Build A Huge 55 Gallon Drum Grill

Build A Huge 55 Gallon Drum Grill

Are you planning some big events this spring or summer? If you are going to have a big crowd to feed you may be considering building a huge grill to cook all the good eats you are planning.

Building a big grill can be fun, and take you a few hours of your time if you use a 55 gallon drum to build your grill. Trying building a grill out of concrete in less than 3 hours. Not going to happen!

When you build a charcoal grill out of concrete, you will have to patient, and hold off on grilling for approximately seven to ten days for the concrete mortar to dry thoroughly and set.
Grab a friend and cut the time in half.

Men’s Health Weekend: Do Stuff Build a Huge Grill

By: Greg Presto

What you need will need:

Two (2) 55-gallon steel drums

Two (2) utility hinges
Two (2) ¼-inch x 1-inch x 4-foot pieces of steel
One 5-foot angled steel with pre-drilled holes (Angled steel like this is used to build garage door tracks.)
Sixteen (16) ¼-inch diameter, 1.5-inch bolts (with nuts)
Eight (8) ¼-inch diameter, 4-inch bolts (with nuts)
Two (2) ½-inch diameter, 5-inch bolts (with 4 nuts)
Two (2) pieces metal grate
One piece scrap hardwood
Masking tape

Tools:
Wire cutters
Drill with ¼-inch and ½-inch diameter bits
Concrete saw with 12-inch disc for cutting steel (Don’t buy one. Rent one at a home improvement store.)

Here’s what you do:
Be safe:
Find out what was in your barrels—you’re basically going to be eating out of them. Wash the insiden with soap and water; not only will it be less toxic, but it will keep flammable materials from combusting when you cut.

Cut the barrels:
Mark each barrel with masking tape, preparing to cut them length-wise. Put on gloves, safety glasses, and long sleeves, and fire up the saw. Follow the masking tape guide and cut each barrel into identical, vertical halves. (Be really, really careful: This saw is powerful and dangerous.)

Choose one barrel to be the grill. Cut “v” shapes into the ribs into one side of both halves of this barrel—these cuts will help the hinges swing freely when the grill is finished.

Preparing the base:
Drill two ¼-inch holes in a straight line near the cut edge of what will be the bottom half of your grill. Anchor the angled steel to this half using two 4-inch bolts. Repeat on the opposite side of this barrel half.

Drill four more holes in this barrel half—two in front, two in back—and fill them with the remaining 4-inch bolts. These won’t fasten anything, but should stick out into the body of the grill. (When it’s finished, these bolts will hold up the grilling surface.)

Give it legs:
Balance the bottom of your grill between the halves of the second barrel—these will serve as the legs. Use the angled steel to guide your drilling, and make four ¼-inch holes in the tops of the legs. Use 1.5-inch bolts to secure the bottom of the grill to the legs using the angled steel.

Drill ¼-inch holes near the ends of the 4-foot pieces of steel. Line these up in an “x” shape on the back of the legs. Drill holes to match this “x,” then secure the flat steel pieces with 1.5-inch bolts.

You need somewhere to put your meat:
Place your metal grates on the grill—using two pieces of metal for a cooking surface will allow you to access the coals while you cook. Cut the grates to fit your grill using wire cutters.

Get a handle on:
Drill ½-inch holes near the ends of the hardwood. Use these holes to drill matching ½-inch holes in the front of the grill lid (the only unattached barrel drill remaining). Put the ½-inch bolts through the wood, followed by a nut on each bolt.

Put the handle into the holes drilled in the barrel, and affix the remaining ½-inch bolts.

Finish it already:
Place the lid on top of the base. Line up your hinges in the back and mark where you’ll drill holes for them. Drill 8 holes, and attach the hinges using the remaining 1.5-inch bolts. Open your finished grill, fire it up, and eat some meat. You’ve earned it.

By: Greg Presto

The Original Article Can Be Found At Men’s Health

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