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i am thinking of an 85 or 110 ! IMHO no liner is worth the price! |
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Is there a time limit of what a good burn out time is..?!? I tried to keep it raging for as long as possible, but I got freaked out since I live in a neighborhood with houses really close to each other... I just don't want to worry about whether or not I burned everything out... |
kiss and they will come! Don't over think it bros.
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You will find quite a difference in taste compared to the BGE with a platesetter. |
Found a good source of drums in the charleston area...I'm gonna have to start a second one...or a third....maybe a fourth!....think I'm gonna need a bigger shed!!:confused:
http://charleston.craigslist.org/mat/1615596264.html http://charleston.craigslist.org/for/1614645299.html |
I just spent $40 on all the washers, bolts, and nuts. I picked up all the last needed hardware and expanded metal this morning...
I could only find 12"x24"x1/2" expanded metal... I've seen most people using 3/4" expanded metal, is the 1/2" good to use..?? I am also frustrated because I can't find a good pan to put under my charcoal basket. Anyone have any suggestions on what to use and where to find it..?? I'm also there and want to get this baby done so I can start seasoning...!!!! hahahaa |
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Well I finally got 'er built and seasoned.
I thought I would post a few pics of the fire basket I ended up with. I used a piece of expndo and welded it to a Weber 18.5" Kettle carcoal grate. As you can see, I have no legs. When I bought the expando, it was a "drop" from the steel supplier and it was already 12"wide. I knew it was going to be a pain to trim it down to 9" so I just welded the charcoal grate up 3" from the bottom and I didn't need the bolts for the legs. I used the cheap $12 grill from the dollar store for the ash pan. I couldn't figure out how to secure the pan to the fire basket so I ended up drilling 2 holes opposite each other an running a metal rod all the way through the grill and fire basket to make it all pull out of the UDS as one unit. Now it easy to detach the ash pan from the fire basket for emptying the ash. I have had a lot of fun building it. This forum is definitely the "Mother of all UDS" threads and has been great inspiration for me to build one. Thanks to you all. I'm smoking ribs tomorrow... |
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Here is my first finished UDS.
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doors are not needed. these are tried and true cookers. |
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Here's my first....made out of scrap around my shop....I have since made it a little smaller to see if I can get a better even burn.
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The warming temperatures over the last week have melted enough snow for me to start on my UDS build. Here are some progress pics from today.
Removing the lid gasket - http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Bu...Lid-Gasket.jpg Marking and cutting the hole for the BGE vent - http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Build/Vent-Score.jpg http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Bu...o-cut-vent.jpg http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Build/Vent-Cut.jpg Started a fire using well seasoned oak - http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Build/Burning-1.jpg http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Build/Burning-2.jpg Snow thrown on the side instantly turns to steam http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Bu...eaming-Hot.jpg Burning the lid http://users.umw.edu/~jhaynes/uds/Build/Burning-Lid.jpg |
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Here's the new and improved...still haven't burned it yet....I went from 18" to 15" round. 18" seemed to wide and spread out for 10-12#'s of charcoal.
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I am having the hardest time find the proper barrel. Here is the latest one I found:
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...4/IMG_5974.jpg However, it looks like it's cadmium plated or something. It is being sold as "unpainted inside and out" but it only rusts where the "plating" has been scratched. Any of you have experience with this? |
OK, so despite my blasphemous disregard for the K.I.S.S. method, I am on my second cook and have been holding steady at 225 degrees (give or take 5 degrees either way) for over 4 hours in 35 degree weather. My doors are sealed and not letting any smoke escape so far. I also don't notice any spike in warmth around the doors (holding my hand to the barrel in various places including the door seals).
In other words, "to each his own"! Whether you create the most basic UDS or elaborate on the design... as long as it works, there are no objections on my end. On another note, after making my charcoal basket... it is 6" tall and made of expanded metal 4' in circumference... I may cut a notch out that fits my firplace shovel so I can add wood or charcoal as needed. I haven't needed to fill it so I don't see a notch being an issue. Any thoughts? |
Cleaned mine up today and hit it with my new weed burner. Cleaned one more time and then painted. All I have left now is to assemble, build charcoal basket, clean inside and season before first use.
