home made BBQ/smoker project

I have a broken 80 gallon air compressor i am planing to convert to a BBQ/smoker some time this summer. i was wondering if any one had any good ideas. i plan to split the lid and the cooking area in half so i could use half as a smoker and the other half as a grill or the whole thing as either or, i want to put the fire box below i dont know if it will run to hot. i know there are some BBQ gurus out there let me know if you have any advice.

I know its not toataly brewing related but i like to grill while i brew and drink while i grill so i think it counts.

there is a subforum on here about smoking, etc. you might try to post this over there, it might get better attention.

build a "double barrel" smoker, get 2-55 gallon barrels , google it and you will find tons of ideas on how to build one, best smoker made!

go to www.thesmokering.com and check out the "cookers" forum. You'll get any idea imaginable there. Pretty easy going guys too, always happy to help out with design/offer their knowledge on what does/does not work.

I will have to second thesmokering. They are a bunch of good guys willing to help out.

Thanks for the input guys! thesmokering is an awsome resource. it got my wheels thoroghly turning. damned these forums i'll never get a moments rest.

I built one last fall. The smoke chamber is 2 55 gallon barrels and the fire box is a single barrel. The sucker is so large it has its own trailer that we haul it around in.

Our next project is to get something around a 10 ft propane tank and put it onto the back of an old farm truck! Should be pretty cool.

Oh by the way. When getting barrels if you go that route, make sure they are food safe/find out what was in them. We got lucky that there is a bakery in town and they use barrels for jelly. Want to make sure they didnt have oil or anything like that. You can burn it out, but there are so many small pores in the steal that you will never get it all. Good luck!