Highcal
Knows what a fatty is.
Agitator is exactly it, we have those drums at work, they are made for a mixer, in my case automotive paint.
Ugly Drum Smoker
- Thread starter jgh1204
- Start date
Ceedubya
Knows what a fatty is.
I know this has been discussed ad nauseam, but I don't feel like reading 800 plus pages to find the answer.
What are my options, and where can I buy, open head barrels that do not require a burn out and sanding. I am happy to pay a little more to avoid this chore. Is stainless my only option? I am building a uds cart that will enclose a couple of barrels in 4 walls, so I don't really care how the outsides look, you won't be able to see them anyways.
What are my options, and where can I buy, open head barrels that do not require a burn out and sanding. I am happy to pay a little more to avoid this chore. Is stainless my only option? I am building a uds cart that will enclose a couple of barrels in 4 walls, so I don't really care how the outsides look, you won't be able to see them anyways.
Wahoo95
Knows what a fatty is.
Check around locally but I found a local place that Sandblasted mine for $20. They even burned it out first for no additional charge. Drum cost me $20 so I was into it $40 total
chris1360
Knows what a fatty is.
Carbon
is Blowin Smoke!
New and reconditioned drums (both open and closed ends) come unlined with good paint on the outside. There must be drum yard near you. I paid $35 for my reconditioned drum, no burnout, no sandblasting, keep the outside paint.
chris1360
Knows what a fatty is.
Got so busy cooking after I got my UDS finished last week, I totally forgot to add it to this thread that I have been following for two years! LOL Here she is thanks to all of the great advice from this forum, and the giant UDs thread!
And some of the first cooks after seasoning:
And some of the first cooks after seasoning:
schwin97
Found some matches.
Finished my UDS tonight
Hello everyone. I will start by saying I am only 275 pages into this thread, but I couldn't wait to finish the thread before I built my UDS. I went with the KISS design for this first UDS, and I definitely have some ideas on cost and ease of production improvements for the next time.
Here is the barrel I started with:
Improvements the next time I choose a barrel:
Due to it being a thinner barrel and just having paint inside, the burn out was easy. I borrowed my neighbors weed burner and made quick work of the paint.
Now I drilled it for the grilling shelf - my barrel is 33.5 inches tall which caused a good bit of consternation in trying to figure out how I was going to get my grilling surface 24 inches above my coal box. Then, I finally figured out that everyone says 24 inches above the bottom of the coal box, not the top of the coal box... That made the decision easier - I just went with 7 inches down from the top.
For my coal basket I had purchased a 'throwaway' cheap grill from amazon as I could use it for catching the ash and the grill for the bottom of the coal basket. This is the second area for improvement the next time I make one. Next time I will hit up Craigslist to find a cheap Weber gold grill to use for parts as I can find those on Craigslist for 30-40 and it would provide the grilling surface, bottom of the coal basket, and possibly a lid for the UDS. But that is for next time... To finish my coal basket I got 2 pieces of 12x24 expanded steel (1/2 inch holes, 13 ga.) and used bolts to connect them in the general shape of a circle (maybe more egg like). I then used stainless steel zip ties to connect the expanded steel to the bottom of the basket. Finally, I attached 3 inch long bolts to the bottom of coal basket for clearance and air circulation.
Next, I had the fun job of removing the galvanization from the lid. The main issue with doing this was first figuring out how to remove the galvanization, and then finding a container big enough for the lid. I ended up using an old recycling bin - filled with a bunch of water and then added the muriatic acid (leftover from my last trip to the pool store). Here are some pictures of the process.
Starting the process:
Hey, it works:
My container wasn't quite big enough so for the center of the lid I had to just pour a little muriatic acid on the it. Boy did it work, but I wouldn't recommend it. Slow and steady wins the race for sure...
I had already cleaned our the residue both inside and out and used acetone to clean it. While I was bathing the lid in muriatic acid I also painted the drum. I couldn't find the right color of maroon for the bottom of the drum (think Texas A&M's helmets against Mississippi St. a couple years ago), so I just went with straight black high heat from Autozone.
Here is the drum during the painting process:
Finished painting the lid, and the only thing left is to drill the holes in the lid (8 holes, each 1/2 in diameter), and then to season the inside. Hoping to do that tomorrow morning, and then cooking the first brisket on Saturday!
Thanks everyone for this thread and I plan to continue to try to work my way through it as time permits...
Hello everyone. I will start by saying I am only 275 pages into this thread, but I couldn't wait to finish the thread before I built my UDS. I went with the KISS design for this first UDS, and I definitely have some ideas on cost and ease of production improvements for the next time.
Here is the barrel I started with:
Improvements the next time I choose a barrel:
- Make sure the top is NOT galvanized!
- Try to find a heavier barrel - mine may be a little thin.
