Ok, don't bust my nubbies for not posting pics, I was having too much fun cooking on my 1st UDS I just finished this weekend. I'll post some when I can take some decent pics on a sunny day.
Anyway, here's my evaluation so far:
THIS THING WORKS AWESOME!!
Mine has two 1" ball valves for control. The 1st thing I cooked was some rib tips with Walkerswood Jerk paste and butter rubbed on them. I lit the top of the charcoal basket filled with Lump and a few hickory chunks mixed in with my weed burner, then let it sit outside the barrel for a few minutes. With both valves wide open, I lowered it in and closed the lid. It quickly rose to about 350°. I closed both valves a little at a time, waiting about a half hour in between, until it hit about 250°. Put the meat on and waited till they were done. I left them on a little too long, but instread of being dry, they were still tender, moist and delicious.
The next thing I tried was a tri-tip for the 1st time. I added some more coals, lit the top and this time, really let it heat up and left it wide open. By the time the Tri-tip was done, the whole coal basket was lit, and the temp was about 475°. Here's the amazing part. I wanted to throw on a fattie (slit in half so it would cook faster) and a few brats. I put them on with it still running very hot, closed the lid and set the valves to the same setting it was running earlier at 250-275°. I went inside, ate some tri-tip, and forgot about the fattie and brats. When I finally remembered them, I thought for sure they would be burnt beyond recognition. To my surprise, it was cruising at 275° and the meat was cooked perfect. Remember, the whole basket of coals was on fire. I'm not sure how that works, kinda defy's the minion method. So I pulled the brats and fattie and shut her down. Anyway, I am very impressed to say the least.
Thanks for this thread!!
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