UDS question

M

moej

Is lookin for wood to cook with.
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After finding this site 2 weeks ago, I find my self in the middle of a UDS build.

I found a food grade drum and have burned it out good. my question is..should i still sand or grind the inside? I can't really see any liner left but what do you guys think?

Thanks for the help, you guys are the best.

Moe
 
If you've burned it out well, just go ahead and cook. Hell, it's a food grade drum so you shouldn't really have to worry about anything. Do you know what was stored in it?

We just made a UDS that stored apple juice and only burned it out for about 2 hours at 400*.
 
Food grade doesn't mean it is OK to burn the lining as you smoke. If it were me, I would make certain all the liner is totally removed even if that requires grinding/sanding.
 
If it doesn't rust - then you're not there yet.

As Jim said.... when they labeled it "food grade" they really didn't have burning epoxy in mind.
 
^^^^ Good point. If it rusts, the liner's gone. If not....keep at it.
 
i'm actually in the early stages of building UDS after picking up 4 - food grade barrels that stored cranberry juice concentrate. i discoverd after reading the UDS thread that i do have liners in them - it looks like a red/rust colored paint. i hit the inside with a torch to see what happened and the stink was not pleasant. granted smoking temp will not get anywhere near torch temp but i want that stuff out. so i've elected to have them sandblasted - son in law is body shop guy so not big cost associated with this. i'd rather be safe then sorry - after all i'll be cooking for family and friends. just my thoughts
 
I know you can get away with burning in Lockport. But, if you find yourself not wanting the hassle of burning and/or grinding, we're blessed here in Chicagoland with several options for new or reconditioned drums.

I bought my drum from www.thecarycompany.com in Addison. I just had to pick it up. A brand new drum w/o liner was $69, a re-conditioned one (they sandblast them completely clean) is $35.

www.skolnik.com in the City is another option I found via google.
 
---k--- said:
I know you can get away with burning in Lockport. But, if you find yourself not wanting the hassle of burning and/or grinding, we're blessed here in Chicagoland with several options for new or reconditioned drums.

I bought my drum from www.thecarycompany.com in Addison. I just had to pick it up. A brand new drum w/o liner was $69, a re-conditioned one (they sandblast them completely clean) is $35.

www.skolnik.com in the City is another option I found via google.
Click to expand...


I got mine from Cary as well but you still need to burn it out. I burnt mine out on my driveway but did it during the day so it wasnt too obvious. Plus I live in a townhome and Im sure the HOA wouldnt of approved but hey its not like they do anything with all the money I give them a month. Moe if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

After my burnout I did rub the drum down with Crisco as well to help season it up.
 
Thanks for the help guys,

I'm going to put my fittings for air flow on tonight and will prolly give it another good burn after that.

This may be a dumb question by why do you season it with crisco or cooking oil?
 
The oil acts as a barrier. It keeps rust from forming on the inside of the barrel. Outside is not a big deal.
 
Question on burn-outs? Do you go ahead and drill the vent holes in the bottom to get proper air to the fire BEFORE the burnout? Like the OP, I found this site 2 weeks ago and have sourced nearly all my parts to build my UDS including the Weber grill i just purchased last night! (for when I want to smoke a big-bird)
 
Dumb (but related) question: If my new UDS barrel held soybean oil but had no liner, I'm guessing I don't really need to re-season it, right?
 
I've made 6 UDS's so far...... If you give it a good burn and then pressure wash, you should be good to go. Just make sure you first cook has a lot of fat to get the drum nice and seasoned. I am seasoning one today. I ask my butcher at the grocery store to save fat trimmings for me. No charge. I put on some ground pork and the beef fat and just let it run about 300. They come out beautiful.
 
I've made 5 UDS's so far have 8 barrels sitting on the side of my house waiting to be built. I SCORED today! I made a UDS for a Coworker who just bought a large sand blaster, I will be over this weekend getting my junk done!!! woo hoo!!
I've burned all the others with a weed burner in the front yard, no big deal.. then I power washed all the crap off.. I have sanded down to bare metal (PITA).. the burn should be plenty. I seasoned with some PAM spray on the inside.. no problems as of yet!
:thumb:
 
ChicagoSizzlin said:
I got mine from Cary as well but you still need to burn it out. I burnt mine out on my driveway but did it during the day so it wasnt too obvious. Plus I live in a townhome and Im sure the HOA wouldnt of approved but hey its not like they do anything with all the money I give them a month. Moe if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

After my burnout I did rub the drum down with Crisco as well to help season it up.
Click to expand...

Everyone has an opinion. I figured my drum was clean enough. I scrubbed the inside with detergent, rinsed and then lit a basket of lump and left the lid slightly ajar to get temps up to 400*. That was good enough for me. YMMV.

huaco said:
Question on burn-outs? Do you go ahead and drill the vent holes in the bottom to get proper air to the fire BEFORE the burnout? Like the OP, I found this site 2 weeks ago and have sourced nearly all my parts to build my UDS including the Weber grill i just purchased last night! (for when I want to smoke a big-bird)
Click to expand...

Yes, drill the holes first. This will allow better airflow and hotter burn.
 
huaco said:
Question on burn-outs? Do you go ahead and drill the vent holes in the bottom to get proper air to the fire BEFORE the burnout? Like the OP, I found this site 2 weeks ago and have sourced nearly all my parts to build my UDS including the Weber grill i just purchased last night! (for when I want to smoke a big-bird)
Click to expand...


Drill the holes before the burn.:thumb:
 
---k--- said:
Everyone has an opinion. I figured my drum was clean enough. I scrubbed the inside with detergent, rinsed and then lit a basket of lump and left the lid slightly ajar to get temps up to 400*. That was good enough for me. YMMV.



Yes, drill the holes first. This will allow better airflow and hotter burn.
Click to expand...


Cary puts a rust inhibitor on the inside when they recondition the drums. That is what I was told by them. Its not obvious when you look at it so for safety sake I still did a good burn out using a couple of palllets. I washed it out Crisco'd lubed that sucker and put some fat trimming like Marty said with some coal and wood.


Yes def drill the holes on the bottom before you burn it. It will help with airflow and keep that fire Roaring!!
 
huaco said:
Question on burn-outs? Do you go ahead and drill the vent holes in the bottom to get proper air to the fire BEFORE the burnout? Like the OP, I found this site 2 weeks ago and have sourced nearly all my parts to build my UDS including the Weber grill i just purchased last night! (for when I want to smoke a big-bird)
Click to expand...

Yes, drill the bottom vent holes first.
 
One more question..

I have an old smokey joe in the shed and is really doesn't see much use. Would that make a decent fire box for my UDS?

Thanks
Moe
 
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