Not A Blackstone: He Builds A Portable Grill From A Beer Keg In An Impressive DIY

Portable outdoor stoves have been all the rage, but they cost a pretty penny and aren't without their drawbacks. For instance, one major disadvantage of Blackstones is that they need a ton of regular care to prevent rust, and rust can be a pain to remove once it appears. This budget-friendly, impressive DIY is an interesting alternative to store-bought, portable outdoor stoves: It's a grill made from a beer keg that will make you the envy of your friends. 

In a video from Weld.com on YouTube, you can see how one DIYer built a grill and smoker from used beer kegs and some scrap steel for around $152. The best part? You can hook it to your truck for those tailgate parties and camping trips. Being travel-ready makes this project stand out from the average DIY BBQ area on a budget. And since used kegs can often be sourced for free, most of the cost is from additional materials.

While this is a great weekend project, it does require advanced welding and engineering skills. To complete this build, the video creator sourced half-barrel and quarter-barrel kegs from a local brewery, as well as angle iron, flat bar, and aluminum diamond plate from a drop metal shop. The DIYer also already had old grill grates and 16-gauge stainless steel at home. The only things he purchased new were a 90-degree stainless steel elbow, a straight 2-inch diameter exhaust pipe, and a coiled grill handle. For tools, the project required a cut-off wheel, fiber disc, chop saw, welder, and plasma cutter.

The fabrication part of the video focuses on metal layout and advanced welding techniques that are above most DIYers ' pay grade, but the video offers some great hacks. For example, the welder uses a piece of stainless steel to create a flat surface on the round keg for his level. Then, without suitable measuring tape, he uses a roll of receipt paper to obtain the keg's circumference. And instead of cutting the main grill door first, he removes the end cap from the keg, then installs supports and cuts the grill grates to fit. Assembling this way helps maintain the structural integrity of the keg. He also attached the hinges before completely cutting the door, ensuring that everything stayed perfectly aligned.

The creator encountered a few challenges along the way, but found clever ways to work around them. The creator used angle iron and a repurposed grate to build a charcoal tray, then fashioned another grate for the firebox using flat bar. When warping and gaps in the endcap caused alignment issues, he used ratchet straps and clamps to pull the metal back into place for a snug fit. He then used a combination of TIG and MIG welding, using TIG on the thin endcaps and MIG on the structural components, airflow pipe, and smokestack. Finally, he welded a square tube to the grill so it could easily slide onto a standard trailer hitch.

If you love the concept of this build, but don't have high-frequency TIG welders or a plasma cutter for an epic outdoor grill, you can try a no-weld horizontal grill by cutting a single beer keg completely in half lengthwise with an angle grinder. Another option is to make a drum smoker by keeping the keg upright and drilling holes in the base.

Before cooking anything on your new grill, fill it with charcoal and burn it hot for about an hour. This will burn off any manufacturing oils, labels, and beer residue, ensuring that your food is safe and tastes the way it should. Keep in mind that, because beer kegs are made of a thin-gauge stainless steel, heat transfers quickly from the fire box to the cook chamber, resulting in fast temperature spikes but low heat retention. For this reason, you might want to give it a few practice runs before cooking for your friends.