Ugly Drum Smoker

cjs27410 · Sep 26, 2013

Area of a circle = pi x r squared
pi = 3.14
r = .5 x diameter

1" circle has radius of .5
area of 1" hole = 3.14 x .5 x .5
= .785

area of 2" = 3.14 x 1 x 1
= 3.14

Based on the posts that people using the 2" bung for exhaust have success maintaining temps and others posting that one exhaust hole causes uneven temps at the grill grid. I decided to go with 7 holes 7/8" around the perimeter which gives me 3.06 sq inches of exhaust. 1" magnets do a good job of covering the holes for shutdown. Temps hold steady for the most part. Lump is a little harder to lock in on temp. I might add one more 7/8" hole in the center. That would give me 3.5 sq in of exhaust.

callmecamo · Sep 26, 2013

Just for any new builder's information. If you are grinding rust off a drum with a wire wheel/cup brush, pay a little more and get the knotted version rather than the cheaper crimped version if you can find them. Otherwise you will have little steel wires embedded in your legs and midsection. What's more, you'll go through about 4 of those things before you get your drum cleaned out! :mmph:

tom9193 · Sep 26, 2013

here is my addition thanks to everyones advice on here

RT · Sep 27, 2013

Looks good. :thumb:

toro168 · Sep 27, 2013

My UDS is done

Hi,

New guy here. I finished my UDS and fired it up last night.

Are you guys also experiencing different temp reading between your dial thermometer vs your digital one? Mine is reading almost 60 to 80 deg difference.

My other question is this thing spit out way too much smoke, is there a reason why? I lighted it using the minion method and put in 2 chunk of cherry wood, let the temp go up to 280 deg and then I slowly close the air intake one at a time until it stabilized around 270 but white smoke were flowing out like crazy. Anything I can do to minimize the amount of smoke or is this the way to smoke meat? I have been using a propane smoke box in the past and this is my first charcoal smoker and I am worried my meat will be too smokey to eat?

Thanks for your advice and help

Goldenfinger · Sep 27, 2013

That graphic is absolute gold... :thumb:

Meat Burner · Sep 28, 2013

Bigmista said:
Like it was said before, a super tight fitting lid is only important for shutting down after the cook. I once lost my lid on the way to a contest (long story) and ended up cooking with a piece of plywood with a hole in it for a lid. Worked just fine, holding temps in the wind and rain.

Woo brother. I haven't been active here much lately and decided to check out the UDS threads just for kicks. It got so off of the capability and fun use of the UDS that I gave up following it. However, I did go back to the earlier posts back in 2007 to see what we were doing at that time. I remember you torching holes for the intakes to about the size of your index finger and then adjusting the temps by plugging the holes with aluminum foil. LOL Hey bro, it worked! For a time we learned to add intake valves and get simple exhaust for flat or domed lids. We all knew it took time to get the temps up slowly to make sure not to get the temps too high early on. Our designs were KISS and I fully realize it is still the best design for a UDS. It is still the very best way to build a reliable UDS that will work every time. My first drum build in 2007 is still a smoking machine today. Was so proud to see you on BBQ Pitmasters making me proud to be a brother. Hope all is well with you and your family.

JimmyK · Sep 28, 2013

Ok I need help. I have a steel drum that had blue berry preserves in it. I have burnt it out twice and STILL the red paint is not coming off the inside. I put a steel wire wheel to it and it isn't wanting to come off that easy either....HELP!

StanDaMan79 · Sep 28, 2013

I have burnt it out twice and STILL the red paint is not coming off the inside. I put a steel wire wheel to it and it isn't wanting to come off that easy either

I'm right there with ya. Was ignorant of the problems of removing that dang red liner. I called a local powder coat company; was quoted about 150 bucks for sandblast, and then a ceramic hi temp exterior coat. The contact said powder coating was good only to about 250? I'm interested to see a solution, but I don't think I'm going to like it.:shock:

I've seen pic's of barrels built here, (UDS) that have the plastic housing wireless type mounted to the side of the barrel? My current barrel design hits 500 on occasion, I'm guessing these UDS builds run much cooler, obviously.
thanks to all that respond for your help!

Goldenfinger · Sep 28, 2013

Final Touches

Finally... my "real" lid and grills have arrived, plus I finished-up the mods to my drum dolly... :clap:

Rounded off the hex on a 1/2" bolt... then welded it into the end of the handle that came with my dolly. Works great with the nut I welded onto the fire basket previously...

Quick release pin...

Makes a pretty good lid holder too...

Optional, diffuser/water pan/drip tray rack for 3rd or 2nd position.

Grate installed.

Bottom rack.

Top rack.

Just gotta find a cover and I think this one is done..! :-D

RT · Sep 28, 2013

Looking good Goldenfinger.:thumb:

Goldenfinger · Sep 28, 2013

Thanks RT...
Once again... couldn't and wouldn't have done this without the Brethren.

