You should just ask the FD when you are allowed to burn it out. Forget the old cranky neighbor...you probably are allowed to burn in the barrel

Ready to smoke!
 

I still need to:
...cut down the four bolts to attach the two handles to the side
...find an ash pan; will use pizza pan until I find El Cheapo Grill
...find a big, domed lid
...fabricate and attach a handle for coal basket
...buy a real thermometer (will order online today)
...learn how to bbq!!!

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nice drum!
now get to cooking!!

Yeah I had the holes already drilled.

I think I will just go with the weed burner and a little bit of grinding.

First UDS just burned in.
 

Hey guys! Just want to say thanks to everyone for all the info on perfecting the UDS. This is the center of the DRUMOLOGY universe.

I just completed my first drum, and the embers from the first burn are still glowing. Once it's painted, I'll post a pic.

Scott
-elbows deep in someone else's misery.

Nice Pics Burt!
Can't wait to see you cooking on it!

Nice job burt! I just finished mine yesterday. It handles like nothing I ever used before. I have total control of my temps. She is a real dandy. I woke this AM, around 6ish and started some coals. I have a pork shoulder on there now. Thanks so much Brethren!

change to my drum
 

I put two of these $3 dollar valves on my intakes on my drum.(have a brass one on one of the three) Even at 375 deg. they were cool to touch. The drum seems easier to control now. I change all three at the same time and it seems to burn in three directions in fire pan. I am not one of the Ellette but in my opinion this works great.:idea:





http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/x...Picture247.jpg

Hey guys, new member here. Was inspired to build a UDS by somebody and was refered to this site. WOW. Haven't read through it all. I think I have read about 150 pages. So far so good. Got more than enough information to get me going.

So far I have the drum burnt and drilled. A 0.75" expanded metal grill cut to fit, same size expanded metal 12"x12"x12" charcoal baskett. Just need to scrub the barrel down with the cup brush on the angle grinder, wash it and season/cook. My dad had a hand in the baskett, is the 12x12x12 square baskett suffice or do I need bigger?

burt- Nice drum. That thing will amaze you..

Prolly works great on a calm day. If you get those kind of days.

Antifreeze Drums
 

I have a source for 55 gallon antifreeze barrels. They are closed topped and unlined. I have a drum deheader, so removing the top is not a problem. My question is what are the safety issues involved in using these drums. I plan on burning them out before cooking on them.

Thanks,

Sterling

Chandler, AZ

As long as you don't drink the stuff, a good burn should be fine.

My drum was full of glycol but it was open top and had a thick liner that was a pain to get off. I'd say you are fine with a good burn.

I thought about trying those. May still on the capped inlets. Whats the worst that happens it melts and you have to cut it off?

Worst thing is, since it's on the intake side of things, you end up with the smoke from the plastic imparting a taste (or worse) to your food. I wouldn't do it.

Many people have been using these without problems. Ramp your UDS up to 350 and put your hand on the intakes. My UDS was sitting on ice for 5hrs at 250 and didn't melt the ice.

First post, noobie here. Just went through the entire thread and my eyeballs are falling out.

I have a sealed drum that contained hydraulic fluid. Going to cut the top out with a high speed grinder and thin cutoff wheel. Am I going to blow myself up unless I fill it with water or something first?

Awesome thread!

Edit: was told the hydraulic fluid or other oils (rather than solvents) wouldn't have the airborne combustibles. So I opened the bungs and blew out the air in the drum anyway with my shopvac, and cut the lid off tonight. Nice pretty plain steel insides which I'm cleaning up now.

By the valve being on the outside of the barrel, I don't think there's any danger of it "smoking" and giving off nastys that would impart in the food. I don't think it'll get that hot....warm maybe....but not hot enough to give off fumes. Just an observation. Not criticizing your statement/opinion.

