British BBQ Society Forums

Does anyone know any plans for a smoker to make it from an oil drum? really want to get smoking this summer always been an interest and since my wife introduced me to smoked fish... OMG I really cannot wait to stink out the neighbours.

Jordan @ The Meat Thief

Hello chum,
many on here have done it, I think slats has a link in his sig block as to how he built his, failing that smokerbuilder.com has plenty.

To another question you posed ref brioche buns, I had a burger in "meat and barrel" in Portsmouth that was in a brioche bun you could nip along and ask them, similarly 6oz burgers gets good raps, haven't eaten there myself but the review in the news mentioned the brioche buns........

Personally don't like them myself, if the beef is good,the cheese gooey then I want a minimal bland bun just to keep the sauce off my hands

Good luck Tiny

It's really easy, there are plans all over the internet if you know what you're looking for. The key word is UDS - ugly drum smoker.

Get your grill grates from homebase - they're in stock now for a fiver
Stainless nuts and bolts you can get from somewhere like toolstation.
Step drill bits are supposedly easier than a hole saw - I got mine from Amazon but it looks like that specific one has been discontinued.
Nipples/caps/ball valves - when I was looking, BES.co.uk was the cheapest
For the fire basket I found some stainless mesh in B&Q, but it's quite pricey. It looks like a washing machine drum would be a better option and every time I see a dead washing machine left outside for collection I am tempted to get my angle grinder onto it.
The Americans seem to have discarded Weber kettles in abundance, I had trouble finding a cheap dome lid to fit mine but the barrel lid works if you only need one rack.

Have fun!

You don't even need anything fancy for controlling the air intakes. I just use squares of sheet magnet that I picked up from Amazon and they've been working just fine for over a year now, surviving all weather and continuing to live another day. I might upgrade to valves one day, but they're not necessary

The internet is your friend, I just googled it, read lots of threads, watched a few bids on you tube and headed out to the garage armed with beer.

There is a link in my signature below to show my shopping list and how I did it.

Hope it helps