The oil drum pig roaster is becoming more and more popular as people look to make the most of the summer sunshine in their back garden. The pig roaster is a great way of spicing up the entire BBQ experience and even better when you're planning a party.
What has made the pig roaster such a hit is its slightly unusual quirky appearance. As well as feeding a bunch of people it's a feature that offers a little interest to the surroundings. So if you're keen to get yourself a pig roaster, maybe for an upcoming home party or maybe just to try it out with the family, what are your options?
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There are several options, the first one is buying your own pig roaster. If you've tried a pig roaster before and think you'll be using one a lot, well then buying one is probably a good option. It's pretty easy to work out if it makes sense for you, just weigh up the cost of renting one however many times you intend using one versus the cost of buying one. Pig roasters are a little more expensive than a medium to high-end BBQ and a little harder to find.
Alternatively you can rent, this is actually the option most people go for, because as great as pig roasters are for a BBQ, cooking one does involve a little more prep than for your standard BBQ, so most tend to use them only for particular occasions. If renting you can usually go for the pig roaster on its own, where you do all the work at home, or at a little more expense you can get someone to turn up at your house with the roaster, do all the cooking and carving and then take everything away again, it's up to you and your budget.
Finally, the third option is to build your own oil drum pig roaster. For anyone with a few tools and a little space to work, this is a great option. You end up with a sturdy pig roaster for very little cost. So as the name suggests the oil drum pig roaster is indeed made from a standard oil drum. Any steel container will do, old gas cylinders and beer kegs can also be used, but by far the most popular is the standard 55 gallon oil drum.
The principle here is pretty simple. The Drum is cut in half and mounted onto a steel frame. The fire is set in the bottom half of the drum, with the upper half acting as a hood, to protect from the inevitable rain shower. The pig is mounted on a rotisserie which is just a steel rod than spans across the centre of the drum, over the fire.
Getting this right is all in the design and pre-planning. At the same time it's important not to get too hung up on the details, you'll be most likely working with old scrap materials, so inch perfect dimensioning isn't too important, you just have to make sure you understand broadly what your doing before you start cutting, then just get stuck in.
The Oil Drum Pig Roaster - How It's Done
Jon has been making homemade BBQ's, roasters and smokers for years, for his free plans on how to make your oil drum Pig Roaster, check out http://www.oildrumpigroasterdesigns.com