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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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06-06-2010, 10:46 AM | #1 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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Question: Is A WSM Without Water Pan a UDS?
I have a dumb question. I'm familiar with the WSM as I own one but I've never seen a UDS up close. Correct me if I'm wrong but does a UDS just have a fire on the bottom with the grill on the top without a water pan like the WSM? Therefore, would operating a WSM without a water pan make it act like a UDS?
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06-06-2010, 11:15 AM | #2 | |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 06-21-06
Location: Lawrence, Kansas - The Great American Outback
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Quote:
I believe the large WSM must be incredibly similar to a UDS, although I've never used a UDS - back at Christmas when I got my WSM, I thought about announcing it as the BDS - Beautiful Drum Smoker. The biggest three differences I see are in the design of the bottom, the side access door and the water pan. While the typical UDS design is flat on the bottom, the WSM is rounded like a musical steel drum. I'm not sure if this really provides any advantages. If I built my own UDS I would be tempted to put an access door in the side, just like the WSM. And removing the water pan should cause the WSM to cook a lot more like a UDS. But other than the cash outlay, those three are about it Good question.
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We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it. - Abraham Lincoln ------- One Moocow UDS! (Thanks, Shane!) http://www.moocowbbq.com/ Two Weber 22.5" kettles One Brinkmann Smoke'N PitMaster Deluxe One LARGE WSM! (special black glossy finish) w/Stoker! WooHoo! KCBS Member/KCBS Master CBJ #24295 Sweaty, smokey and enjoying every minute. |
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06-06-2010, 11:20 AM | #3 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 05-31-08
Location: Tucson, AZ
Name/Nickname : Jim
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I'm guessing then that using the WSM without a water pan (like a USD) would creat a different flavor because in addition to the smoke you'd be getting a "grilling" flavor effect because the meat drippings would be burning up in the coals like a regular charcoal grill does.
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Stumps Stretch, Rec-Tec Pellet Smoker, Primo Oval XL and a Pit Barrel Cooker |
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06-06-2010, 12:18 PM | #4 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 05-10-06
Location: Overland Fark, KS
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You wouldn't be able to use the lower rack, and frankly, the upper rack might be a bit low too but I don't see any reason it can't work.
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06-06-2010, 12:47 PM | #5 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 01-26-10
Location: Virginia
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I alwasy thought the UDS was a home made WSM. When you look at the cost of a 22'5" WSM and compare it to the cost of the typical UDS, I think the UDS is a better deal, personally.
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06-06-2010, 12:54 PM | #6 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 08-31-09
Location: Homeworth, OH
Name/Nickname : John
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Yes
Same basic cooking principles at work.
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06-06-2010, 01:05 PM | #7 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 12-26-04
Location: Selma, TX(You better slow down when you hit town)
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Mister had a drum smoker built with a door. Says it was a waste of time. You dont need it.
I would agree, a WSM without a water pan, is basically a UDS.
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06-06-2010, 01:09 PM | #8 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 06-20-09
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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The only thing I have ever done with the access door on my WSM is remove it for high heat cooks. It causes more problems with air leaks than it is worth.
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06-06-2010, 01:14 PM | #9 |
Grand Poobah and Site Admin
Join Date: 08-11-03
Location: Long Island, NY
Name/Nickname : Phil
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SAme basic principle... so i vote yes, especially the 22 inch WSM coooking on the top shelf.
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06-06-2010, 01:23 PM | #10 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-12-08
Location: Gallatin, TN
Name/Nickname : Richard
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So then the reverse would also be true - if you added an additional grate for a water pan on a UDS, you'd basically have a WSM, yes?
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06-06-2010, 01:24 PM | #11 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 03-17-09
Location: miamisburg ohio
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I've got my UDS set up with a rack above the fire pit just so I can set a water /drip pan on. It gets too hot otherwise. It has much more capacity than my 18.5 WSM, I did 6 butts recently with no problems and the temps stay up longer. I find myself using my UDS far more than the WSM.
