I have the same question. I have a scratch and dent "NEW" barrel that is unlined. Are you guys saying just season it up with charcoal and wood and then it will be gone? I have seen answers to this all over the board from sandblasting and pallet burn to simply sanding it off. Looking for a definitive answer so I can get to building my smoker
If your drum is new clean metal then you are ready to build. When you get it built just spray the inside of the drum with some cooking oil, fire it up and you can put some type of fatty meat on the racks. Let in burn for a few hours and you'll be ready to cook. If there was some type of product in the drum, I'd burn it out real hot and then wash the inside with comet and a hard bristle brush.
I tried to burn mine out and the paint didn't come off well at all. I even tried sanding it off after heating it up with a weed burner torch. Sand blasting was quick and relatively cheap ($75). In my opinion it was well worth the price. Mine was 3 times the size of yours though and it was painted inside and out with epoxy paint.