Switching to a Drum Smoker

Hello,

I’ve been trying to find a way to get sleep at competitions and still produce great BBQ. The last competition wiped me out physically and made me question my techniques. I was getting almost no sleep at comps because I was reloading fuel every 45 minutes and worrying about the temp while I lay down.

I have decided to progress to power cooking  (high heat barbecue) and using drum smokers after speaking with a few BBQ friends, looking around at other competitors camp sites, and watching Myron Mixon power cook  on TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters. My Dad and I put together a couple of drums using the drum smoker thread in the BBQ Brethren forum and I’ve been practicing on mine the last half of the Winter.

It didn’t take long to figure out using drum smokers suited my personal style better than off-set smokers. Here are the benefits I have found using a drum smoker:

1. It holds heat better than most off-set smokers. I am able maintain a 325 degree heat in the drum smoker for 10 hours using an 11lb bag of Kingsford Competition Briquettes, without adding any additional fuel and little airflow management. I was only able to get my off-set smoker to hold heat for 5 hours using the Minion Method before I had to add fuel every 45 minutes afterward.

2. Food tastes better coming off the drum smoker. I have no drip pan between my food and the coals. Marinades, spices, and melted fat drip right on to the coals creating a flavorful smoke I was not getting with lump charcoal and wood chunks.

3. The drums are easier to use. I can control the airflow using three air inlets to manage my heat to any temp I chose, anywhere between 190 to 350 is no problem. I can get the temp hotter if I use lump charcoal.

4. Logistically the drum is easier to move. I can put it in the back of my GMC Jimmy and go anywhere. They aren’t cumbersome or heavy. I don’t have to pull a trailer or borrow my Dad’s truck to get around with my smoker.

5. Overall fuel cost is reduced significantly. I can power cook everything for a competition on one bag of natural charcoal. Our two offset smokers use 40lbs of lump charcoal and a FEC 100 uses a bag of pellets at competitions.

6. There is little effort involved to clean a drum smoker. All the fat and spices fall onto the drip pan. There is a little ash left over from using the Kingsford Competition Briquettes, but not much. I can clean my grates after smoking, empty my ash pan, and hose it down with almost no effort.

7. I can manage the entire smoking process without electricity. Most competitions supply electricity and some competitors rely on it to maintain their smokers and or devices, like temp control or rotisserie units. The drum is electricity free.

I sat and watched the temperature gauge the entire time when I first used the drum smoker to smoke a high heat brisket. Jess asked why was I sitting there with a blank stare on my face, “was I was OK?”. I explained I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, i.e. the smoker to lose temperature. It didn’t happen. The temp just stayed where I wanted it and didn’t move very often during the entire practice. I will admit the airflow needs to be adjusted slightly every couple hours, but that is a very small price to pay for large chunks of sleep.

Over 9 hours I can power cook every meat for a competition on one barrel; cooking pork butts and brisket in 4 1/2 hours, ribs in 4 hours, and adding chicken during the home stretch.

Now, drum smokers aren’t pretty and they sure aren’t works of art like a Jambo pit. I have to cover mine in the backyard to not scare the neighbors. But if you want an efficient smoker, I recommend getting a drum smoker.

Happy smoking,

Jer