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18.5" WSM, 22.5" Weber Kettle, Weber Sprint 210, (2) UDS , KCBS, CBJ, orange Thermapen |
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06-06-2010, 02:05 PM | #12 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-27-06
Location: Bothell WA
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Po-tay-toe Pah-tah-toh
I would say that if you used a WSM, Cajun Bandit, or even a ElCheapoBrinkmann without the waterpan, you would have the effects as a UDS.
Not that this is the definitive answer to your question-but read the description from the Big Drum Smoker homepage. http://www.bigdrumsmokers.com/ Personally, I love the drum and the flavors I get from the meats I cook on them. I've got four of them, 15, 55 x 2 , and an 85 gallon UDS's. Also have a 22" , three 18" WSM's and a Cajun Bandit kettle conversion. I've used the big bullet and Cajun Bandit direct without the waterpan to cook chicken on the grate and with Rib-O-Lators and rotisserie baskets as well as on the UDS and felt the results were comparable, but for some reason enjoyed the drum cooked more. Some people don't like the drum taste and add a waterpan or claypot base and make their drums an indirect cooker like a WSM and are fine with it-I know JD doesn't care for the taste, and I have eaten Chicken and Ribs he has cooked on on his drum that are every bit as good as what he cooks on his bullets! We basically stopped using the drums in competition, because we started scoring higher cooking indirect. Negative comment cards from some judges kind of sealed their fate-and a few seasoned comp cooks around here asked me why we stopped using them and I told them why, and they told me that was the same reason they went back to using the pans in their WSM's! Go figure?
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Brian - Left Hand Smoke BBQ PNWBA 2010 Team of the Year BGE's/WSM's/Pellet Pro WSM/BWS Gater/BDS Clones/Cookshack 008/Weber Performer w EZ-Que/Cajun Bandit/Rib-O-Lator Test Pilot/La Caja China/BBQ Guru/Weber 1000 RK Drum Coffee Roaster Follow Left Hand Smoke on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/pages/Left-H...462391?sk=wall KCBS CBJ/PNWBA CBJ www.pnwba.com |
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06-06-2010, 11:12 PM | #13 | |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 06-21-06
Location: Lawrence, Kansas - The Great American Outback
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Quote:
The pan flavors are less bitter than the fire flavors - and the pan flavors taste a lot better than my offset where the 'drippings' don't get to the fire at all.
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We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it. - Abraham Lincoln ------- One Moocow UDS! (Thanks, Shane!) http://www.moocowbbq.com/ Two Weber 22.5" kettles One Brinkmann Smoke'N PitMaster Deluxe One LARGE WSM! (special black glossy finish) w/Stoker! WooHoo! KCBS Member/KCBS Master CBJ #24295 Sweaty, smokey and enjoying every minute. |
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06-07-2010, 01:00 AM | #14 | |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 10-27-06
Location: Bothell WA
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Quote:
__________________
Brian - Left Hand Smoke BBQ PNWBA 2010 Team of the Year BGE's/WSM's/Pellet Pro WSM/BWS Gater/BDS Clones/Cookshack 008/Weber Performer w EZ-Que/Cajun Bandit/Rib-O-Lator Test Pilot/La Caja China/BBQ Guru/Weber 1000 RK Drum Coffee Roaster Follow Left Hand Smoke on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/pages/Left-H...462391?sk=wall KCBS CBJ/PNWBA CBJ www.pnwba.com |
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06-07-2010, 08:10 AM | #15 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-13-10
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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I do, at times, use a pan in my uds with a variety of liquids depending on the cook, The UDS seems to have longer cooking times and keeps a temp with less fluctuations. If the same fuel were used in a WSM and a UDS at the same temps I don't think the resulting food would have too much difference in taste. WSM looks prettier and can easily be adapted for fan systems, never saw those being used on a UDS. I've heard negative comments about people using UDS's for comps only because they find them "crude" and "cheap", but that doesn't mean they can't cook well.
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