tried my local feed supply joint today. no luck. tractor supply was a bust as well.

Finally done, added a few light flames and bolted to the handcart after raising it off the ground a few inches..

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e/SANY0749.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e/SANY0752.jpg

Now to practice!!!

Heres some pictures of my smoker..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...d/100_1310.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...d/100_1312.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...d/100_1307.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...d/100_1306.jpg

wanting to buy UDS
 

Does anyone sell the UDS?

I saw a crazy man with a web site trying to sell them for $600. Wow. Plus shipping. He also had a kit, barrel not included, for $400. Holy crap. I am in the process of making my first with plans to make another with a different design. 1 with flat lid and one with Weber lid. Gonna keep the one I like best and sell the other locally. Shipping is a big issue with these things, so the best bet is to build one your self, if you have the tools, or find someone nearby who can do it for you. All you really need is a drill, a step bit and some wrenches. Bound to be someone who lives relatively close to you who would be willing. Good luck. My cost was $30 for a reconditioned barrel all burned out and bead blasted, and about another $30 for the hardware and expando. Plus time. But since I've got more time than money, pretty cheap.

You can Buy a BDS or Big drum Smoker. Several guys here have them and like the a lot. They have good support and cooking tips.
http://www.bigdrumsmoker.com/

I have a total of about 65-70 bucks in mine....and would pay twice that much for the fun of building one and cooking some dang good Q on a cooker that I made on a cooker that "I" made.

Bragging rights go a long way. Pride in ownership.

My friend and I have started ours. Have them all cleaned up and the intakes on them. Just need to build the firebox and drill the holes for the racks. Hopefully will be finished up tomorrow so that we can fire it up on Saturday, then cook on it on Sunday. Will have to post some pics when we're done.

is there anyone that would be willing to physically talk to me about a uds build? if so please pm ur #... thanks!

I wanted to show everyone my new lid setup. I wanted to be able to run 2 grill racks, so with a lot of digging around here, and some help from a few members (thanks for the info Barbarian), here's what I did:
I had a few other barrels that I had planned on using to make a big baby double barrel smoker with. I canned (lol) that idea after reading this thread on the UDS. I cut around the drum with a cut off wheel, 7" from the top on a closed head drum. I was going to cut the center out of a spare top from another drum, after cutting it out I was going to weld the the "ring" I had left to the top I had cut off the drum. While I was checking for fit before welding, I turned the "ring" upside down and set it on the top of my UDS, then put the new lid on, perfect airtight fit. When I originally cut the center out of the top, I was really after just getting the outer most ring or lip from it, in order to make a good seal on the UDS. Flipping it upside down worked out better than I could have imagined. Here's a few pic's:


It's kind of hard to see the new ring on there
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/w...t/IMG_2247.jpg

From a different angle:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/w...t/IMG_2250.jpg

Lid all finished:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/w...t/IMG_2252.jpg
And the final result:
http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/w...t/IMG_2258.jpg

I used it for the first time yesterday with the new lid. Temps where much easier to control. My old lid had 8 1/2" holes drilled around it, but I thnk when I used the weed burner to take the paint off, it warped the lid so bad I wasn't getting a good seal. This new setup is perfect. The lid fits nice and snug around the new lip.

Yesterday I was using the setup I showed above, and had trouble getting the temps to hold below 300*, and because of that my magnets I was using for vent flaps kinda got stuck to my barrel, so I am wondering what other non weld suggestions there are, I was thinking about the electrical box cover idea, seems feasible but will the concave of the barrel have any neg effects to the vents seal?

Also, on keeping a lower temp, I was running two shoulders, my charcoal basket is 14x8 and 16" tall, bottom of basket is 3" off barrel bottom, any ideas? the basket didnt want to burn evenly, which is why I did more than half a chimney at the beginning.

Got mine done. not nearly as nice as most of yours, but it should work fine.

Bspencer

You can thread nipples in and use conduit nuts to lock them in.
Nuts come in bag from Home Depot/Lowes, ect. Found in electrical section.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...2&postcount=40

or make this

http://www.pbase.com/jerrykneupper/image/103200967.jpg

http://uglydrumsmoker.blogspot.com/2...ng-loaded.html

Finally did it!
 

Well it sure did take awhile but I got through all 181 pages of this thread. I have two drums at the moment 1 has all the holes drilled, been burned out, wire brushed, and oiled and has 1 coat of black paint on it. Flat top. The second coat should happen on Saturday with an inaugural cook on Sunday or Monday. Thank you to all who have gone before. I will post pics when I put on all the hardware, including the bottle opener. The second drum has had nothing done to it yet. I'm thinking to have it with a Weber top and two grates, removable bottom. But that's up in the air. I posted this today because there has not been a new post for 3 days!!

Dunno if I would monkey with an open bottom again.
Neat theory but still a PIA to empty. My first one was like that.
I use the Pooper Scooper nowadays. Faster, cleaner
and a lot less hassle.

