The ease of being able to add more fuel on long smokes through the door is really what is driving my desire to include one. Without one I assume the ony other way to add chips would be to remove the meat & grill which doesn't sound fun.

How long are you talking about here? There are guys in this thread that have done 16 hour cooks without adding fuel. Fuel mileage is one of the benefits of the UDS

I've used the same springs for two months and they still seem fine, they were cheap, $1.50 each. I picked up a spare set when I built it just in case. The only mod I made was to replace the Weber charcoal grate with one I made from expanded metal. Too many pieces of shake were falling through. What I like most is the ability to raise the bottom for grilling.

I have a hinged cooking grate so if I want to add more smoking wood I can, I use chunks not chips though, chips just burn up.

I am currently 6 hours into a brisket smoke and I used about 6lbs of lump in my basket. I just peaked at the brisket and I've used less than half of my fuel.

To me a door seems like more trouble that it is worth. More air leaks for so little gain in my book.

Got UDS today
 

WOW after 400 pages farking knowledge I want to see if I am able to pull off what many have done many pages before me............Thx Bretheren

Imcomplete burn
 

First controled burn in UDS. I lit a small section in center of fire basket, temp came up, but it went out during the night. Burned a section of the carchoal, but left most of the basket.

Scrap wood table and repaint
 

Just finished sealing my prep table that I made from scraps laying around my garage. Got the idea from someone about 100 pages ago...thanks! Repainted the smoker black with our logo. It was orange, but a BBQ is just meant to be black, know what I'm saying!

Attachment 42396

Attachment 42397

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I think you will find that a full basket will carry you through any session you have with out reloading. Properly placed lumps of wood will also last long enough to get your groceries to 140 internal- that seems to be the magic number where the groceries stop absorbing the smoke. After that, the smoke is only for your enjoyment.
There are times where I will add other groceries towards the end of a cook but on those occasions its as simple as using the "thirdhand" to get some fresh or different wood on the coals since I already have the lid off for the new groceries. I usually preburn the wood chunks to avoid any off tastes.
When you are done you simply close your exhaust and intake and save the unburnt coals for the next smoke- no waste.

My journey to manhood began this morning. Just brought home my brand new, 40-year old drum. This thing puts the U in UDS.

I swear that my UDS makes charcoal,lol.It seems that I'm ending up with more than when I started. Something that waterloo said about preburning his chunks, at the end of a cook I throw on some sticks and char them for my next session. Geeez, maybe that's where my extra charcoal comes from!

Well I went and did it.
 

I've read this thread probably 3 times through and more going to certain posts to get information. But I finally built one. Build was typical so I didn't take pics. But here she is

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b.../UDS/UDS11.jpg

First cook in progress.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...anChickens.jpg

Birds are done
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...donebirds1.jpg
Now Round 2
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...UDS/round2.jpg

Hello all:


Going to make my first UDS. I got 2 steel drums, both were food grade (used for juice concentrate) but both have a red paint like coating on the inside...what is the best way to remove? I was thinking burning them and then using a wire brush? Or do I even have to remove it?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...720_491988.jpg

Heres how you get rid of the dreaded liner.
Yes, thats a leaf blower, and yes, the fire dept. responded.
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8555/hhrrrrrg006.jpg

@SJM845 Nice table. May have to take a look in my shed.

Question, why the locking ring?

Clifford.....

I just finished getting the lining out of mine. I think you and I had the same lining and I got bad news for you..... That stuff is amazing. I burned a bunch of wood to get very hot coals, rolled the drum and then blew air in it with my shop vac to really get it hot. Oh yeah..... didn't even faze that stuff. So this morning, I got my trusty Harbor Freight angle grinder with a couple different flap wheels and got to work. Three hours inside the drum out in the sun. Loud.... dirty (I went through four of those masks) and a huge pain, but it's finally done. I rubbed it down with canola, because I could SEE the rust forming on that bare metal (and I'm in Denver where the humidity is like 10 %!!!).

Now off to do a little welding and put the bolts for the grate in.

Please re-assure me that this will work..... while I was in the barrel, I was really thinking that writing a check for an electric smoker would make a bunch more sense!!!


Oh yeah.... I got my son in on the action!