I got a free barrel!

[Ejmharris]

Can this seriously be done? Will the wood from the barrel actually make for some tastier meats? If so, I may do this with the Woodford barrel I have. I just don't have anywhere to display it and it's taking up room in my garage.

It makes for great smoking material. Jack actually sells theirs commercially. I am looking for for in Cincy to cut into chucks for my webber.

[M Pickle]

Can this seriously be done? Will the wood from the barrel actually make for some tastier meats? If so, I may do this with the Woodford barrel I have. I just don't have anywhere to display it and it's taking up room in my garage.

Absolutely! White oak is an excellent smoking wood. I can only imagine that the bourbon in the wood will add great flavor.

[Bmac]

Yeah i could see myself buying as much white dog as i could. Especially BT's but that would get mighty expensive. But the concept of being able to officially age something in charred oak would be incredible. In fact, you can take some of your single malts.and age them. Take tbat 12yr and turn it into an 18 yr

[Ejmharris]

Yeah i could see myself buying as much white dog as i could. Especially BT's but that would get mighty expensive. But the concept of being able to officially age something in charred oak would be incredible. In fact, you can take some of your single malts.and age them. Take tbat 12yr and turn it into an 18 yr

Crazy expensive too age anything in that big barrel. Leaving it to beer, furniture or wood chips is the best bet.

[Clavius]

Well I've decided that I'm going to take apart the Woodford barrel that I have and use most of the staves for smoking. I'll probably start on it tomorrow. Will take pictures and start a thread somewhere here on SB to show the progress in case anyone is interested.

Can't wait to get a look at one of those staves from the side and see how far the bourbon penetrated into the wood. I remember on one of my tours at BT they showed you on a stave how far the bourbon penetrated over x number of years. Pretty neat.

[craigthom]

Never tried to do it in my grill. My smoker is just a big terrra cotta pot with a hot plate in the bottom. Whole set up cost me <$35. It's lasted for over three years now. Not a bad investment!

I've been thinking about making an Alton Brown smoker myself this summer. My grill walked off. I imagine a big flower pot would be less attractive to thieves.

[craigthom]

Can this seriously be done? Will the wood from the barrel actually make for some tastier meats? If so, I may do this with the Woodford barrel I have. I just don't have anywhere to display it and it's taking up room in my garage.

I've done it several times. I cut it into blocks, not chips, and no soaking is necessary (although I do have a pan of water in there).

It's not going to magically make it bourbon-infused meat, but it's going to taste like real barbecue. Because it is.

[Young Blacksmith]

White oak is my preferred smoking wood, and I've used Tabasco barrel chunks before with good results.

Give me a few chunks and I'll make ya some ribs next time you do an event in the area. :grin:

[Clavius]

Well I just took apart the barrel I have. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. You just remove the hoops and it comes apart. Simple as that. I can't even begin to describe the smell. It is amazing. The coolest thing is seeing how far the spirit penetrated into the wood over time.

[bourbonNOOG]

Well I just took apart the barrel I have. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. You just remove the hoops and it comes apart. Simple as that. I can't even begin to describe the smell. It is amazing. The coolest thing is seeing how far the spirit penetrated into the wood over time.

Is the barrel head for sale?

[jcg9779]

Two words: Niagara Falls

Or he could just float down the Trinity.

[StraightNoChaser]

Great pics Clavius! Unfortunately I don't own a smoker so I won't be going that route.

I DO like the idea of filling it with root beer :grin:

[StraightNoChaser]

I might just take it down to Balcones and have Chip fill it with his white dog :cool: :cool: :cool:

[cigarnv]

White oak is my preferred smoking wood, and I've used Tabasco barrel chunks before with good results.

Give me a few chunks and I'll make ya some ribs next time you do an event in the area. :grin:

Been using barrel chunks for years in all types of smokers.... white oak and bourbon makes Q sing!!!

[Stu]

If you fill it up with a couple gallons of water, and roll it around for awhile, you should be able to extract some bourbon. A low proof though. I recall reading a thread on that somewhere here.

I did this with a barrel that had an excellent HH bourbon, purchased by EBRA (European Bourbon and Rye Association) and they gave the empty barrel to me. I used about 3 to 5 gallons of water and rolled it around daily for about a month or two. I have a very tasty "bourbon and water". I estimate about 30 to 40 proof. I'm going to have a handle of it at the Sampler if you want to try it. Caution: When you dump the barrel it will be black. I filtered it through a clean white t shirt washed without bleach or soap and dryed in the dryer (actually a rag). This filtered out all of the charcoal. Total yield was a little more than 4 handles, well worth the effort. Your results may vary, depending on what whiskey was in your barrel to start with. I've seen Canadians do this and they call it "screech", so that's what I labeled mine. I did it a second time, rolled it for a week or two and got a much weaker bourbon and water that would still be pleasant for a bourbon and water drinker. I plan to leave a handle in the refrigerator in the summer and drink as a chaser or when I want a cool refreshing drink (I don't drink soda pop or iced tea). Let me know your results. After you screech the barrel you can still use it for a bar, liquor cabinet, or smoking meat. Good Luck!

[StraightNoChaser]

Any chance I could "sweat" the inside of the barrel by throwing it in a large cooler?

[Lazer]

I would make my own solera out of it. Fill it up with whiskey and refill as the level gets low. :cool:

[sailor22]

You don't need to fill the barrel - 20% to 30% full will age the juice fine. Work up a vatting of inexpensive juice and put it in. If you have a few sipping buds then get everyone to put in a few handles. Everyone gets together every six months or so for a tasting and party.

[mrviognier]

Any chance I could "sweat" the inside of the barrel by throwing it in a large cooler?

I don't think that'd work.

[StraightNoChaser]

This is cool... turn your barrel into a drum

http://www.yamakaminari.com/HowTo/taikodrums/howtobuildtaiko.html