While using a grill is the most popular method of cooking outside, connoisseurs of slow-cooked meat will tell you that a smoker is the way to go. You don't have to buy another outdoor appliance to ...

In the world of competition barbecue, there's a saying: “It's not the cooker, it's the cook.” That means that in a blind tasting, you can't tell if the end result was cooked in a modern ...

POP Projects is a collection of new and classic projects from more than a century of Popular Mechanics. Master skills, get tool recommendations, and, most importantly, build something of your very own ...

[Joel] wanted to use his newly acquired welding skills to make something useful. With tasty flesh in mind he put together this meat smoker. What resulted is incredible, but the fact that he then gave ...

Left and center: Blazo boxes repurposed into a bedside table and storage shelves. Right: A valve installed on an oil drum. Diagrams for a shower made from a Blazo can and a box trap for small game ...

Sure, you could build a gorgeous smoker from a 55-gallon drum or a whiskey barrel. But if your DIY project tend to skew more toward simple materials you've already got in your garage, then here's the ...

Last time, we discussed the 55 gallon drum itself and some sources to buy one to build your Ugly Drum Smoker, or UDS. Finding a suitable drum takes some thought and perhaps a bit of driving around.