Ugly Drum Smoker

otis said:

Having said that, aren't we overdoing it a bit with our concerns about bits and pieces of a liner that has withstood a high-temp burnout? From a logic standpoint, if that sucker hasn't let go by now, how can the temps we smoke at create problems? In addition, once the drum is seasoned, the baked-on grease creates an additional layer of safety, does it not?

It seems that every forum does a great Paul Revere imitation--"The red lining will kill you! The red lining will kill you!!". And from what I can find out about this phenol-based liner, it does release some really nasty stuff when burned. But is it still an issue once it has been thoroughly burned?

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I don't believe he's overdoing it one bit. The way you're stating "thoroughly burned" is objective. Just because the epoxy didn't crumble away at 1200 degrees doesn't mean it won't continue to outgas at 300. Outgassing will create bubbles underneath the greased walls and eventually be released.

I can't speak for the toxicity of the epoxy liner but I wouldn't want any remaining layer in a cooker I'd be using for a number of years.

One day we will get to the bottom of this.

My drum has been a royal pain so far in dealing with this liner.

Fuel consumption question

I ran a couple of temp test runs during the week using Kingsford blue and Stubb's natural briquettes. Having never used Stubb's before til now (bought a dozen bags during their 2 for 1 sale back in April) I was surprised that it did not burn as hot and did not last as long as the Kingsford in my new UDS.

My charcoal basket size is roughly 13" diameter by 10" tall, mounted 3" above the ash pan. I used the Minion method. I ran these empty (no food).

2 chimney full of Kingsford ran steady at 250F for 12 hours where the same amount of Stubb's the next day only lasted 6 hours tops and required additional vent openings to hold 250F.
Is this difference typical between these two different types of briquettes?

Thanks!

got mine done

here it is and first cook. didnt post pics of build cuz i seen it a ton of times in this thread and i did nothing different, but i will say cook grate, lid, and charcoal grate i used from a weber i scored fore $8 at a garage sale.did my first cook today and think i ran hot -butt was done in 8hrs and ribs in 3 the thermometers never went over 215' even with 1 cap off and valve all the way open, no wind and outside temp around mid 80s. wondering if the thermo probes ( not being in middle of cooker ) only go in about an 1 1/2 inches. maybe alot hotter in the middle of cooker? if so will a heat shield over charcoal basket disperse heat more evenly? food was good, not great ribs still juicey, a little overdone= mushy. pulled pork was good ,have to experiment with other rubs for my taste. thanks to all of u for the guidence and education which i have realized is only as good as the experience that i have. already thinkin about next weekends cook and what to cook. thanks again newbie, john

Anyone having problems with the vertical air intake's? I read somewhere some folks had to cut theirs down or make them horizontal to get them to burn long at the right temps. Just curious what folks are seeing.

Well I'm doing the traditional read of the entire UDS thread before I build my own and well.....little did I expect to find the S&M/UDS.....She dirdy.

chobint said:

Just after adding the pipes

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johnnyb1216 said:

here it is and first cook. didnt post pics of build cuz i seen it a ton of times in this thread and i did nothing different, but i will say cook grate, lid, and charcoal grate i used from a weber i scored fore $8 at a garage sale.did my first cook today and think i ran hot -butt was done in 8hrs and ribs in 3 the thermometers never went over 215' even with 1 cap off and valve all the way open, no wind and outside temp around mid 80s. wondering if the thermo probes ( not being in middle of cooker ) only go in about an 1 1/2 inches. maybe alot hotter in the middle of cooker? if so will a heat shield over charcoal basket disperse heat more evenly? food was good, not great ribs still juicey, a little overdone= mushy. pulled pork was good ,have to experiment with other rubs for my taste. thanks to all of u for the guidence and education which i have realized is only as good as the experience that i have. already thinkin about next weekends cook and what to cook. thanks again newbie, john

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It appears you have the same short thermometer I have. Is that the glow in the dark, $7 thermometer from Amazon? I also have a Walmart thermometer with a 12" stem. The good news is the short thermometer I have is accurate. The bad news is the reading on the wall is not worth much.

