Ugly Drum Smoker

Congrats! Great UDS, I like your side table mod.

How long did it take for the butt to cook?

Just a quick note on building a UDS...keep it simple as that is what will serve you well. Just my contribution to this massive thread. Enjoy your new smokers brethren, just don't over think it.

ThomEmery said:

I like having the Kettle for burgers and the lid is available

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Source for the lid, and round grates?

Sammy_Shuford said:

Source for the lid, and round grates?

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You'll be better off buying a cheap weber kettle. Receommend hitting up Craiglist or ebay.

The lids bought seperately new from Weber would be about as much as their cheapest kettle.

Coby65 said:

Congrats! Great UDS, I like your side table mod.

How long did it take for the butt to cook?

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It took about 9 hours to get it to internal temp of 198. UDS held between 230 and 250 with fuel left over.

I am fairly new here, and I have been studing this thread.

Starting a new build, should I add on here, or start a new thread?

I am picking up a used 55g open top drum tomorrow. Source says it had water soluble paint that washes out. I intend to burn off the outside paint from the inside, thus burning out anything that might be left behind.

After the burn out, can the inside be treated with cooking oil to prevent rust?

My first three steps are:
1. Drill 4 ¾” or 1” 2” from the bottom
2. Fit with nipples and secure them
3. Fill with hard wood and burn the inside clean and the paint of the outside.

Sammy-yes to the cooking oil or lard or bacon fat. Spend your money on a BGE or similiar intake vent. Cheaper than a step bit and all that plumbing or better yet- cut a 2" hole and use a sheet magnet. Then on those long cooks you can reach the basket to give it a shake with out disturbing your groceries.

What?? Of course it works! You don't see any guys with commercial smokers running around in circles opening intakes.
And don't forget the 24" rule!

Sammy_Shuford said:

I am fairly new here, and I have been studing this thread.

Starting a new build, should I add on here, or start a new thread?

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Only if you include pics and many of them........LOL, just kidding, sure why not. Remembering back I think I did both.

Paul B
SS UDS

Sammy_Shuford said:

I am picking up a used 55g open top drum tomorrow. Source says it had water soluble paint that washes out. I intend to burn off the outside paint from the inside, thus burning out anything that might be left behind.

After the burn out, can the inside be treated with cooking oil to prevent rust?

My first three steps are:
1. Drill 4 ¾” or 1” 2” from the bottom
2. Fit with nipples and secure them
3. Fill with hard wood and burn the inside clean and the paint of the outside.

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Sammy, why not cut your holes and and burn it before fitting the hardware? Also, it doesn't matter I guess, but I think most just cut three holes at the bottom for intake.. Good luck with the build. Let's see pron!

let's see porn

Regarding the placement of the thermometer...I see that it should be at "grate" level, but I'm assuming that it's mounted to stick just above or just below the grate. I also am assuming that it should be just below the grate, so as not to impede the food. Is that correct?

That's the ideal spot, yes.

misterrachel said:

Regarding the placement of the thermometer...I see that it should be at "grate" level, but I'm assuming that it's mounted to stick just above or just below the grate. I also am assuming that it should be just below the grate, so as not to impede the food. Is that correct?

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You assume correctly. Mine is about 1/2" below grate.

can you use a drum that was filled with oil or tranny fluid? i can get my hands on those all day long

I'm working with one right now that had hydraulic fluid in it. I rinsed it with mineral spirits, washed it out with Dove dish detergent, pressure washed it, and burned a pile of pallet wood in it. Any oil left in there is either burned up, or too scared to come out! The good thing is that many of the drums I've seen that had oil in them don't have the dreaded liner. This one was nice bright metal inside. To tell you the truth, I think it was ready after washing, but the consensus is to burn them out good. I can't imagine that a little oil residue is going to out-gas anything worse than charcoal briquets do. Burn it, build it, love it!

MushCreek said:

This one was nice bright metal inside. To tell you the truth, I think it was ready after washing, but the consensus is to burn them out good. I can't imagine that a little oil residue is going to out-gas anything worse than charcoal briquets do. Burn it, build it, love it!

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It's probably good that you burnt it, all the new drums around these parts that don't have the phenolic resin liner have a transparent rust-inhibitor sprayed inside.

Get that thing seasoned and post some drumpron! :-D

IronStomach said:

Do you mean from condensation and/or steam? How is the water getting in in any quantity that builds up?

If you have a hole in the bottom, I'd say to make sure you have a way to control whether or not it's open during a cook otherwise it'd be an intake.

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sorry have not been on the sight in a while. but yes it is from condensation from when i cook.

Progress, a friend I work with is making me a 18 inch diamter fire basket, 4 inches high. Found wood crates at the receiving dock of our local news paper.

New drum build questions.

Hello all. n00b here. Building my first drum smoker, wife thinks I'm crazy (she was doing okay until I walked in with a weedburner):-D

I have most of the bits and bobs gathered, almost ready to start assembly. I have a number of questions which I was hoping the brethren can help me out with ( I promise the pron will come when I start assembling).

1. I bought a reconditioned drum - no liner, no rust inhibitor, painted lid and painted on the outside. The place I bought it from said that all drums had the inside burnt out. The inside has just a bit of rust, and some soot when I run my finger along the inside. I figured that if I washed the inside a few times I should be good to go?

2. I made a charcoal basket about 16" diameter and about 9" high. Found out that bending/shaping expanded metal when its 25F outside is nearly impossible, but much easier when it is 60F! I was going to use an 18" cake pan as the ash pan. Should the pan be 2" deep or 3" to catch the ash generated from a basket of this size? Also, how far above the rim of the pan should the basket be? 1"?

3. A few years ago I got a good deal on bags of Royal Oak hardwood lump charcoal, but it has lots of scraps in it as well as small pieces. I have been to the naked whiz site over the years, but was wondering what most other folks have been using (especially in the Houston area), and where they get it from. I have been tempted by regular Kingsford briquets and the promise of a slow even burn, but I'm worried about the meat tasting funky if the Minion Method is used for the fire during smoking.

4. The lid has the standard large and small bungholes. Do I need to drill extra holes in the lid to get good air flow? The bottom will have 3 intakes (1 of which will have a ball valve).

Thanks. I can start a new thread if that is what is preferred.