Ugly Drum Smoker

[eaglesfansteve]

I used 1/2" expanded metal 12" wide by 52" long. Wraped that around a 16" Weber charcoal grate. Held the expanded metal together with 1/4-20x3/4" bolts with washers. And then I used 5" bolts for the charcoal grate to sit on.

[Cahusky]

Originally Posted by eaglesfansteve

I used 1/2" expanded metal 12" wide by 52" long. Wraped that around a 16" Weber charcoal grate. Held the expanded metal together with 1/4-20x3/4" bolts with washers. And then I used 5" bolts for the charcoal grate to sit on.

I did basically the same thing but needed to use two sheets of expanded metal as I couldn't find one long enough at Lowes or HD.

[nomorecoop]

Thanks all!!! I cut the 12" steel in half & now have a basket that's 6" x 15.75" diameter.

[grills gone wild]

I am just about finished with my attempt at a UDS, thanks to this thread.

Only thing left is to add the supports for the top rack paint it and some stove gasket to seal the lid. ( there is a piece of red rope on it in the pictures for testing).

One question, I get the drums from a drum recycler in woburn mass, $20, they run all the drums through a giant furnace that removes all the original paint and any traces of what was in the drum. They usually sell them pained on the inside and outside. I grabbed one that was only painted on the outside. The inside was as left as it was burned, pretty much bare metal, but with a little surface rust because it sat for a while. How much of that surface rust should i get off it?

[Theboz1419]

Originally Posted by grills gone wild

I am just about finished with my attempt at a UDS, thanks to this thread.

Only thing left is to add the supports for the top rack paint it and some stove gasket to seal the lid. ( there is a piece of red rope on it in the pictures for testing).

One question, I get the drums from a drum recycler in woburn mass, $20, they run all the drums through a giant furnace that removes all the original paint and any traces of what was in the drum. They usually sell them pained on the inside and outside. I grabbed one that was only painted on the outside. The inside was as left as it was burned, pretty much bare metal, but with a little surface rust because it sat for a while. How much of that surface rust should i get off it?

I would just do a light sanding and then put some Pam, I used the BBQ stuff(high Temp) to season it and it should keep if from rusting anymore.

[Norcoredneck]

Use scotch brite and knock off what you can. Might wash out with a heavy mix of tide and hot water and dry. Then use Pam like suggested on inside. I would just leave outside alone.

[Old Hippie]

Originally Posted by grills gone wild

I am just about finished with my attempt at a UDS, thanks to this thread.

What is the gray or silver color on the inside the lip of the drum?
What is the red color on the outside the lip of the drum?
Is this a mod to get the Weber lid to fit?

[grills gone wild]

Originally Posted by Old Hippie

What is the gray or silver color on the inside the lip of the drum?
What is the red color on the outside the lip of the drum?
Is this a mod to get the Weber lid to fit?

The gray ring is a piece of 2" steel formed into a ring that is pressed into the inside of the drum, the red stuff is just a piece of rope, to see how a gasket would work. I will put some stove gasket in its place. The weber lid fits perfect like this.

[grills gone wild]

She is complete, minus some paint, and finding a black lid.

I added the side shelf and some wheels

[alltoys]

I can't believe I read the whole the thing and made one too!!

Some questions I have about the smoking of meat.

I have smoked some ribs and a brisket. One thing that happens is the meat gets rather dry. Should I brush on a coating of what ever after the meat is smoked. I notice that the meat has pulled away from the bones nicely. I have not marinated or basted the meat while it has been smoking should I baste more and marinate?

Also I have 3 one inch holes in the bottom of the drum and it seems that the coals do not get hot enough. It gets a steady 170 to 190F stays there for 4 hours then drops. If I take off the top almost instantly it gets hotter. Should I have more holes in the bottom?

I wonder also if I should have larger vent holes in the bottom of the basket for the charcoal brickets. Seems like the ash doesn't get a chance to fall and let fresh air get to the remaining brickets.

Does the bottom of the basket need to have large slats or large enough for the fine ash to fall and leave remaining brickets to burn?

[jswordy]

Here's a few build pix of the latest drum builds. One had a Weber lid, the other Uniflame. The Uniflame has a certain advantage, as you can see!

Almost ready to paint.



Ring to adapt Weber lid to barrel. I had to form and sit the metal ring on top of the barrel. Welded all around, and also sealed with JB Weld in case of pinholes. The Uniflame ring was able to slip inside the barrel, so it worked a bit easier.



Fire baskets. We used bails off five-gallon buckets to make the handles.



Painted. I used the Rustoleum stove paint in the quart, thinned with a bit of mineral spirits and run through a $10 H-F spray gun.

Stanley looks them over.



First burn. Used pure charcol. Nine pounds lasted 6 hours at 250-300. Snuffed them out after that.





The Uniflame advantage -- it hinges! Used 2 1" L brackets for the barrel portion of the hinge.

[N8man]

Originally Posted by alltoys

I can't believe I read the whole the thing and made one too!!

Some questions I have about the smoking of meat.

I have smoked some ribs and a brisket. One thing that happens is the meat gets rather dry. Should I brush on a coating of what ever after the meat is smoked. I notice that the meat has pulled away from the bones nicely. I have not marinated or basted the meat while it has been smoking should I baste more and marinate?

Also I have 3 one inch holes in the bottom of the drum and it seems that the coals do not get hot enough. It gets a steady 170 to 190F stays there for 4 hours then drops. If I take off the top almost instantly it gets hotter. Should I have more holes in the bottom?

I wonder also if I should have larger vent holes in the bottom of the basket for the charcoal brickets. Seems like the ash doesn't get a chance to fall and let fresh air get to the remaining brickets.

Does the bottom of the basket need to have large slats or large enough for the fine ash to fall and leave remaining brickets to burn?

Do you have pictures of your drum and basket setup that we could look at? It'll help us to answer some of your questions.
One thing that is beneficial is to gently shake or kick your drum every 5 or 6 hours to knock down the ash build up.

[Norcoredneck]

JSwordy, nice job. Better start gathering parts because you will be getting request from friends.

Alltoys, N8 is right pics of entire set up will lead to answers.

[jswordy]

Thanks for your help, Norco! I did one thing differently on the valve. I used JB Weld in the connector nut to epoxy it to the valve screw, rather than tap the connector for a set screw. It seems to work, and since I had already welded the connector to the allthread, it allowed me to rotate it until the flats lined up for the control handle.

Highly recommend the Rustoleum stove paint in quarts, especially if you have a spray gun. Makes them look almost store-bought (at least until we ruin it later).

These were the best ones so far, thanks to all the mods developed on this site. Thanks!

[Norcoredneck]

See your partner has the essential tool in his Left hand. Important part of any UDS Build.