Due to it being a thinner barrel and just having paint inside, the burn out was easy. I borrowed my neighbors weed burner and made quick work of the paint.
Now I drilled it for the grilling shelf - my barrel is 33.5 inches tall which caused a good bit of consternation in trying to figure out how I was going to get my grilling surface 24 inches above my coal box. Then, I finally figured out that everyone says 24 inches above the bottom of the coal box, not the top of the coal box... That made the decision easier - I just went with 7 inches down from the top.
For my coal basket I had purchased a 'throwaway' cheap grill from amazon as I could use it for catching the ash and the grill for the bottom of the coal basket. This is the second area for improvement the next time I make one. Next time I will hit up Craigslist to find a cheap Weber gold grill to use for parts as I can find those on Craigslist for 30-40 and it would provide the grilling surface, bottom of the coal basket, and possibly a lid for the UDS. But that is for next time... To finish my coal basket I got 2 pieces of 12x24 expanded steel (1/2 inch holes, 13 ga.) and used bolts to connect them in the general shape of a circle (maybe more egg like). I then used stainless steel zip ties to connect the expanded steel to the bottom of the basket. Finally, I attached 3 inch long bolts to the bottom of coal basket for clearance and air circulation.
Next, I had the fun job of removing the galvanization from the lid. The main issue with doing this was first figuring out how to remove the galvanization, and then finding a container big enough for the lid. I ended up using an old recycling bin - filled with a bunch of water and then added the muriatic acid (leftover from my last trip to the pool store). Here are some pictures of the process.
Starting the process:
Hey, it works:
My container wasn't quite big enough so for the center of the lid I had to just pour a little muriatic acid on the it. Boy did it work, but I wouldn't recommend it. Slow and steady wins the race for sure...
I had already cleaned our the residue both inside and out and used acetone to clean it. While I was bathing the lid in muriatic acid I also painted the drum. I couldn't find the right color of maroon for the bottom of the drum (think Texas A&M's helmets against Mississippi St. a couple years ago), so I just went with straight black high heat from Autozone.
Here is the drum during the painting process:
Finished painting the lid, and the only thing left is to drill the holes in the lid (8 holes, each 1/2 in diameter), and then to season the inside. Hoping to do that tomorrow morning, and then cooking the first brisket on Saturday!
Thanks everyone for this thread and I plan to continue to try to work my way through it as time permits...
Ceedubya
Knows what a fatty is.
They are a little hard to come by in small town Montana. I have yet to find unlined drums locally.
Big Griz
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
I am getting ready to season my new UDS but read in one of the posts that you shouldn't eat whatever you use for your first burn. Is that right?
Atos
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
Inspired by this monster UDS thread i've build my own drum smoker.
The drum:
The charcoal basket is made from washingmachine parts, the ash collector was a paella pan:
Air outlet in the lid made from scrap metal I found:
The setup from inside:
Home made lid handle:
Easy transport:
Stuff it with ribs...
Stuff it with butts...
And controled by Guru.
Thanks!!
Atos!
The drum:
The charcoal basket is made from washingmachine parts, the ash collector was a paella pan:
Air outlet in the lid made from scrap metal I found:
The setup from inside:
Home made lid handle:
Easy transport:
Stuff it with ribs...
Stuff it with butts...
And controled by Guru.
Thanks!!
Atos!
Kftopgun
Found some matches.
First smoke
Smoked two slabs of ribs and a whole chicken this weekend. Turned out fine but one thing I was disappointed in was that I lost my fire about 5 hours in. Maintained fairly steady at 225 then basically just went out. I didn't snuff it out, only tweaked airflow as necessary to try and maintain temp. There was a ton of unlit, unburned lump in my basket when it went out. Mine has four "intakes".....all with a screw cap. Would I be better served by replacing one or more with a ball valve to help better control intake????? Like I said, the food was done and tasty, but had I been cooking a brisket or butt, I would have been SOL......
Smoked two slabs of ribs and a whole chicken this weekend. Turned out fine but one thing I was disappointed in was that I lost my fire about 5 hours in. Maintained fairly steady at 225 then basically just went out. I didn't snuff it out, only tweaked airflow as necessary to try and maintain temp. There was a ton of unlit, unburned lump in my basket when it went out. Mine has four "intakes".....all with a screw cap. Would I be better served by replacing one or more with a ball valve to help better control intake????? Like I said, the food was done and tasty, but had I been cooking a brisket or butt, I would have been SOL......
smoking bear
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
i have recently got 2 drums that have the 2in and a 1in bong holes.
question is: i've seen pvc used for the 2in stack and was wondering if that was safe to use being that its on the exhaust?
my lowes store didn't have any black pipe in the 2in size
question is: i've seen pvc used for the 2in stack and was wondering if that was safe to use being that its on the exhaust?
my lowes store didn't have any black pipe in the 2in size
Kftopgun
Found some matches.
lo winslow
Found some matches.
