He Turned An Old Beer Keg Into An Awesome Electric Smoker — I Need This!

If you love having amazing backyard barbecues, then you probably have a smoker (or really want one).

Unfortunately, these bad boys can run you anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, so if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, it’s a pleasure that you’d normally have to do without. But did you know that you could make your own from a beer keg?

Instructables user BennyOne sure did, because after finding an old, expired keg and bringing it home, he cut it up and turned it into an awesome electric smoker without having to weld anything!

He first pounded a hole into one end to drain the remaining beer inside.

Then he got straight to cutting the bottom portion off.

He used a flapper wheel to smooth out the cuts and avoid creating extremely sharp edges.

Next, he drilled holes into the bottom for the legs.

Then he used nuts and bolts to attach them.

The builder wanted the top part of the keg to fit onto the bottom with a small overlap, so he pounded the edge to create an outward curve.

It turned out to be a perfect fit!

But he wanted to make sure that the top wouldn’t fall too low or rest crookedly, so he divided and cut a piece of steel into sections.

After bending those pieces into tabs, he sanded and painted each one.

Once they were screwed in, the crafter realized that they worked really well for holding the top portion of the keg in place.

For the heat source, he took apart an electric burner and attached the control knob through a hole in the drum.

He also needed to drill holes in the center of the pan and the base so that he could string a power cord through.

After drilling the last hole inside the bottom of the keg, he threaded the cord inside.

Then he attached one wire to the control knob and into the inside of the burner before wrapping the wires with fiberglass.

With the heat source finished, BennyOne decided to cut a hole in the side so he’d be able to grab the handle of the pan.

Then it was time to test out the smoker with some hickory.

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Satisfied that everything was working, he took a piece of steel and hammered it into a curve that matched the keg wall.

After painting the flap, he attached it with a hinge so it would open and close easily.

To help the smoker accommodate two grills, he cut and sanded three pieces of steel piping before painting and screwing them in.

The builder was worried about moisture running down the interior walls, so he took a portion of the piece he had cut out for pan access and bent it.

Then he used it to cover the inside of the control knob and protect it from any wetness.

He also covered it and the wiring with high-temperature metal tape for extra protection.

After all of his hard work, the only thing left to do was buy a thermometer and test out the smoker.

He placed some fresh salmon inside and cooked it for a couple of hours.

Needless to say, it worked out deliciously.

The best part is that any time he wants his own smoked meat, all he has to do is plug it in!

He’s definitely going to have some amazing backyard barbecues with that masterpiece. If you’d love to try your hand at making a smoker, you can find the full instructions here.