deezdrama
09-08-2009, 08:35 PM
Well I found a nice barrel a couple weeks back and was at first just going to use it as a burn barrel.
Then I got a weber kettle grill given to me and noticed the lid fit perfect and thought it would be cool to make a smoker out of it.
Google it... Found this forum.... read like 100 pages of the UDS thread, and here I am after 3 days in the garage with a pretty cool UDS!
My barrel had the tan liner but was used for a foodgrade acid, So I drilled three 1" holes at the base, and stuffed it full of scrapwood I had in the garage, soon there was flames shooting 6 feet out this sucker and in a short while the drum was paintless inside- Had to use a wire wheel and grinder to get all the leftover outer paint off.
The next day I gave it a thick coat of black engine block paint and rubbed the inside down with vegetable oil.
Oh yeah- I had to cut the top tid out with a skillsaw but towards the end of the build I had an idea and reused it to double up the bottom of the barrel before drilling holes and installing 4 castor wheels from an old creeper I had in the garage. I only have one weber grate at the moment but had a small weber kettle I used fo the fire box. I had to drill a hundred holes in the thing- but still not sure if it will have proper airflow- If not- no big deal, im a welder and have plenty of material at work to make another one. I liked the idea of using the little weber kettle for the coals because it has a nice handle but not sure if it will hold enough coals?
Anyway- I destroyed a couple other grills I had for parts like the shelves and handles. ended up converting the bottom three 1" holes to 1/2" with the use of large washers and 1/2" fittings, my air shutoff valve is in the back - didnt want it in the front or I would of been tripping over it.
Well- it took me 2 full weekend days,and 2 evenings to build this thing and I went through about 3 cases of beer, now I have a nice mess in the garage to clean up.
The build cost was $10 for a brand new drum, everything else- I had, only other things I had to buy was some large washers for my nipple fittings, a shutoff valve, a small thermometer, and the digital which I route through a small hole in the drum next to the shelf it sits on.
Total cost, about $45.
Now- Ive been dreaming of smoked ribs and brisket but have never smoked anything before so I do have a few questions.
First- Do you think the small weber kettle with holes in it will work well for the fire box?
Second- I did add a second "4 holed" weber exhaust vent but didnt have a 1/2" holesaw bit so had to use a 1" bit- but, the weber vent damper covers the extra size of these holes. Do you think I will be OK running all 8 holes open or may I have to shut them all partially? I added the extra 4 holed vent because I read here a bunch of times that one needs a minimum of eight- 1/2" vent holes.
Last question- I will be googling how to smoke ribs,brisket, ect. Will those cooking guides adapt well to a UDS style smoker or will they all cook faster?
Any UDS cooking guides?
Thanks to all who read through my long drawn out post- but im just excited to have finished my first UDS! And the Ol' Lady and everyone else dont seem to enthused yet.... Hopefully I can smoke up some good eats to change there minds soon! :biggrin:
Then I got a weber kettle grill given to me and noticed the lid fit perfect and thought it would be cool to make a smoker out of it.
Google it... Found this forum.... read like 100 pages of the UDS thread, and here I am after 3 days in the garage with a pretty cool UDS!
My barrel had the tan liner but was used for a foodgrade acid, So I drilled three 1" holes at the base, and stuffed it full of scrapwood I had in the garage, soon there was flames shooting 6 feet out this sucker and in a short while the drum was paintless inside- Had to use a wire wheel and grinder to get all the leftover outer paint off.
The next day I gave it a thick coat of black engine block paint and rubbed the inside down with vegetable oil.
Oh yeah- I had to cut the top tid out with a skillsaw but towards the end of the build I had an idea and reused it to double up the bottom of the barrel before drilling holes and installing 4 castor wheels from an old creeper I had in the garage. I only have one weber grate at the moment but had a small weber kettle I used fo the fire box. I had to drill a hundred holes in the thing- but still not sure if it will have proper airflow- If not- no big deal, im a welder and have plenty of material at work to make another one. I liked the idea of using the little weber kettle for the coals because it has a nice handle but not sure if it will hold enough coals?
Anyway- I destroyed a couple other grills I had for parts like the shelves and handles. ended up converting the bottom three 1" holes to 1/2" with the use of large washers and 1/2" fittings, my air shutoff valve is in the back - didnt want it in the front or I would of been tripping over it.
Well- it took me 2 full weekend days,and 2 evenings to build this thing and I went through about 3 cases of beer, now I have a nice mess in the garage to clean up.
The build cost was $10 for a brand new drum, everything else- I had, only other things I had to buy was some large washers for my nipple fittings, a shutoff valve, a small thermometer, and the digital which I route through a small hole in the drum next to the shelf it sits on.
Total cost, about $45.
Now- Ive been dreaming of smoked ribs and brisket but have never smoked anything before so I do have a few questions.
First- Do you think the small weber kettle with holes in it will work well for the fire box?
Second- I did add a second "4 holed" weber exhaust vent but didnt have a 1/2" holesaw bit so had to use a 1" bit- but, the weber vent damper covers the extra size of these holes. Do you think I will be OK running all 8 holes open or may I have to shut them all partially? I added the extra 4 holed vent because I read here a bunch of times that one needs a minimum of eight- 1/2" vent holes.
Last question- I will be googling how to smoke ribs,brisket, ect. Will those cooking guides adapt well to a UDS style smoker or will they all cook faster?
Any UDS cooking guides?
Thanks to all who read through my long drawn out post- but im just excited to have finished my first UDS! And the Ol' Lady and everyone else dont seem to enthused yet.... Hopefully I can smoke up some good eats to change there minds soon! :biggrin: