Ugly Drum Smoker

arne said:
Ok, I am about a 7th through this thread, but have read all of those 135 pages so far. I will be picking up a drum on Tuesday night, so now it is time to gather the rest of the parts. As I live in the Netherlands, we have our fair share of cold and wet weather. With slightly more of our share of rain. ;) That means that I want to be careful to use intakes and exhausts that do not allow water in, as I want to be able to 'set and forget' instead of continually looking outside to see whether there are any drops of rain. So, I already found a 2.4" stainless exhaust which essentially is a large 90 degree bend. I guess that would work.
For the intake I would like to use a single intake. Just to cut costs and add simplicity. Rummaging around in the garage I found a Bosch butterfly valve off a car. It is a NOS part that I got off the shelf of a dealership that went bust. I haven't got a clue what car it is from, but it has a very nice 1.5" intake and a good venturi effect being over 2" first, then going to 1.5" where it passes through the valve. I am thinking of creating a mechanism to adjust the opening of the valve with a gas cable. But, would the intake and exhaust sizes work in your opinion?
Click to expand...


I like an exhaust you can close off, rain not usually a problem in Los Angeles... but I have smoked with an umbrella over the UDS.

is it a throttle body?

Yes. as long as you can regulate the intake to fully closed it should work.

After a cook I like to shut the intake and exhaust fully, that puts the fire out and saves the charcoal for another cook (or 2!)
 
BruceKWHP said:
I like an exhaust you can close off, rain not usually a problem in Los Angeles... but I have smoked with an umbrella over the UDS.

is it a throttle body?

Yes. as long as you can regulate the intake to fully closed it should work.

After a cook I like to shut the intake and exhaust fully, that puts the fire out and saves the charcoal for another cook (or 2!)
Click to expand...

Yes, it is a throttle body and it closes fully. I just need to have something sturdy that goes against the strength of the spring on it, so it stays open nicely. I don't have anything to close the exhaust yet, but that shouldn't be all to hard to cap off. Might even try and get a large cork to fit it.

Now the next challenge is to find an old que, as they are expensive here and real hard to find in February. Nobody here thinks about barbecue until well in May...
 
jrn said:
You can also just use the ashes to absorb the grease. It's free!

The wider you make your basket, the more grease it will catch.

I don't use an ash pan. Just let the ash fall to the bottom. When you get ready for a cook, take your basket out and spread ash around the bottom. It'll soak up the grease. Then use a shop vac to clean it out. Works like a charm! If no shop vac, you can make a scoop. Garden hoe works good too. But the ash does a great job soaking up the grease.
Click to expand...

Thanks pal! Just had the UDS going for a brisket, will have to inspect the bottom and see how the litter works out. Good idea on the ash
 
Might not go with the throttle body as I found a 2" ball valve today for a fiver including two pieces of stainless steel pipe. It still needs a bit of work as I need to clean it out and get the two pieces of pipe off and reassemble later.
 
ive been thinking about making one of these and this thread may have just pushed me over the edge...
 
I saw on youtube a guy who had a third rack close to the coals where he put a diffuser (Pizza Plate) to help evenly distribute the heat. I was thinking of using this third rack to place a water tray or diffuser depending on what Im smoking. My question, do you guys recommend a "diffuser" and can I put a water tray that close to the coals? thanks, ~Anthony
 
I have a third rack and have experimented with different types of diffusers depending on the type of cook but I eventually got accustomed to using no diffuser as intended for the UDS and my cooks have been pretty consistent since, regardless of the type of cook.
 
I tried a few cooks without a diffuser and granted the temp outside during the last cook was 9 degrees, but I did notice without a diffuser I get more drippings coming off the lid. I did have my drum modified to accept rods to hang meat and maybe I will try to plug those when using the racks to see if there is a difference, but without a diffuser I seem to get more moisture drippings from the lid.
 
I tend to use a cheapo pizza pan for a diffuser. I started without one and had problems with meats in the center and bottom rack crisping up more than the outer edges. I ended up with the diffuser, and after a few cooks decided to drill a bunch of 5/8" holes in it. Problem was when I cooked spares once, when I opened the lid to check the meat the rendering fat on the diffuser lit up and I had a massive flame. Since then I have always used foil to wrap the diffuser, makes for easy cleaning too.

I have done a few cooks without the diffuser, but prefer it. Now, when I do chicken, I start with the diffuser in place, then when ready to finish the skin I remove the diffuser in order for a more direct heat to crisp it up a little. works great!
 
