How to Build a Grill Out of a 55 Gallon Drum

selim 05/12/2022 DIY PROJECTS Leave a comment 418 Views

Backyard BBQ’s are a must for any summer event, or get together. And if your anything like my family an all year favorite past time! I can’t tell you how many grills we have gone through over the years. Finally, we decided to try and build our own grill which ended up being a huge success! Their are huge benefits to building your own grill out of a 55 gallon drum. One, the amount of money you save making your own. Two, you can customize it to your personal specifications. Three, the glory of bragging to all your buddies that you were man enough to make your own grill!

It took us a while to get it exactly how we wanted it, but now we have 3 grills! Each one proudly displaying our favorite NFL, NCAA, and NBA teams logo! Needless to say we have a grill for every event! Over the years we have even had several family members begging us to make them one for the birthday gift! So here ya go, here is the perfect set of directions in Making a grill out of a 55 gallon drum!

Remember safety first! Be sure you have some safety gloves and glasses handy! You will be dealing with sharp edges and I have a scar to prove it!

You are going to need

Metal to use for the legs and if you want to get a little crazy a shelve
Hinges and handle for the lid to the grill
Metal Bars and Mesh for the Grilling surface
Grinder to get rid of all those ruff edges
A Sawzall, make sure you have the right blade for cutting the metal
Welding equipment and other supplies
Marker
Last but not least, a 55 gallon Drum. And lets make sure its a CLEAN one since it will be used for cooking. You will be able to find some recycled ones, but make sure they were not used to hold toxic substances!

Directions

Take your marker and measure one quarter of the barrel drum. This is gonna be the lid of the grill.
Using your saw, cut the edge of the quarter section to cut out the lid. Depending how rough the edges are you can grid them down if need be.
Attach your rods for the cooking surface. Weld the bars on each end and two support ones in the middle. This is an extra step, but it will allow you to move your grade a lot easier! Weld any rough edges its better to take your time now then pay for that rough edge later!
Put on your hinges and handle. You can just get basic ones from your hardware sore, or if you want to go all out you can order custom hinges online!
Next Attach Base! You will want to weld the legs on and make sure they are sturdy enough to support the grill. Anchoring the bottom with another piece of mesh or horizontal bars from one side to the other can help stabilize it.

This is a little bonus tip on what we did. We found our favorite teams logo online and made a stencil and placed it on to our 55 gallon drum and spray painted it! IT looks awesome! If you want to try doing something similar I would recommended doing all your painting before attaching the handles! Trust me, it looks great and all my husbands buddies are jealous! If you want to get a little crazy you can even order custom grates which adds a great touch!

Now that you know how to make a grill out of a 55 gallon drum, go out and do it!

Check out the gallery below for ideas on what else you can do with a 55 gallon drum.