BTW....My name is Demosthenes. Long time stick-burner. Heard a lot about these UDS's for many years. Age has slowed me down to where baby sitting my stick burner all night is not fun anymore. Bought a used WSM back in Feb. 09.........best $125 I ever spent. (just wish it was bigger :mrgreen:) I can't see forking out $399+tax for the 22.5 WSM, so I figure why not spend less than $100 and get the same capacity as the WSM's 22.5 and build myself an UGLY. (in progress)

The beauty (or lack of) in building a UDS is there are so many different looks you can give it......flat top lid vs. dome lid......ball valve intake vs. magnets vs. daisey wheel......holes in the flat top lid for exhaust vs. 2"pipe nipple w/ 90° elbow pipe.......barrel welded to a hand truck for easy transport vs. plate or stem casters...painted vs. ugly, and the list goes on.

I've enjoyed reading "most" of the post in this section and will continue to read them for more insight and ideas.
Thanks,
Demosthenes

Good luck with our build and post pics for proof!! :cool:

Good luck with your build and post pics for proof!! :cool:

reconditioned drum
 

I got this drum yesterday. Attachment 34948 Attachment 34949
Can anyone tell me about how long I need of a burn I need to get the coating off. Looks like some kind of epoxy to me. I also thought I would go ahead and drill the holes for the intakes I am going to 3/4" nipples do I need a 1" hole? thanks

Piece of mind goes a long way! A new drum is only around $45.00. You will always wonder every cook you have if you got all the contaminant out. If I had any safety concerns I would go with a new one.

Burn it until its gone and don't worry about the time.

noted and appreciated just trying to get a time frame

1. Cut your intake holes in the bottom.
2. Cut pallets along the center line and the long ends and centre piece in half
3. Fill barrel until you can't get in one more toothpick.
4. Cut that much more wood again and have it stacked ready.
5. Get air compressor with a 2 metre wand blower attachment
6. Get a Tiger Torch.
7. Fire up the wood with the tiger torch from the bottom air intakes. Go around the bottom.
8. When the wood "shifts" inside the drum. Put the blower wand in a air intake and hit it with 20psi of air.
9. Put out your smoking eyebrows and split ends.
10. Repeat 8 and 9 until you can load the barrel again.
11. You should end up with a barrel half full or better of coals. Keep hitting it with air.
12. Keep body butter handy for your peeling skin. Cheeks and nose especially.

The coals will last in excess of 8 hours if you don't hit them with air frequently. The "fire" might be gone but those coals are going to last and they are HOT. Pallets seem to have good hardwood in them. At least the ones I had did.

It wasn't rude...
 

And if you took it that way, lighten the hell up.

After some homework and forum reading I did decide on the Ugly Drum Smoker. Headed down to a local oil distributor and picked up a drum used for hydraulic fluid for 20 bucks. Sealed top job, and the lip on top is closer to fitting my Weber lid than the larger rolled top.

Got right to work with my hi-speed with cutoff wheel.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6017.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6018.jpg

There was still about half gallon of hydraulic fluid in there. Look at those nice clean sides with no coating!

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6019.jpg

I cut three 1" holes 2" up from the bottom.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6025.jpg

Picked up a hardwood pallet and burned it in the barrel to clean out the oils.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6026.jpg

Stopped by a welding place and had him make me a basket for the charcoal. It's 16" diameter or so (we bent the expanded metal around a 16" wheel) and about 6" tall. He charged me 30 bucks for it. Then I fasioned a handle out of some very heavy wire I had on hand.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6033.jpg

Made some legs out of 3/8" bolts that hold it up about 3" off the floor.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6028.jpg

Picked up some hardware

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6030.jpg

Cleaned out the drum after the burn, used the wire wheel on the Makita and brush & hot soapy water. Boy was I a mess after that!

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6032.jpg

So then I wipe down the inside with Crisco and burn a chimney of briquettes to season it. With the air ports fully open, it went to 375 degrees, and burned a couple hours hot before working its way back down.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6034.jpg

Painted it last night, and this morning began assembly. Put a flange in where the ball valve will for for some strength.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6036.jpg

My grill support ended up at 8 inches below the top, which made it 24 inches above the bottom of the charcoal basket. I used stainless bolts about 2" long.

