Hey everyone, my name is Chad and I will soon be starting my first smoker build. I will gladly appreciate any advice about the experience. My barrel is a 275 gallon round, (not oval) oil drum. My idea is to build the smoker standing up vertically instead of it layingdown and my reason is that I think for the amount of cooking I do, I probaly can get by with it this way. My first concern is should I cut any of the barrel out to make it shorter, or would leaving it alone be best. Also, I would like for you to share with me the distance from coals to cooking grate. I was looking at about 20 to 24 inches. Any advice will great, thanks!