I have both a Flat Top and a Webber lid.
Jury is still out as to which one I like the best.
They are almost totally different cookers.

Weiser

How much coal?
 

Hi Guys,

I'm building my smoker this weekend thanks to your help. But I still am unsure about the quantity of coal (Briquettes or lump) for a 12 hour cook? Also do I chimney the whole amount or just a starter amount on top of new coal? Thanks

Masiewiz

Good luck and have fun with the build. As far as charcoal, Fill up your basket with charcoal and a few chunks of smoke wood. Light about 10 briquettes and dump on top of the unlit. Catch the temps on the way up and you should have no problem. Some folks use a weed burner to light the coals too. This is all hearsay as I've yet to do a cook!

read your notes from this threadroman numeral 3-section 12-bullet point 17-subsection 42-under lighting charcoal...It's right there under one of Norco's rants that you highlighted in orange to represent fire....I use lump....fill basket with unlit....start 6-8 in chimney dump on top.......monitor fire temp ect...

I'm not going to make a decision until after I actually try my first one with the flat top. The Weber top almost fits on the bottom of the second drum so that's why I'm leaning that way. Air leaks concern me though and having a ring at ground level, so you are probably steering me in the right direction. Thanks. A 3 lb. sledge around the barrels rolled rim should take care of the Weber no fit. I'll let you know.

Weed burner is the easiest way to start the fire. These pics are from my first drum that was bottomless so I just picked it up and set it over the basket. On my new drum I just stick the weed burner in and less then one minute later I shut if off put on the lid and presto the temps a risen. Those three pics are from start to finish and in less then a minute.

Ok guys, I have a question for you. I have about 8 cooks in my drum so far and I like it a lot. However, I am having a hard time getting my temps up. I have no problem getting to 225, but I can't get any higher. I have all 3 inlets open. This is with the lid sealed shut. However, my last cook i didn't seal it completely shut and the lid was not closed all the way around. During this time, my temps went up to 350*. This led me to think that my exhausts (8 holes in flat lid) are not big enough. Do you guys think that if I drilled the holes a bit bigger that I would be able to get temps higher if I wanted them (for chicken and such)?

When I want the temp to go up I just open all the intakes and take the lid off for a few minutes. Then I put the lid back on and check the temp. If it's OK I just close the intakes enough to maintain the higher temp. If it's not high enough I just take the lid back off for a few more minutes and repeat the process.

See that's the thing. I already have all of the intakes open just to keep things at 225.

easy peasey..drill another intake?
Andyll

What size are your Intakes?
How far are they from the bottom and are you using an ashtray?
If so, how tall are the sides on it?
What config is your Basket?

This ain't rocket science but in order to answer a question intelligently,
we need your specs. Photos are always a plus.

Weiser

Sounds like you've got some kind of intake air flow issue. I've never run all my intakes open for more than start-up. All I need is intakes closed and ball valve at about 3/4 open to get steady 225-230. I'm using a Weber lid which may make a diference.

I never have to run mine more than 1 open to stay at 225. I just have the regular flat lid.

Still paint on an in my drum
 

I stacked my drum with a bunch of wood and got maybe 65% of the lining and paint off, but that still leaves 35% left. Should I sand it out or get a weed burner from harbor freight?

Weed burner.

I did my first cook of a pork butt. I could not keep temps below 325 and my fuel burnt out after 6 hours. i guess I have some fitment issues with the lid.

Bspencer

Scored a FREE weber 22" yesterday and starting to get UDS built together and had a couple of questions. For those who have used the nipple style intake and a setup similar to Jtwised13 or magnet intake. What difference have you noticed in the two setups if any? Is it better to have the nipples go into the drum and if so is there a optimum length or does it matter? I'm on my second read of this thread and I'm sure it's in there somewhere. I do remember there where issues with the nipples being to long correct? FYI I'm using basket w/2"-2 1/2" high ash tray.

I tried the magnet route on my test burn and although they did work they also deformed a bit from the heat, so longevity is an issue. Cheap but an issue nonetheless. I went out and bought some "close" nipples. These are but an inch or so long so do not intrude into the barrel at all and the protrusion is minimal. If going the nipple route get "close" nipples.

I posted a while back about the barrel I was going to buy with the red liner. Well I finally did a burn but the liner seems totally untouched.

The fire was an inferno too. Here is some pictures. I burned it pretty consistently for about 8 hours with nice tall flames leaping out quite a bit. Is this normal? I know people mentioned having to do multiple burns at times but I figured it would have been atleast heavily damaged and partially gone.

http://img244.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img00076.jpghttp://img212.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img00085.jpgThe fire

Taken at night with the flash to put it in perspective just how bright that orange glow is
http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img00098.jpg
After I used the garden hose to wash it out
http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img00099y.jpg
There won't be any grass on this section of the lawn this year

Sorry for the repeated edits, just trying to get my pictures to link right.

