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Ugly Drum Smoker

New guy here. Picked up my drum for $5.00. It was a sealed top with no liner. I cut out the top using a jig saw. It cut like butter. Then ground it smooth with a grinder. Cut the 3 3/4 in holes around the base. Picked up the black threaded bungs or what ever there called with the caps. Decided to go ahead and get the 90 elbow it up and put a ball valve on it.
(Pics are before I added the ball valve)
Well I finally got somewhere on it today.
I burned mine out for about 4 hours. Then today I found a local parts store that sells those washers and you don't have to modify them. There $ .40 a piece. Can't beat the price.
The place is called Evansville Nut and Bolt 812-477-0077. I'm sure they could probably ship'em out. Or if enough people want them I could go pick up a bunch of them and ship them to you.

The other day I was talking to a buddy of mine and told him about this smoker/ grill I was building. I met up with him at Menards. In my cart I had one of those real cheap grills that cost $10.00 with no lid. The cool part is there were on clearance for $3.99. I was going to use the bottom to hold my charcoal. He told me don't waste you money on it. I have something better I'll give you for free. I still bought it. Then today I went and picked up this extremely heavy and 1/4 think round plate that I'm going to use.
Also I've been looking for a weber lid for mine. I talked to my neighbor who had one. I had there son burn some wire for me a while back. She said all her food taste like wire now and she can't use it. She goes you owe me a grill. So I had a thought. I went out to my garage and got that $3.99 grill out and said how bought I give you this grill and you give me your lid. Needless to say I now have my lid. (Lid not Pictured)
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Hey guys got a question for ya. I built this smoker just as most other did. I got a weber lid for it. Had to beat it out a little to fit, but now fits perfect. I'm not going to lie I'm new to grilling all together. Tonight I'm trying to do my first test run of burgers and weeners. Should I have all vents open on the bottom? I have 3 of the 3/4 inch holes one has the ball valve. Should they all be open including the vents on the lid or shut some or what? Doesn't seem to be getting real hot. I don't have a temp gauge yet. Grilling in process so quick response would be helpful. Thanks, Jason
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Jason,
Your fire is too far away from your food to grill. Most UDS builders use their rigs as smokers only, but some have ways to raise the fire basket higher to grill. If you are using the round heavy plate in your pics, that is another problem for smoking also. The hot coals should be in a wire basket about 3 inches higher than the bottom of the drum for good airflow. The basket is usually made from a charcoal grate with a tall ring of expanded sheetmetal attached to it to hold the coals. I think your ball valve is also too high, should be about 2/3 up from the bottom.

In order to salvage your current cook, I would raise the fire by using cinder blocks or somehow lower the cooking grate.
 
Stig said:
Jason,
Your fire is too far away from your food to grill. Most UDS builders use their rigs as smokers only, but some have ways to raise the fire basket higher to grill. If you are using the round heavy plate in your pics, that is another problem for smoking also. The hot coals should be in a wire basket about 3 inches higher than the bottom of the drum for good airflow. The basket is usually made from a charcoal grate with a tall ring of expanded sheetmetal attached to it to hold the coals. I think your ball valve is also too high, should be about 2/3 up from the bottom.

In order to salvage your current cook, I would raise the fire by using cinder blocks or somehow lower the cooking grate.
Click to expand...

Wow I've got a bunch of mistakes don't I? I'll try to salvage this dinner.
 
Didn't do real well. I guess I'll just use this for smokin and use my other barrel for a grill. I'm going to put that one on its side and cut it in half. I'll try smokin something in it this weekend.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jason,
This is what I did, so I can use my UDS for grilling and of coarse smoking. I like to sear steaks, brats etc. Drill 3 holes at opposite angles in the side of the drum, and place 1/4 inch screws with a backing bolt inside. Do this about 8-10 inches below your grill, basically obtain another cheap round grill. Then when you want to grill, put the new charcoal rack in, fill it with your favorite charcoal, hot burning stuff, light it up. Then your grill is only 8-10 inches off the heat source. When your smoking, just remove that grill/ charcoal grate and your good. I now don't remove it at all, I use it to put a water or drip pan on it when I smoke, so it serves both purposes.
 
JaseS10 said:
I guess I'll just use this for smokin and use my other barrel for a grill.
Click to expand...
You may want to consider lowering the height of the intake to well below the top of the drum.
 
Im in the process of rebuilding the fire basket for my UDS currently I m using the charcoal grate from a 22" weber with chicken wire wraped around it.

my question is what should the dementions for the fire basket be is the charcoal grate to big to small?

It worked for me all last summer but this summer will be all about optimizing my UDS.
 
