Ugly Drum Smoker

highchief said:

I do have another 7/8" hole drilled across from the inlet pipe, but have kept it covered up. There is so much available intake from the pipe that I don't think it's needed. Especially for a slow and low cook. Next round of upgrades the barrel gets I'll put in a threaded pipe with a cap on it. It'll be a good drain for when I occasionally hose it out, at least.

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Yeah, you shouldn't need any more than the one vertical intake..

I've got a single 2 1/4 intake and 3" exhaust and it works fine.

I actually only have to keep the intake open about 3/8" to lock it in at 235..

I need some advice on turning a Smokey Joe in to a charcoal basket. What's the preferred method of modifying this thing?

bdon said:

Hi everyone,

After reading this entire thread I of-course found a barrel on craigslist and got working. The barrel I received held some type of food grade oil and had the common tan liner.

After cutting the intake holes (3 1'' holes) with a wood drill bit (don't do this) I burned out my drum with a pallet of wood.

I used a good strong brush and some 409 to try and clean the inside, but the black just won't come off. Some of the inside is black, some is almost bluish, and some is plain metal. Sticking my head inside it doesn't smell like anything, where as with the liner – it smelled like paint. It seems though that my burn would have definitely burnt the liner off.

I took a piece of sand paper and sanded some down to bare metal. It seems like the barrel just has a layer of black soot, like pre-seasoned? I don't have many tools and sanding the whole thing by hand seems like a pita...but I'll do it for safety if needed.

I took a picture of the inside. What do you guys think?

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Kind of looks like you used softwood in your burn.

bdon said:

Hi everyone,

I burned out my drum with a pallet of wood.?

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Nope...keep burning.

bdon said:

Hi everyone,

After reading this entire thread I of-course found a barrel on craigslist and got working. The barrel I received held some type of food grade oil and had the common tan liner.

After cutting the intake holes (3 1'' holes) with a wood drill bit (don't do this) I burned out my drum with a pallet of wood.

I used a good strong brush and some 409 to try and clean the inside, but the black just won't come off. Some of the inside is black, some is almost bluish, and some is plain metal. Sticking my head inside it doesn't smell like anything, where as with the liner – it smelled like paint. It seems though that my burn would have definitely burnt the liner off.

I took a piece of sand paper and sanded some down to bare metal. It seems like the barrel just has a layer of black soot, like pre-seasoned? I don't have many tools and sanding the whole thing by hand seems like a pita...but I'll do it for safety if needed.

I took a picture of the inside. What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that black stuff is the rest of the liner that didn't burn completley out. Thats the way mine looked when I burnt it out and then I burned again and got it hotter, and most of it came out that time, still had some I had to take off with a wire wheel grinder. I'd say re-burn.

From posts of barrels past, the general consciousness is the easiest way to burn out a barrel was a harbor freight weed/snow burner. It would burn off the paint on both sides of the barrel. My second personal favorite was hooking up a small blower (like a shop vac) to one of the air intake holes. The wood fire would get more air and burn hotter/faster (low power blast furnace).

KStraker said:

I need some advice on turning a Smokey Joe in to a charcoal basket. What's the preferred method of modifying this thing?

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I did it with an 18 in Weber. I completely cut the bottom out of it with an angle grinder just below the supports for the charcoal grate. Then I drilled a bunch of 1 inch holes through the sides, about 18 in all and also made some vertical slits in places. I then made a couple of different sized charcoal rings to sit on the grate for long or short smokes. I made some 3 inch legs for it with corner brackets and mounted it to an aluminum pizza pan for an ash catcher. Using the charcoal ring that I made which is the same diameter as the charcoal grate I've cooked for 18 hours and still had charcoal left. I left the metal handles on mine and it just fits inside my drum perfectly centered, but it takes just a little maneuvering to get it past my cooking grate supports.

Hope that helps and good luck with it.

Paul

I got my barrels the other day. I'm using 2 55 gallon barrels. I cut the lid & bottom out of one to use as the center section. The 2nd barrel, I cut on the top of each center rib to use as a base & a lid.

The 3 sections fit pretty tightly...should seal up nicely.

From left to right: Top, center, lid.



Here they are stacked.



I cut everything with a cutoff wheel on my angle-grinder. I left about 3/4" lip on the inside top & bottom, so that the center section will keep some structure. I may have to grind away some once I get the grills.



Note: They were both a seafoam green color w/ a bit of rust until I burned them out.

Well, other than paint & some sort of damper on the intake & chimney, it's done.

I picked up 2 replacement Weber grates & a Weber bottom grate at Lowes, along with several nuts & bolts. I then stopped at a metal supply place & bought a 12 3/4" x 50" piece of heavy guage expanded metal. Then I finally stopped by Walmart & got 2 thermometers for the smoker, and then 2 remote digital meat thermometers (all on closeout).

On the way home, I stopped at a buddy's house & picked up an old post jack (3" od) to use for intake & chimney (black iron pipe was going to cost over $25 for enough and this was free).

After several hours with the torches, welder, hole saws, etc., we have smoke.

