The Homemade Oil Drum Grill

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The smell of the BBQ is once again flooding the air in most suburban neighbourhoods, as we make the most of the weather and try and get a little fresh air while we cook. The BBQ grill is obviously the centre of any BBQ activity, so naturally a lot of thought tends to go into choosing one.

While a lot of people opt for the store bought BBQ, more people are starting to look around the yard and wonder, is there any way they can reduce the cost of getting a BBQ but at the same time get something strong and sturdy, that won't fall to pieces after a couple of months of heavy use?

A great option that ticks all the boxes is the homemade BBQ grill. With just a few tools and a little effort you can actually make a BBQ grill that will work just as well as the most expensive grill on the market, and in all likelihood be as tough if not tougher.

So, the main ingredient for a sturdy homemade BBQ grill is a scrap 55 gallon oil drum. When you actually look around, these drums are used for so many things other than storing oil! Just the other day, sitting in a bar with my wife, I looked up and saw that the shades over the lights were fabricated from oil drums cut in half!

Once you've got yourself an old oil drum, you next need to source some angle iron for the frame. If you can't get angle iron or don't have the tools to work it, hardwood will also work. Contrary to what you might think, you won't set the entire place on fire.

The basics of the 55 gallon oil drum BBQ grill are as follows; the oil drum is split in half, with the bottom half being used for the fire, the top half can be hinged and used as a hood, this is optional, A simple grate is then fitted over the open half of the drum, and there you have it, an oil drum BBQ. A simple frame can then be constructed for the oil drum to sit into. This will give you a bomb proof grill, with massive grilling area.

There are obviously some finer points and details to be observed during the construction.