Double Barrel Smoker Guide for Beginners

With the rising popularity of wood-fired cooking, people worldwide have been searching for the best smoker that works for them. It is especially true for long-term users who understand the importance of smoking meat at home. 

Modern smokers are expensive, but one type of smoker stands out more than others. Double barrel smokers offer more advantages than single barrel smokers, so if you are wondering how they work and how to use them, read on.

What Is A Double Barrel Smoker?

Method 1: Direct Cooking

In this method, you have to place your meat directly on the grates of the smoker. Use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on the inside and outside temperatures of the smoker.

Method 2: Indirect Cooking

In this method, you will use the indirect heat from a fire pit or firebox that sits on top of your smoker. It allows you to cook your meat without having direct contact with it.

Why Should You Use A Double Barrel Smoker?

Your food will taste better when it is smoked in a double-barreled smoker. It can expand your cooking options by giving you two different cooking methods. You can cook with indirect heat and indirectly using direct heat simultaneously. It is handy for cooking large amounts of meat at once or for cooking multiple items on a single plate or plate rack.

You can also create some unique flavors with a double barrel smoker that are hard to find anywhere else. Adding smoke flavoring combined with wood chips or chunks gives you a new set of possibilities for creating your recipes and creating new meals. You can use it for smoking meats or fish, vegetables, fruits, and even nuts.

Additionally, they offer more options than other smokers on the market today. For example, many people like this type of smoker because they can adjust the temperature and airflow settings. The reason is they do not have to worry about things like thermometers.

if you want to make reverse flow smoker at your home read the following guide.

How To Use A Double Barrel Smoker?

Follow these steps to use your double-barrel smoker appropriately:

1. Remove the lid from the smoker and place it on a table.
2. Place coals on one side of the smoker and allow them to burn until they are covered in a thin layer of ash. Never leave coals inside the smoker overnight, as this could cause them to become too hot and potentially combust.
3. Set the smoker box on top of your hot coals and wait until it is thoroughly heated.
4. Insert the cooking grate into the side of the smoker box, ensuring it fits snugly into place and that there are no gaps between it and the side of the box.
5. Place your meat on top of the grate in your smoker box (if it is a large piece, you may want to cut it into smaller pieces before placing it in).
6. Smoke for a specific time at a particular temperature until your meat is cooked through. You should set the cooking time and temperature according to what you are cooking. To check for doneness, insert a thermometer into an area that does not touch bone or fat (some prefer to use their fingertip).

How Do You Control The Heat On A Double Barrel Smoker?

You should understand that there are two ways to control the temperature of a double-barrel smoker. These are as follows:

Adjusting Air Flow

The dampers on a double barrel smoker can be adjusted so that you can increase or decrease the amount of air flowing through your smoker. It will affect how hot your fire gets and how fast it burns wood. 

You want to open up as much airflow as possible without letting too much smoke go through. As a result, your food will not be heated and will be covered in smoke. The ideal setting depends on what type of wood you use and what kind of temperature you want for your fire.

Controlling Smoke Output

You can control how hot your fire gets by holding how much smoke comes out of each vent on your grill. Ideally, you want as little smoke as possible, so it does not overpower all other flavors in your food while cooking it at high temperatures. 

If too much smoke comes out, it might burn off and dry out the cooked food. You can control how much heat the fire produces without burning off any food. Using a water pan on your grill is the best way to do this.

Tools Needed To Make A Double Barrel Smoker At Home

Before you start to build the double barrel smoker, you need to arrange the following apparatus:

Miller Dynasty 200DX TIG welder

Miller Dynasty 200DX TIG Welder is a heavy-duty, high-output welding machine with various features, including automatic feed and wire feeding, air purge, and coolant system. It also comes with a twin shielding gas regulator/switch, which prevents contamination from atmospheric impurities. Since it runs on DC power, you can use it at home or in your garage.

Plasma cutter 

This machine uses an internal cutting element that produces high-quality cuts in metal. It can cut through steel, aluminum, and ceramic materials up to 1 inch thick. It has multiple functions, including cutting, drilling, and welding. Plasma cutters are reliable, easy to use, and affordable.

Band saw 

You will need this tool to cut out the barrel for your smoker from steel or other materials such as copper pipe or stainless steel tubing. The band saw will help you make precise cuts without causing any damage to the material that you are cutting.

Angle grinder 

A good angle grinder is essential to ensure that you can grind your steel straight and level. You will also need an angle grinder with an abrasive disc, and a circular saw with abrasive blades. The abrasive discs are used to smooth out the edges of your barrel, while the circular saw is used to cut out the inside of your barrel.

Circular saw with abrasive blades 

You will need a circular saw with abrasive blades. With the abrasive blades attached, the circular saw can easily cut through wood and metal pipes, provided there are no bends in the pipe. If the bends in your pipe prevent it from being cut smoothly with a file or sandpaper alone, you will need this tool.

Level 

You need to level the smoker before you start smoking. You can use a level or a string line and a plumb bob. If you do not have one, you can use your finger or another object as long as it is perpendicular to the object you use for leveling.

Sharpie 

You will also need a Sharpie marker to write on the smoker. As with levels, if you do not have one, use something perpendicular to this object. It will allow you to mark where to cut vents and doors and where to place racks and other equipment.

6 pack of Coors Light

You should buy 6 Coors Lights because they are very similar in size and shape to what we will make in this project. With it, you will be able to prepare your smoker for cooking. You can use any marker to mark out each section on your smoker. Make sure that the marks are in proper lines and that you do not cross them up so that you know where each section starts and ends.

Build a double barrel smoker with the following apparatus using the above-mentioned DIY tools:

1. 2x Drums – The first drum is the smoke chamber, which will hold your wood chips and pellets. The second drum is where you will place your meat or food.
2. 2x Grill Grates – This is where you will place your meat or food to cook on the grill grates.
3. 1x Burn Box – For long smoke sessions, this box can hold charcoal or wood chips. It also has a lid, so smoking will not get too hot.
4. 2x Chimney Caps – These caps will help keep the smoke out of the house and make sure that no harmful fumes are inhaled by anyone in the household around you while cooking with this smoker.
5. Ash Pile – A pile of ash will be required to build your smoker and keep it strong. You can use wood chips or hardwood shavings as an alternative to ash. Here you will dispose of all the spent coals from your charcoal or wood grill.

Final Words

You can find double barrel smokers in many hardware stores and online. Because of its simplicity, you can make one for yourself. However, investing in an already-made smoker will be a wise decision if you need more time and equipment to craft it.