Turned my keg into a 'hook & cook' unit

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chef willie

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
Dec 31, 2010
3,201
376
Willamette Valley, Oregon
I've had this keg in the garage for years. First plan was to use it as a giant cooker for large batches of bar-b-que sauce. Decided against that, so there it sat. Saw some vids on you tube for 'pit barrel cookers' and decided on that route. That's a one inch nipple being used as air intake, I have since removed the riser and valve. I have 2 bricks in the bottom to raise the Weber charcoal holders up and have drilled a 1/2 inch hole on each side running a 3/8" rod through. Scored some shish-kabob skewers at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks for the hooks to start with. Did a burn-out one day and chicken halves the next day as a trial run. As with any new toy there is a learning curve. Half chickens hang to low so had to sling them across with an extra hook in each.  Will use quarters or just thighs in the future. And I used way to much charcoal so will cut that back by half next time. Much like a 'hobo' stove this vertical design puts out some heat even with the lid cocked to one side. But, the chicken was fall apart tender as evidenced by the one mangled bird I struggled with to get unhooked. All in all a fun semi-build I had doing & I'm looking forward to a rib run on it.








 
I never fail to be surprised and impressed at the ingenuity of our Forum members.  Well done, Chef Willie!
 
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That Rocks!!!  Cool!  
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Kat
 
Thanks everybody.....a few tweaks and I think I'll have it dialed in. This thing will definitely take a beating and last longer than me. Nice to finally get some use out of it. Will definitely be doing some ribs pretty quick and will be hanging a tri-tip in there shortly for more testing.......Willie
 
looks cool willie! my sarge uses a pit barrel..everything from chickens, turkeys, ribs, even pork butts & briskets get hung in there(idk how he gets them to stay together)...he keeps trying to get me to finish my build...but in due time. lol. thanks for sharing.
 
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