UDS Mod Question or Advice

[AlbuQue]

I've been cooking on my UDS I made for about a month now and I'm looking at possibly improving the design. I built mine pretty much to the specs of the standard BDS; 4 - 3/4" inlets w/conduit plugs(magnets now), original flat lid with 8 - 3/4' exhaust(I think BDS uses 1/2"), and one cooking grid. I have modified it to now include a weber dome lid and another cooking grid at top. It works graet and I love it. I dump the ash out by physically lifting and dumping which is ok. I did have the thought of taking another barrel and cutting it at a spot just above the first "rib" coming from the bottom. I think that if I cut it at about the mid-point between the highest point of the rib and where it is back to the normal barrel diameter that I would then be able to cut the bottom off of my UDS, on the side and removing the rolled bottom, and that this would fit down in the other base I have created. I'm wondering if it would be as air-tight as it needed to be to still accurately control the temperatures. I guess I could also take a piece of flat metal and fasten it to the inside of the base to create more of a flange type arrangment.

Question is: Has anyone done something like this? Does it sound feasible? Your advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Rick

[Norcoredneck]

I've been cooking on my UDS I made for about a month now and I'm looking at possibly improving the design. I built mine pretty much to the specs of the standard BDS; 4 - 3/4" inlets w/conduit plugs(magnets now), original flat lid with 8 - 3/4' exhaust(I think BDS uses 1/2"), and one cooking grid. I have modified it to now include a weber dome lid and another cooking grid at top. It works graet and I love it. I dump the ash out by physically lifting and dumping which is ok. I did have the thought of taking another barrel and cutting it at a spot just above the first "rib" coming from the bottom. I think that if I cut it at about the mid-point between the highest point of the rib and where it is back to the normal barrel diameter that I would then be able to cut the bottom off of my UDS, on the side and removing the rolled bottom, and that this would fit down in the other base I have created. I'm wondering if it would be as air-tight as it needed to be to still accurately control the temperatures. I guess I could also take a piece of flat metal and fasten it to the inside of the base to create more of a flange type arrangment.

Question is: Has anyone done something like this? Does it sound feasible? Your advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Rick


Barbarian has a set up like you are describing. Had leaks at first. A uDS is no good unless it is airtight for control. Look up "Thirdeye Hoe Scoop" Best way to remove ash in my opinion.

[Thawley]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/BDS/1cdc9afc.jpg

[AlbuQue]

Look up "Thirdeye Hoe Scoop" Best way to remove ash in my opinion.

Thanks for the input. I couldn't find his hoe scoop but he sure has a lot of great pictures of his que!

[AlbuQue]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/thirdeye2/BDS/1cdc9afc.jpg



Opps... just a second to late. Thanks! That gives me an idea with my wife's pooper-scooper!

[asada]

albque
i'm considering doing exactly what you described. i'm going to start working on it this weekend. this is what i planned

basicly what i have is the standard 55 closed top which will be cut off
about 4" is from the top. and then i have another open top drum which i will be cutting at the rib where it flares out. this way i will be able to slide that over the othe drum. but i'm going to have that top piece welded on and i might seal it with something (that should be airtight)

instead of 35" now i will be at around 42"-44"
i decided to to the top instead of the bottom becuase i thought it would be better to have air escape the top part of the barrel than the bottom. and it would be easier to to weld. i'll post pics when i'm done
hope this helps:redface:

[smooookin]

I used the top 2/3 of an open top drum, cut at the outer edge of the rib. I set it on a second open top drum and use the band clamp to keep them together. This seems to work well for temp control. I would suspect that the reverse would also work. you might need a valve on one of the nipples to help compensate for any air leaks.

[wlh3]

Here is what I use. The scraper helps clean out the build up on the bottom of the drum. Purchase new of course:eek:

[AlbuQue]

albque
i'm considering doing exactly what you described. i'm going to start working on it this weekend. this is what i planned

basicly what i have is the standard 55 closed top which will be cut off
about 4" is from the top. and then i have another open top drum which i will be cutting at the rib where it flares out. this way i will be able to slide that over the othe drum. but i'm going to have that top piece welded on and i might seal it with something (that should be airtight)

instead of 35" now i will be at around 42"-44"
i decided to to the top instead of the bottom becuase i thought it would be better to have air escape the top part of the barrel than the bottom. and it would be easier to to weld. i'll post pics when i'm done
hope this helps:redface:

Good idea, let me know how it goes.

