Building Oil Tank BBQ Pits
“I have been given a old 40 gallon oil tank by my Dad, and he suggested I turn it into a BBQ Smoker. Do you have any information about making oil tank BBQ pits?”
I receive this question a lot, and there really isn’t a wide variety of actual plans out there for transforming oil tanks into BBQ pits.
I’ve written several posts here about building your own BBQ smokers. Two specifically centered around the oil tank smoker design are listed as follows:
Garrell York’s Propane Tank BBQ Design: Available via pdf download. Garrell’s plan is well defined and easy to follow. A trip to your local propane company will get you started.
Garrell suggests asking them for a main tank around six and a half feet to seven and a half feet long, and for the smoke box to use one of the stand up bottles that are almost chest high {25 gallon tank or AKA; 100 lb bottle}.
Note: You’ll notice that Garrell is very clear about you taking every precaution as you build this model. For instance, if you don’t know how, you may need to find a professional welder to cut the tanks open for you.
The Big Baby Oil Tank BBQ Pit: This one is probably the best example of a highly functional and easy to assemble oil tank smoker as you’ll ever find. It’s been around for a long time, and any search on the web for “Big Baby Smoker” will turn up numerous results with pictures, plans, etc.
To date, however, the Definitive plan for this smoker comes from Vince Staten and Greg Johnson’s book, Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA — with Recipes, Porklore, and More!
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The Big Baby smoker is one you can build and be proud of. There’s a great “How To” guide on this smoker – found on page 260 of the Real Barbecue book.
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Pings on Building Oil Tank BBQ Pits
Comments on Building Oil Tank BBQ Pits
Every one I’ve seen has been charcoal fired. Basically, they are created by slicing a drum in half and attaching some sort of legs to it. A Plumbing supply store can sell you the pipes and holder. Screw in some bolts to hold the grills and you are done.
best thing to do is go to store that sells them-look at all the designs and go from there-lots of ideas from other designs
First (and I learned this the hard way), DRAIN the OIL TANK…
REAL good!
Fix one Grill inside.Make a lid and a small whole in one side,that extra smoke will get escape.Start enjoying
My Dad did this when I was a kid. He just cut a quarter out of the oil barrel (end to end). Paint with non-toxic heat proof paint. Put hinges on one side of the cut out quarter, and a handle on the other. He used four pieces of metal pipe to make legs. Attach, and there you go. You may need to go to local hardware store for advice on what to use to attach the legs.
Of course, start off by cutting it in two. Old car hood hinges work well for oil-tank smoker hinges. Attach a 10 lb counterweight cantilevered to the back of the lid to assist in opening. You can place the chimney either in the middle of the lid, or on the side of the lid at the end. Be sure if you place the chimney at the end that you cut the damper at the other end in the bottom half of the tank.
oil tanks are not good to use! it takes for ever to get the oil burnt out of the metal. propane tanks are the best because you can steam them out or burn them out pretty easy.