Ugly Drum Smoker

[nibbor]

Many thanks to the people on this forum, with your help I build my own USD smoker. Got a drum from a home builder across the street, they only used it to store trash in. Burned it out, and put 2 nipples and a valve in it. Had to cut the top ring off to fit my old webber lid and put the grate in. Cooked a few small things in it to see how it holds up, and now it's time for my first brisket!

Here the smoker finished:


and the basket that I bolted together from 2x24x24 sheet metal from homedepot, and a pizza pan below it:


I had to cut the top ring off the barret to make it fit my webber lid:


And my first 12lbs brisket, going for a 18 hour smoke hopefully:


Here is the imgur album with bigger pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/RAirH#0

Thanks! Robbin

[ropeti]

Here some pic's from the Netherlands

[jimbloomfield]

I am only to page 350 of this thread but do have my UDS built. I used the Drum kit from Big Poppa Smokers a Brethren member. Found a closed top stainless drum , which is why I have the Weber lid on it. When it was done and not painted it just didn't look right without paint. So today It got a coat of black paint. Still not sure where or if I will put the handles on. Will be breaking it in all week for a party next weekend.

[N2entropy]

RPOETI: that is one fine looking drum you constructed! your attention to detail should be applauded as well as your access to machining equipment . All of those custom mills in the vent and basket are something I truly envy. You have thrown down the gauntlet for us Yanks for sure!

[Smokedfosho]

Originally Posted by zimm226

Hey Everyone,

This thread has been doing me a lot of good but one thing I am still confused about is the burn out. If you buy a brand new unlined drum do you need to do a burn out or can you go strait to rubbing it down with oil and seasoning?

Thanks,
Dave

I cleaned mine with dish soap and water, then wipped down the inside with vegetable oil and then lit some coal and wood in the basket and let it smoke away for a few hours. Everything gets lined with a black layer and then it's good to go.

[razrbakcrzy]

Originally Posted by ropeti

Here some pic's from the Netherlands

Nice machine work! Really nice! You sir! are an artisan...

[GreenDrake]

That's some amazing stuff right there. After finishing mine and cooking on it this weekend, I want a flatbed trailer with a whole "drum set".

[ropeti]

Thank you for the compliments!
This is what i have made today:

[jgbmgb]

Originally Posted by ropeti

Here some pic's from the Netherlands

Excellent job! Awesome skills!!

[Code 6 Chuck]

So I jumped on the bandwagon and built one of these mofos. Keep in mind that I have all the mechanical ability of a jar of mayonnaise, so this thing is definitely heavy on the Ugly. In fact my fire basket is such a travesty I think it may qualify as an abortion in some states. Here's a picture of the finished product:


HOWEVER....
This thing does what everyone says it would do. It holds temperatures like a champ. I loaded up my "special needs" fire basket and let 'er rip in order to season the drum and experiment to see just how long I could get the charcoal to last. Got it settled in at 5:30 last night using the ball valve and it held between 230-250 until I went to bed. Got up in the morning and the temp had dropped to about 200, but a slight adjustment brought it back into BBQ temperature range.

This is a picture of my thermometer TWENTY SEVEN HOURS LATER:


Good lord that is efficient.

Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread. I just seasoned it using some scraps and some bacon. Gonna throw something good on there soon and will report back!

[Jethro1]

ROPETI- That is a SWEET barrel!!!! VERY nice hardware.

[DaveMW]

Originally Posted by ropeti

Here some pic's from the Netherlands

You sir are an artist!!

[coachmccoy543]

Well I was going to smoke a brisket this past weekend but couldn't one I wanted and it was getting late so I opted for some leg quarters in stead. I know big difference. lol

Added some cherry and apple chips to what was leftover from my seasoning burn (almost a full basket of briquets). Started it with approx 15 briquets. Temp got up to 220 in a matter of minutes. But then it just sat there forever. I gave the basket a good shake and twist, closed the lid and away she went to 300 degrees. Put the legs on and sat back and relaxed.

My brother in law just purchased a COS from WalMart and called and asked me how do you control the temperature in this thing. I said thats easy, build a UDS!

Chicken turned out amazing, definetly doing a brisket soon.

[4ever3]

Killer work ropeti !!!

[1FUNVET]

Originally Posted by Code 6 Chuck

So I jumped on the bandwagon and built one of these mofos. Keep in mind that I have all the mechanical ability of a jar of mayonnaise, so this thing is definitely heavy on the Ugly. In fact my fire basket is such a travesty I think it may qualify as an abortion in some states. Here's a picture of the finished product:


HOWEVER....
This thing does what everyone says it would do. It holds temperatures like a champ. I loaded up my "special needs" fire basket and let 'er rip in order to season the drum and experiment to see just how long I could get the charcoal to last. Got it settled in at 5:30 last night using the ball valve and it held between 230-250 until I went to bed. Got up in the morning and the temp had dropped to about 200, but a slight adjustment brought it back into BBQ temperature range.

This is a picture of my thermometer TWENTY SEVEN HOURS LATER:


Good lord that is efficient.

Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread. I just seasoned it using some scraps and some bacon. Gonna throw something good on there soon and will report back!

As long as it does the job don't worry about the looks. We all dated ugly people at one time or another