Recently I was wasting time on the web and came across a couple of do-it- yourself BBQ sites. It looked fun and easy enough so I decided to give it a try. Westech Performance was throwing away a couple of old fuel drums and it was those High-Octane drums that ended up as my first home made Hillbilly-Q. After running to the steel yard, and hardware store, I'd say the grand total of money spent on the barrel BBQ comes out to less than 200 bucks. That includes metal, grinding wheels, paint, lumber etc.
 What could be better than...  What could be better than some high octane cooking in your backyard? What started out in life as a fuel barrel, will end up as my first hillbilly BBQ. I can hear Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys playing right now. |  Rather than cut the barrel...  Rather than cut the barrel in half and clam shell it, I decided to quarter the barrel instead. I used masking tape and a level to set all my lines and cuts. |  The next step was to use the...  The next step was to use the trusty Sawzall (yes I know that technically Sawzalls are Milwaukee and not Makita, but you get the point) and cut down the side of the barrel along the blue tape. |
 After cutting with the Sawzall,...  After cutting with the Sawzall, the next step is to use the grinder and break the seams at each end of the barrel. Don't worry about fumes in the barrel. They had been empty and uncapped for sometime before cutting into them. Just to be safe I stuck an air hose in one end, turned the compressor on and channeled air through the barrel. |  This quarter section will...  This quarter section will end up being the lid of the Grill. |  The next step was to cut and...  The next step was to cut and weld in some angle iron as a resting place for the grill. This also helped to reinforce the barrel as well. |
 The expanded mesh metal I...  The expanded mesh metal I chose was a bit of a of the heavier gauge metal. Rather than leave the bare sharp edges, I welded metal rod all along the edges and eventually added some cross bars as well. Hopefully it will help the mesh grill retain its strength over the years. At the very least it wont have any sharp edges when my wife scrubs the grill (Shhh...don't tell her I said that). |  The bare edges of the barrel...  The bare edges of the barrel are pretty sharp... |  ...So I tack welded all the...  ...So I tack welded all the edges and ground the welds down till they were nice and smooth. |
 It was time to make the stands...  It was time to make the stands for the grill. So I started out by making the cradle first... |  ...Using 1/2-inch box tube,...  ...Using 1/2-inch box tube, I made relief cuts every two inches and then bent the box tube to fit the curve of the barrel. After that the cuts were all welded and ground smooth. |  The nearly half moon pieces...  The nearly half moon pieces of metal were then welded to the barrel against the edges. |
 Now it was time for the hinges...  Now it was time for the hinges on the lid of the grill. A simple set of $2 dollar hinges at the local hardware store worked for me... |  ...Behind each hinge a reinforcement...  ...Behind each hinge a reinforcement plate was also welded. No sense in having flimsy hinges, I wanted them to be as strong ass possible. |  Here is a shot of the grill...  Here is a shot of the grill about 95% done. I believe 2X1 steel was used to make the legs. Relief cuts were cut into the legs about 6-inches down and the legs were bent out a bit to give the grill a bit more stability... |
The grill now stands 3-feet tall. Also you may notice on the bottom of the lid I also welded a piece of flat bar steel. This helps five the lid some stability as well as keeping it weighed down. What is not shown in this picture is the handle which will be wood, and the small attached table which will also be on the front of the grill. I'm still not sure whether to put a set of caster wheels on the legs or not. Also prior to this, I threw in a pile of wood and had a cleansing fire. Most of the paint burned off and the barrel started to glow red in some spots the fire was that big inside. There should be no traces of fuel or contaminants left inside. Then I hit the barrel with a grinder and took off what was left of the paint, painted it black using the 1,200 degree BBQ paint. I still need to add the chimney, another vent hole on the side, some more cross bracing, the handle and table, but for the most part, she's done.
I will post the 100% complete photo (when I finish the last 5%) in the blog section of our web site.
Once the grill was in, it was seasoned with a wire scrub brush and lard. After that it was placed over the flames for a while giving the lard a chance to melt and season the grill. Now go out there and slow cook some ribs!