How to Make a BBQ Drum

The senior class used a design from the Flour Drum Stove Cookbook by Roy Price to make portable cookers out of recycled materials we have found around the community. We modified the design slightly to make it our own.(IK and LW)

The design and recipes can be found at: www.ethicalnutrition.com.au/flour-drum_stove_cookbook.pdf

1. Flour Drum or other suitable metal bucket or drum
2. Wire mesh
3. Wood and a lighter to start the fire.

1. Screwdriver
2. Texta
3. Ruler
4. Grinder
5. Safety Glasses
6. File
7. Pliers

First use a texta and a ruler to mark out the drum door and the vents. You can make these any size you want. Ours were slightly different from the original design in the book. (IK, NK and LW)

Use a grinder to cut the door and the vents. It is important to be safe so wear safety glasses and have someone assist you. (JD, CG and SD)

Place some strong mesh on the top of the drum. Trace it with a Texta. Use a grinder or bolt cutters to cut the mesh to size. (JP)

Use a screwdriver to bend open the cuts in the drum. This will help create vents and let air in. This allows the fire to burn better.

Light a fire with sticks and paper. Don't make the fire too big. Place the mesh on the drum and cook the meat. You can use a wok to cook the onions. (RM, NCB, JD, CG, SD)

Yes, the BBQ drums worked well to cook the sausages. We even cooked fried rice and onions in the wok! Delicious!

Next time we would make some changes and use the drums differently:

1. We would make the fires smaller as the wood can burn too hot for cooking.
2. We would bend the mesh up around the edges so that the food doesn't roll off.
3. We would make the vents bigger so the fire could get more air.