I use disposable aluminum pans when I need indirect/direct during cooking.
Sometimes I use aluminum pans for the whole cook. The drum stays clean...:D

Sent from my GS3 via Tapatalk 2
 
Drilled the intakes and burned my barrel out on Sunday - got one with a flat lid and the lever closure/clamp. I got my wood for the burn from the shop teacher at school (I'm a teacher, too.) I picked up the step drill bits at HF - how did I ever live without these things? Having the right tools to do a job sure makes life a lot easier! Anyway, I also grabbed a knotted cable/wire wheel, and tried that out on the inside tonight. Looks like by Saturday night I'll have myself a UDS! My wife can't wait for it to be done, because it's pretty much all I talk about right now. Thanks to everyone who has put some input in here! I'm learning from the best!
 
Example
utazemeh.jpg


Sent from my GS3 via Tapatalk 2
 
BigTone said:
My question, do you guys recommend a "diffuser" and can I put a water tray that close to the coals? thanks, ~Anthony
Click to expand...

Some will say that using a diffuser of any kind is sacrilege, and that you're not making "true" BBQ if you use one. After several cooks without a diffuser, I added a large stainless bowl to my UDS, and find that I get better results and flavor. The flavor is more like my WSM, and the family prefers that profile over the un-diffused UDS.

My bowl is mounted just below the lower grate. I use it dry, no water or sand. I just wrap it in foil for easier cleanup.

Everyone has a preference, one way or the other. Give one a try and decide what you like.
 
Those "true" bbqers also consider our upright drum smokers not true bbqing.
They call it modified, direct grilling...
I just let the meat speak for itself :D

Sent from my GS3 via Tapatalk 2
 
How is it not true bbq? Long slow cook of a tough piece of meat. Melts like butter when you eat it. That's bbq!
 
The point is, the UDS was never meant to use a diffuser or water pan. If you want to go for it, but classically its not used.

A UDS lets the drippings keep the meat moist, instead of a water pan/diffuser. It offers a different flavor, but saying one is better than the other is absurd. Different strokes for different folks.

On top of that if you like the flavor of the WSM and modded a UDS to get closer to that flavor, why not just keep using the WSM?

And the UDS needs to get the grease buildup on it, keeping it clean is counter productive, in my opinion, on the way it is classically used.
 
Neonnblack said:
On top of that if you like the flavor of the WSM and modded a UDS to get closer to that flavor, why not just keep using the WSM?
Click to expand...

I'm in this category. The reason I added a diffuser bowl is that I first bought a 18.5" WSM, used it for a few months, and then stumbled on the UDS concept. After building one, and comparing the flavor of WSM against UDS, my family & I preferred what we started with (WSM), so I added the bowl. Plus, the larger size of the UDS is very nice.

I really wish I had read about the UDS first. I still have the 18.5 WSM, but have not used it since I built the UDS. I should sell it, but I can't bring myself to do so.
 
I was just wondering, I have a couple of old 11" drums for vegetable oil. As it is hard to find expanded metal at a decent price, I was thinking of using the old drums for a charcoal basket, drill them all around and put them on bolts for height. Would that work if I would make it 15" high to hold about as much as the 'regular' 13x12 baskets? Another option could be to get a baked clay pot within the UDS as a charcoal basket and make a 2" round hole in the side to fit the 2" pipe that comes from my ball valve. Would that hybrid kamado style help heat and balance, or not?
 
arne said:
I was just wondering, I have a couple of old 11" drums for vegetable oil. As it is hard to find expanded metal at a decent price, I was thinking of using the old drums for a charcoal basket, drill them all around and put them on bolts for height. Would that work if I would make it 15" high to hold about as much as the 'regular' 13x12 baskets? Another option could be to get a baked clay pot within the UDS as a charcoal basket and make a 2" round hole in the side to fit the 2" pipe that comes from my ball valve. Would that hybrid kamado style help heat and balance, or not?
Click to expand...

I think the drum basket will work fine as long as you get enough holes for air. As for size I would make it big enough to hold 10 pounds of charcoal.:D

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
How to fire WSM/UDS/Drum smoker [PDF]
Replies
5
Views
404
Nuco59
N
T
Pitts & Spitts adjustable charcoal grill. Reviews?
Replies
7
Views
1K
Nuco59
N
BruceB
Outlaw patio smoker giveaway
Replies
5
Views
2K
BruceB
BruceB
J
Billows on a Drum Smoker
Replies
4
Views
466
JoeGuitar
J
cayenne
FIRST COOK on the new Offset Smoker!!! Pictures and comments...
2
Replies
22
Views
863
Bury Me In Smoke
B
Back
Top