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If it is cadmium plated, you may want to reconsider:
Remember Google is your friend. From Wikipedia: Acute exposure to cadmium fumes may cause flu like symptoms including chills, fever, and muscle ache sometimes referred to as "the cadmium blues." Symptoms may resolve after a week if there is no respiratory damage. More severe exposures can cause tracheo-bronchitis, pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema. Symptoms of inflammation may start hours after the exposure and include cough, dryness and irritation of the nose and throat, headache, dizziness, weakness, fever, chills, and chest pain. Inhaling cadmium-laden dust quickly leads to respiratory tract and kidney problems which can be fatal (often from renal failure). Ingestion of any significant amount of cadmium causes immediate poisoning and damage to the liver and the kidneys. Compounds containing cadmium are also carcinogenic. The bones become soft (osteomalacia), lose bone mineral density (osteoporosis) and become weaker. This causes the pain in the joints and the back, and also increases the risk of fractures. In extreme cases of cadmium poisoning, mere body weight causes a fracture. The kidneys lose their function to remove acids from the blood in proximal renal tubular dysfunction. The kidney damage inflicted by cadmium poisoning is irreversible and does not heal over time. The proximal renal tubular dysfunction creates low phosphate levels in the blood (hypophosphatemia), causing muscle weakness and sometimes coma. The dysfunction also causes gout, a form of arthritis due to the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints because of high acidity of the blood (hyperuricemia). Another side effect is increased levels of chloride in the blood (hyperchloremia). The kidneys can also shrink up to 30%. Other patients lose their sense of smell (anosmia). Sounds nasty. Sterling Skouson |
You bet me to it Sterling. I was going to post the same thing.
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Thank you for the concern guys. I am aware of the dangers and carcinogenic nature of Cadmium. I was more wondering if you guys have seen barrels like this and if so, what did it turn out to be? Or if you had any ideas on what it might be. I wouldn't think that something that previously held apple juice concentrate would be cadmium plated. But I have been wrong before.
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I'm not a chemist or a materials engineer, but it sure has the look of cadmium plating. Whether or not anyone would ship apple juice in a cad plated barrel is out of my area of expertise.
SS |
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I was wondering if you're going to keep the UDS going all week long or what is the purpose of adding wood or charcoal? So here are my thoughts. It's fun to make your barrel your own but there are thousands of barrels out there turning in good Q and the design has stayed fairly simple. No one that has been smoking for a while has felt the need to go back and retrofit their barrel with a door. I think you will find that the door was an exercise in engineering but not a necessity to turn out good Q. Here is another thought. When adding fuel on top of a fire you are creating a situation of lighting too much charcoal(burning up and down) and then you end up struggling to control your low and slow temps. Inevitably you end up choking down a fire, creating creosote from the wood and a nasty environment in your UDS(nasty tasting food) Use what you agree with and dismiss the rest! |
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I didn't realize that Cadmium had such a low melting point(600 deg F). I wonder if it could be sandblasted so as to save the outside appearance. If that could happen then the outside would be safe for use as an UDS. I like the look of that drum. |
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I am sensing a lot of resistance to my doors. I'm not asking anyone to follow suit... just putting my own spin on the UDS. Sorry if I offended anyone with my design... I get the feeling I should retract my posts from some of the reactions! Thanks for the compliments from those who gave them... so far my UDS works wonderfully despite the obvious design flaws I incorporated.:eusa_clap |
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No offense taken here. Build it they way you want it and enjoy. |
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No resistance to your doors. I actually like seeing new ideas. My favourite at the moment is the BGE intake. Feeling better? |
It was my bad for putting circumference... looking back through other posts almost everyone used diameter. What is a BGE intake?
