uds sensor placment

[mfdfyrecaptain]

but has anyone been able to clse the gap down between the center and the sides of the barrel? if so how? if you tried something and it did not work that was it that you tried. i ask that so as to not try to reinvint the wheel.

 

[Barbarian]

I tried this last year, put it I think halfway between the grate and basket. It did not seem to make any difference.

I use a 2" pipe in the center of the lid for exhaust and am thinking about using this thing a couple inches below the exhaust to see if the heat spreads out to get through it to the exhaust.

 

[Meat Burner]

Just a thought. It seems the air coming up from the fuel is not why the center grate is hotter. The drum forces the air from the outside edge of the barrel toward the middle, since that is the only way it can go. Do you think that is what creates a little hotter spot in the center. This is a non-issue to me but just thought I would throw it out.

 

[mfdfyrecaptain]

heat releases in the form of entergy. that entergy must go up from the source from which it came. the smoke is nothing more than unburned gas and it must do the same. so where ever the hottest heat source is there will be the hottest spot directly below. the shape of the barrel cant force anything therfore it is left up to draft and convection.

 

[Meat Burner]

I just build them and cook great Q. The rest is just fun and I don't overthink it! If I wanted a super engineered smoker I would spend $10,000 and not $100. The fun part is taking a $100 drum and making better Q than the $10,000 rig. Try some different things and you may come up with a better widget. Remember, keep it simple and this is a cheap Ugly Drum Smoker. Keep us posted on your experiments.

 

[mfdfyrecaptain]

lol cant help it, i like to tinker. i do have the expensive rig but its too big to run for small cooks here at the homestead and i am tired of hauling it and all the stuff it needs around. I want to use the UDS for comp this year and just need to refine a few things to suit me. besides if we do find away too close the gap on the temp dif then it will be easy for the next guy cause he can just ask. i have the first experment that i will post tommorow with picks and results. may need to start another thread. one that would include what has been tried.

 

[mfdfyrecaptain]

OK its done and it works !!!!!! I am at the fire station right now but will get the picks up Monday.

i bought a ss grill skillet, 13" dia, and drilled out the rivets in the handle. then added a canning plate that has 5 large openings to the skillet. next used wire to suspend the diffuser approx 12" below the food grate in my UDS.

i checked the side of the grill rack and the center with my ready check for the duration of a cook of chickens. both read the same temp for the most part and only varied by 2 degrees.

hope this helped