Ugly Drum Smoker

Help!

I now have 4 drums that are 34in high. At what height do you install the cooking grate?

24 inches from the bottom grate

Help here brothers, 24" from the bottom of your fire basket I think... If you find a webber kettle lid you can add an additional grate above that. Yes...No...Maybe...Whatever... For sure...Fark it... what ever you want...No way...Try something...Punt...Help. LOL. Time for bed.

Meat Burner said:

Help here brothers, 24" from the bottom of your fire basket I think... If you find a webber kettle lid you can add an additional grate above that. Yes...No...Maybe...Whatever... For sure...Fark it... what ever you want...No way...Try something...Punt...Help. LOL. Time for bed.

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24" from the bottom of the fire basket to your first rack. If you use a Weber lid ... that will allow you to put in a second rack 5" +/- above the first rack. On my next drum ... the pipe nipples will be somewhere around 1 1/2" from the bottom of the drum. Hope that helps.

Does anybody have a complete build photographed from start to finish??
Would love to observe.....Looks like I'm hooked searching for a drum as we speak!

Norcoredneck said:

Keep adding to them and you won't be able to clasify them as UGLY drum smokers.

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Maybe not, if they only utilize used pallets. But your point is well taken.

Don't know how tall mine is but my first grate is 6" from the top and the second one is 6" below that.

I'm still trying to hunt down a drum in my neck of the woods!! All this industry in my parts, and I'm not able to find a drum.

Has anybody tried to use a metal garbage can instead of a barrel? They are definitely more accessible than the drums, bu I wonder what the trade-offs are with using galvanized steel...

Don't Do It!!!!

Don't use anything galvinized to cook with!!!! Bad Mojo that!!!!

jazzspot said:

I'm still trying to hunt down a drum in my neck of the woods!! All this industry in my parts, and I'm not able to find a drum.

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Here's a few possibles in NJ...
http://www.kellydrums.com/
http://www.envirobiz.com/datademo/drum.htm
~ with the caveat that I have no idea how 'clean' and reconditioned barrel would be...or, how you'd tell what was previously in it.

Are ya close to Atlantic City? They probably get buffet food in 55 gallon barrels.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll get to work on one this weekend.

good price get it

jazzspot said:

I'm still trying to hunt down a drum in my neck of the woods!! All this industry in my parts, and I'm not able to find a drum.

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Farm supply hardware stores in our area...do you have something like that close. Ask for 55 gal burn barrels. Hope that might help you find one.:|

Meat Burner said:

Farm supply hardware stores in our area...do you have something like that close. Ask for 55 gal burn barrels. Hope that might help you find one.:|

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Thanks Meat Burner, I'll check the Yellow Pages and see if there are any around my area. Do have names of any farm supply stores that may do business in my area?

briskets on the barrel how many hours

here is more on ugly drum smokers

Welp, did some camping down at Truman Lake this weekend with five other families...22 folks total, a Yellow Lab and a half Pit Bull half Whippit chuck huntin' machine of a dog.

Took the trashcan along since no one mentioned what we were cooking on. Got there and found Smoky Joe and a standard issue forest service open pit concrete & steel HD grill...(not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was HOT outside). She chugged along all weekend even with various people constantly lifting the lid...Cooked with 50/50 lump and briqs. I dumped about beercan's worth of ashes out before putting it on the truck Sunday.

Saturday...20 ears of unshucked corn on the bottom grate with 4 large foil packs of taters 'n onions on the top grate along with 30 brats cooked, wrapped and holding. Oh, and an 8 pack of dogs for the crump snatchers. All on a something I can lift in an out of the pickup easily, bad back and all.

Thinking about modifying the bottom grate(s) with notches so they'll easily pass by the bolts that hold the top grate instead of having to angle it out. CLICK...or, maybe try a heavy duty butler tray hinge, drop~leaf hinge type set up for the top grate...:idea:

Hmmmm.....might just work.


Came away from the weekend with supplier of lined barrels, if & when needed (cultured marble products company, FYI). Also traded my spare SS hardware and notes for the angle iron and the welding on a new charcoal basket. I'd have given them up for free, but he offered first...:wink:

As of yesterday afternoon there are now 5 friends, 1 park ranger and 1 Benton county deputy spreading out around the Ozarks looking for barrels. It's craziness I tell ya...craziness.

Sorry for the long windage, but she sho' did shine this weekend...

Bottles 'n Bones BBQ said:

Thinking about modifying the bottom grate(s) with notches so they'll easily pass by the bolts that hold the top grate instead of having to angle it out. CLICK...or, maybe try a heavy duty butler tray hinge, drop~leaf hinge type set up for the top grate...:idea:

Hmmmm.....might just work.

Click to expand...

Yet another brilliant UDS design idea.

No fair teasing us with the long shot of that lid, though. We need CLOSE UPS of the velocity stacks...

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