Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

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Arnaud
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:40 pm

Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Arnaud »

Hey people, i am new to this forum and I am looking for some advice. I found this deal at my local bunnings where they are selling this Jumbuck drum that converts into charcoal smoker, pizza oven, bbq, firepit etc. Its selling price is $189 and i was hoping to make use of some gift vouchers i received for Christmas.

I know this brand is not the best and that product with all the features seems too good to be true, however, is it completely unusable? [url]Here is a link[/https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Jumbuck-5in ... 3688898326] to one of these on sale on ebay. 'Also I cannot find any info about this product on the manufacturers website yet there must be a dozen or more of these on sale at bunnings.

Has anyone got any experience with one of these, or maybe can give me some advice on what to look for in this cheap unit? I expect that this might have issues like heat losss, rust, etc. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Angryman65
Posts: 397
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:47 pm
Location: Batemans Bay

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Angryman65 »

Arnaud,

For that sort of money, I'd give it a go especially if you're using gift vouchers for the bulk of the payment.

I've got one of the jumbuck 3 in 1 kettles ( Pizza oven, rotisserie and kettle) and it works a treat.

Don't expect it to perform like a $2000 BBQ and you won't be disappointed but it will most likely do everything you want it to once you get used to how it runs. Vents, fire size, best fuel, water bowl ( heat sink) and all the little things that combine to make a difference.

Lots of people have started with Drum Smokers, anything that combines meat, heat and smoke has to be a good thing.
Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter.
Arnaud
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:40 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Arnaud »

Thanks for the reply. Indeed, im only hoping to start smoking some meat and if it turns out that i dont really like it, then it wont have been a big loss. Also i dont know how a $2000 bbq works so at least i wont have that kind of expectation.

cheers :)
BBQ-Dad
Posts: 62
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2019 8:57 am

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by BBQ-Dad »

TBH, it's not something I would even consider.

But.

I'm curious to here how you go, so keep us updated!
Davo
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Location: Albury NSW on the mighty Murray River

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Davo »

Before you decide on the drum, Bunnings have a few other Options you may consider too, they have a brand of smoker called a Fornetto, they are very similar in use to a Weber Smokey Mountain or Pro-Q smoker....they use water and venting to control the heat. They feel rather solid for the price as well. Another option to look at while you're there is an offset type smoker which you can also use as a charcoal grill. whichever griller you get, it'll be a great learning curve.

Cheers

Davo
Moderator/ Admin

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Unzippy
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 1:04 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Unzippy »

Did you decide to go with this in the end?

My mate just got one via ebay. First thing I noticed is that there is no vent control.

A quick trip to Bunnings sorted that. Some flashing tape to block up 5 of the six holes per side and then some 20mm gas fittings including two of these (https://www.bunnings.com.au/gastite-20m ... e_p4790572) and all sorted. Had to slightly drill out the two holes so that we could screw in the fittings.

Now full control over the temp, all good.
titch
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Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:51 pm
Location: Sth East Melbourne

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by titch »

I had a look at one of them, you get a fair bit for your Money.
Cheers
Titch
bigrizz
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:24 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by bigrizz »

Unzippy wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:47 pm Did you decide to go with this in the end?

My mate just got one via ebay. First thing I noticed is that there is no vent control.

A quick trip to Bunnings sorted that. Some flashing tape to block up 5 of the six holes per side and then some 20mm gas fittings including two of these (https://www.bunnings.com.au/gastite-20m ... e_p4790572) and all sorted. Had to slightly drill out the two holes so that we could screw in the fittings.

Now full control over the temp, all good.
I just saw one of these at my local Bunnings for $150. Could be worth a punt. How did you connect the valve you linked in your post? I'm guessing you needed a male to male 20mm coupler? So you put one either side of the base? How do you use them? Why do you need two?
Morbius
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:21 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Morbius »

Hey all,

Picked one of these up at Caloundra Bunnings on sale for $99. Figured I'd try something like this for a first smoker. Had a couple of questions though. Does this need to be burnt in and if it does how do I go about that? Could only find info on burning in a UDS. And I've seen on some videos people using a temperature gauge that shows ambient temp of the smoker and a probe to show meat temp. Could anyone recommend one that's not too expensive.
Was looking at something like this
https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wirele ... uage=en_US
or a Weber Igrill 2
Thanks
Davo
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Joined: Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:44 am
Location: Albury NSW on the mighty Murray River

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Davo »

Hi and welcome Morbius,

Yeah one of those temp meters would be good, especially the bigger one, has 2 probes, one for cooker and one for meat.

It'd be a good idea to do an initial burn in to season and burn off any residue from the manufacturer so a huge chimney full of hot coals, put some wood chunks ontop nd let it go until it goes out....then after you clean out ashes and stuff, it's time to cook.

Cheers

Davo
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Weber Q320
Weber Performer Kettle
Weber WSM 18.5
Morbius
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:21 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Morbius »

Thanks Davo. Will fire it up later and then start looking at easy things to smoke to start with.
Davo
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Location: Albury NSW on the mighty Murray River

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Davo »

start with chicken thigh fillets, drumstick or wings to get the feel of it. use hickory or applewood for smoke...use wood chunks not chips....use heatbeads for reliable heat unill you get used to cooker then experiment with lump charcoal.

davo
Moderator/ Admin

Weber Q320
Weber Performer Kettle
Weber WSM 18.5
bigrizz
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:24 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by bigrizz »

Morbius wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 10:39 am Hey all,

Picked one of these up at Caloundra Bunnings on sale for $99. Figured I'd try something like this for a first smoker. Had a couple of questions though. Does this need to be burnt in and if it does how do I go about that? Could only find info on burning in a UDS. And I've seen on some videos people using a temperature gauge that shows ambient temp of the smoker and a probe to show meat temp. Could anyone recommend one that's not too expensive.
Was looking at something like this
https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-Wirele ... uage=en_US
or a Weber Igrill 2
Thanks
My local in Cannon Hill has them for $149 and won't budge on it. Almost worth a trip to Caloundra. Still a good price. Did you give it a run? How did it go?
BlindSquirrel
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2019 2:00 pm

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by BlindSquirrel »

I picked one up from Bunnings in Bibra Lake for $50 (reduced to clear). Just gearing up now to give it a crack.

Does it hold the heat in a similar fashion to the weber big smokey mountain reviews? I like the idea of a long cook time without farting around like you would with an offset smoker.
Unzippy
Posts: 45
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 1:04 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Jumbuck 5 in 1 Drum

Post by Unzippy »

bigrizz wrote: Mon May 20, 2019 12:14 am
Unzippy wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:47 pm Did you decide to go with this in the end?

My mate just got one via ebay. First thing I noticed is that there is no vent control.

A quick trip to Bunnings sorted that. Some flashing tape to block up 5 of the six holes per side and then some 20mm gas fittings including two of these (https://www.bunnings.com.au/gastite-20m ... e_p4790572) and all sorted. Had to slightly drill out the two holes so that we could screw in the fittings.

Now full control over the temp, all good.
I just saw one of these at my local Bunnings for $150. Could be worth a punt. How did you connect the valve you linked in your post? I'm guessing you needed a male to male 20mm coupler? So you put one either side of the base? How do you use them? Why do you need two?

Sorry for the delay!

Yes, male to male coupler with some nuts to lock it in place. We used them either side of the base, two because we thought that would provide a more even air flow the feed the fire.
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