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MonopTN
 
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Default Danny Gaulden's Big Drum Smoker Review


> Thanks for the detailed review Rocky, guess I'll go out an buy me a drum
> for say $7, 2 grills at home depot for about $30 smacks, an a few
> dollars for nuts and bolts, then I'll be cooking as good as everyone
> else that paid hundreds for your cooker.
>
> Warmest Regards,
> Piedmont


Piedmont,

Actually, I did that very thing several years ago. I got a used drum
for free, and then took it to a welding shop and told them what I
wanted. Instead of a buying a grill to scavenge parts from, the welding
shop used some expanded metal for the grilling surface. I dropped the
drum off along with $25, and received a day or two later a nice small
bbq pit/drum.

To answer a few questions from other posts and give my own review:

The reason that pit is vertical instead of horizontal is to keep the
grilling surface sufficiently far from the heat source. That way, the
grill is forgiving, and prevents you from cooking too hot very easily,
and it reduces the radiant cooking.

The pit works great! However, when cooking in cold or windy conditions,
the pit requires massive amounts of charcoal or coals to keep it going.
On a nice calm summer day, I can put 10-15 lbs of charcoal in and let
it go for 3-1/2 hours. That will about perfectly cook chickens or spare
ribs. I've even cooked shoulders on this thing. One cold winter day, I
cooked chickens and it took 40 lbs of charcoal. Due to there being no
insulation, and little mass to regulate temp, the fluctuations and heat
loss can be extreme.

I've found the pit to be a great way to cook a small batch of ribs or
chickens. It also travels well. When you unload that thing at a
campground, sporting event, etc, people look at you as if you were
unloading toxic waste! But when the aroma starts to waft from the drum,
they come running back to it!

I now have a brick pit in my yard, and have a small section of it
cordoned off for smaller cooking jobs. I seldom use the drum as a
result, but it is a great way to cook.

MonopTN