Greatscott!
New member
As I mentioned in another thread, a contractor friend of mine snagged me a food grade drum in excellent condition. I've got a leave from work coming up in a couple weeks so building my drum will be something to fill the time. But I've got a few random questions:
1. My drum's lid has two bungs: a 1" and a 2.25". Both have caps but until I get it sandblasted I'm not even sure if they're metal, plastic, or what under the paint. Should I consider taking those out and replacing with black iron conduit caps?
2. On the BP Engineered kit, is the upper U-bolt position (for grilling /searing) at a good height for temporarily placing a second cooking grate or lowering the main one for turkeys and etc? Or would it be advisable to install a second set of carriage bolts, say, 4-6 inches below the main ones? From what I can tell on the construction video, the upper U bolts might be rather low to the fire for smoking.
3. Here's the tricky one: how do different folks thread a digital thermometer probe cable into the drum? You can always go through the lid vents but seems like a pain when opening and closing to account for the cable. I'd love to install a port into the wall of the drum, but hate to break the air seal. I know there are silicone grommets but of course the probes I use are too big. I'm playing with the idea of tapping a 3/4" black pipe nipple into the rear of the drum and then drilling a hole through a high-temp silicone plug or cork that would fit snugly. Any other ideas?
Thanks much!
1. My drum's lid has two bungs: a 1" and a 2.25". Both have caps but until I get it sandblasted I'm not even sure if they're metal, plastic, or what under the paint. Should I consider taking those out and replacing with black iron conduit caps?
2. On the BP Engineered kit, is the upper U-bolt position (for grilling /searing) at a good height for temporarily placing a second cooking grate or lowering the main one for turkeys and etc? Or would it be advisable to install a second set of carriage bolts, say, 4-6 inches below the main ones? From what I can tell on the construction video, the upper U bolts might be rather low to the fire for smoking.
3. Here's the tricky one: how do different folks thread a digital thermometer probe cable into the drum? You can always go through the lid vents but seems like a pain when opening and closing to account for the cable. I'd love to install a port into the wall of the drum, but hate to break the air seal. I know there are silicone grommets but of course the probes I use are too big. I'm playing with the idea of tapping a 3/4" black pipe nipple into the rear of the drum and then drilling a hole through a high-temp silicone plug or cork that would fit snugly. Any other ideas?
Thanks much!