Dang Pit Boss thats a nice paint job on those. What did you do to get that on there?

GREAT WORK Pit Boss Honeycutt, I really like the finish and craftsmanship and attention to detail you put into your UDS. I can't wait to see what you do for the smoke stack (chrome? to go along with the black finish).

As I told you before I want to redo my coal basket to incorporate the great Ideas you used on yours.

Porcine Pirate

" Pigs are our Tasty Friends "

I will be building me a drum Smoker This Summer...I like what I am hearing and seeing from Bigmista

nice drums! give 'em a few smokes to "get to know 'em", but you should be good. let us know if you have any questions.

I used a high temp Rust-Oleum satin black BBQ paint from HD. The barrels were in pretty darn good shape prior to the burn, so after the burn I sanded down all of the loose paint and such, hit them with steel wool, and then wiped them down with acetone prior to paint. I had never heard of thinning paint down with acetone, but on the can it said to use acetone or mineral spirits. I opted to go with acetone to hopefully reduce drying time. Thinned the paint a tad with acetone, and shot them with a quart automotive spray gun.

I found a drum from www.midamericasteeldrum.com, right here in my city. They are $45 brand new. No lining but it has paint on the outside. Whats the best way to get that paint off there or is it even necessary? I dont really have a yard where I can get away with open flames shooting out of the thing for hours. Some neighbor would probably have the FD over here real quick. I guess I could take it to a friends house out in the "country" if need be.

I would still do a burn no matter what they say about the inside. If nothing else go get a few bags of charcoal and light it up. Just keep your lid handy and toss it on if you feel it's getting outta control. I did mine at night so the neihbors wouldn't see the smoke.

This will help clean the inside and soften or completely burn the paint on the out side.

thanks again Ron, so when the paint softens, what is the best method of removing it? I'm not much of a handyman so I'm sorta ignorant to these kinds of things. The UDS will be the most complicated thing I've ever built. Do I get the drum super hot and then hit with a special brush or tool or something, or do I just break out the paint thinner/acetone? or both?

I just hit mine with 60 and 80 grit on an orbital sander and then wiped it down with regular rubbing alcohol to paint it. It's not a professional job by any means.

Most on here use the wire wheels, if you don't have an orbital, but do have a drill, this may be the way to go.

Depending on how ugly you want you Ugly drum smoker to be 8). You could just do rough wire brush after the burn wipe it down and hit it with a couple of coats of High Temp BBQ paint.

Being new to this forum I only recently learned about these UDS's, and I must say am pretty impressed. I don't have a need for another smoker at present time but you never know. It's good to know that this knowledge and experience is out there.
One thing leaves me wondering though. Why do you all not use a heat deflector to create an indirect setup? You could use a large pizza stone, water pan, or terra cotta plant base on a lower level then cook on a higher level. I'm sure there is a valid reason, I just can't figure it out.

Some do and some don't use a deflector. I do both depending on what I am cooking.

Just depends on the cooking style of the individual and the flavors you wish to acheive. A deflector will allow smoke and controlled (normally lower) heat, but it's not the essence of the meat smoke since the deflector will collect the juices. I drilled hole in my deflector to allow the deflection of heat, but still get those juices to the fire.

All depedns on how you want to cook.

I think the reasoning behind not needing a heat deflector is because of the distance between the fire grate and the cooking grate. If you do 24" minimum like everybody recommends, you don't need a deflector.

Random hardware info
 

Bering's in Houston has an awesome stock of stainless steel hardware... when I built my UDS, I looked high and low to find steel hardware without zinc or galvanized. I wish I had found Bering's earlier... guess I'll just have to build another UDS! :-D Also check out their grilling section for a good selection of charcoal and other stuff. I realize this is only useful for folks in Houston or nearby, but they do have internet sales for those in need. Figured it would be most useful to include it with all the other UDS info.

Bering's Westheimer
1-800-BERINGS
1-800-237-4647
6102 Westheimer
Houston, Texas 77057

Bering's Bissonnet
713-665-0500
3900 Bissonnet
Houston, Texas 77005

1. I might try using the 16 inch grate out of the webber I used for parts. when I made my original one I just used the expaned metal for the bottom. I bent the corners down to make legs, and it works, just does not look elegant / professional as yours.

on number 2, I do use the diffuser for ribs esp, I only want the cooking temp in the 220s to 250 range, and I can keep it there pretty constant. I put a water pan, or drip pan so no drippng in the bottom of barrel or direct cooking.

When I tried to do a pork butt and get up to the 350 range, with the diffuser in place I had trouble reaching that temp. But I also do not have smoke stacks on the lid. With stacks this may let less heat escape and give me better draft when I want it. I will have to experiment.

Porcine Pirate

" Pigs are our Tasty Friends "