Ugly Drum Smoker
- Thread starter jgh1204
- Start date
1FUNVET
Babbling Farker
R
Rick T
Guest
"For those who did grind their way through, about how long did it take?"
Burn the barrel, 2 hours a rack of beer, and a ball game on the radio. Then pressure wash with a 4000psi,1/2 hour takes most off then light grinding if needed. Can't find my pics of the Pressure washed barrel interior. 1/2 hour.
R
Rick T
Guest
Regarding the fire basket, Is it best to have smaller diameter basket and 12" high. or 18"X12" high? Does the smaller basket with the same number of charcoal last longer?
Thanks,
Rick
Thanks,
Rick
MushCreek
Full Fledged Farker
My first one is 16" in diameter, and 6" high above the bottom. Subsequent ones I've made using a Weber charcoal grate, which is 13-1/2" in diameter. I make the sides of those about 8" above the bottom. I use a piece of expanded plate that is 3" taller than that to keep the bottom up out of the ashes instead of using feet. I haven't noticed any difference in cooking time or conditions with either size basket. I've never filled one all the way, either. Usually about half full. The longest smoke I've done was about 20 hours, and there was still fuel left.
brickie
Full Fledged Farker
Yeah fire probably would, but without some easy-off and pressure washing ol lady would never eat anything where I used it and wouldn't let the kids either.
Sort of like when she came home and I was cooking pidgeons on grill. She politely took everybody out to dinner.:laugh:
And yeah I would agree, if you have chunks use them....I just had all these bags of different chips and want to make use of them.
brickie
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
R
Rick T
Guest
Thanks Mush Creek:
Rick
Rick
brickie
Full Fledged Farker
I have always wanted to try pigeon... any good???
Actually for the cost of what they sell them for, not worth it to me. If I remember a little bit more than cornish hens, and nowhere near as much meat.Taste itself was okay,nothing special. Should have followed wife honestly out to dinner.
One meat that is great that you should try if you can is bear, love it!!
brickie
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
Oh... I would never BUY pigeon... A pellet gun would get you a whole bunch real quick.
I have been wanting to try bear meat for quite some time. Kindof like eating a dog i guess. They will eat pretty much anything. I have no qualms about eating dogs... (if times were tough enough...) Wonder what kind of smoke ring you can get on a hunk of bear meat??? hmmm....
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
To get things back on track of UDS. I have ALL my material and will be fabricating on friday! WOOHOO!!!
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
Ok... so one of the two UDS i will be making this week is going to my dad as a surprise. I have been using Lump lately and will be trying my first bag of Royal Oak soon.
Dad, on the other hand, is a Big K fan. I am building the coal basket 9.5" high with expanded metal and wrapping it around a 13" or 14" salvaged Webber charcoal grate.
Using that coal basket, how do I instruct Dad in the proper Minion Method to cook with his Big K?
He has also been a big fan of starter fluid, so I am thinking about buying him a chimney when I give him the UDS.
Dad, on the other hand, is a Big K fan. I am building the coal basket 9.5" high with expanded metal and wrapping it around a 13" or 14" salvaged Webber charcoal grate.
Using that coal basket, how do I instruct Dad in the proper Minion Method to cook with his Big K?
He has also been a big fan of starter fluid, so I am thinking about buying him a chimney when I give him the UDS.
PhilipW
Knows what a fatty is.
That's just like my setup. Depending on how long I plan to cook, for example under 8 hours, I'll put just over a half basket in, and 3/4 of a chimney. I let that chimney get going really good, flames coming through to the top and pour that on top of the basket and set the whole thing in the barrel. If I'm cooking more than 8 hours, I'll go 3/4 on the basket and full up on the chimney. I'm using lump all the time.
I always start the chimney with two pieces of crumpled paper, and the last couple times have made a snake out of it and left the center open. In all my starts in the last couple months, I had a couple that didn't fire up, which is why I'm trying the snake method now.
I always start the chimney with two pieces of crumpled paper, and the last couple times have made a snake out of it and left the center open. In all my starts in the last couple months, I had a couple that didn't fire up, which is why I'm trying the snake method now.
woodbutcher1
is one Smokin' Farker
- Joined
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Buy Dad the chimney and show him how to start the coal without the use of starter fluid.
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
Try drizzling some veg. oil on the newspaper before you crumple it up... It will last a LOT longer and you will have more consistent starts on your chimney. Learned that trick from Alton Brown...
huaco
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
Looking for quantities of BIG K to put in the basket and Chimney...
mmcgough
Found some matches.
Got my UDS built and did my first cook on it this weekend. I bought a 8 pound boston butt and it was done in like 4 hours. Why did it cook so fast? I know my thermometer is reading correctly because I calibrated it with boiling water. I kept temps at 225 - 250 the whole time. From what I have been reading it isnt possible for the meat to cook as quickly as it did if that is accurate. Is it possible that the temperature on the side of the drum is that far off from the center of the smoker? The thermometer has a very short stub sticking off of it, maybe an inch. Any other ideas?
colonel00
Quintessential Chatty Farker
You are exactly right. If you do not use a diffuser of any sort then it was much hotter at the middle than all the way to 1" from the side. Many people including myself use $5 turkey fryer thermos from walmart. These will read the temp at the center of the drum. You can also get cheap oven thermos and place them on the rack around the meat to test your temps.
BTW, how did the hot and fast butt turn out?
Spicy McHaggis
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
Finally got around to posting some shots of my build. Ho-hum to most of you I'm sure, as my design is simply a rip-off from others that have already been posted on here. It smokes great though! :-D
Thanks to everyone who's posted on here and helped with my project! :thumb:
Thanks to everyone who's posted on here and helped with my project! :thumb:
Prollo
Found some matches.
Great looking drum mchaggis! I hope to have mine finished by the weekend.
