The Smoker Barrel - DIY Wood Chip Holder

One of the things that will come in handy for your smoker barrel is a wood chip holder. It allows you to use different types of wood to smoke whatever you happen to be cooking. You can use oak, mesquite or hickory, etc. to add a distinctive flavor to your food.

You can make a simple wood chip holder for your ugly drum smoker by using a few bolts, a coffee can, and a piece of baling wire. The size of your charcoal basket will determine the length of bolts you will need. In my case, the charcoal basket has a diameter of 15 inches and three 5 inch bolts were required. I made three bolt holes in the sides of an empty coffee can spaced equally apart.

I also punched numerous small holes in the outside of the can to allow air to reach the wood chips. You can use most any type of can for the holder. You will need to make sure that it doesn’t have some sort of lining inside. If it does, you will need to do a burn-out of the can. It was easier to just use a coffee can because no extra preparation of the can itself was necessary.

The holder itself sets several inches above the actual coals in my basket when loaded with 5 pounds of charcoal. This is the normal amount of charcoal I use to cook an average size brisket and a slab of ribs.

The wood chip holder also helps to deflect some of the smoke and heat to the outer edges of my smoker barrel and catches some of the excess fat drippings from the meat preventing flare-ups. Make sure you soak your wood chips in water prior to use or you will get some nasty flames going inside your smoker barrel. If the wood chip holder gets damaged or gets a hole in the bottom, just replace the coffee can.

Got wood chips? Make a DIY wood chip holder!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker