigs List for $35. I think the domed lids really are worth having.
Burned the barrel out with my propane weed burner bought from Harbor freight a while ago. Then re-painted it with 500 degree Engine enamel. It's not super glossy, but it look pretty good and should hold up fine.
Coal basket made from a new Webber 13.5" charcoal grate and 24'x24" piece of expanded metal cut in half and welded onto the lower grate. Made the ash catcher pan out of the bottom of the barrel I cut off with my sawzall. Just made a bunch of slits around the edge and bent them up into a small lip to help catch the fallen ash.
Cost for all materials came up to $135. Not sure what I'll be able to get for it on Craigs List. What do you all think it"s worth? I've seen the kit ones (Big Poppa and Pit Barrel) go for a lot of money when pre-built. And the Gateway drums are ridiculous ($800!!) I'm thinking of starting out at $250 and see how much interest there is.
Oh, and just for fun, I also turned my old Smokey Joe tailgater grille into a Micro Smokey Mountain tailgater smoker.
Ive heard those little things are very stingey with the charcoal. Haven't tried cooking on it yet.
