BBQ Pit out of 85 gallon propane tank

[CPIII]

I am in the process of building a BBQ pit out of a 85 gallon propane tank I bought for $50. I am approximately 25% done. I will post pictures of my progress so far tomorrow. This will be my second pit. The first one I built was from a 250 gallon propane tank and is mounted on a trailer. It has lasted 20 years so far and just rusted through in one place last year. I have grown tired of buying a back yard pit every year because of the thin metal that is used so I decided to make one myself that should last about 20 years or so....this one should fit the bill nicely.

[rogerk]

sounds interesting....take lots of pictures...I like to grill all year round

[mhpetteys]

I'm looking forward to your pictures . I helped a friend make one out of a 500 gallon tank he mounted it on a boat trailer. I have a 50 Gallon tank and thought I'd build one after Deer season this winter. My day job I work at a big propane plant and tanks are easy for me to get. Mike

[Yogie]

sounds interesting....take lots of pictures...I like to grill all year round

I really do more in the winter than summer, more time for it I guess.

[CPIII]

Sorry for the delay on these pictures...but I made quite a bit of progress yesterday after work.....
Welding is not that great ...but pretty good for a software engineer I guess..

Side view - You can see my other pit made out of the 250 gallon propane tank in the background.

A view inside - Still have to add heat deflectors

Slide out fire tray made of 3/8 x 2 flat bar

Lid view

I will add more pictures as I go.....so far so good....I hope it turns out..

Now I have to start building the base and finish the inside.

CPIII

[CPIII]

I completed the base on Wednesday and welded the pit to it last night...more pictures...

Next is the smoke stack, heat deflectors and grills.

[CPIII]

Well I burned out the pit last night......2 -20lb bags of charcoal and a leaf blower did the job. Now I will add the stacks, heat defelctors and grills. I did have a few issues like adjusting the air inlet damper after the fire had made enought ash to start spilling out of the holes in the damper. However I don't think I will have this problem normally .....because I will be using a lot less than 40 lbs of charcoal when I cook. Also the fire tray is not sliding well but that too could be from all the ash because i didn't build the fire in the fire tray but I just placed a grate above the firebox and loaded th ecoal into the pit. When I get home today i will clean all the ash out and see if everything slide better.....fingers crossed!!

[CPIII]

Got a bit more done...coming together nicely......

Added the stack....Still have to trim the tops and add a damper...

Also built the bottom of the fire tray....

Getting close to paint and seasoning......

CPIII

[grumpy]

Lookin good!!!

[CPIII]

Well made a bit more progress....I think I am going to turn it into a rotisserie .....it is sort of perfect for it....

Straightened and trimmed out the lid...closes tight...who knew?

Added the wheels......think I am going to get in trouble with the casters on dirt...so I think I will add some sort of adjustable foot to level the pit on dirt and grass.

Thanks for nice comments...

Now I have to figure out how to build the rotisserie basket....more pictures to come....

[CPIII]

Wooooo....HOOOOOOOOO!!!! FIrst Brisket!!! Working like a champ!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_77WiAI2Js

[Bob McCarty]

I can almost smell it out here. What did you use for the rotissarie motor?

Bob

[RaymondDurban]

I addtion to Bob's question about the motor, is that stainless shelving that you used for the basket?

[CPIII]

The motor is a BIson 1/40th HP 90VDC (25 RPM @ 90V) motor driven @ 12 VDC. Which gives me about 4 RPM. I found it here in Houston at one of my favorite stores "Electronics Parts Outlet" or EPO. I am working on a speed controller that I hope will let me vary the speed between 2 and 6 RPM. The basket is actually a crome shelve unit from Lowes ($16) and I get a spare shelve. I made the basket so it is removable and I can use a grill. I have plans for a turkey spit and a "Rib O Wheel" that will have four trays that should be able to hold 8 racks of ribs. Here is the link to what inspired me to build the Rib 0 wheel.
http://www.bbqguys.com/item_name_Rib-O-Wheel-Rotisserie-Trays_path_2120-2149_item_2560504.html
It has been a lot of fun buillding this pit.....sort of depressing that is almost done......

Oh Well here is the finished product......still could have cook for about an hour longer but still was pretty darn tasty!!!

Also the fire box turned out to be awesome I scrape out the ashes and then just open each end and hose it out.......

[Rudi]

Charles:

Wow!... I really like what you have done and am looking forward to the rest of the project. Amazing the things that folks come up with. This is a really slick project and showcases your fabrication skills. Great backyard BBQ