Ugly Drum Smoker

kcchiefdav said:

I've had my UDS for a few weeks now and have done a couple cooks, I've also just run the UDS dry (sans meat) a number of times just so I can try to get a hang of controlling the heat...which I'm still doing a pretty poor job of (too hot). So, I thought I'd ask some questions to try to solve some of the problems that I'm having. (Note: I have read this entire thread, but it's been a while and in trying to go back and find specific answers, I'm getting lost in the hundreds of pages)

First, the specs of my drum:
Standard 55 gal drum w/ weber lid. 2 grates at 1.5" and 8" below lip.
4-3/4" intakes. 1 of those has ball valve the rest are just capped.
13" diameter round fire box (weber charcoal grate at bottom and expanded steel)
Generally using RO Lump

Here is my general procedure and problem. I light about a 1/3 of a chimney of lump and let it sit for a half hour or so in the chimney until it's ashed over. Add that to my 5 pounds or so of lump in the firebox (plus a half dozen or so chunks of hardwood) and I add the lit stuff to the top middle of unlit stuff. I open my ball valve to 90% open and leave the other 3 capped. The next hour and a half I wait for my UDS to get up to temp and level out around 220. Then I put the meat on. The temp soon starts to rise (I assume from the air getting in with the lid off). So I close my ball valve some and I close the exhaust in the weber lid a bit, but generally the temp keeps rising. Usually I can get it to settle down around 275 and I wrestle it the rest of the day to get below and stay below 250.

Finally, my questions:
1. How much charcoal should I be putting in my fire box? I feel like I might be using too much.
2. How much should I be lighting in my chimney to add to the fire box? And how should it be placed in the fire box? Also, how long should I be letting my lump sit in the chimney?
3. It seems insane to me that my UDS gets as hot as it does with only my ball valve open...so does this mean that air is probably leaking in from elsewhere?

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Rich Parker said:

You have air leaking in from somewhere. I use a whole bag of briquettes when lighting my drum and usually light a full chimney and spread it around the top and have no problems keeping it at 250 where I like to cook.

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expatpig said:

I don't believe what little bit of air you may have leaking around your thermometer would make a difference, or your lid. IMO it could be outside air temp, humidity, charcoal, a lot of variables come into play.

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MadKirk said:

kcchiefdav - Fill you basket up with charcoal (really doesn't matter because as others said, you can just recycle it), and try lighting just enough charcoals in the chimney to get the temp you want. Somewhere on here I read that each lit briquette is roughly 25 deg. So, for example, if you want 250 deg, light 10 briquettes. Then, put them on top of the charcoal in the basket. I've found I have better luck if I use this method.

Now, my drum just does not like temps below about 250. It won't hold them, so I cook at 250 or above, with good results. Each drum is different. You can also try starting with one open intake and the valve open, and then see if you can catch the temp on the way up with the valve and control it. You still may have some leaking somewhere if you are only using one valve partially open, and the temps keep going up.

As always, YMMV.

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righteousdog said:

in production...can i make it to roadside chicken & mom's pot salad for the 4th???

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JimGass said:

UDS Build questions

I've read and read and read this thread and in the fourth of it i've been able to read in the last two weeks, I've got a couple questions that I'm sure are answered in amongst all this, somewhere.

1. What size holes do most people drill for the intakes if using ball valve and pipe nipples? i.e. if the nipple or ball valve I buy is 3/4 inch, do I drill a 3/4 inch hole, or a larger hole?

2. for the bolts which hold the grill grate up, all I saw at Home Depot were either galvanized or zinc plated. I understand these to be bad to use. Did I just not look hard enough?

I think that's all. I'm picking up at least one drum tomorrow. I have expanded metal, a 22.5 weber grate. still need nipples, caps, ball valve, nuts and bolts. will post pron of the build. THanks in advance for answering these questions which I'm sure are answered somewhere already!

Jim

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AJP said:

1 inch hole for 3/4 inch pipe

Home Depot has some stainless steel but not a ton, Ace has a large selection of stainless steel.

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