SUNLIFER Oil Drum Smoker

Is the SUNLIFER Oil Drum Smoker worth buying?

Yes, if you want the fire in a box beside the food rather than under it: the SUNLIFER Oil Drum Smoker costs £69.21 and gives you 2,541 cm² of grate across three surfaces, which works out at 37 cm² for every pound. It suits a cook who wants a barrel layout, a lid thermometer and wheels without crossing the £100 line, and a 4.4 average from 193 buyers backs that up.

The honest case against it is the main chamber. That box measures 62 x 30 cm, so 1,860 cm² of the total sits under the lid and the rest lives in the side firebox. If you want one large flat grate, the SUNLIFER 3-in-1 at £56.99 hands you 2,923 cm² for less money. Buy the drum for the offset layout, and the 3-in-1 for the square centimetres.

How much grate do you get for £69.21?

Do the sum on the two cooking surfaces. The main chamber is 62 x 30 cm, which is 1,860 cm², and the offset box adds 29 x 23.5 cm, another 682 cm², so 2,541 cm² in total. Divide £69.21 by the main grate alone and you get 27 cm² a pound; count the side box as well and the same £69.21 buys 37 cm² a pound.

In use, that split matters more than the headline figure. The main chamber takes about a dozen burgers or a spatchcocked chicken across its two grates, and the firebox takes a whole chicken or a couple of steaks away from the coals, with a warming rack above for whatever finishes first. Because the two grates in the main chamber lift as separate pieces, you add charcoal by shifting one section rather than clearing the whole chamber.

What comes in the box and what is it like to live with?

You get the lid, two cooking grates in the main chamber, the side grate in the firebox, a warming rack, a removable metal front shelf and a bottom shelf, with stainless steel handles on the lid. The whole unit stands 101 cm wide, 55 cm deep and 109 cm tall, the body is painted or powder-coated alloy steel, and it weighs 15.5 kg. It is freestanding and arrives flat, so assembly is part of the first afternoon.

Day to day, the cart-style wheels roll it across paving and a patio, and the two shelves keep sauces, tools and charcoal within reach while the lid is up. The thermometer sits in the main chamber, so you read the heat without lifting the lid, and adjustable air vents on both the barrel and the firebox let you open or close the draw. A one-year warranty covers the unit.

Where does the SUNLIFER Oil Drum Smoker fall short?

The 2,541 cm² figure is spread across three surfaces rather than one. If your cooking is a single long brisket or a full tray of ribs in one piece, the SUNLIFER Large Coal Barrel at £94.75 gives 5,160 cm² on one grate, and this drum makes you choose which chamber the joint sits in.

Two practical limits come with the price. It arrives unassembled, so an hour with the manual goes before the first cook, and the warranty runs for one year rather than the five that some rivals cover. At 15.5 kg it rolls easily on flat ground but it is a lift, not a drag, over a step or a lawn edge.

How does the SUNLIFER Oil Drum Smoker compare with the SUNLIFER 3-in-1 and the Outsunny?

Against the SUNLIFER 3-in-1 at £56.99, this drum costs £12.22 more and gives 382 cm² less grate. What the extra money buys is the side firebox, so smoke crosses the chamber instead of rising through it, and the 3-in-1 answers the same job with two access doors and 819 buyer ratings. For the most grate for the least money, the 3-in-1 wins; for cooking with the fire to one side, this barrel is the one.

Against the Outsunny Offset Smoker at £79.99, the drum costs £10.78 less and gives 1,041 cm² more grate. The Outsunny weighs 17 kg and adds three shelves rated to 10 kg, which matters if you want the counter space. Take the drum when area is the priority, and the Outsunny when shelves and a heavier frame are.