How To Build a Grill Out Of a 55 Gallon Drum

How To Build a Grill Out Of a 55 Gallon Drum

The instructions below are for a tall standing grill, not a side grill.

The instructions below are for a tall standing grill, not a side grill.
Where to get a barrel : Used steel barrels also called drums aren’t difficult to find. You can find clean ones online, local pet stores have them from time to time, or try your local feed stores. Don’t get one with any chemicals or oils that you think you can burn out! If it has a skull or a big X over a skull or something similar don’t get it. You just want a nice clean 55 gallon steel drum with removable lid. You want the drum lid to fits snuggly on top. Your local Lowes Retailer, or Home Depot will have all the other supplies that you will need.

SUPPLY LIST
50-55 Gallon Drum-Search Craigslist in your area.
2-Six Inch metal gate handles with bolts and nuts
2-1/2 by 34 inch lengths of steel rod (steel reinforced bars work well)
2-1 1/2 by 8 Inch metal straps
4-1/8 by 1 1/2 Inch stove bolts with nuts
24-1/8 inch washer
21 to 22 Inch diameter barbeque grill )cut just smaller than the inside dimension of the barrel)
2-round end cuts from a 1 pound food can
2-Bricks
Container such as a non galvanized oil pan of base of an inexpensive round portable barbeque

TOOLS NEEDED
Hammer
Ear Plugs
Gloves
3/4 Cold Chisel
Metal File
Electric Drill with 1/2 and 3/4 high speed drill bits
Heavy Duty metal Sheers or saber saw

GETTING STARTED
If you are not experiencing at welding or any of the other procedures in the tips make sure to get experience first or work with someone who knows what he/she is doing. The easy way out is to take your drum to a welding shop and have them cut out the bottom, make the side and lid vent holes, and weld the handles to the lid. The average prices for welding charge start around $25 $45 depending where you live for this type of welding. You’ll still have to make the vent covers and mount the grill yourself. If you have the time, muscle, and a few tools you can do the complete job yourself. Set barrel lid aside.

-Build a large enough wood fire within the drum to blaze out of the top, and let it burn until the interior surface of the drum is free of any particles other substances.

-Let it cool, don’t be in a hurry. Empty the ashes, hose it down without adding any cleaning substance.

-Get the earplugs it’s going to get noisy, and you want to save your hearing. With the hammer and cold chisel, cut out bottom just within the edge. It is best to hold the chisel at an angle as you cut sideways round the edge like a can opener.

-Now use the hammer to pound down and pointy edges, and make them lie down flat, and flush against the sides.

-Take the handles and bolt the handles to opposite sides of the lid through predrilled holes.

-Now your barrel is going to need a 2 inch circular hole about 2 inches from the rim, if your barrel lid does not have one draw a 2 inch circle on lid about 2 inches in from rim. Using the circle as your guide drill a ring of small pilot holes just inside the circle, then punch out the circle with a hammer and chisel. File pointed edges of the drum until they are smooth. Use the same method to make a second air vent in the side of the barrel about 4 inches above the bottom.

-Make covers for the vent using the round can ends (or scraps of steel). Bend the metal straps and pre drill holes through them and barrel; using stove bolts through the holes fasten straps to each vent cover and to the drum side and lid. Use the washers to help ensure a snug fit. The vent covers should hinge easily. To install the support bars, drill or punch two (2) pair’s ¾ inch holes on opposite sides of the barrel about 12 inches apart and 9 inches down from the top rim. Run the metal holes through the rods set grill on support bars.

-Punch holes for ventilation in a pan or barbeque sides about 2 inches apart just above the base.

by http://www.howtobuildagrilloutofa55gallondrum.com

Grill Like a Pro - Tools for Better Barbeques

Grill Like a Pro - Tools for Better Barbeques

Summer is just around the corner, which means backyard cooking time for a lot of us. Despite the growing popularity of outdoor kitchens, replete with stoves, refrigerators, rotisseries, and other fancy weather-proof appliances, the trusty backyard barbeque grill remains the number one choice for most of us.

Whether you plan on inviting lots of folks over or just enjoy grilling for the family, you're probably already thinking of sauces and marinades you can try to spruce up your burgers, steaks, and chicken breasts. There are quite a few tools that might come in handy, too, to make cooking easier (after all, you want to get your meat just right without charring anything) and cleanup a snap. Let's take a look at what's available this year to improve the grill experience.

Grill Baskets

You've probably had yummy grilled vegetables at your favorite restaurant or maybe from a store like Whole Foods, but they can be a pain to cook at home. Unless you slice them very carefully, and turn them over even more carefully, they'll slip between the bars of the grate and it's bye-bye eggplant.

For an easier time, consider a grill basket. These baskets allow you to lay out the food up inside, close the lid, and stick your veggies on the grill. A handle makes it a lot easier to flip the food (and you can get everything at once) than the traditional spatula and tongs.

And of course you're not limited to vegetables. Everything from shish kabob skewers to steaks to fish can be cooked using a grill basket.

Grill Liners

Home Depot and other stores are now carrying special grill liners made from heavy duty aluminum. They fit just about any barbeque with parallel bars, and they eliminate the need to clean up afterwards. Cook your food, then throw the liner away. The bars underneath will remain pristine, so there's no need to spend tedious time scraping gunk off the grate. You can get more than 20 liners for 20 dollars, so it's not a bad deal at all.

Stir-Fry Pans

Stir-fry on the barbeque? That's nuts, isn't it? Well, not if you pick up a stir-fry pan specifically designed to work on your backyard grill.

Think of it as an alternative to shish kabobs, which are a pain to flip without searing your fingers and can dry out (if you use metal skewers, they cook the food from the inside out). Stir-fry pans, on the other hand, give you all the flavor of shish kabobs without the difficulties in cooking them.

These pans look a bit like square woks with lots of little round holes in the bottom (small enough to keep food from falling through). Toss in some cut up meat and vegetables, and let the flames do their work. Make sure to pick up a non-stick dishwasher-safe pan, so it will clean up easily.

Meat Thermometers

To eliminate harmful bacteria, it's important to cook meat to the right temperature (165 degrees for chicken, 145 for beef, 140 for seafood, and 160 degrees for burgers). Cooking by sight isn't the safest way to gauge temperature, which is why a meat thermometer comes in handy.

You can get ones that are specifically designed for the grill, such as fork thermometers. Simply stick the prongs into the meat, and read the temperature on the LCD display on the handle. It doesn't get any easier than that.

These are just some of the tools you can pick up to make grilling a more pleasant experience. Hopefully, I've given you some ideas to improve summer cookouts. At the very least, you should have some ideas for Father's Day gifts. Now, go out and grill!

For more house and home ideas, check out the author's blogs on home improvement and outdoor living ideas.