Whisky Barrel Smoker

How to build a whiskey barrel BBQ smoker

Whisky Barrel Smoker

Here’s another material you can use for making a barbecue smoker — a whisky / wine barrel. Prettier than a drum barrel, eh?

This DIY barbecue smoker is different as it doesn’t have a hinged door for adding/removing charcoal while cooking. Heat regulation is done simply by capping and un-capping its air intakes. Though its design is not the usual, it definitely functions well without any issues.

Do you have any access to a good empty whisky barrel? Then this should be your next project!

Don’t get too excited for this weekend’s barbecue though — this is a project that also requires some time and patience. But we’re sure it’s worth it. ;)

Click on any image to start lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. 8-)

Materials:

  • Empty Whiskey or Wine Barrel
  • Generic Pull Handle
  • 1 large Cork and 6-ish small Corks
  • 2 grilling grates – size will depend on the interior size of your barrel
  • Self Tapping Screws
  • Wood Stain and Sealant (optional)
  • Temperature Gauge w/ 4in long stem
  • 3 – 3/4″ x close NPT threaded nipple fittings
  • 3 – 3/4″ NPT End Caps
  • 4 – 90 degree Brackets
  • Fire Bricks
  • Water Pan
  • Dolly/ Cart or Wheels (optional)

Tools:

  • Electric Sander
  • Electric Drill
  • Jigsaw

Steps:

Whisky Barrel Smoker

Depending on how dirty the barrel is, you will want to use either an electric sander if you have one or hand sand it and clean off the outside of the barrel.

Whisky Barrel Smoker

In order to prevent the individual pieces of wood (staves) from moving, we screwed each stave to the metal bands. This was by far the most grueling part of this project. Using an electric drill (would be easier with an electric impact drill) and self tapping screws, we made sure each stave had at least one screw securing it to the metal band. Since the staves vary in size, some were wide enough that they needed 2 screws. Your screw might try to walk a bit or have issues first grabbing onto the metal. We ended up needing to use a hammer and center punch to make a pilot for each hole so the screws wouldn’t walk.

Whisky Barrel Smoker

Once you have the first band of screws completed, the same needs to be done for the next three bands. If you want all of your screws to line up then you can either draw pencil lines from the first band, or (as we did) use lines of tape to line the screws up along all 4 bands. If you are not quite as OCD, then you can just wing it and put the screws wherever you want on the other 3 bands. Like I said before, this is definitely the most time consuming part of the project and took us a couple of days to complete.

Whisky Barrel Smoker

Continued Page 2…

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

|

Global Site Search

|

Our Deal For Today!

Your details will never be shared with any third party. Unsubscribe at any time with a single click.

The posts on this site sometimes contain an affiliate link or links to Amazon or other marketplaces. An affiliate link means that this business may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through those links.