UDS build....opinions please!!!

I secured a drum today and am ready to start building. I have my measurements and before I drilled wanted to get other opinions.

Drum is 33.5 inches tall and has a 23 inch diameter. For the intakes I have measured 3 holes as best to the same distance apart as I can get. They are 2 inches of bottom of barrel and 1 inch diameter. I will place 3/4 Close pipe fittings in those. One of them will have a 3/4 ball valve and the other 2 have fitted tops. 3 inches of bottom barrel is my charcoal grate that my basket will sit on. I made the 20/20 basket from here and will sit that on the grate.

I want to add a second shelf so I measured 3 inches from top for 1st grate and 6 inches from top for second. That makes the second grate 24 inches from the charcoal grate. If second grate is used a weber 22.5 kettle dome will be used. Thermometer will be 1 inch below 2nd grate.

For the exhaust.....Have a lid with no holes. I am torn between adding a smoke stack or 8 1/2" holes for exhaust?

What say you???? Are my measurments okay?

PorkDork said:

The first issue of Smoke Signals Magazine (link up top) has a complete walk through with full sized pictures. Helped me a lot on my build.

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Looks like I have to have adobe flash player and since I'm on my iPad I can't read it. I will take a look in the morning.

I did read this post today when measuring

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43943&highlight=if+a+redneck

AUradar said:

so you only have 3" between the two grates? sounds minium. Might be better to put the top plate as close to the top of the drum as possible. Also, that tight of space is going to make getting the bottom rack in a pain

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I wanted the bottom grate to be 24 inches from the charcoal basket. The 2nd grate is 3 inches from the top due to the way the barrel is constructed. There is a "roll" about 1.5 inches down from the top of the barrell and due to the curvature of the "roll", 3 inches down is about all I could do to make the bolts sit level.

If I was going to utilize both grates during a cook my thought process was to start the Butt on the lower grate. When I am ready to add...say chickens, I would pull the lower grate out...put the chickens on the other grate and swap positions. Chickens on the bottom and Butt on top.