My UDS build so far...

D

deadanddripping

Guest
Ok so this is my 1st attempt at a UDS. I'm a complete beginner at this and I'm trying to get my first smoker on the road as cheaply as possible. I have my drum and I'm setting up for the 1st burn in the morning. How do I know what lining is in the drum? It appears to be a new drum as there is nothing in it. Is there anything important I may need to know about this stage?

My drum has 4 x 3/4" nipples evenly spaced around the bottom of the drum, 2" from base. I have some blanks so I can fill them in. 2" above that I have stuck some rods through to support a ring I welded together which will support my coal basket made of a stainless steel mesh.

So here is my unburnt drum with just the supporting ring
DSC00150.jpg

And here with the mesh
DSC00151.jpg


Do you guys think my set up will work ok? I'm going to use the drum lid with holes in it for a lid and I have to buy a thermometer next and might make a grill if I can't pick one up. Won't be pretty but hopefully functional!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have built seven of them and that looks like a great start. you made the fire basket out of mesh you say how long do you think that will hold up? just wondering.
 
Looks like a great start... But I too have to wonder about the charcoal basket, seems a bit flimsy to me. Let us know how it works out.
 
I also wonder about the Fire Basket, it looks like it will choke the fire as the ash will have a hard time falling through.
 
Man you need some stronger material for that Fire Basket.. Expanded Metal is what I used... The Fire Basket gets real hot
 
I did wonder that too. It's a pretty heavy guage mesh used as a pharmaceutical sieve screen :-D I stretch them over rings like a drum skin but i've never had a fire in one. I suppose there's only one way to find out? How many burns is normal before using?
 
Sorry but no cigar.

Mesh is to fine/weak. You need a basket to hold the fuel together for a proper burn. How do you plan on getting the spent fuel out of the basket?
 
I agree with the others on the mesh not working too well. You will probably burn thru it very quickly and it will be a PITA to get ashes out.
 
I burned 5 pallets in a single burn and it pretty much handled removing my liner and the paint on the outside.
 
The supports are an interesting idea. I'm curious to see how the mesh holds up. I agree the gap looks too small and will likely choke with ash.

Only one way to find out.....
 
Save yourself from the trouble and frustration that you are
surely gonna have using that mesh....I don't think you will
be happy with the outcome....It may take some more scrounging
but in the end it will be worth the extra time to make a proper
charcoal basket.....Good Luck with whatever you decide to do....
 
Yeah I needed to know whether the coal needs packing together rather than loose and laid out. If that's the case then I'll start to get on with finding some more materials. I'm liking some of the ideas with baskets and pans.Thanks for the link. I started the mammoth UDS thread and saw a lot of very basic builds. As I trawl my way through it I can see it's evolved a lot!

Thanks for the advice chaps, glad I showed you before I got too far into it. I'm pretty sure I'll be back soon for a bit more help.
 
Speaking of baskets, is there any place online to purchase one? I read somewhere about a basket that has an s shape to it and would like to purchase one to use in my UDS and my Brinkman smoker
 
deadanddripping said:
Ok so this is my 1st attempt at a UDS. I'm a complete beginner at this and I'm trying to get my first smoker on the road as cheaply as possible. ...My drum has 4 x 3/4" nipples evenly spaced around the bottom of the drum, 2" from base. I have some blanks so I can fill them in. 2" above that I have stuck some rods through to support a ring I welded together which will support my coal basket made of a stainless steel mesh.

So here is my unburnt drum with just the supporting ring
DSC00150.jpg

And here with the mesh
DSC00151.jpg


Do you guys think my set up will work ok? I'm going to use the drum lid with holes in it for a lid and I have to buy a thermometer next and might make a grill if I can't pick one up. Won't be pretty but hopefully functional!
Click to expand...



Looks like you made the support ring close to the diameter of the drum.
It's going to be hard to get out past your meat rack bolts (think clean up!)

You are going to spend a lot of money on meat once you get this thing running, get a good basket made.
Don't skimp on the cash here.
(Extra +/- $20)

It's the heart of the UDS and will save you a bunch of ash clean up done right.



I went with a similar method to the one quoted below. Here is mine before I added an ash pan.


basketbottomview-vi.jpg






Also, here are some pics I saved from the UDS thread, not mine though.
(I'd like to credit the people, but that thread got so huge that I don't know what posts they are from)





a100_1786-vi.jpg



DSC02483-vi.jpg



MVC012F-vi.jpg



SANY0022-vi.jpg








Bbq Bubba said:
Finally got around to making a "proper" basket for my drum.


By imn88fan

Started with a 8" x 48" piece of expando, bent carefully around a propane tank to form the shape and bolted together....


By imn88fan

Used bailing wire to tie it to a Weber kettle charcoal grate.....


By imn88fan

Added 3 - 3 1/2"x5/16" carriage bolts with double washers and nuts for feet....


By imn88fan

Use a length of thick wire for a handle and you've got a basket capable of 14 hr + burns! :biggrin:
Click to expand...
 
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