Ugly Drum Smoker

[Goldenfinger]

Originally Posted by ebijack

Nice ! so when does your second build begin

Gotta master this one first... but I am thinking a miniature could be interesting..?

[Goldenfinger]

Originally Posted by RT

Nice looking build.......

Thanks.
I read this entire thread along with as many others I could find here.

Took everything in stages and took some time to look for answers here before moving forward again.

"Borrowed" a lot of great ideas from here and came-up with a couple of my own too...

Very happy with the results.

[Fishin4bass723]

Originally Posted by Goldenfinger

Thanks.
I read this entire thread along with as many others I could find here.

Took everything in stages and took some time to look for answers here before moving forward again.

"Borrowed" a lot of great ideas from here and came-up with a couple of my own too...

Very happy with the results.

Just curious what are those on top of your intakes?

[Goldenfinger]

Sorry for the dark photo's...

They are breathers designed for hydraulic tanks. [3/4" NPT]


I removed the actual filter media...


Just left the stem and bell housing...


Since I'm in Canada, I wanted something on top that would block the rain and snow from entering the intake pipes without restricting air flow... weather conditions around here are not always ideal, so one must be prepared...

[Southern Home Boy]

Originally Posted by cjs27410

Because of all the rain I added a patio umbrella to my drum. 1" conduit hangers fit the pole perfectly.

Yeah.... I tried the Mary Poppins mod too. First hard gust of wind picked up my UDS and made it even "U"ier.

[Southern Home Boy]

Originally Posted by oifmarine2003

Believe it or not, it is easier to level your cooking rack with 3 bolts instead of 4. I used 3 U bolts.

I used three also.

I also put pegs on along the top of the fire basket that lock into the U bolts so that I could bring the fire right up under the cooking grate for direct heat cooking.

Makes a great chicken cooker.

[Goldenfinger]

Yep, using just (3) bolts, u-bolts or eyebolts is really great advice.
Racks will sit really solid...

[bvbull200]

What are your opinions on a single 4" exhaust? No adjustment, just a capped/uncapped sort of situation.

Actually, let me rephrase that. I took the vent out of the lid I have for this UDS (it was a 22.5" Charbroil dome). I made a hole out of it and put in a 4" 90* ducting because that is what fit. I can make some little adjustments to the opening inside the lid to shrink it down if necessary, but there are no plans to make it adjustable on the fly.

The intake is 3 3/4" pipe nipples with removable caps and 1 3/4" pipe nipple with a ball valve on it. Will the intake adjustment be enough to tame a 4" opening or do I need to plan on making the exhaust a little smaller?


For the record, the ducting is galvanized. I've read all I can on the subject and feel confident that it will be just fine after hitting it with the weed burner.

[tom9193]

[/IMG]thanks to this thread here is my attempt at my first drum[/IMG]all burned up[/IMG]with diffuser[/IMG][/IMG][/IMG]all done getting seasoned and running temp tests

[ebijack]

Originally Posted by bvbull200

What are your opinions on a single 4" exhaust? No adjustment, just a capped/uncapped sort of situation.

I used a 4 inch hole for the exhaust that I do have adjustment for and 2) 1 1/2 pipe elbows for inlets that are also adjustable. I am able to reach and hold temps from under 200 to over 700 degrees ( the gauge does not read above 700 but the needle goes way past). So yes it does work, but for 350 degrees and lower you will need to control the exhaust. You have to be able to control the air flow at both ends with an opening that large for the exhaust. I do use that large opening to check on the stuff in the smoker without having to lift the lid.

[bvbull200]

Thanks for the feedback.

I went ahead and made a damper like yours and put it on. Might as well have the adjustability, I suppose.

Base coat of paint is on. The logo goes on next weekend along with building the coal basket and I'll be done. I won't have any thermometers in it until I deliver it to my buddy. He needs to decide if he is doing a digital thermometer or not and then what analog dial he wants based on that.

[callmecamo]

Now that sir, is awesome.

[lavinjj]

Originally Posted by bvbull200

What are your opinions on a single 4" exhaust? No adjustment, just a capped/uncapped sort of situation.

Actually, let me rephrase that. I took the vent out of the lid I have for this UDS (it was a 22.5" Charbroil dome). I made a hole out of it and put in a 4" 90* ducting because that is what fit. I can make some little adjustments to the opening inside the lid to shrink it down if necessary, but there are no plans to make it adjustable on the fly.

The intake is 3 3/4" pipe nipples with removable caps and 1 3/4" pipe nipple with a ball valve on it. Will the intake adjustment be enough to tame a 4" opening or do I need to plan on making the exhaust a little smaller?


For the record, the ducting is galvanized. I've read all I can on the subject and feel confident that it will be just fine after hitting it with the weed burner.

I just finished up an experiment this weekend with one of my new UDS builds. I actually went with the 8 holes in the lid instead of using the existing 2 inch hole and noticed that the variance in temperature across the grill was greatly reduced.

With the single 2 inch exhaust I was seeing a 30 degree difference between the side of the barrel where my thermometer was and the center of the grill. I also saw another 20 degree difference higher where the exhaust was.

With the 8 exhaust holes I saw about a 15 degree difference between the side of the barrel and the center of the grill and the hot spot was gone altogether.

Based on that I would say the eight holes helps to distribute the heat across your grill compared to using a single exhaust.

[coachmccoy543]

Here is the intake I have been using for the past few builds I have completed. I didn't come up with this design, I found someone on here that used it too. It's some scrap aluminum approx 1/16". I has 4 1" holes which has the surface area of Pi (3.1416). There is no trouble controlling air flow. A buddy of mine cooked 60-70lbs of pork butts on it at one time and had zero problems maintaing heat.

Just thought I would share it with everyone.

[Cue-Ball]

First few cooks on my UDS;
Ribs - Delicious, but overdone. Fell apart, but tasted GREAT.
Moinks - Delicious and seemingly impossible to screw up.
Butt - Absolutely delicious
Brisket flat - Never done one of these before... a tiny tiny bit overdone (fell apart too much) and a bit on the peppery side, but all in all delicious, especially for my first brisket.