Ugly Drum Smoker

UVaJester said:

I just spent $40 on all the washers, bolts, and nuts. I picked up all the last needed hardware and expanded metal this morning...

I could only find 12"x24"x1/2" expanded metal... I've seen most people using 3/4" expanded metal, is the 1/2" good to use..??

I am also frustrated because I can't find a good pan to put under my charcoal basket. Anyone have any suggestions on what to use and where to find it..?? I'm also there and want to get this baby done so I can start seasoning...!!!! hahahaa

Click to expand...

There's no set rules dude build it and stoke it up!! use what you got....If all you got is a metal bed pan with holes in it....go for it!! :biggrin:

Here's my first....made out of scrap around my shop....I have since made it a little smaller to see if I can get a better even burn.

The warming temperatures over the last week have melted enough snow for me to start on my UDS build. Here are some progress pics from today.

Removing the lid gasket -



Marking and cutting the hole for the BGE vent -







Started a fire using well seasoned oak -





Snow thrown on the side instantly turns to steam



Burning the lid

Here's the new and improved...still haven't burned it yet....I went from 18" to 15" round. 18" seemed to wide and spread out for 10-12#'s of charcoal.

I am having the hardest time find the proper barrel. Here is the latest one I found:



However, it looks like it's cadmium plated or something. It is being sold as "unpainted inside and out" but it only rusts where the "plating" has been scratched. Any of you have experience with this?

OK, so despite my blasphemous disregard for the K.I.S.S. method, I am on my second cook and have been holding steady at 225 degrees (give or take 5 degrees either way) for over 4 hours in 35 degree weather. My doors are sealed and not letting any smoke escape so far. I also don't notice any spike in warmth around the doors (holding my hand to the barrel in various places including the door seals).
In other words, "to each his own"! Whether you create the most basic UDS or elaborate on the design... as long as it works, there are no objections on my end.
On another note, after making my charcoal basket... it is 6" tall and made of expanded metal 4' in circumference... I may cut a notch out that fits my firplace shovel so I can add wood or charcoal as needed. I haven't needed to fill it so I don't see a notch being an issue. Any thoughts?

Cleaned mine up today and hit it with my new weed burner. Cleaned one more time and then painted. All I have left now is to assemble, build charcoal basket, clean inside and season before first use.

wayner123 said:

I am having the hardest time find the proper barrel. Here is the latest one I found:

However, it looks like it's cadmium plated or something. It is being sold as "unpainted inside and out" but it only rusts where the "plating" has been scratched. Any of you have experience with this?

Click to expand...

Galvanized and zinc plated hardware seems to be frowned upon around these parts. Cadmium plated? Don't know about that, but chrome plated grates don't bother anyone so not being a chemist I'll stick my neck out and give you a go. A better informed Brother will come along with the best info, I am sure.

If it is cadmium plated, you may want to reconsider:

Remember Google is your friend.

From Wikipedia:
Acute exposure to cadmium fumes may cause flu like symptoms including chills, fever, and muscle ache sometimes referred to as "the cadmium blues." Symptoms may resolve after a week if there is no respiratory damage. More severe exposures can cause tracheo-bronchitis, pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema. Symptoms of inflammation may start hours after the exposure and include cough, dryness and irritation of the nose and throat, headache, dizziness, weakness, fever, chills, and chest pain.
Inhaling cadmium-laden dust quickly leads to respiratory tract and kidney problems which can be fatal (often from renal failure). Ingestion of any significant amount of cadmium causes immediate poisoning and damage to the liver and the kidneys. Compounds containing cadmium are also carcinogenic.
The bones become soft (osteomalacia), lose bone mineral density (osteoporosis) and become weaker. This causes the pain in the joints and the back, and also increases the risk of fractures. In extreme cases of cadmium poisoning, mere body weight causes a fracture.
The kidneys lose their function to remove acids from the blood in proximal renal tubular dysfunction. The kidney damage inflicted by cadmium poisoning is irreversible and does not heal over time. The proximal renal tubular dysfunction creates low phosphate levels in the blood (hypophosphatemia), causing muscle weakness and sometimes coma. The dysfunction also causes gout, a form of arthritis due to the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints because of high acidity of the blood (hyperuricemia). Another side effect is increased levels of chloride in the blood (hyperchloremia). The kidneys can also shrink up to 30%.
Other patients lose their sense of smell (anosmia).

Sounds nasty.

Sterling Skouson

You bet me to it Sterling. I was going to post the same thing.

