Ugly Drum Smoker

[Eggtastico]

my latest creation


full thread & a few more pics
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=186518

[Yentis]

Starting my first UDS and I have a question, is it better to keep the bottom of the drum intak or to remove for easy access to charcoal box?

[Wahoo95]

Originally Posted by Yentis

Starting my first UDS and I have a question, is it better to keep the bottom of the drum intak or to remove for easy access to charcoal box?

Best to leave it intact. Shouldn't need to access charcoal basket during a cook so it can be easily lifted out for cleaning when all is cool.

[JamieK]

Originally Posted by Role

Question, what do I need to do to season the inside of the barrel?

Hey Role, we definately need another UDS north of the Boarder. I used a Canola spray that I brought at Costco, as it is super easy to apply and relatively mess free, I used about half a can. Good luck, and if you have a question don't hesitate to ask, great knowledge and know-how here.

[kls44]

Got my UDS built a couple weeks ago. Fairly simple, I put in four 3/4" intakes, three of them with caps and one with a 90* elbow and ball valve. The fire basket is a Weber charcoal grate with 12" high expanded metal clipped to the grate with heavy steel wire. The basket has 3-1/2" carrage bolts for legs resting in the ash pan made from a cheap 18" table top grill. I installed single track adjustable shelf standards and brackets so I could shift the two racks depending. Keeping my eye open for a dome lid but using the flat lid for now.
I had planned on painting it, but after the big burn I decided I liked the marbled look of the burnt paint so I wiped off he loose stuff and sprayed it with a high-temp clear. The starter chimney is home made from 6" duct.
The first cook was a disaster, everything was waaaay overcooked. Found out the temp. gauge I used was reading about 75* low. Its replacement is much better.
This thing is so easy to operate, I like it!
Cooked a fatty for the first time this morning, turned out good but will use spicier sausage next time. Then put on a chicken and slab of ribs for supper, both were fall apart done and delicious. Thinking maybe a butt next time.

[Yentis]

Well did my burn out last weekend, just about finished with the wire brush cleaning. About ready to drill holes for the racks. What would my BBQ brothers recommend for the spacing? I want three racks and I have a flat top. I am thinking 7" from the top then 5" below the first rack for the second. Would that leave me enough room for another rack and if so how much lowwer below the 2nd rack? Is that about the distances needed for the racks?

[Highcal]

Want to thank everyone for their help, tips and ideas and also to CCWR for his diffuser help and a big thanks to Jbtech for mailing me a step bit across the country so I could make my 1in.air intake holes.

So I started with a 30gal. drum and used the lid and grill and charcoal grill from a Weber Jumbo Joe I got on sale at Walmart. The lid did not fit my drum, but when I flipped the drum over it fit perfect. So after attacking the bottom of the drum with my sawzall I got the bottom out and now the lid fits perfect and the bottom is now the top of my smoker.

So using the charcoal grill from the Weber and some scrap expanded metal from work I welded up my basket.


I did inside the drum a bit different from what I have seen here, I welded nuts to the inside to screw my bolts in to hold my grills.


More scrap metal I found at work that I bent into a tray to hold my Maverick and attached it to a magnet to stick to the drum. Not shown, but I also put some high dense foam in the tray to protect my Maverick and keep it from moving.


Not sure what they were, but I found some brass thingy's to run my probes through the drum, work perfect after some grinding.


Found a Betty Crocker pizza pan at the dollar store and made bigger holes using CCWR hole pattern for my heat deflector.


Welded an extension rod from the ball valve to raise the handle, and bent up some metal to make handles and welded them on and got her put together and painted.


Made my first Jimmy Dean fatty with my youngest daughter, she had fun making the weave. Stuffing is onion, mushrooms, yellow and orange peppers and cheese. Also threw on a few venison sausages.





And my first spatchcook chicken this morning using Moose's awesome rub recipe.

[N8man]

DrumPits be Straight Smokin', Son!!!

[Highcal]

I need a pig head lid ornament like yours, where the heck did you find that?? I love it.

[N8man]

Originally Posted by Highcal

I need a pig head lid ornament like yours, where the heck did you find that?? I love it.

Thanks, I sculpted it outta a PolymerClay (Sculpey) that gets fired in the house oven to set. Mounted with some brass wood screws through the back...

[Highcal]

Awesome, great job, my daughter has that clay, looks like she has a job to do makin me a pig head LOL

[bigben800]

Do you have to wire brush the inside if it doesent have a liner or can you just burn it, spray it out and proceed?

[cmwr]

Originally Posted by bigben800

Do you have to wire brush the inside if it doesent have a liner or can you just burn it, spray it out and proceed?

If you can't burn it out then try an angle grinder with a wire wheel. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!! Thanks for the compliment Highcal. You smoker looks good and the food looks awesome! I did end up putting twice as many 1/2 holes in my diffuser since I showed my pic here and it still works awesome and I get more bark.

[jWgIzMo]

Hi all. What do you guys do to clean out the grease at the bottom of your UD'S. I usually spill loose ash in the bottom and it absorbs the grease then I wipe it up?? Any suggestions

[krshome]

Originally Posted by jWgIzMo

Hi all. What do you guys do to clean out the grease at the bottom of your UD'S. I usually spill loose ash in the bottom and it absorbs the grease then I wipe it up?? Any suggestions

I've hit it with a power washer but very messy. I just let the fire rage for a bit after I pull my food off, burns a lot of the grease out. I just bought a BBQ Guru computer for my drum and i noticed there has been a lot more grease on the bottom than previous years but I might just be crazy. I also added a pizza pan to the bottom of the basket to catch the ash so that may be why I see more grease too. Good question I'd like to see what others are doing to clean there drums out.