Texas BBQ question

[Dextreme]

I am planning to build a Texas BBQ like the one on the LE site (link below). My question is that I have a 55 gal barrel that originally had compressor oil in it. Am I going to be safe grinding, cutting and welding on this barrel? What do you recommend to make it safe? thx

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/bbq.asp

[nitsuj]

When I click the link nothing happens. Must not be able to link to a Lincoln site from here. Anyhow, heres my question, if the drum held a non food grade oil, could it ever be made safe to cook food in? I like the idea of the project, but 55 gal is a bit big. I'm anxious to hear a discussion on this subject.

[Franz]

Actually, I recommend you scrap the idea of making a grill from a drum because you'll put the same work into doing that you would put into making a grill from a piece of pipe, or having some 3/16 rolled, and you'll still have a drum that will burn/rust out in a few years.

If you insist on working on a drum the procedure is to wash it out thoroughly at the car wash, then purge it with inert gas, such as nitrogen or Co2 before you cut it.

[echo8287]

Watery Grill

I'm still in the process of making one too. I haven't had a chance to work on it lately to busy making other stuff. But I'm making mine out of old water heaters. The steel is thicker than a barrel and no problems with undesirable materials inside. Go to a local plumbing supply and ask them if you can have one of the warranty returned ones ,if they let you get one look for the newest one you can find. You might have to strip the foam insulation off of it to get to the steel. I think its gonna work pretty good if I can get back on it. David

[cutter]

This Texan's Texas BBQ grill is made from a Texas barrel & I've used it for well over ten years with no sign of burnout. Burnout is caused by idiots tossing in the charcoal directly on the "floor" of the drum, which not only ruins it but doesn't burn right either. Make a fire grate out of something, even expanded metal is better than nothing. You'll have to replace expanded metal periodically but it's cheap and plentiful. Better yet, build something like the cutting table tops that RockyD & others posted last week or so & be set for years. Make the grate large enough to rest 3- 4 inches above the bottom wall and the charcoal will have airflow under it as any fire should & will be much easier to light & get proper burndown before you lay the steaks in. On the end opposite the chimney, cut a 3 inch hole near the bottom & make a pivot cover for it to allow for incoming air control.

By the way, I never have liked using 55 gallon drums for this. A 30 gallon is a better size - about 18 inches in diameter, 29 or so inches long. And the shelf material discussed below works for this size. If you shop around a little bit, you can find one with a removable top, too. That can come in handy for cleanout and during fab-up. Now this means that you don't follow the crowd in cutting the drum half in two or even all the way to the ends. Doing that leaves the lid too flimsy and too heavy anyway & causes the hinges to spring lot of the time. Just lay out a good sized opening leaving 3 or 4 inches of margin from each end. The one I am using now has a 20 x 20 opening with the latter being measured around the circumference of the barrel. As the article advises, make the hinge cut first & immediately attach the hinges, then finish the opening. I used 4 narrow but long hinges on mine, light gauge & easy to form to the contour of the lid. To keep the lid from passing through the hole, I pop riveted some 2 inch light gauge steel strap to the 3 free edges, providing a 1 inch lip. Fabricate some kind of prop to hold the door open.

Expanded metal does not work very well as a cooking surface because your steaks are gonna stick to it pretty badly. I have better luck with old refrigerator shelves; most of the old chrome ones are about the right size & built heavily enough to last several years, or you can always re-inforce them a little bit as needed. You can usually acquire them for free because once you program yourself to watch for them, they are all over the place & free for the taking a lot of the time. Meat will stick to them a lot less than to expanded metal. Just scrub one up & let the first fire or two do the rest. You can also make a cheap height control for the cooking shelf out of adjustable wall sheving supports - the kind with the hook & slot arrangement. Position the strips vertically (and level with each other) against the back wall & attach with stove bolts at the top & bottom, or whatever suits you; Insert a shelf support into each strip, lay the grill on them & tack them together, or not. Once you experiment little bit, you'll figger out what the best postion is & use it all the time but this arrangement gives you the wiggle room you need to find that best height without having to try & re-do 2 or 3 times.

[nitsuj]

But where do you get the drum? Can you use one that once housed something like oil or parts cleaner? Can you just burn the junk out of them? If not, where does one find a brand new 30 gal oil drum?