Thank you for the concern guys. I am aware of the dangers and carcinogenic nature of Cadmium. I was more wondering if you guys have seen barrels like this and if so, what did it turn out to be? Or if you had any ideas on what it might be. I wouldn't think that something that previously held apple juice concentrate would be cadmium plated. But I have been wrong before.

I'm not a chemist or a materials engineer, but it sure has the look of cadmium plating. Whether or not anyone would ship apple juice in a cad plated barrel is out of my area of expertise.

SS

jkstone said:

OK, so despite my blasphemous disregard for the K.I.S.S. method, On another note, after making my charcoal basket... it is 6" tall and made of expanded metal 4' in circumference... I may cut a notch out that fits my firplace shovel so I can add wood or charcoal as needed. I haven't needed to fill it so I don't see a notch being an issue. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

So do you set your barrel in the charcoal basket?

I was wondering if you're going to keep the UDS going all week long or what is the purpose of adding wood or charcoal?

So here are my thoughts. It's fun to make your barrel your own but there are thousands of barrels out there turning in good Q and the design has stayed fairly simple. No one that has been smoking for a while has felt the need to go back and retrofit their barrel with a door. I think you will find that the door was an exercise in engineering but not a necessity to turn out good Q.
Here is another thought. When adding fuel on top of a fire you are creating a situation of lighting too much charcoal(burning up and down) and then you end up struggling to control your low and slow temps. Inevitably you end up choking down a fire, creating creosote from the wood and a nasty environment in your UDS(nasty tasting food)
Use what you agree with and dismiss the rest!

wayner123 said:

Thank you for the concern guys. I am aware of the dangers and carcinogenic nature of Cadmium. I was more wondering if you guys have seen barrels like this and if so, what did it turn out to be? Or if you had any ideas on what it might be. I wouldn't think that something that previously held apple juice concentrate would be cadmium plated. But I have been wrong before.

Click to expand...

I didn't realize that Cadmium had such a low melting point(600 deg F). I wonder if it could be sandblasted so as to save the outside appearance. If that could happen then the outside would be safe for use as an UDS. I like the look of that drum.

h20loo said:

So do you set your barrel in the charcoal basket?

I was wondering if you're going to keep the UDS going all week long or what is the purpose of adding wood or charcoal?

So here are my thoughts. It's fun to make your barrel your own but there are thousands of barrels out there turning in good Q and the design has stayed fairly simple. No one that has been smoking for a while has felt the need to go back and retrofit their barrel with a door. I think you will find that the door was an exercise in engineering but not a necessity to turn out good Q.
Here is another thought. When adding fuel on top of a fire you are creating a situation of lighting too much charcoal(burning up and down) and then you end up struggling to control your low and slow temps. Inevitably you end up choking down a fire, creating creosote from the wood and a nasty environment in your UDS(nasty tasting food)
Use what you agree with and dismiss the rest!

Click to expand...

4' in circumference, not diameter... A 15" diameter circle is about 4' in circumference.
I am sensing a lot of resistance to my doors. I'm not asking anyone to follow suit... just putting my own spin on the UDS. Sorry if I offended anyone with my design...
I get the feeling I should retract my posts from some of the reactions!
Thanks for the compliments from those who gave them... so far my UDS works wonderfully despite the obvious design flaws I incorporated.:eusa_clap

jkstone said:

4' in circumference, not diameter... A 15" diameter circle is about 4' in circumference.
I am sensing a lot of resistance to my doors. I'm not asking anyone to follow suit... just putting my own spin on the UDS. Sorry if I offended anyone with my design...
I get the feeling I should retract my posts from some of the reactions!
Thanks for the compliments from those who gave them... so far my UDS works wonderfully despite the obvious design flaws I incorporated.:eusa_clap

Click to expand...

No offense taken here. Build it they way you want it and enjoy.

jkstone said:

4' in circumference, not diameter... A 15" diameter circle is about 4' in circumference.
I am sensing a lot of resistance to my doors. I'm not asking anyone to follow suit... just putting my own spin on the UDS. Sorry if I offended anyone with my design...
I get the feeling I should retract my posts from some of the reactions!
Thanks for the compliments from those who gave them... so far my UDS works wonderfully despite the obvious design flaws I incorporated.:eusa_clap

Click to expand...

LOL- I wondered if I confused that after I posted and left the computer!
No resistance to your doors. I actually like seeing new ideas. My favourite at the moment is the BGE intake. Feeling better?

It was my bad for putting circumference... looking back through other posts almost everyone used diameter. What is a BGE intake?

It's the stainless steel sliding draft door from a BGE. You can buy them from BGE repair parts suppliers for about $35.00.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/artwork/Diagram.jpg

Here is the large/medium sized BGE intake on my UDS.