I ended up with the first grate at 24" above the bottom of the charcoal basket, and the top grate about 14" above that. The thermometers are within 1/2" of the grates.





here's some more pics from today:













I put it through it's paces again tonight. I had it up to 800* for about 15 minutes 4 times & then let it sit at 500 for another 1hr. It's been holding 250* with the coals from that for the past 2 hrs w/ using foil as a damper on the intake & exhaust.

I still want to put some handles on it, paint it, and build dampers, but it's at least ready for meat now.

I bet you can cook some meat real fast at 800*

That's a BIGGUN!! Happy Smoking!

Babyboomerboy said:

I bet you can cook some meat real fast at 800*

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Oh yeah. Hook a leaf blower up to the intake & watch the drum start to glow! :icon_devil

At least it should be safe to cook in now.

I should have it painted today. I'm still trying to decide on a damper setup for the intake & exhaust.

do you need a ladder to put the meat on?? that thing is gonna be a beast!!!!

Typically said:

do you need a ladder to put the meat on?? that thing is gonna be a beast!!!!

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:biggrin:

It's only 5'2" at the top of the lid...just over 4' at the bottom of the lid.

That puts the U in Ugleeeeeeeee.

bdon and others wondering when the liner is burned out enough:

When it is burned out enough, you should be able to use a pressure washer or take the drum to the helpie-selfie car wash and simply wash out the residue. You can tell it is ready if it is whitish or pinkish and flat, and if you can run your fingernail over the cooled barrel inside and scrap off paint.

The very best thing I have found to burn out liners is a Harbor Freight weed burner, which saves a lot of time, and which you will later use time and again as a jet engine method of starting your coals quickly, so go out and spend the $20 or whatever and get one. Just start burning around the inside of the barrel with that thing, and it will remove all the inside and outside coatings.

Just joined from Australia... No such thing as a UDS here, and had never heard of one before....but plenty of Drums. Just checked around on eBay and it won't be long before I have got me a food grade drum. SO unless any other Aussies have done it, I think I'm gonna make the first UDS in Oz. I have a ship load of stuff to read in this thread first tho!

Evil that has to be one of the UGLIEST barrels yet. Nice job!! That thing is gonna put out some great bbq. Please post pics. Again nice work. I meant Ugly in a good way.

Skidder said:

Evil that has to be one of the UGLIEST barrels yet. Nice job!! That thing is gonna put out some great bbq. Please post pics. Again nice work. I meant Ugly in a good way.

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Thanks!

There are 3 butts on it right now. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow as they come off. :biggrin:

Hi to all.

Just wondering if a drum that used to contain water based latex paint, would be safe to use?

Thanks
Kevin

One never knows what a drum is lined with and most are even if the lining is a thin coat of varnish or nukote or light plastic/BPA.

Drill some air holes 1" X 3 (4). Burn it HOT. Burn it LONG. Wash it scrub it and then Burn it again. Clean it up. Work it over with a knotted wire on angle grinder. Sander. Wire brush. Wash again. So that all the loose metal bits and abrasives go down the drain at the car wash.

Add a grate and charcoal basket. Coat the inside with lard. Fire it up. While the drum seasons play with Temp control. Let it run low for a bit then run it wide open and then slow it down. Hopefully closing everything down will put you out within 15 minutes or so. Find these things out before you start to cook.

Find where 210 -240 is on your air inlet(s). Mine it works out to 2 holes closed with magnets the one air inlet with the 1" ball valve little over 1/3 open. (My air inlets were drilled with a Irwin Uni-bit to 1 3/8")

Second run do it the same but you don't have to run it wide open, put a couple fatties on there, if something goes wrong you're not losing a lot.

Again work the temp control. I found that the Minion method and lighting 8 coals in the Weber lighter and putting in a small dent on the charcoal basket, dropping the coals on, that with the 2 holes uncovered and the gate valve wide it took about 25-35 mins to get the temperature climbing to 205 and I shut the two holes with magnets, at 210 I nudged the ball valve to 1/3 open. Drum went up to 240 and dropped to 230-215 for hours.

If I didn't lift the lid it stayed right there. Lift the lid the temp spikes up once all the way to 340F and I'd have to narrow down the valve so that the temp drops back down then open to 1/3 when it hits 235. I've found that if I close the ball valve for 5 mins then open the lid I don't get that spike or at least not so bad. (sorry my temps are in F(unny) degrees my turkey fryer therm is US temps though it's made in China)

Longest cook I've had so far was 10 hours at -10C and a pork loin roast that was to DIE for. Swear it was like "OH MY GOD. groan grunt smack smack, HANDS off it's mine" But then no pics so it didn't really happen.

Since I made my UDS I'm using it 3 - 5 times a week. I've gained 4 Kilos. Food coming off is so good one just eats more. Plus the fact that I'm cooking 5 Kg roasts and 4Kg butts and brining turkeys and chicken and pork loin and tenderloin and .... I've got to get a good vacuum sealer so I can freeze leftovers rather than FORCING (yeah right) myself to eat them.