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It's the stainless steel sliding draft door from a BGE. You can buy them from BGE repair parts suppliers for about $35.00.
http://www.biggreenegg.com/artwork/Diagram.jpg |
Here is the large/medium sized BGE intake on my UDS.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ke/4Basket.jpg |
Jkstone, If my recollection serves, memory not withstanding, my firebox is about 52 inches in circumference so yours should be fine.
With regards to your UDS customization - I think it's a great/clever idea but like some others have stated, isn't at all necessary based on my albeit limited experience. BUt I shall still share it hehe. Like I said my, firebox is roughly 14-15in diameter, whatever the weber replacement charcoal grate is... and it's 8 inches high. I have a 3 in air gap between the bottom of the firebox and the ash catcher. I've loaded it with as little as 7 lbs of Stubbs or Royal Oak Brickettes which fill about to the middle of the box and then poured a 14- to 1/3 full chimney of lit charcoal in the middle (I use a generic chimney which is smaller than the weber genuine one). I have never run out of charcoal. I have always had coals left over. I haven't had a cook last less than 10 hours. I'm fully confident I have the capacity to run 20 hours before considering adding charcoal. So that's my experience. Hope it helps. Still, looking good mod there and hope you get some great cooks outta there!!! |
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If you only plan on burning charcoal then a door won't be useful and will only give you grief with air leaks. I use a charcoal grate from a 22 1/2 kettle with 6" of expanded metal which will hold enough charcoal to keep it going 18+ hours. If you go for it post some pics and how it works and if you would suggest the idea to others. |
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-r |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St...on_coating.JPG -r |
So, I've got two options here, and in trying to be frugal (for once, turning over a new leaf!), I can't decide on what I'd rather do:
1) Get a lined apple juice drum for free from a friend and have it sandblasted inside and out for $45 or so and paint it with stove paint (another $12 or so in paint), or... 2) Buy a new, unlined drum for $70 from the place here in town, maybe wipe it down with carb cleaner and shoot it with another coat of paint, and hope that the paint doesn't bubble up. I'd use it without burning it out, and would likely run it at 300 deg. or lower at all times. I have no desire to burn out and scrape the drum, and I'm going for form AND function so I want it to look decent in my backyard. Thoughts? Thanks! -r |
If you don't want burn out and scrape a new unlined drum might be the ticket for you.
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I think I would sandblast the inside. I like the outside and I think it would be more durable than most spray can paints.
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This is a good option. |
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Oh, and I'm smokin' tonight even in the frigid 60 degree weather. Couple yardbirds and a tumbler of whiskey and coke. Lovin' life! |
Can't assemble UDS I've been foiled by the rain and snow mix again this morning. :icon_bugeyed
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I am Cali bound in a few months though. So I'll be enjoying the warm weather soon...!!! |
The weather checked up for now. I bundled up and braved the 30 degree weather to completed my basic UDS except for the charcoal basket. Don't want to pull welder from storage building with more poor weather pending. Once charcoal basket is complete It will be ready for seasoning. :biggrin:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...DSC00001-1.jpg |
Thank you all for your replies about my weird looking barrel. For now, I am going to play the better safe than sorry route and chalk it up to a learning curve. I am still not certain if it's Zinc or Cadmium, but either way it's not what I want.
Off to find a barrel that is suitable.... |
Finished my UDS build! Seasoned it Saturday and cooked some chicken thighs and a fatty for a test run. Turned out good, UDS work fine. Think I could have used a little less wood. Do you guys use lump or briquettes in your UDS?
PS: Great info in this thread, built it completely from the info found within. David |
Im sorry, but I have to ask again, "What in the &*^& is a UDS?"
http://www.kickassbbq.com/grills&smokers.JPG |
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So i have all my parts for my first UDS. however, i have not landed any expanded metal yet. i called a metal fab shop near me and the guy said he has some but he asked me what kind. i did not know so i told him i would call him back.
I am assuming he was talking about the guage but i really dont know because i dont know much about expanded metal. Can someone let me know the preferred type of expanded metal used. I tried skimming back through this thread because i remember reading about it, but i could not find it. |
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