Smoker BBQ Made with a Wine Barrel! 2026

Barbecue Smoker Made from a Wine Barrel, we take the used and slightly beaten whiskey barrel and turn it into a fully functional charcoal barbecue smoker.

Tools and materials:

• Empty whiskey barrel or wine barrel
• Sandpaper/electric sander
• Electric drill
• Self-tapping screws
• Sierra
• Wood finish and sealer (optional)
• Temperature meter
• 3 3/4″ black steel grease nipple closures
• 3 – 3/4″ black iron cap
• 4 90 degree supports
• Generic handle
• 1 large cork and 6 small corks
• 2 Grilling Racks (size will depend on the interior size of your barrel)
• Fire bricks
• 1 Water Tray
• Wheels (optional)

Step 1: Sanding

Depending on how dirty the barrel is, you will want to use an electric sander if you have one or you can also sand it by hand and clean the outside of the barrel.

Step 2: Drilling

To prevent the individual pieces of wood from moving, we screwed each stave to the metal bands. This was by far the most painful part of this project.

Using a power drill (it would be easier with an electric impact drill) and self-tapping screws, we made sure each stave had at least one screw holding it to the metal band.

As staves vary in size, some were wide enough to require 2 screws.

Your screw might try to walk a little or have trouble first gripping the metal. We ended up needing to use a hammer and punch to make a pilot for each hole so the screws don't walk.

Step 3: Align the screws

Once you have completed the first band of screws, the same should be done for the next three bands.

If you want to align all your screws, you can draw pencil lines from the first band or (like we did) use tape lines to align the screws along all 4 bands.

If you are not that OCD then you can just hang it up and place the screws where you want on the other 3 bands.

As I said before, this is definitely the most time-consuming part of the project and it took us a couple of days to complete.

Step 4: Cut the lid

Once all the screws are finally finished, it's time to make the cover.

Draw a line or use masking tape to mark where you want to cut the lid. We used masking tape to create our line and then used a jigsaw to follow along the edge of the tape to cut off the top of the barrel to create our lid.

It most likely won't have the straightest cut (we definitely didn't), but as long as the cap still fits snugly on top of the barrel, it should work fine.

Then we sand the top edge of the barrel and the bottom edge of the cap so they don't have any rough edges.

Step 5: Sanding and Staining

Next, we completely sand the outside of the barrel until it has a nice, smooth, uniform exterior. At this point, if you like the natural look you can leave it and move on to the next step. We wanted our barrel to be a little darker so we stained it and put a sealer on it since it would stay out from time to time.

We just used wood deck sealer. At this point, if your barrel has a cork hole in the side like ours, you'll want to know what size large cork you'll need to fill the hole.

You can also make a cork by cutting a circle out of a spare 2x4 you have lying around. Just make sure it fits snugly.

We put silicone around the cork on the inside of the barrel to make sure it is airtight.

Step 6: Temperature gauge and air intakes

Now that the look of the keg is complete, it's time to add the accessories that will transform it into an active smoker.

At the bottom of the barrel (between the 3rd and 4th metal band) we drilled three 3/4″ holes equidistant around the barrel. We chose to only have 3 but you can have more if you wish.

We screw the threaded accessories of the nozzle into each of these holes as air intakes.

Be sure to leave some of the threads sticking out so you can put end caps on.

During cooking, the lids can be removed to adjust airflow and heat.

At this time, we also drilled a small hole toward the bottom of our lid for our temperature gauge.

Make sure you have a meter with a long stem so it can give you a good internal temperature reading. The size of the hole will depend on the gauge you get, but make sure it screws in perfectly.

Step 7: Cover

In the center of the lid we place a generic handle to make it easier to open and close the lid while cooking.

We also drilled 6 small holes in which we could place corks. The size of the holes will depend on the size of the plugs. We add these holes as a way to adjust the temperature.

If you need higher temperature, close all holes with corks.

If the temperature is too high and you need to cool it, remove the corks and leave the holes open. We chose to do only 6 holes, but you can have as many as you deem necessary.

Step 8: Setting up the interior

The next thing was to get the inside of the barrel all ready to be a smoker. First we place fire bricks at the bottom. We made a flat layer that covered the entire bottom of the barrel, but we also had something vertical to hold the bottom rack. When you lay the bricks, make sure none of them cover any of your air inlets.

The water tray can be placed directly on the upper fire bricks. This will also work as a drip tray for easy cleanup.

The lower grate is located on top of the vertical fire bricks. This is where we put our coal. Our smoking chips are placed in a box or wrapped in aluminum foil and placed directly on top of the charcoal.

For the top rack, we screwed four 90 degree brackets along the inside of the barrel. We made it so that the grate is right inside the mouth of the barrel. It might take a few tries to balance the grill. This is gratifying, the meat will be placed there for cooking.

Step 9: Finished!

Once you have everything set up inside, you are ready to start using the smoker. If you do not plan to leave the smoker in one place, we recommend that you get a dolly or place the wheels on the bottom. We have ours on a dolly so we can move it into the garage when we're not using it. Also, if you plan to leave it outside, it might be a good idea to put some type of anti-theft device on all the metal bands.

It takes a little practice to figure out the best way to regulate the temperature, but it still works as a good barbecue smoker.

Step 10: The results

Step 11: Maintenance

Clean the grates, empty the water and ash tray, which is normal for any smoker. The only additional maintenance for a barrel smoker is filling it with water. After a while every 6 months or so depending on use, the wood will begin to shrink as it is losing its moisture. To fix it, we removed the grates and bricks and the entrance covers. Then we filled the barrel with water from the garden hose and let it sit for a few days.ace. At first, you may not be able to fill it completely due to leaks between the staves. But after a while, the wood will swell and the leaks will stop. At this point, you are ready to start cooking again. We also turn the lid upside down and fill it with water.

That's all. Cheers!

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