UDS questions, Smoking a turkey and pre cleaning

I am gonna smoke a small turkey this afternoon for a late Thanksgiving supper for my family. I looked inside my UDS, which hasn't been used in a while, and the grate is covered with big fuzzy mold from the last chicken I smoked. No big deal there as I will hand wash my grate with hot soapy water. But should I clean the inside of my drum? It kinda smells but maybe thats all from the grate?

Next 2 questions are about the bird. I was gonna lay it on its back to smoke as I don't think my beer can bird holders are big enough to support this bigger bird plus I am not sure if it would clear the lid. Will it smoke ok on it's back? Secondly how long on average does a turkey take? A 5 lb chicken took me about 2 hours.

And the last question. Whats the proper post prep for a UDS to avoid a future mold issue like this? Just remove grates and wash? What about the inside of the drum? It gets the food moisture on it too. I sealed off the drum last time to smother the fire and forgot all about it till yesterday.

Thanks guys and I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Wh1skey6 said:

Most mold will die at 212* at 15 psi. I would crank your UDS up to 350 - 400 and let it sit for 30 minutes, just to be safe.

General rule for turkey is 25 - 30 minutes a pound at 250/275. If you spatchcock, it'll cut the time in half. HOWEVER, I've seen 20 lb birds cook at 300 and be done in like 4 hours.

Mold needs food, moisture, and temperature to grow. Contrary to common thinking, you want ventilation in your drum, not stagnant air. The best way to prevent mold really is to use it more often

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I was waiting for someone to say that lol. Your right I do need to use it more. I could use it every weekend if it was up to me. So your saying that after the cooking is done, I should leave the lid off and let the coals burn out and that would also burn off any excess fat, moisture ect? And then you are saying that during storage, I should leave my chimney open to allow air in? I store it on my porch out of the rain when not in use.,

Bludawg said:

If theres mold growing in your pit you need to cook more, you need to put on your big boy pants and clean up after yourself and have a corner cut off your Man card for not following the first two rules.

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Ok ok I get it. :roll: :wink: