D
DoctorQ
Guest
That lid looks good repainted - was it tricky to prepare the surface to take the paint...?
Thanks
Rookie Smoker here. I stumbled on this site last Monday when I started making plans to build a smoker. My original plans of building a horizontal offset smoker quickly shifted upon finding this thread. I picked up my first two drums yesterday and I am seasoning my first UDS as I type! I kept it pretty simple so it would be ready for my cookout Sunday, but I have many mods planned for the future!
I only have one question. I have a thermometer in the side of the UDS and one in the lid. They are both pretty cheap. The one in the side is a cheap char-broil unit that screws into the UDS. It is about a half inch below the cooking grate and only sticks out about two inches into the drum. The one in the lid is basically a meat thermometer that I drilled a hole in the lid for it to slide into. It is about two inches above the grate near the center of the lid. Right now the one in the lid reads 250 degrees and the one on the side reads 160 degrees. That's a pretty sizable difference and I'm not entirely sure which one to believe. Thoughts?
Welcome to the Brethren and good looking UDS!!!
As for the thermo, you want the temp right at your grate in the middle of your drum. What you're really looking for is a turkey frying thermometer or another 12" or so thermometer. The longer probe will be right under the center of your cooking grate. I use a brass 3/8" tubing nipple threaded into side of of the drum with the barbed side inside the drum just below the grate for mine. This holds it in place quite well.
The thermo in the top of your drum will read hotter that where your food is since heat rises and it's being held there by the lid. The short one in the side, well, the drums just run cooler on the sides.
Thanks! Makes perfect sense. I had read earlier in the thread about adding about 30 degrees for a short thermometer on the side of the barrel. I just wasn't expecting a 90 degree difference. I suppose had I not been exhausted from the 24 hour build I could have pieced that info together lol! I'll pick up a long thermometer tomorrow before I start my first smoke session.
90 degrees seems a bit much of a difference from my experience. Is should run about 40 degrees hotter in the middle than the sides (max 50 depending on your charcoal basket). Might want to get those thermos calibrated. Maybe the 90 degrees is truthful. I've found a larger difference in temps when I use the minion method, at least in the beginning. No matter what this smoker can do no wrong
Sorry for the noob question, I have tried to read as much of this as I can - but are you leaving the inside unpainted? I have burned and then took a wire brush to the inside to remove my liner, when I rinsed it out, it is already showing some rust. Will it hurt to paint the inside with BBQ paint? Most all store bought BBQ's are painted on the inside.
CambuiAl ... I sure like your cooking grate.
I too have been having issues with thermometers so I bit the bullet and ordered a Maverick ET732 and will get yet another turkey thermometer and start over. I figured that 90 to 110* difference was too great between center and outside, Maybe not.
nice drum CambuiAl. Where did you get that silicone seal?
I keep thinking about a thread or two on here where members were discussing an inner/outer drum setup and filling the gap with diatomaceous earth mix to make a kamado style UDS.
We have thousands of drums at work, 10/30/55 gallon sizes and I'm considering modding my 55 gallon UDS with a 30 inside then filling the gap with fine grain play sand. Even better would be Daytona Beach sand, that stuff packs like crazy.
My plan would be to bolt the 30 gallon inside with around a 2" gap on the bottom and centered then pour the sand with it on an angle and shake/vibrate it to get good fill. The cooking grate would sit on the 30 gallon's lip since I think they are 18.5" or so diameter and I rarely use the outer inch or two of the grate now anyway.
My guess on benefits is lower fuel burn rate and more stable temps.
Thoughts? Has anyone tried it yet?