[cutter]

Originally posted by nitsuj
But where do you get the drum? Can you use one that once housed something like oil or parts cleaner? Can you just burn the junk out of them? If not, where does one find a brand new 30 gal oil drum?

In most medium to large towns there are barrel re-cyclers, businesses that scrub & re-sell them. They often have the word "drum" somewhere in the company name & you might try looking under "drum" in your yellow pages. Here where I live, the Scrub-a-Dub Drum Co. is listed under "barrels". The last one I bought from them cost me 10 bucks, already cleaned up. You just gotta develop a little bit of dumpster diving mentality sometimes. Ask around the metal shops & welding supplies. Somebody will know.

[Franz]

" I pop riveted some 2 inch light gauge steel strap to the 3 free edges, providing a 1 inch lip. "
Cutter you know dang good & well those are supposed to be called "astrigals" or Jack will pitch a hissy. AND Pop rivets, my god man, this is a welding board. At least use proper aircraft rivets like RockyD does, he's made a carear out of using rivets.

A barrel grill will last less than 2 seasons in this part of the country before it rusts out, regardless of where the fire is built.


Barrels, look in the yellow pages, there's generally a barrel recycler in any urban area.

[nitsuj]

Cool! I looked in the yellow pages, and there she be! I called and they told me all they had in 30 gal was brand new hazardous material drums and they're expensive. How much says I. $35. Wow. Drums must be cheap if $35 is expensive. I'm no Rockefeller or anything, but when she said they were expensive, I wasn't expecting $35. Looks like I'm in the grill making business now! I was going to need a new grill this year anyhow, no way I'm paying $200 for a gas grill as long as I have St. Hobart in the garage! I hate cooking with gas anyhow. So lets some plans and pics!

[nitsuj]

Only 2 seasons? So what are people doing? Just making a sturdy base and doing a new barrel ever couple of years?

[cutter]

Originally posted by Franz
" I pop riveted some 2 inch light gauge steel strap to the 3 free edges, providing a 1 inch lip. "
Cutter you know dang good & well those are supposed to be called "astrigals" or Jack will pitch a hissy. AND Pop rivets, my god man, this is a welding board. At least use proper aircraft rivets like RockyD does, he's made a carear out of using rivets.

A barrel grill will last less than 2 seasons in this part of the country before it rusts out, regardless of where the fire is built.


Barrels, look in the yellow pages, there's generally a barrel recycler in any urban area.

This discussion is about a Texas BBQ grill; the man did not ask about a sissy California grill or a frigging Nu Yawk grill. So everybody can just get over it.

[cutter]

Originally posted by nitsuj
Only 2 seasons? So what are people doing? Just making a sturdy base and doing a new barrel ever couple of years?

No, they have to build them out of well casing, pipeline stock or old culverts so they weigh 300 pounds. By the way, drum companies are used to selling in bulk & $35 a pop would be pretty pricey if you needed a thousand at a time.

[Franz]

Originally posted by nitsuj
Only 2 seasons? So what are people doing? Just making a sturdy base and doing a new barrel ever couple of years?

We don't BarB Que here, ain't enough good weather to even think about doin it. I have a perfectly good wife who does the grilling, when it needs to be done, so I don't worry about it.
Today I'm sitting here, lookin out the office window at a pair of white tailed doe relaxing out of the wind in the creek bed, and considering since it's warmer at McMurdow Sound than it is here in Neuevo Hillareah I'm glad I'm inside.

Geez Cutter, anybody can win an argument on their home turf, but you're still not supposed to pop rivet astrigals on.

[newbie]

I live in coastal Texas where there is alot of salt in the air. The BBQ's don't rust inside out, they rust outside in. My buddies in the oilfield all find stainless pipe used for sour gas wells and weld themselves up real purty smokers. So if anyone has some 36 inch stainless pipe they'll give you, use that!

[nitsuj]

Since we're already hip deep in this, I have a few more questions. First, what about the paint on the outside of a barrel? Does it have to be stripped and painted with grill paint, or does the stock paint hold up? Also, does anyone know the dimensions of a 30 gallon drum? I'd love to start tacking a stand together and just worry about the drum later. Oh, one more,the lady at "Barrels R Us" said this barrel was rated for hazardous materials, does that mean it's double walled or corrosion resistant somehow?