Test Firing

About six weeks after beginning the project, I was ready to test fire the smoker. I started out with a very low flame and gradually increased the gas and eased it into the smoking temperature range of 225-250 F. I was pleased with the stability of the temperature and ease of control. I used a digital thermometer to verify the accuracy of the smoker's dial thermometer...I found the dial thermometer's accuracy lacking, but deviation from actual temperature was consistent, so it is useful for managing temperature of the smoker by converting (200 F on the dial is about 225 F inside the smoker, 225 F on the dial is about 250 F inside the smoker, etc.).

Finishing Touches

A couple of finishing touches included a large dial thermometer and a lift handle for the lid. I placed the thermometer in the lid, with the probe at the level meat will rest on the upper rack of the smoker. The handle was easy to find at my local hardware store. The thermometer was ordered from amazon.com.

Insides Complete

With racks and burner in place, the remaining internal component was a water bath / drip pan. I struggled to find a pan of adequate diameter, so settled on a Behrens 3 gallon steel utility pan that is 16-1/4" diameter and 4" deep. Angle brackets bolted together to form a "U" shape and screwed to the inside of the barrel made for perfect mounting of the water bath / drip pan.

These photos show all internal components installed, including the juice can for holding wood chips that sits directly on the burner.

Controlling Air Flow

Holes in the burner pan allow ample airflow into the smoker. To regulate the amount of air flowing through the smoker, I installed a couple of circular air dampers on the lid.

I ordered these from amazon.com and installation was simple. I drilled holes aligning with those in the damper, plus one in the center for the mounting bolt. The dampers came with mounting bolts, but I had to purchase longer bolts to pass through the thick wood of the barrel head. I also cut the resistance springs to shorter length so that I could use a shorter bolt.

Mounting and Piping the Burner

I fabricated four metal brackets from flat bar to attach the burner pan to the barrel. The hole I cut for the burner pan was of larger diameter than the pan to provide an air gap of about one inch between the pan and barrel to protect the wood from the heat of the burner. The sheet metal "doughnut" I placed in the bottom of the barrel covered the gap, ensuring the inside of the smoker had a solid metal bottom. Cutting the large hole in the bottom of the barrel weakened the barrel head, so I also screwed two pieces of flat bar across the bottom to reinforce the joints between each section of the barrel head.

After piping up the gas, I used flat bar and some scrap metal brackets to build a couple of guards around the gas piping. This prevents the piping from being damaged when rolling the smoker along an uneven surface.

Remember how casters mounted to the bottom of the barrel created a tipping hazard? This photo shows my solution of legs constructed with 2x4's. The legs extend further out from the barrel on the back side to support the lid when opened and prevent tipping. Note also the gas line is routed to the back of the smoker, which allows the propane cylinder to be positioned out of the way, behind the smoker, when cooking.

I attached a hook to the rear of the barrel to hang the gas line and regular from when transporting the smoker. Note also the round aluminum cover I placed over the bung hole. A lot of people find a creative use for the bung hole in constructing their smoker, but I simply covered it.

Burner Installation

The thought of using charcoal or wood chips in a smoker constructed of wood makes me nervous. Therefore, I selected a propane burner and use a juice can to contain the smoking chips.

I purchased a "Mini-V" propane burner from Ed at Alabama Metal Products Co. He was very helpful in providing guidance on setting up the burner in a wine barrel smoker.

Alabama Metal Products Gas Smoker Website

The burner pan came with holes in the bottom to provide combustion air, I simply needed to cut a hole in the bottom of the barrel to accomodate the burner assembly.

As an additional measure of safety, I lined the bottom of the barrel with sheet metal to reduce risk of fire should a spark or ember escape the juice can and land in the bottom of the barrel.

Fitting the Racks

Amazon.com turned out to be the best resource for finding round wire grates that precisely matched the size of the barrel. I chose to install two grates in the smoker for increased cooking capacity. I found conduit straps to be the best way to hang the grates inside the barrel. They were easily screwed into the barrel staves.