You want it as wide as is comfortable to fit in your drum and tall enough that you don't have to reach to far to get it out. That's the basic build I go by.
 
wow ty for the fast response. I guess I will keep the same grate and just rewire it.

Another question. I have been thinking about painting my UDS. I know engine enamel will stand the heat but do you know if there are any dangers using it on the smoker. I don't plan on painting the inside of the UDS just the outside. My wife wants to turn it into R2D2 or a Dalek.

blue Paint
White Paint
Black Paint
 
Painting the outside will be fine my next build will be painted with Hammerite.
 
Guamaque said:
Jason,
This is what I did, so I can use my UDS for grilling and of coarse smoking. I like to sear steaks, brats etc. Drill 3 holes at opposite angles in the side of the drum, and place 1/4 inch screws with a backing bolt inside. Do this about 8-10 inches below your grill, basically obtain another cheap round grill. Then when you want to grill, put the new charcoal rack in, fill it with your favorite charcoal, hot burning stuff, light it up. Then your grill is only 8-10 inches off the heat source. When your smoking, just remove that grill/ charcoal grate and your good. I now don't remove it at all, I use it to put a water or drip pan on it when I smoke, so it serves both purposes.
Click to expand...

This is a good idea. I was thinking about adding a water pan anyway after talking to a friend of mine. So i'll have that going in a couple days. Thanks for all the help, guys.
 
I should be finishing my first UDS this weekend and doing my first burn. I have 3 3/4 nipples and a 4th hole with a ball valve. I am going to use the Minion Method. Do I need all 4 wide open to start and as temps come up start closing off one intake at a time than use the ball valve for the long haul? If this is correct what temps do I start closing intake ports? I know I've seen it on here but can't seem to find it. Thanks for the help.
 
A friend of mine comes by my place a couple weeks ago and noticed I had two replacement Weber grills laying by the door. He asks if I'm building a UDS, to which I reply, "a what?" I was planning to build one after I saw somebody that was selling them, just didn't know what it was called.

He tells me of this forum and this thread, and for the next wee, I pretty much spent the next week reading all 500+ pages of the thread. I'm glad I did. I'm really glad I took notes as even in the last 15 pages I read, there was a tip I needed to know. (I read it out of order thinking the first 100 pages would have ideas later improved upon. Not true actually.)

I'm a smoker novice as in, I've never owned one before, so much of the forum discussion has been important to me, not just how to build and operate the UDS.

Though it's not completely done, nor painted at all, it's been a busy smoker since Thursday, completing two fatties, 24 moink balls, 3 huge racks of baby backs, two 7.5lb pork shoulders and a 6lb brisket. All of which have been amazing, and all the credit goes to this discussion thread.

While reading the thread, I saw Skidder's 4th UDS setup with casters on legs and immediately thought it looked like a droid and realized my build would need to look like R2-D2, as my career has been centered on Star Wars for some time now.

As I have access to a nearby metal working shop so I took advantage of that for parts of the build, including legs, my fire basket and a couple clips. I really liked the basket design from Norcoredneck, so I used that as my model.

Still to be added is a thermometer below the grill, handles and paint.

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I'm very happy with the removable basket on a pizza pan design from Nocoredneck. I got my pans at Ace mart, metal fence base plate, 1/2" pipe with a cap on top that has a 1/4" bar across it for a removable handle.

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The fatties from the first cook and baby backs from the second.

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What I had to do because the free drums a freind brought to me had the dreaded red liner and I was so anxious to begin, I did so with my angle grinder. It's wasn't fun, but it wasn't terrible either.

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I found R2D2 !! lol.


While reading the thread, I saw Skidder's 4th UDS setup with casters on legs and immediately thought it looked like a droid and realized my build would need to look like R2-D2, as my career has been centered on Star Wars for some time now.
 
Last edited:
Guamaque said:
I found R2D2 !! lol.


While reading the thread, I saw Skidder's 4th UDS setup with casters on legs and immediately thought it looked like a droid and realized my build would need to look like R2-D2, as my career has been centered on Star Wars for some time now.
Click to expand...


I think ya need some more thermometers :laugh::laugh:
 
I've read all kinds of experiences with regular paint, engine paint, grill paint, etc., and think I'd lke my base coat to be white engine paint.

Does anybody have a suggestion for white engine paint that comes in a quart for spraying, as opposed to a rattle can?
 
PhilipW said:
I've read all kinds of experiences with regular paint, engine paint, grill paint, etc., and think I'd lke my base coat to be white engine paint.

Does anybody have a suggestion for white engine paint that comes in a quart for spraying, as opposed to a rattle can?
Click to expand...


Quart is a lot of paint for a UDS. Any reason not to use rattle can ?
 
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