[AlbuQue]

I used the top 2/3 of an open top drum, cut at the outer edge of the rib. I set it on a second open top drum and use the band clamp to keep them together. This seems to work well for temp control. I would suspect that the reverse would also work. you might need a valve on one of the nipples to help compensate for any air leaks.

I'm not sure I understand. Which edges are you banding together and what length is the 2nd drum?

[Barbarian]

AlbuQue, here are some pics of my UDS. I did not want to scoop the ash out of the bottom nor reach to ground level to work the intakes (gettin' old). So I put my UDS on a 8" stand, probably could have gone 6" and been happy. I cut the bottom of the drum out. The took the bottom and cut about 1.5" off of that and welded a 1" tall lip around it. That is my ash pan. I got the stand from a junkyard, 1/4" steel drum dolly. To help with the air tightness I cut a Grill Mat that the drum sits on, about 1" larger and smaller in diameter then the drum.

So to clean the drum I just lift it off and dump the ash pan. The Grill Mat was the finishing touch that made the airtight problem disappear.

For the lid I took a donor drum and cut the bottom 10" off and welded a lip around it that fit over the top lip of the drum. Looks good and works great.

[Barbarian]

Weird the pics posted in the preview.
The bottom two pics are of the UDS with different lids.
The one on the left is where I took the lid off a donor, cut the center out and welded the bottom 6" of another donor to make the lid.
The one on the right is the where I tried using the rib to fit down but went with the round bar and flat bar to make the lip that fits over the UDS.

[AlbuQue]

Thanks Jerry, good looking drum and great ideas. Hey, I'm a KC native missing KC too. Born in KCMO at St. Lukes Hospital in 1951 and moved to Albuquerque in 1964.

[Hook_Line_and_Sinker]

I never tire of seeing Barbarian's drum build pics - they and norcoreadneck's open on both end drum builds were what made me decide to go tube for my UDS I used a closed drum and added donor lids top and bottom to seal , along with lid clamps - easy cleanup and maintenance

[AlbuQue]

I like that one too hook! How far above the fire is your first cooking grill? It looks closer than most I've seen.

[Hook_Line_and_Sinker]

my understanding it is not the top of the basket to the bottom of the fist cooking rack to be concerned with ...

but the bottom (grate) of the charcoal basket to the first cooking rack should ideally be 24 inches

mine is at 23 1/2 - a compromise I took to get an ash pan and large basket - after using this for some time now, I would allow for more room under the basket for ash and raise the first cooking grid accordingly

currently my cooking grids are spaced 5 1/5 inches from the top of the drum and 5 1/5 inches between each other

[Dr_KY]

How's it cook that close to the basket as in do you find it a bit too hot on tte bottom grate?

[Hook_Line_and_Sinker]

Well when I was building I was thinking bigger basket longer cooks, yes i know that everyone said low fuel consumption but I had no clue it was that economical on charcoal. I built with sloping sides in hopes that as it burned the settling would maintain contact and provide more complete burns.

If I fill the basket with @ 9 lbs its about half full and yes it is a bit toasty on the bottom grate at the start - and will burn over 24 hours if the ash is low

now I use @ 5 to 6 lbs and everything is more settled and burn time is plenty long for anything , and the bottom grate runs as expected

but then I'm only @ 30 cooks in on the drum and still getting to know all the little quirks - might be less quirks if I didn't fark with different brands of lump / briquettes - I need to follow norcoreadnecks trick of weighing out charcoal into a bucket and marking the level to be more consistent

[Dr_KY]

Same here.

[asada]

hey hook do you have enough space to fit ribs or butt with 5"? i'm considering adding an extension from another drum. do you think its worth it?

[Dr_KY]

More space is always wotrh the effort.

[Hook_Line_and_Sinker]

yes the 5 does give decent space for boston butts , shoulders are not going to fit

I keep measuring to get a third grill in at the one in down mark to use with the dome lid - and will drill it as soon as I'm certain the bolts will not impede the flat lids fit

I have been doing my ribs flat so they fit - but if I rack them they will need more hight

I have 2 of the 18 in racks set aside and plan on using stainless bolts and washers to support them off any of the 22.5 grills but haven settled on a hight yet -

but it is inevitable - there is going to be a second drum in my future

[asada]

i'm glad i wasn't the only one thinking about trying 3 racks.
with the extension and a dome lid i would be able to add three. then switch back and forth with the flat lid depending on how much i was smoking. i guess its awlays nice to have that option.

[armor]

I use a 22" deep dish pizza pan for my ash pan