15 gal drum SJS project


 

George L

TVWBB All-Star
I picked up a new 15 gallon, unlined, open-top drum the other day. This smoker body will be used mostly to hang meat, with a single threaded stainless steel rod going across the top of the drum where ribs, chicken, and whatever will hang off of. I'll be able to easily hang up to 4 full slabs of St. Louis or BB ribs.

All other essential mods will be made to the SJ bottom, including replacing the thin, stock legs with 1" wide, 1/8" gauge aluminum bar stock bent into shape, very similar to stock WSM legs. The stock SJ legs are just too weak for the added weight of the tall drum with meat in it.

First order of business were to drill a bunch of holes at the bottom end of the drum. I used a step drill bit for this. More pics will follow as the project progresses. Thanks for looking.

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Thanks!
Here's what I did this morning before heading into work. I installed a 3/8" threaded rod for the meat hangers which I cut and bent out of stainless steel skewers I had laying around.
This basically completes work on the smoker body for now. I might install a thermometer and a couple of grates at some point down the road.

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George, this looks like an awesome modification! Where did you get the new and unused drum from? I see you're in LA, which isn't so far from where I am; I was wondering if I'd be able to get one shipped.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product, and by that I mean both the whole assembled smoker, and the food!
 
Thank you Neil. I bought the drum new from Ditty Containers locally here. They're located in South El Monte. The 15 gallon drums are only available as new, in either open or closed-top. Other drum sizes are available either new or reconditioned.

My next step is replacing the legs on the Smokey Joe.

And yes, I will definitely post pics of hanging ribs. :)
 
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So you're saying this drum sits on top of a smoky joe and becomes a mini pit barrel smoker? Wow! That's quite an idea.
Very curious to hear how it works out. Very cool.
 
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So you're saying this drum sits on top of a smoky joe and becomes a smoker? Wow! That's quite an idea.
Very curious to hear how it works out. Very cool.

Well, although not common, using a 15 gallon drum instead of a tamale pot for a mini-WSM has been done by some.
But in my case I'm dedicating this smoker body with just hangers, although I may add a grate later on. The rod should not get in the way.

This is basically what the smoker will look like when done. Here, I was just checking for fit prior to working on the drum.

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lookin great so far. you made the legs ? also, why all the holes as opposed to just cutting out most of the bottom ? this would allow more coals to be added at the initial burn.
 
Thanks! Yes I made the legs. As for the holes I don't plan on using another diffuser.
I sometimes run a perforated diffuser in my UDS so I figured I'll try the same with the mini. I can at any time cut out the bottom if things don't work out.
 
maybe a short explanation as to how you made the legs ? i'm purty good at stuff like that but 'am always open to new ideas. i really like those legs.
 
Using a bench vise and a small block of wood I bent into shape three 16" strips of 1" x 1/8" aluminum bar. I was able to shape all three pieces identical to one another.
I'll post pics of the installed legs tomorrow.
 
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These legs turned out rock solid with absolutely no wobble, even with the additional weight of the tall drum.

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I did a test burn last night using a load of briquettes, minion method, and it held temps between 225 to 300 for several hours. I did not make a coal basket (yet), but shielded the vent holes from ash build up with a can. But although all the briquettes were completely spent the layer of ash buried the can and its holes completely. I guess I need to raise the coal grate so I can use a taller can in this case....? I'll perhaps try that on Saturday with my first cook (hanging 2 St Louis spares).
 
not sure what your can setup is(pic?) but i have done reasonably long cooks with no real issues. maybe needs a little hat over the can ?
but i suspect that when you are cooking that the cook will be done way ahead of the can getting blocked.
the legs setup looks great, like the way you tucked the leg in under the top seam.
 
the legs setup looks great, like the way you tucked the leg in under the top seam.

Thanks, by tucking the leg under the rim it creates tension when it's bolted at the bottom end and does not budge at all, therefore not requiring another bolt.

Well, I guess I really don't have an issue as I was able to get a good 6 hours of burn time, considering the volume of cook chamber vs. the small amount of charcoal used.
 
time will tell as you cook more and see how it goes. there is always a solution once you pin down the problem. i think you have firmed up my thoughts on what to do with my 16 gal barrell. think i'll do as you did using the sj.
 
I love the size of these 16 gallon barrels. Before I decided to go this route with the barrel I was planning on turning it into a standard mini-UDS with 2 grates and using the SJ kettle bottom for it's lid for the added cooking height and for aesthetics.
 
yea, lookin at the distance issue its almost a no brainer that you gain a lot of space by using the sj. for me the sj lid will work just fine. around here hanging meat to smoke is the standard and have seen it done on the 16 barrel. shoot, now i'm gettin excited !
 

 

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