Here's my first, with a Packers theme. I missed the Fourth but am looking forward to pulled pork this weekend.
Big thanks to everyone who contributed to these threads, especially Norcoredneck for the excellent tutorial. I never would have tried this on my own!
Big thanks to everyone who contributed to these threads, especially Norcoredneck for the excellent tutorial. I never would have tried this on my own!
schwin97
Found some matches.
Love the Aggie themed smoker. Am hoping to do something similar with mine, but looking for a stencil I can use to get the block ATM in the state. Think of a UDS that looks like the helmets we had when playing Mississippi St. a couple years ago. Only problem is finding a stencil big enough...
Where did you find the maroon high heat paint?
About losing your fire five hours in, a lot of people talk about fits getting cooked out by the ashes around then. Most say a good shake/kick will clear out some ash so your coals will get the air they need to keep going. Some have created coal 'jigglers' to help make sure the ash doesn't build up.
Kftopgun
Found some matches.
This wasn't a home build. I bought from Riley's Smokers. He had the maroon and a burnt orange (ugh) and like a Cowboy blue, along with other colors.
paulheels
Well-known member
I have a plethora of barrels now, five to be exact. As exciting as it sounds, it really looks more like a chore now. all barrels are closed top. But I am able to grind the roll and remove the lid, with it being reuseable. that was an awesome find!
Two barrels are oil barrels and were $10. unlined
Three barrels were free, but lined.
Hope to have some pictures up in the next few months of some builds.
Finding lids has been pretty futile around here. Cragislist hasn't had a Kettle yet. lucked into a lid for the one i have already built. Alot of work ahead to get these barrels in cooking shape.
Two barrels are oil barrels and were $10. unlined
Three barrels were free, but lined.
Hope to have some pictures up in the next few months of some builds.
Finding lids has been pretty futile around here. Cragislist hasn't had a Kettle yet. lucked into a lid for the one i have already built. Alot of work ahead to get these barrels in cooking shape.
Kakhuis
Well-known member
Finnished my first UDS and seasoned it yesterday. BIG THANKS to everyone who added on this Monster of a thread.
So...
My brand new drum inside:
Even came wrapt in plastic bubble wrap
The paint off:
New paint job, not the best but it will do:
My lid:
Inside:
Some wheels:
My Basket:
First fire:
Finnish Dum:
After 4 hour of seasoning i add some chicken wings:
Came out really good. Did not use anything on the chicken:
All gone:
Funny thing is I did not have a tempt messure installed yet. Did it by guessing. They are still in the mail. But it work out great.
So once again thanks to everyone.
Now to move on to the bigger meat !!!!!!
So...
My brand new drum inside:
Even came wrapt in plastic bubble wrap
The paint off:
New paint job, not the best but it will do:
My lid:
Inside:
Some wheels:
My Basket:
First fire:
Finnish Dum:
After 4 hour of seasoning i add some chicken wings:
Came out really good. Did not use anything on the chicken:
All gone:
Funny thing is I did not have a tempt messure installed yet. Did it by guessing. They are still in the mail. But it work out great.
So once again thanks to everyone.
Now to move on to the bigger meat !!!!!!
bcmontgomery519
Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match.
My first NDS(Niner Drum Smoker)
Here is my fist smoker. A special thanks goes out to mnmgri4 for the perfect hinge design.
This was a fun project. I got the legs and dome lid from a old 22.5 grill. Drilled a hole thru a 5/8 for my 12' deep fryer thermometer to go thru. VHT and Rustoleum high heat paint......Feel free to hit me up if you are making your first one and need a hand
Here is my fist smoker. A special thanks goes out to mnmgri4 for the perfect hinge design.
This was a fun project. I got the legs and dome lid from a old 22.5 grill. Drilled a hole thru a 5/8 for my 12' deep fryer thermometer to go thru. VHT and Rustoleum high heat paint......Feel free to hit me up if you are making your first one and need a hand
Kakhuis
Well-known member
Me again. Had so much fun yesterday, today I when for a whole chicken. Was more like a baby turkey. Was big and lots of fat. So my drum is getting a good seasoning.
My chicken:
I notice quite a lot of liquid at the bottem. I am sure it is the chicken fat. Will that be a problem for the food or drum ?. I have a 14" basket so it is a bit narrow. I will just tip some ash in to soak it up and the scoop it out.
My chicken:
I notice quite a lot of liquid at the bottem. I am sure it is the chicken fat. Will that be a problem for the food or drum ?. I have a 14" basket so it is a bit narrow. I will just tip some ash in to soak it up and the scoop it out.
