Hi All

[esselle]

Hi Everyone,
I'm Scott, I am based in the East Midlands. I have been into American style bbq for a few years now after a chance meeting with an American from the deep south whilst on holiday in the Florida Keys . He explained to me that the way we Brits bbq is Grilling and I should try 'smoking' some food. I never looked back. Immediately after the holiday my wife bought me a pro q. I am also in the middle of my latest 'project' of making my own from an oil drum. I have also just bought a hog roaster to use as a second part time business. I would love to take part in the competitions but don't really know whether I have what it takes yet so I might just be there as a visitor this year.

[All Weather Griller]

Hi Scott,

I think you would be surprised on the competition front. Great to have you here, I'm also East Mids. Would be good to see you at a comp.

Beerz

Adie

[Steve]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Good to see another enthusiast on here. If you're in the process of building a UDS, check out our UDS thread in inventor's corner. I'm currently building one and have documented what went well and what didn't

As for the comps, don't feel intimidated, they're very social affairs and everyone shares hints and tips, I'm sure you'll fare well in one.

[British BBQ Society]

Hi Scott,

Welcome to the forum, I understand the aprehension about entering a comp, always sounds daunting and we have all been there so know how to make it an enjoyable experience for one and all. The first comp in May is always used not only for competition but as an introduction for new teams, everyone that takes part spends most of the time socialising with a beer and helping each other out. The British BBQ Society is a truly family affair and whole families are welcome to camp out for the weekend. Rather bizarly google earth decided to head over us at the first BBBQS competition last may, we have grown but you can see how it all started, just type in GU10 1BP and you will see an early morning shot.

look forward to hearing about your BBQ experiences.

Toby

[esselle]

Sounds like my kind of competion Will I be able to compete with just one pro q if my oil drum isn't complete? I was going to buy a second pro q on ebay a few weeks ago someone was selling excel's for £100 but I missed out.

[Steve]

Hi, I did my first competition on one Excel. It's tight but doable, I'd recommend having a cool box though. With a cool box you can get your pork and brisket done early then wrap in foil and a towel then put them in the cooler (to keep warm). This will give you space for your ribs and chicken. You can hold pork and brisket for several hours in a good cooler.

How's your drum going? Did you have a lined drum? I've spent most of today sanding the remains of the liner out of my first. Horrible job Mine's almost completely back to bare metal now so I should be able to season the cooker tomorrow.

[esselle]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the advice. The drum I am using doesn't seem to be lined it looks like just metal. What does the lining look like?
Scott

[Steve]

If it's lined, the interior will look like it's painted, the colour can be anything from tan to a maroon colour. It would be very obvious.

If it looks like plain metal then it most likely is unless it has a clear lacquer on it. You can test for lacquer by wetting a patch (wipe the area well in case there's oil on it) and leaving it overnight, if it shows oxidisation then it's plain steel, if it doesn't then it must be covered with some kind of protective coating.

If it is plain I'd love to know where you got it. It has taken me hours to get the liner out of mine, so next time I'd like to get an unlined drum.

[esselle]

If it's lined, the interior will look like it's painted, the colour can be anything from tan to a maroon colour. It would be very obvious.

If it looks like plain metal then it most likely is unless it has a clear lacquer on it. You can test for lacquer by wetting a patch (wipe the area well in case there's oil on it) and leaving it overnight, if it shows oxidisation then it's plain steel, if it doesn't then it must be covered with some kind of protective coating.

If it is plain I'd love to know where you got it. It has taken me hours to get the liner out of mine, so next time I'd like to get an unlined drum.

I think it must be plain then I got it from eBay but it was a place near me so I went to collect it. They have loads available. They have been used but are not too difficult to clean out. The smoker I am making is going to be an offset. That way I can use it as a grill aswell (hopefully).

[Steve]

That's great for you. Trust me the liner is evil stuff, I hate it

Would be interested to see photos of your build as you progress. I'm sure others on here would love to see it too.