Here it is with one grill on the bolts

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6038.jpg

Now, one of the main uses for my smoker is making jerky (deer). I need all the square inches of rack space I can get. With these Weber grills and the square handles, I can rotate them 90 degrees and lay them on the one below, stacking them. I bought 3 of these grills and they lay in there nicely. Leaves maybe a little more than an inch between grills.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6039.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6040.jpg

Installed my ball valve and pipe cap fittings.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6041.jpg
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6042.jpg

For my turkey fryer cheapo thermometer, I picked up this fitting at the hardware store. It fits nicely through there and I can pick up temps 1" below the bottom grill.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6047.jpg
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http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6050.jpg

That's it. She's done and ready to make jerky, slim jims, ribs, chicken, and a whole host of other interesting culinary delights. I have around 150 bucks in it I guess, if I count every nut and bolt, not including the Weber lid I already had. The lid doesn't quite fit down over the lip, it's very close, and this spring when kettle grills come out on sale I'll get another one where I can bend the lip all the way around and fit just right on this, so I don't mess up my good Weber lid. I'm pretty happy with how it looks and am anxious to get barbequein'!!

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6051.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6053.jpg

I found this the best way to do the air intakes. One peice of strap metal from lowes $1.50. 4 bolts, 4 nuts, 4 washers, and 4 springs. Works great and very easy to adjust.

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/r...h_IMG_0493.jpg
http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/r...h_IMG_0495.jpg

Wow, I have been reading for a couple of weeks and have finally made it through. Sadly I haven't been able to find a barrel yet (though I have a post on craigslist and have been watching the classifieds for the last couple of weeks). Hopefully soon.

Anyways, thanks for all of the information! I look forward to posting once I get started.

Nice photos Lazy R. You're not lazy at all! Beautiful finish work! Thanks all for the help and the comments!

First Smoke on the UBS!!!
 

Better late than never, right?:redface:

My first run on the UBS was great! So easy to control the temperature (after the initial false-high when firing the thing up.)

Shoulder, baby backs, brisket, two chickens and some almonds & pecans.

Shoulder was great! I made some N. Carolina-style sauce and ate sandwiches all week!

The baby backs were smoky and delicious! Too much rub, though, and they were falling apart after 2 - 2, so they didn't get the final 1.

The chickens were great, but I could see a rotisserie doing a superior job.

The brisket was smoky and delicious, but dry. It was the flat only, and sadly had most fat removed. I used no pan, no injection. I'm buying another brisket today! I plan on using a shallow pan and getting a complete brisket with full complement of fat.

Here's the pron:
Attachment 35104

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Lazy R, great build!

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6053.jpg

Nice first post. :roll: Why don't you head on over to cattle call and introduce yourself, bro? :-D

more meat!
 

I'm very excited about my complete, untrimmed, packer brisket. It's small 'cause it's local grass-fed.

The huge shoulder was only $0.87/lb; couldn't pass it up.

The thermometer just arrived and will be installed before tomorrow's smoke.

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Thanks for the compliments on my UDS project. :icon_cool

Tonight I did the maiden voyage with my Ugly Drum Smoker. Got myself a chicken out of the freezer and prepped it for the beer butt thingie

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6054.jpg

Made myself a fattie. 1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage, sauteed up some onions and green pepper and garlic and jalapeno, then spread the sausage out flat and spread the peppers out on it with a few spices, rolled it up and stuck it in the freezer for couple hours. Here it is ready to go on the smoker.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6055.jpg

Hey, what's that smell???

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6063.jpg

Awww, dad, how long's this gonna take?

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6062.jpg

With one port open and one closed, and the ball valve at about half, this thing settled in on 250 degrees and just stayed put. Man I love the constant temperature, I was able to go downstairs and work on other things while this was cookin' away.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6066.jpg

The fatty came out like this. Notice I put a rub on one half of it, and that came out blacker.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6068.jpg

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Chickeeee

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...r/DSCN6070.jpg

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This food was delicious!! Man I'm tellin' ya, where has this UDS been all my life?! Love this stuff, and it was so easy a caveman like me can do it.

