Ultimate Drum Smoker build

I called yesterday to check on mine, and it hadn't shipped yet, although they didn't seem to know why (?) She assured me that it would be sent out right away. I can't wait!

I have a feeling the Arctic lid is going to be too small on my drum, unless it's bigger than a Weber. I already have a 'Plan B'; I'm going to add a strip of SS that is 1/8 X 1-1/4" around the inside of my bead. I'll attach it with screws and caulk w/ hi-temp silicone if necessary. Although it is tricky to balance, my drum runs perfect with the Weber lid; I hope the Arctic works as well.

I finally got my Arctic lid! I have some work to do- it's a bit small- about the same as the Weber kettle lid. I'm going to add a strip of stainless around the inside of the drum bead- that ought to be about right. I'm out of town for the next week, so I won't get to it for a while, but I'll post pics once I'm done. I also have an interesting idea for plugging the intake holes.....

I got lucky and found one on craig's. It was used to ship lemon extract from Italy. A local scrap dealer used to sell them for $65; I don't know if they still get them in or not. I would call places that deal in scrap metals- it's worth a shot. BTW- a new one is about $800!

The UDS is basically done! The Arctic lid is a little small, so I added a strip of SS around the inside for a good fit. My adjustable intake is made from conduit for now, but I plan to make one of SS eventually. For some reason, Photobucket has become nearly impossible to get pictures from, but I'll try:

The bottle opener is SS, too. What else? Here's a link:

http://www.bottleopener.com/Polished-Stainless-Steel-Wall-Mount-Bottle-Opener-p-92.html

My U-bolts are 5/16, but they are way overkill. I get all my stuff from Mcmaster-Carr. Easy online ordering, and they'll sell to anyone, unlike some industrial suppliers. Their catalog is simply amazing, if you like industrial stuff. Notice the polished acorn nuts I put on the outside- gotta love the bling!

My drum will hit 450 or so with a fully lit load of coal. My firebox is 16" in diameter. Normally, I fill it about half way, with a few chunks of wood in it, and add about 10 lit coals. I immediately get the food on, and run it with the exhaust wide open, and just the one vent open. It settles in at 225 all day with that set-up.

I suppose in a real frog-strangler, a measurable amount of rain could get in my riser, but I can't imagine it would hurt anything. My riser is electrical conduit for the time being. I'd like to do something in SS eventually, but I'm still playing around with what I want to do.

My U-bolts are at 2" and 8" from the top. I drilled out a bolt to make a holder for a 12" long thermometer, and put it halfway between grates. I made my firebasket so that when it sits on the lower set of U-bolts, it just clears a grate on the upper set. To be honest, we grill more than smoke, so I'm glad I went with that set-up. I made a handle for the firebasket so I can lower it to the bottom for smoking.

I'm not sure if a SS basket would be worth it, unless the price was right. SS only remains rust free up to a certain temperature, and high temperatures seem to reduce the 'stainless' component. After reading about mini-baskets, I'm going to make one for very low temp smokes. I like to do fish, and even 225 is a bit high for fish.