Aside from transporting hazardous chemicals and holding a fire in the park during a cold night, steel barrels are, apparently, also great for turning into a smoker. Seriously. At least, that’s what we gather from the Pit Barrel Cooker, a backyard cooking rig that boasts a “unique vertical cooking experience.”
Far from the most stylish outdoor cooker we’ve ever seen, it’s built around a 30-gallon steel drum that’s combined with a grill grate, a charcoal basket, eight stainless steel hooks, two steel hanging rods, a horseshoe barrel stand, and a wooden hook remover. Basically, they outfitted a metal drum with grilling equipment, turning it into a cooker that guests will probably mistake as the trash can at some point during the party.
Touted as “combining the best qualities of smokers and slow cookers,” the Pit Barrel Cooker can cook meats and other dishes faster than regular smokers, while freeing you from the hassle of regulating either the smoke or the temperature. To smoke meat or fish, simply hook it to the rods and hang it from the designated slots, letting the smoke from the burning charcoal below do the cooking on its own. It can, of course, be used as a BBQ too — just set down the grates and grill your steaks like normal. Do note, they recommend using Kingsford Original Briquets, as it’s the one they’ve found to burn at the ideal temperature for the drum to support, although you can, of course, experiment for alternate results.
Amazon has the Pit Barrel Cooker available, priced at $269.