More UDS action in my future, much more. :grin::grin::grin:

Nice work on the UDS and the food. You are gonna absolutely love these smokers. I have two and barrels for four more for friends. My advice would be to try and find something to make a side table or two on it. They come in super handy. Hre's mine with the tables (a repost). I'll be setting mine up today for moinkballs for tomorrow night.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q...cture138-1.jpg

Very nice looking UDS you bulit.

Finally got my UDS Completed
 

It's about 30 degrees aoutside today, and found some ribs at a reasonable price. thats reason enough for me to fire Big Bertha up.

total build took about 4 days of scrounging parts, getting material etc. no welds. i havent developed that skill yet. but looking for a used one at flea markets so i can make improvements on the next one.

clean recyled drum 20 bucks.
4x8 sheet of 3/4" expanded 31 bucks.
black pipe about 20 bucks.
more than i wanted to spend, but what the hell you cant take it with you.
based on the porn i've seen it's well worth it.

sorry for the low res on the pics.

first uds
 

got my first uds done tuesday except for handles forgot to buy seasoned it yesterday. I think the moisture to my charcoal but I still was able to hold 235 for 6 hours. I so wanted to throw a butt on this morning but its 33d raining and 30 mph winds sux. here are some pics sorry not very good. thanks to everybody for all the info & helpAttachment 35161

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Happy Holidays to all
 

Ol Big Bertha gotfired up again today, picked up some more babybacks to smoke. they will be gifts for neighbors.



I Love The Smell Smoke in the Morning!http://avatarfarm.com/avatarimages/a...rrelavatar.jpg
some squirrels have no shame

Christmas 2009
 

We ain't skeert a no snow:

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF0362.jpg

The hams were pretty tasty:

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF0370.jpg

Another UDS
 

I built another UDS last night. This one was for a friend of the family to give her husband for Christmas.

He was pretty stoked when he got it this morning. He had no idea she was getting me to build it for him.

Here are a couple of pics:
http://www.threadyourself.com/uds/bu...susie-pic1.jpg

http://www.threadyourself.com/uds/bu...susie-pic2.jpg

Great job.

Thanks, Norco. It's based off of your handy "redneck uds" instructions.

That aint no UDS, thats BAMFDS!
I need to make another. Like the K blue bag in the box. This truly is a perfect gift for someone. It looks very Professional. If I could change anything, (and I hate to even say it) , it would be the Wally world Thermo. That thing deserves a big 5 incher.

It looks like you have made yourself some adjustable height grates with some KV track and shelf brackets. Congrats on the ingenuity and good luck with the future smokes!

great job on the build wingnut, and yes it does look like a pro did it.
i'm sure your friend will be very happy with it.

Well Ive been wanting to build smoker and thanks to this site I went with a stand-up (UDS) instead of a lay-down But before I add my cooking grate I would like to know why the 24" distance between top and bottom grate's, if I dropped the grate down another inch or two I think it would clear a turkey I have, its not a big deal as it may be the only turkey I ever cook on it but 22-23" how would it differ in performance?
Specs so far are
intake 2 1/4 pipe, hole center down on the drum is 2 1/2 from bottom
2 more intakes at 2" from bottom (3/4 fittings capped) Just in case
standard 55gal. drum
and a 3" exhaust (lid trimmed inside to fit the 3" not the standard threaded cap hole)
both intake and exhaust have spring loaded adjusters
Might add SDS in El Dorado KS refurbishes steel drums, cash money I walked out with a 55gal drum lid and ring for 7$ already burned out and shot penned had to remove surface rust but thats no big deal
Again thanks for the great site and Info!!
Pics of my build so far
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/P1020226.jpg
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/P1020227.jpg

cool handle