Looking good!

Ok ... Time for my first serious UDS post ...

Looking at building my first UDS... One small problem I've encounted is that all the 55's I've found are from scrap yards and beyond repair but I have located a plethora of 44's.

Has anyone tried a 44 build and is there any difference between the two in regards to cook times ...
Obviously sizing is going to be a factor with space for racks and fire pit size ...

Thanks for the input !!

As long as you can either build or buy grates to fit and make a coal basket, no problem at all. From 16 gal/30 gal on up.

Going to make my first UDS, got a 200 Litre Drum with a removeable lid and clip. Im in the UK so are there any threads specific to the UK folks with regards to sourcing parts available here?
Im hoping to get it ready for new years eve so everyone can bring in the new year with pulled pork barms and loads of beer :-D

Burned it out last night. Going for as easy as possible build using kiss method. It's winter here in uk so I managed to find a 57cm kettle bbq for £20 which I plan to use the parts for.

Anyone have any tips for getting a bbq kettle lid to fit a drum when the lid is virtually the same circumference as the drum rim?
I was thinking of getting an inch wide strip for the inside circumference of the drum and riveting it just under the rim so it stick up just above the rim , if that makes sense

That would work, or if it's a weber lid, and you have the rest of the grill, cut the top lip off the grill and mount it inside the UDS. Then the lid always fits!

I just had a read of the another thread and one suggestion was to flare out the lip of the kettle kid with some pliers. Think I will try that as it requires the least effort ����

I have been reading that the zink plated screws are fine to use as they dont give off gases until they reach really high temps. Is this the case for galvanised too? I found this galvanized perforated strip of steel thats perfect for my fire basket.

No gal mate, unless you can strip it off. Better off to keep looking for non-gal.

Take a 6 to 8 lb. sledge hammer. hold that on the inside of the drum lip.
With another good sized hammer,flatten the lip of the drum all the way around. No need to flatten the Weber lid. you'll knock of a lot of enamel.

I used an open head drum for my last UDS. I took the lid, cut out the center and epoxied the kettle lid to the rim of the lid that came on the drum. Snaps on tight as a frog's butthole.

What epoxy did you use?

Alright, I'm very interested in what I've read here, although, I can't go through 800+ pages. So, I'll just ask a few questions, if that's alright.

I can get a 55-gal drum for $20. The only other significant expense I can think of is the charcoal basket, ball valve,and a grate. Maybe paying to have the drum sanded down? I'm trying to figure out if it would be more cost effective to go the Big Poppa Drum Kit route, or piece it together. Any help? I only have a Weber 22.5" kettle, so, a drum would give me a pretty versatile, and inexpensive arsenal, I think. Thanks.

I pieced mine together and then changed it a couple of times so the end cost was more than the BP kit. Having said that, I can make one that works great for cheaper than the kit now.

But, the reviews on the BP kit are very good and if you want to get everything in one hit rather than piecing it together and ordering from different places, the BP is the way to go.

What do you do about the fat that cooks out of the meat when cooking butts?

I just drop 4 or 5 paper towels in the bottom when done and it will soak it up.

I will shake the ask out of my basket a day or two after I cook and then scrape out with a little scoop I got from walmart. Ash soaks up the grease nicely.

Catch in a drip pan, makes the best gravy you ever had. Only some of the grease gets around the drip pan to hit the coals.

I tried that once and when the sand got dry and butts dripped into the pan, the sand was picked up in the steam and got all over the food. Not a good idea IMHO.

I am totally sold on making my own. Drums burn out really well and after a good burn, most of the outside paint is gone. I found a great deal on ball valves on e-bay, 10 for 42.99. If you have a 22.5, you have a dome lid for the smoker, 90% fit easily, if they don't fit on the top of closed barrels, they will fit on the bottom. The only other costs are the bolts, the nipples, and the grates.

The basket is the toughest. I use 2" expanded cut to 8" x 4 ft. that wraps perfectly around the charcoal grate from an 18" webber kettle. I have been using hog rings to put it together and it seems to make a very clean basket. I finish it off with a 16" pizza pan to catch ash and 3" bolts for the legs. about 12 bucks in the basket.

Good luck, if you want to take it to the next level, get a guru for it.

Has any one ever made a wood lid for there UDS I`m a carpenter and have the skills and ability to make a lid out of wood

I have not seen one - I saw one knucklehead using a 1/2 sheet of plywood. should work fine - if you make one be sure and post pics

Building a 110 gallon UDS. I wanted to have two grates one 14" down and one 7" down. This is what I came up with. I used eye bolts to support the grate on the U bolts. Bottom grate is around 25" above the bottom of the charcoal basket. Using three more eye bolts to support the top grate which sits directly on the lower grate. Not ideal, but 14" down was right in the middle of the middle drum roll and I didn't want to drill into the curve. I hope to have it smoking by Sunday.

[IMG]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/678/2...c962701c_c.jpg110 gallon UDS by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/774/2...20fd0d88_c.jpgUntitled by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm1.staticflickr.com/663/2...a6a2a8f0_c.jpgUntitled by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5662/...c52a68d8_c.jpgUntitled by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

Just finished this one today for a guy that's a Cowboys fan. Set him.up with a Weber Lid and a Flat Lid.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps8wlnrqbz.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...psajzfx5k5.jpg

Looks good! Is the logo a magnet or a sticker. Does the heat affect it? I'm assuming if its a magnet you take it off when your cooking. Sorry for my ignorance I've seen similar things elsewhere but never known what was used. I was going to get a stencil and use engine enamel high temp spray paint for a logo but wanted to look into options.

