thank you.

when burning wood in the uds do you get the same flavor as with the offset, or is there a difference?

if there is a difference would you be so kind as to expound.
thanks

Using my offset I'm smoking. Using the vertical UDS I'm grilling/smoking over wood fire. Like a Argentine grill, just i have alot more height and wind doesn't bother it like an Argentine. You do get a great light smoke flavor. Fire management (air flow and split size) allows me to grill at most any temp.
I also have a pizza lid I made for pizza and high heat grilling.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/vMVv9K.jpg

Awesome. Either way, for about $40 Im going to try it out. If I don't like it I have about 3 friends that need a free UDS :)

thanks

I found this forum looking for ideas for my first UDS build and man do I have a lot of reading to do!

I just now saw the pic. Nice idea on the semi open top. Im thinking of incorporating my controlled leak into the drum and making it adjustable.

my existing upside down UDS. I love this thing

The new Woo-D-S in progress

I cant wait to burn some stick

You will need a short/height wise basket. You will want/need at least 3" legs on the basket.
A controlled leak? You want the drum to be able to seal up any leaks after a few cooks or you will not be able to control temps or shutdown the drum when done cooking.
That was my pizza/high temp cooking/searing lid. I use my regular lid for all cooking under 600*, with removable chimney. Looks like cr@p but works great. 3 5/8" hole for exhaust. Adjustable exh vent even with chimney installed.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...923/k92kxi.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/7PuhWj.jpg
You can see one of 2- 1.5" elbows near the top lip. That was an experiment that did not work.
Using the 2 elbows as exhaust , screws up the air flow. Can not get temps above 275* even using enough intake to be cooking at 550* the temps will not get higher. Bad flow. I keep them plugged. I removed the plugs just to show.

This is very good information. Thanks. I thought you used the other lid all the time.

when I say controlled leak, I guess I should have said controllable, Ie adjustable. my goal it to have as much intake air as possible to keep a hot fire, but keep cooking temps around the 250-300 range.

my thought was that if I could have something to exhaust an adjustable amount of heat from the drum, just below the meat, I could achieve this.

for example using a big green egg intake.
so it seems like your 1.5" exhausts achieve exactly what I am looking to do.

I think what I'll do is drill 4 1" holes around the drum right under the meat and then use those to control temp as needed and just cover them up with magnets when not needed.

regarding the basket - I don't even plan to have a basket. Im just going to use some expanded steel as a platform for the wood, put some 3" legs on it, and go.

my current basket is 12" high, 17" diameter, 6" off the bottom. way overkill for anything I would ever cook given how efficient the uds is.

To cook with high heat but have 250 temps you will need a deflector. I recommend a 20” cast iron skillet if you want to mimic the green egg deflector.

Thought the Green Egg had a stone in it. Like the Pampered chef pizza or cookie stone.

It does, but I like cast iron a lot better than anything ceramic (including a pizza stone). But it function just the same.

thanks I will check that out. for right now I was just planning to use the bottom of the old drum , since I cut that out to use it upside down. but, at 20gauge its probably too thin to be very effective.

You have it and it's free. I'd try it, myself.

nothing wrong with Free. Good thinking sir and thanks for the suggestion