I have a similar barrel with the red liner that was used to ship grape juice. I did a burn for about 4 hours and even warped the bottom and the red paint did not come off. I have tried to use an angle grinder with a steel brush to grind it off and have decided that I now have a garbage barrel instead of a BBQ.
Someone gaive me a barrel used to ship Cetane, a diesel additive that has the capability of explosion if it gets too hot! I filled it with water and liquid detergent and cut off the top with a saws all. It has no liner but when it burned the Cetane lit up and got so hot the paint on the outside was even on flames. It got real scary for a minute with so much flame. Cetane smells a lot like rubber cement. We had to hose it down to control the burn but it burned up anything flammable and now l have a clean barrel. Luckily the other barrel's lid will fit perfectly so I believe I have all the parts needed to finish my UDS.
I think you are in for a long day if you want to continue with removing the red liner. I don't know exactly what is in the red paint but it holds very well and it is used with a food products so one has to wonder if it is safe or not at 300 degrees. On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend using a barrel with Cetane in it either. That stuff is bad but sure burned out the barrel nicely.

So I guess it is not just me.
The heat of the fire took care of most of the paint on the outside all the way upto the top.
My inexact estimate of temp was that it would have melted a beer bottle. I have built camp fires that could melt a beer bottle flat and this was definitely capable of that. So I don't know what that crap is but it is really resistant!

I used a brush for a bit on a couple of spots and it didn't ever clear it off to bare metal.

I was hoping to have this thing up and running for next weekend for my bday but I think I might just have to borrow my friends WSM

An American science and surplus store is not far from me...anyone know of any acids/bases that might take care of this problem :)

Hey Boothguy, I doubt very much that there will be any residue crap
left after several burns.
I'd burn it good, and use it.

Others here will tell you to piss your money away on a "new" drum
that has seen just as many bad chemicals during their restoration
or manufacture...

Weiser
That red chit isn't good for ya.

Here are a few pics of my build on my first drum.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orVideo810.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orVideo811.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orVideo816.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orVideo815.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orVideo818.jpg

That is a sweet looking build Sterlingsmoker!

Just a suggestion however.... the basket appears to be too short and too large in diameter from here.
It will work, but not for very long. It really should be at least 10" high and personally, I like 12" to 14" for cooks longer than eight hours.
I would add some expanded metal to the inside of what yo have.

Are you a Plumber? I question the use of multiple Ball valves although, they do look cool.:wink:

Weiser

UDS mods
 

I came to a conclusion after a couple of smokes on the uds, that the gauge on the outside wall is useless. So, I made a mod to the thermometer.(tossed it out:-P) Not sure if this was in this thread before, but thought I would share this with you guy's. I took a 5/16 threaded brass rod and drilled a .156 hole through the middle leaving about .002 to .003 clearence ( per side) for the 12 inch thermometer probe($3 at Meijers)to slide in and out as needed.This way I don't need a digital thermometer for the grate, only the meat. And since I haven't made a cart for it yet I added a couple of handles to bring it in and out easier. I made a couple for my buddies and had them pc a copper vien the picture isn't that good I will have to get a better one later. I also did my first butt today on the uds, it's resting right now so no pulled pics yet, but the burnt end was awesome!!
Attachment 25946

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Sterling, looks like a good UDS you are doing there. All my baskets are 7 inches high and about 17 inch diameter. They only hold enough fuel for..maybe 16 - 18 hours. All drums are different and there is no magic combination. You need to try a few cooks and see what works for your fuel, style, and actual drum. Experiment a little and you will be just fine.

i could use a couple of those thermometers from Meijers. anybody want to help me out??...:lol::lol::lol:

Tyler, making that with brass rod is a good idea. Brass is real easy to machine. I tried to do the same thing using one of the cooking grate support bolts. Even doing it in a drill press the drill kept going off to one side and breaking through the sides of the bolt. So I scrapped the idea. I'll just stay without a thermometer on the outside because yes they are useless.

The basket and rack are from a WSM. I easily get 18 hr plus burns and have fuel left over.

Ya, you gotta do it on a lathe, It's a lot easier. Since were so close and all, if you want a couple, I could help you out? Just pm me if you want some.

Has there ever been an official blueprint made on how to make one of these? Can someone point me to that thread?

Mike, have you read this thread from the beginning? Everything is in it. Good luck and post some pics of the build.

Here is a steo by step
 

Here ya go bro.
http://www.thepickledpig.com/forums/...-part-1-a.html

Masiewiz

Try this Thread
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...t=if+a+redneck

HOLY CRAP! I made it thru!!! Only took the better part of 2 days...:icon_sleepy

on top of that, I just got off the phone with Bevo who pointed me in the direction of some new barrel's... whoooo hooo no burning the liner! Like I was tellin him my main goal in building/using this is better/consistant fuel efficiency... The "Binford Smokemaster 3000" went thru 2 bags of coals, and unless I'm cookin a ton of meat, I just can't justify that...

So yeah... when I get time away from my 60 hr work weeks, this WILL be in the making... :biggrin: I can't wait!

Brian