5 replies to this topic

[Frank Allen]

I am new to the forum. I have an ECB, and a Char-Broil Santa Fe grill that I use for offset smoking.

Chicken and pork are Kryptonite to me, but you can't make omelettes without breaking some eggs, right?

Anyway, I am going to (with some help from my friends/neighbors) build a Big Baby Double Drum Smoker. I have all the parts, but I have a question:

Based on what I have seen around the internet,

some people weld angle iron into the upper drum (to hold the grate).

some people just place the grate in the drum

What is the consensus? Weld? JB-Weld? No weld? screwing or riveting brackets to hold the grate?

[Brian Moriarty]

I build Big Drum Smoker clones, and use nuts and bolts for everything. If you have a welder go for it!
Here are the specs I use:

Three 3/4" intake vents drilled 2.5" OC from the bottom of a drum



I then use the charcoal grate from an 18" kettle as a platform and wrap expanded metal into a ring held in place with nuts and bolts and secured to the grate with bailing wire, 4" bolts are in place to raise the basket 3.5" from the bottom of the drum.



Then measure 24" from the bottom of the charcoal bin (set in drum) and drill holes for the cook grate.






Drill eight 1/2" exhaust vents in the lid, handle from the sacrificed kettle



I have small expando rings that I use for short cooks like ribs/chicken/sausage/tri-tip etc.







L-R

23x39 55 gallon 27x39 85 gallon 14x27 15 gallon

Compared to: http://www.bigdrumsm...com/smokers.htm

My heroes - KC Can Crew! Jack Daniels 2008!



Bubba said "pretty wins, but ugly pays!"

[Brian Moriarty]

Couple more here: http://www.bbq-breth...545&postcount=1

[Shayne Pharis]

Very cool thank you for the link Brian. Btw is there a specific reason your placing your grates at 24" ? also are you using a diffuser plate in any of these?

[Brian Moriarty]

Shayne Pharis, on 13 June 2013 - 03:38 PM, said:

Very cool thank you for the link Brian. Btw is there a specific reason your placing your grates at 24" ? also are you using a diffuser plate in any of these?

The 24" is the grate height from the bottom of the charcoal basket. Those were specs given to me from a Big Drum Smoker owner before that forum was locked down to lurkers and open only to registered owners. But the grate placement isn't rocket science or chiseled in stone, the BDS website used to list their smokers and how much cooking space was available for each model and I just did the math on mine and have been satisfied with those figures.
I only cook direct without any waterpan or heat sheild, but do use smaller charcoal rings that I can set off to one side of the drum and place the meats opposite the direct heat-a tip the KC Can Crew shared with me and their cook grates were much closer to their fire baskets.

[Ric Gilbert]

Cool pictures, Brian!