In my short time (seasoning run and then 2 cookings) I have learned there is a major difference between the center of the UDS reading and a reading near the wall. This discrepancy increases as the temperature increases. When my center reading is about 250, my wall reading is about 190. When my center reading is about 325, my wall reading is about 210. This discrepancy is a bit exaggerated with our wall thermometer because our's, I believe, is shorter than most other wall thermometers. Our's extends about 2" past the wall while many extend 4 to 5 inches in. My Walmart thermometer is 12" long.

Because of this I decided to try a heat dispersment plate. Right now I have a 10" aluminum pie pan just above my charcoal basket which is about 9" below my cooking grate. It reduces the discrepancy but only a small amount. Now when my center runs 250, my wall runs about 200 to 205. I need to increase the diameter of my 10" pie pan or raise it or some combination of both.

LoneStarMojo said:

Well I'm doing the traditional read of the entire UDS thread before I build my own and well.....little did I expect to find the S&M/UDS.....She dirdy.

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If you have problems with temp controls it could be your pipes.They may be too tall to get a good draft.

1FUNVET said:

If you have problems with temp controls it could be your pipes.They may be too tall to get a good draft.

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I too had been wondering about the vertical pipes, and whether they'd be able to suck enough air into the bottom of the barrel. I decided to split the difference and use 12" up pipes. We'll see how that goes as far as maintaining temps. That's easy enough to change out if I need to just go back to horizontally mounted valves. I also plan to use a few thermometers in my UDS. I'm a "gauge guy" so I plan to have a long stem thermometer in the side, as well as a short one next to it so I can see the temperature difference between the edge and the center. I might put one in the lid, just for the fun of it. But I think it would also be useful to get a cheap-o oven thermometer and set it right on the grate next to the food. That way, when you open the lid to turn the food, you'll be able to see what the temp is right on the grate. If I keep this up, my poor UDS is going to look like the cockpit of a fighter jet! :doh:

I have read up to about 125 in the past week and am very impressed with the level of information that is in this thread. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a drum in my area (Baltimore, MD) I am ready to get started. If I didnt have to burn out that would be great too since I'm in ..... Baltimore.

DieselDawg said:

I'm a "gauge guy" so I plan to have a long stem thermometer in the side, as well as a short one next to it so I can see the temperature difference between the edge and the center.

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I love gauges too. I wished Stewart-Warner or VDO made smoker gauges. That would be cool....lol...

Noting the temp differences while I was seasoning my drum over the weekend I decided to install a brass nipple next to my short stemmed gauge so I can slide a 12" stemmed fryer thermo through. I picked up the brass nipple and cap (which I drilled thru) at Home Depot last night.

Carbon said:

I love gauges too. I wished Stewart-Warner or VDO made smoker gauges. That would be cool....lol...

Noting the temp differences while I was seasoning my drum over the weekend I decided to install a brass nipple next to my short stemmed gauge so I can slide a 12" stemmed fryer thermo through. I picked up the brass nipple and cap (which I drilled thru) at Home Depot last night.

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I did the same thing except I ignored the cap. I drilled the hole in my drum small enough that the nipple screws into it tightly and the thermometer seals it up enough.

FatDaddysBBQ said:

I have read up to about 125 in the past week and am very impressed with the level of information that is in this thread. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a drum in my area (Baltimore, MD) I am ready to get started. If I didnt have to burn out that would be great too since I'm in ..... Baltimore.

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Someone else asked this question here:
http://www.mdshooters.com/archive/index.php/t-51665.html

Good luck

pman777 said:

It appears you have the same short thermometer I have. Is that the glow in the dark, $7 thermometer from Amazon? I also have a Walmart thermometer with a 12" stem. The good news is the short thermometer I have is accurate. The bad news is the reading on the wall is not worth much.