JimmyK · Sep 30, 2013

Toro168 did you use a grinder to get your barrel that cleaned off before painting it?

I ask because I have a red powder coating on the inside of my barrel that will not come off via burning it out.

I am thinking a grinder and a grinding wheel are my next step.

funugy · Sep 30, 2013

@ JimmyK-- That red liner has been noted as a pain in the arse by many around here. Sorry to hear you got stuck with one. I would think your options are:

1. Keep at it, grind, burn, whatever it takes. It is going to be a PIA with lots of work and one heck of a mess.
2. Check around for sandblasting costs/quotes. Most powder coaters do sand blasting. I was quoted <$40 around my parts. Many others on this site have gotten similar or better deals.
3. Toss it and keep on the look out for something unlined. I lucked out and found over 100 barrels to pick through at a steel recycler. It was about a 1.5hr drive to get there, but it was well worth it.

Hang in there, the UDS is worth the effort.

JimmyK · Sep 30, 2013

@funugy Thanks for the advice.

This is my second barrel. The first one I had sand blasted and well...it reveled all the weak spots from rust.

This one is in much better shape...might try sand blasting again...

Someone suggested I not worry about the red liner...just give it a good coat of veg. oil when I season my smoker and it will be under grease and not harmful.

I am not sure I like that idea.

I think I am going to get a grinding wheel and give that a whirl.

I can't wait to cook on it...it's gonna be awesome!!

olewarthog · Sep 30, 2013

toro168 said:
Hi,

New guy here. I finished my UDS and fired it up last night.

Are you guys also experiencing different temp reading between your dial thermometer vs your digital one? Mine is reading almost 60 to 80 deg difference.

My other question is this thing spit out way too much smoke, is there a reason why? I lighted it using the minion method and put in 2 chunk of cherry wood, let the temp go up to 280 deg and then I slowly close the air intake one at a time until it stabilized around 270 but white smoke were flowing out like crazy. Anything I can do to minimize the amount of smoke or is this the way to smoke meat? I have been using a propane smoke box in the past and this is my first charcoal smoker and I am worried my meat will be too smokey to eat?

Thanks for your advice and help

Most dial therms have a nut on the backside for adjustments. Dip the probe end in boiling water & adjust accordingly.

If you are wanting to cook at 270, I would suggest start closing off intakes at 250 & allow the drum to rise slowly to 270. Once you have the temp stabilized, the thick white smoke should give way to thin, blue smoke. Mine normally settles in & is producing thin blue smoke in about 30-40 mins from start up, but each drum reacts a little different.

toro168 · Sep 30, 2013

JimmyK said:
Toro168 did you use a grinder to get your barrel that cleaned off before painting it?

I ask because I have a red powder coating on the inside of my barrel that will not come off via burning it out.

I am thinking a grinder and a grinding wheel are my next step.

Hi Jimmy,

Yes I did, I use a polycarbide abrasive wheel to grind it out. I spray the inside of the barrel with a bit of water to keep the dust down to a minimum. I also bought a cheapo grinder from Harbor Freight for $13.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-angle-grinder-60625.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-polycarbide-abrasive-wheel-60571.html

toro168 · Sep 30, 2013

olewarthog said:
Most dial therms have a nut on the backside for adjustments. Dip the probe end in boiling water & adjust accordingly.

If you are wanting to cook at 270, I would suggest start closing off intakes at 250 & allow the drum to rise slowly to 270. Once you have the temp stabilized, the thick white smoke should give way to thin, blue smoke. Mine normally settles in & is producing thin blue smoke in about 30-40 mins from start up, but each drum reacts a little different.

Thanks for the tips. I will adjust the therms this weekend, and will try closing off the intakes and see if i can get the blue smoke.

funugy · Sep 30, 2013

snip..

JimmyK said:
@funugy Thanks for the advice.

Someone suggested I not worry about the red liner...just give it a good coat of veg. oil when I season my smoker and it will be under grease and not harmful.

I am not sure I like that idea.

...end snip

I dunno if I would trust it. I would suggest doing research to find out what the liner is made of, MSDS, flashpoint, etc. before leaving it in place.

If it were me, I'd do everything I can to get that liner out of there and get it to bare metal.

Goldenfinger · Sep 30, 2013

funugy said:
snip..

...end snip

I dunno if I would trust it. I would suggest doing research to find out what the liner is made of, MSDS, flashpoint, etc. before leaving it in place.

If it were me, I'd do everything I can to get that liner out of there and get it to bare metal.

If it doesn't wire brush well... it may have epoxy content in the "red" coating for durability... I would agree with Funugy that you should look into the MSDS before cooking on that... or better yet, scrap it for another barrel.

If I had this to do over again... I would seriously consider the extra cost in buying a new, unlined barrel over sandblasting or grinding... takes a lot of time.

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