How to Build Your Own BBQ Barrel

Thank you for making this Instructable one of the Best of 2009! #7 in the Food Category...

Lucky for me on my last day of work at The Bakery, the 55-gallon honey barrel I'd been waiting for was finally empty. Getting laid off wasn't going to stand in the way of my dream to make my own barbecue.

Step 1: The Prep

First, I had to empty out all the excess honey and clean the inside (not exciting enough for a photo). Then I borrowed a grinder from a friend and cut the opening.

It's way less of a hassle to have a food grade barrel. Imagine bbq'n in a barrel that use to have oil or fuel. Yuck!

Step 2: Constructing the Stand

I had to make a base and the only things around were some old chain-link fence posts that I'd never taken to the dump and some scrap plywood I'd demoed out of a creepy room in my basement.

I cut 6 posts at different lengths - 2 the length of the barrel & 4 for the legs. I wanted to bbq to be portable so the best way for that was for the barrel to sit on top of the stand. Two posts held the barrel while the 4 legs were attached by drilling holes for the carriage bolts on either end. To attach keep the legs sturdy I secured them with pieces of plywood. Put the barrel on top and it stood tall and proud.

Step 3: Attaching the Lid & Grill Grates

I added brackets to hold the grills and to keep the lid from falling inside, as well as a lower rack to hold the coals and allow for air circulation.

Be sure to purchase stainless steel brackets and hinges. If you buy galvanized you should take a torch to it to burn off the fumes that will be there the first couple times you grill.

Step 4: Burn Off the Inside

I lit a fire in it to burn off any paints or coatings or who knows what. There may or may not have been a burn ban going on this day so I made burgers on my gas grill to disguise the smoke.

Step 5: Finishing Touches

Last steps in the construction were to add a handle (plain wooden dowel from the hardware store), air vents, and a temperature gauge. I also decided to spray the barrel with a high heat resistant pant. Besides customizing the color a little, the paint helps prevent rust on the barrel. The only thing left was to test it in a real-life BBQ situation.

Comments

[SkyKing333]

I made a 55 gallon drum grill in 1982, and it's still in great shape. My tip: 1) Make sure you store it out of direct weather 2) Each year, when you first pull it out, fire it up, get it hot and spray it with Pam. Pay particular attention the nuts, bolts, hinges and any other area that would be prone to rust and/or corrosion. I don't spray the inside on the bottom, but have sprayed on the inside for the grate and grate supports. It really works, and you end up with a grill that over time looks like a well seasoned iron skillet.

[sara.rosypapan]

Guys how did you get the cooking grates?

[johnnyblegs]

Thanks for your question! Here's where I ordered mine from. You can get pretty much any size and material you want.
https://www.grillparts.com/grill-grates/default.asp

[sara.rosypapan]

Thanks for your reply!

[sara.rosypapan]

Found this from google but they don't seem to have anything that could fit the size of my barrel https://grillpartsreplacement.com/collections/grids-grates

[jellmeister]

Very important point:
Don’t angle grind a tank of unknown previous contents. A couple of years ago a father and son both died due to the sparks of the grinder igniting an explosive air/fuel-vapour mix inside, blowing up the tank and filling the garden with shrapnel. Sad way to end what should have been a nice father-son project :(

Using a food tank, as per the instructions is a great option for easy clean up and safer cutting.

[VoodooTerry]

Thank you for the reminder. It is very dangerous to put any type of a heat source next to a 55 gallon barrel. A very good friend of mine just touched the top of one that had come with Naptha in it. He just touched it with a cutting torch and it blew his head off. My dad was the super of that shop and it happened right outside his office and he saw the whole thing. He couldn't really eat good for at least a month.
Anytime you have a questionable barrel you should fill it full of water and rinse it out a couple of times before you cut. If it were me I'd leave the water in when I cut. Nothing "wrong" with using a fuel-type barrel if you just stay safe doing it.

[DarrenS101]

I have multiple "Food Grade" 55 Gal drums for sale in Cape Girardeau Missouri

[JustinG130]

What are the dimensions of the grill grates? Where did you get them? I'm trying to figure that out now for mine

[johnnyblegs]

The size of the grates depend on the size of your barrel. I ordered mine online from a site similar to this one: https://www.grillparts.com/grill-grates/default.as...

Happy Grilling!

[NDSunshine]

Thank you for this. I think you did an excellent job and covered all the necessities. Too bad with all the side tracks on the galvanized stuff. After all, what is the internet for? Look it up yourself. All I am saying is "8 years Later and still relevant!". Thanks again.

[crickle321]

For grilling, you should avoid galvanized metal all together since the fumes from burning off zinc is pretty darned toxic. If exposed, you should drink milk to absorb the carcinogenic zinc.

[GrapeApe226]

On heavy metals in your body. I've skimmed on this subject but have not researched it and have no intention of getting into it here. Charcoal pills can be bought at health stores and holistic medicine sites can tell you how to help reduce metals & toxins in the body. All I know is that used properly charcoal will absorb toxins like a sponge and hold them solvent until your body passes it. Same theory as your activated charcoal filter in your fridge, it absorbs until it's full, then you need to change it. Search home/holistic medicine sites for more info. That's all I have to offer on this subject.

[maxman]

Charcoal also absorbs good stuff, I believe, so you only want to use it sparingly.

[froggi]

Drinking milk is an urban myth..... While there may be a small benefit, there is no proven data to support this. There are more than enough people who have worked in zinc coating premises who will swear this is true but as the band Thin Lizzy said..... "Don't Believe a Word"

[silver362]

thin lizzy was a guy who had a band not an actual band... jus sayin

[brian_915]

What does the expression "jus sayin" mean? seems like a snarky way of telling someone they are wrong without saying "you're wrong, I'm right". In this case, silver362, you're wrong, froggi is right. (at least about the musical reference) "Thin Lizzy" was the name of an Irish band formed & fronted by bassist Phil Lynott. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll As far as Metal Fume Fever and the use of galvanized metal, I'm no further the wiser from these comments.

[Koolman60]

Just sayin is:

Used at the end of a statement to indicate to the
reader that the writer is a making a passive aggressive comment while
trying not to offend ...

[crickle321]

In all sincerity, what are you not understanding in terms of galvanized metal?

[brian_915]

some people say it's not safe for use as a smoker or grill, other's disagree (not just here, on similar pages on other sites.) I've decided to buy a food-grade barrel and burn it out. (itself not a practice I'm familiar with but that's how we learn)