Rich Parker
Babbling Farker
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2009
- Location
- Grand...
I've had my UDS for a few weeks now and have done a couple cooks, I've also just run the UDS dry (sans meat) a number of times just so I can try to get a hang of controlling the heat...which I'm still doing a pretty poor job of (too hot). So, I thought I'd ask some questions to try to solve some of the problems that I'm having. (Note: I have read this entire thread, but it's been a while and in trying to go back and find specific answers, I'm getting lost in the hundreds of pages)
First, the specs of my drum:
Standard 55 gal drum w/ weber lid. 2 grates at 1.5" and 8" below lip.
4-3/4" intakes. 1 of those has ball valve the rest are just capped.
13" diameter round fire box (weber charcoal grate at bottom and expanded steel)
Generally using RO Lump
Here is my general procedure and problem. I light about a 1/3 of a chimney of lump and let it sit for a half hour or so in the chimney until it's ashed over. Add that to my 5 pounds or so of lump in the firebox (plus a half dozen or so chunks of hardwood) and I add the lit stuff to the top middle of unlit stuff. I open my ball valve to 90% open and leave the other 3 capped. The next hour and a half I wait for my UDS to get up to temp and level out around 220. Then I put the meat on. The temp soon starts to rise (I assume from the air getting in with the lid off). So I close my ball valve some and I close the exhaust in the weber lid a bit, but generally the temp keeps rising. Usually I can get it to settle down around 275 and I wrestle it the rest of the day to get below and stay below 250.
Finally, my questions:
1. How much charcoal should I be putting in my fire box? I feel like I might be using too much.
2. How much should I be lighting in my chimney to add to the fire box? And how should it be placed in the fire box? Also, how long should I be letting my lump sit in the chimney?
3. It seems insane to me that my UDS gets as hot as it does with only my ball valve open...so does this mean that air is probably leaking in from elsewhere?
You have air leaking in from somewhere. I use a whole bag of briquettes when lighting my drum and usually light a full chimney and spread it around the top and have no problems keeping it at 250 where I like to cook.