Used a car magnet for the logo. Should hold up to cooking temps but I told him it'll probably last longer if he removes it during cooking. Lots of folks use magnets to control air flow so it should hold up fine.

First Build
 

Ok, I will be venturing on my first UDS build over Christmas. I am pretty excited. I will have access to a ton of metal working tools (my father-in-law runs an autobody shop) but from what I can gather (as I try to find important info on this huge thread) it will be best to just keep it really simple especially since this is my first build. Does anyone have any other tips/things to avoid for a first build to make it a successful build?
Thanks

K.I.S.S. Best part about a uds is you can always modify it. Do yourself a favor, read the thread. Good luck and post pics!

I am in the process of burning my ethanol drum out. It had tan paint inside. It's been burning four about 4 hours now, and the pictures are the current state. Trying to decide if it's good once the fire stops, if I should do another burn tomorrow, or if I should just hit it with a weed burner tomorrow. Thanks in advance! Hoping to finish putting it together Saturday and smoking Sunday!

Here's the current state. Was having a really tough time using the weed burner inside the barrel. How does it look? Ready to clean out with some soap and water, then assemble?

Just a quick advice i got for guys wanting to grill on uds. For me it works a lot better if i put the basket on the floor instead of lifting it up higher closer to the grate. When I did that, meat was pretty much browned(burned) all over, but if i do the floor thing, i get a really nice grate charring, which i haven't been able to achieve with coals really close to the grate. I believe that is because too much oxygen gets to the coals and the heat is just overwhelming.

I'm in the process. Burned it once last summer, sand blasting for free this weekend. I cannot get all of the liner out. Also, where can I find a dome lid without having to buy a Weber. While I would love to have a Weber, both are not in the budget. I guess I could look at Walmart for some other cheap off brand. My flat lid is warped so I'm trying to figure out what it needs to work but it'd be nice to have both.

Dude, get another cheap drum, and use that as a lid. Check this out. Sometimes it won't seal properly, so if you use aluminum foil as a gasket, it's perfect.

My vote for best. drum. ever.

I have a question about burning a barrel out.

I just acquired a drum with no liner that held oil or a petroleum product. Maybe motor oil. This barrel should be fairly safe to use after a good burning out....shouldn't it?

I live in town so I will most likely have to get to one of my friends farms to do this.

Can it be done with a lot of charcoal? or does it need to have plenty of flames? I'm guessing after a good cleaning I should probably just load it up half full or more with firewood and light em up!

I should probably have all the vent holes drilled beforehand to help out the fire.

Does this type of barrel sound safe enough to use and the method of burning out good enough?

I also have a 50,000 BTU weedburner that I could use. Would this do just as good of a job, but much easier?

Drill your vents and use wood pallets or the weed burner to burn out. Was it a petroleum products or food grade oil? I've been finding coconut oil barrels lately which have no liner and approximately a half gallon of oil in them as a bonus.

Mine was a motor oil drum from a motorcycle dealership. I cleaned the oil out really well and then washed the inside at the car wash. A good burn with pallet wood and another thorough cleaning and it was good to go. Good luck with your build.

I am almost done with my build, layed out, burned out, all parts purchases... here is my question. My 22.5 weber lid is a tad too small. I saw the adding steel strip mod but I was thinking of grinding off a little steel off the top of barrel where the fold is all the way around. what are your thoughts?

QUESTION.
My uds has been running really high (temp wise) lately, Don't know if I'm starting to much coal or what.

any help on how many coals to start?

thanks

Please could someone tell me if this expanded metal is to fine mesh for a charcoal basket?
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Perfo...000mm/p/116708
its 16mm x 8mm holes and i am hoping to use it for the base of the basket.
I can notch our some sections to allow ash to fall through if necessary i guess?

As many of my UK brethren have found already expanded metal is not easy to get hold of here!

It 'might" be too small for the bottom as far as ash. It should be fine for the sides of the basket though. I used a round charcoal grate from an old ECB for the bottom of mine.

Keep working
 

I made my smoker from a similar drum. It was funky burning off the liner and I took a metal wheel sander to the inside and did a few extra burns just to be safe. The finished product was worth it. The que I've been putting out on the table has been awesome.

I've noticed some of the uds smokers have long air inlet pipes on the sides. Does this make a difference in airflow or is it personal preference?

I think it's just personal preference. You don't have to bend down towards the bottom of a warm barrel that way.


I have a question about heat diffusers if there are others out there that have done the same.

I prefer to have a more even temp in my UDS, so I purchased a pizza pan and use that on another grate about a foot above the coals.

Should I just leave the pan as is, or drill some holes in it to promote airflow? If so, how many, and what size holes would work best?

I'd do the holes for some flow. I just used a 1/2" drill bit and went nuts.

wow...I really need to make one of these and start smokin!

Easter 2 days away got 4 full pork ribs ready for the UDS low and slow not sure 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 but can always adjust seen tooooo many post on here with droooooling PRON just lookin for basic cook maybe 2 rack with BBQ sauce on gas burner to caramelize
any comments

It is personal, but it does reduce the amount of air flow which equals available temps.

How many cooking grates do you have? If only one grate, roll the ribs into coils using skewers to hold the shape and keep air between each coil. If that makes sense.