Steam Kettle Barbecue

Here's what we're starting with:


I had the guys build me a frame out of square tubing and I welded on the (shortened) original axle and wheel set from the Buffalo:


The kettle was double walled to about halfway up for the steam to warm up the contents, so all I had to do was weld them together, band the resulting tank with sheet metal to make the whole thing double walled and carry on from there:


Here's the opening for the firebox:


The door getting prepped:


I'll update as it comes along.

I smell awesomeness.

Got the door fitted and the handle on:


The firebox built and welded to both inner and out skins:



...and the water tank welded together:

The RF plate is made out of two 1/4" steel pieces.
I ran a piece of angle iron down the center to a pipe welded in cross-wise for the halves to rest on.
This makes it possible to reach the burner tube and the bottom of the tank later on.

I ran the grease drain out the front to avoid f#cking with the burner tube installation:

Got the stack welded on too:


Still a sh#t-ton of work to do, not the least of which is resealing the inner skin around the drains and stack.

Management is making noise about a barbecue on the fifth, so I sped it up a bit and got the thing partly operational.

Burned it out yesterday and fired it up for cooking the first time today.
Did three racks of baby backs and eight beef ribs(A buddy had to special order them from the market. The new normal is to cut across the bone, apparently.)

The double walled smoke chamber held the heat in really well but the single walled 1/4" plate firebox was a danger to everything that came near it.
(I don't feel nearly as stupid about insulating the firebox on the buffalo now)
The back of the wood handle is already singed black.

Both the pork and beef ribs came out fantastic (Same 2-2-1 method for both)

Cooked a shload of chicken at the company barbecue today.
(Chicken and tri-tip! Who'da thunk?)
They wanted to do the tri tip on the old barbecue while I did the chicken in the new one.
I have a handle on the temps now, so 350 degrees wasn't too hard to maintain.


While we watched the meat cook, we worked on what to call the thing. It looks a little like a beer keg, so the name "Meat Keg" came up.
The company motto B.i.o.n.i.c (Believe it or not I care) got hijacked for "Believe it or not, I cook"
But I think I came up with the best one; referring to the fact that it was built from waste metal:

I dub thee: "Scraptastic"

Not too bad , Mate, not too bad at all.

Does it get a coat of paint at some time in it's future, or does it keep the "made from junk and meep proud of it" look?

meep you are one handy som'meep.

It's gettin' a coat or two of black rattle-can manifold paint just to keep the thin sheet metal in the middle of the tank from rusting away.
I don't quite know what to do with the firebox though. Probably gonna just coat it with bacon grease and season it like the inside of the smoke chamber.
(It'll still rust the second it gets wet, but at least it'll be black)
@dragonstaff

The beast, sensing an unwary propane stove, pounces upon it and devours it.
The stove sacrifices its essence to the beast, granting it new abilities.
It grows LARGER...STRONGER...

Still ravenous, the barbecue searches for...some kind of folding prep table...or something...

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

http://laughingsquid.com/pirate-treasure-chest-barbeque-grill/

I added some pipe burners.
They sit under the RF plate, so all you have to do to grill steaks is lift the plates out and fire it up!

Also an exterior fill for the water basin.

Detail of the pipe burner manifold:

There's a valve there to shut off the back pipe if you wanna just cook on the front burner.

Both pipes tuned and operational :)

Added a full-size suspension, a storage drawer and welded some plate under the yoke to add tongue weight.
(Ignore the sign, we were protesting the bosses' being dramatic about silly meep.)

While there exists something as wonderful as barbecue,
I will know joy.