In my short time (seasoning run and then 2 cookings) I have learned there is a major difference between the center of the UDS reading and a reading near the wall. This discrepancy increases as the temperature increases. When my center reading is about 250, my wall reading is about 190. When my center reading is about 325, my wall reading is about 210. This discrepancy is a bit exaggerated with our wall thermometer because our's, I believe, is shorter than most other wall thermometers. Our's extends about 2" past the wall while many extend 4 to 5 inches in. My Walmart thermometer is 12" long.

Because of this I decided to try a heat dispersment plate. Right now I have a 10" aluminum pie pan just above my charcoal basket which is about 9" below my cooking grate. It reduces the discrepancy but only a small amount. Now when my center runs 250, my wall runs about 200 to 205. I need to increase the diameter of my 10" pie pan or raise it or some combination of both.

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i was thinkin about the plate above charcoal basket too. if you used a 10" maybe ill run down to the old local pizza joint and ask if i can have an old 12" pizza pan and maybe a 16" too (im very much into tryin to scavange as many parts as possible so i can tell people i got less than $50 in it and produce great bbq) and try them mounted above my basket my next question is gonna be should i drill holes or not how big of holes and how many? or i'll just experament with them until i get a good balance. another thing is ill start mounting closest to the basket cuz i know aluminum doesnt hold heat so its more for the heat to go around ( and through if i drill holes). and yup i got the same $7 thermos on amazon .now i need to find the 12" thermo you got at walmart. was it lables a fryer thermometer candy thermometer or what? and how much? also after reading some more posts im gonna take my verticle pipe off and just run a valve off the nipple just to nip any drafting problems right in the bud. thanks for helpin me with my questions and being about the same experience with these uds' we can help each other with this

This thread is EPIC!! I've made it to page 435 and I have gotten alost everything i need for a build. Pics to come soon!

johnnyb1216 said:

i was thinkin about the plate above charcoal basket too. if you used a 10" maybe ill run down to the old local pizza joint and ask if i can have an old 12" pizza pan and maybe a 16" too (im very much into tryin to scavange as many parts as possible so i can tell people i got less than $50 in it and produce great bbq) and try them mounted above my basket my next question is gonna be should i drill holes or not how big of holes and how many? or i'll just experament with them until i get a good balance. another thing is ill start mounting closest to the basket cuz i know aluminum doesnt hold heat so its more for the heat to go around ( and through if i drill holes). and yup i got the same $7 thermos on amazon .now i need to find the 12" thermo you got at walmart. was it lables a fryer thermometer candy thermometer or what? and how much? also after reading some more posts im gonna take my verticle pipe off and just run a valve off the nipple just to nip any drafting problems right in the bud. thanks for helpin me with my questions and being about the same experience with these uds' we can help each other with this

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Walmart carries a 16" pizza pan for $3. Also, check out thrift stores like Salvation Army and Goodwill if you have them in your area. They are great for finding stuff like this. Below is what I grabbed on day for only a couple bucks. The black one worked really good.

For a little more control I drilled a 3/8" hole at the end and bottom of the nipples, so some air can get in if I wish with the caps on.

I installed a brass nipple just underneath the top grate for my 12" stemmed fryer thermometer.

FatDaddysBBQ said:

I have read up to about 125 in the past week and am very impressed with the level of information that is in this thread. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a drum in my area (Baltimore, MD) I am ready to get started. If I didnt have to burn out that would be great too since I'm in ..... Baltimore.

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Abbey Drum Company
1440 Chesapeake Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21226
PHONE: (410) 355-3111

Abbey Drum Company is where I bought mine a few weeks ago. Great place to get a new or re-conditioned drum.

pAT_13 said:

Abbey Drum Company
1440 Chesapeake Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21226
PHONE: (410) 355-3111

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