Ugly Drum Smoker

first attempt at uds

ok after reading several different threads and seeing different pics im building my uds with different ideas taken from different places as well as my own. pics will be included.

ok here is my list of items.

55 gallon drum burned out 3 times and the inside grinded out.
4 - 5 inch 3/4 black pipe nipples
4 - 4 inch 3/4 black pipe nipples ( nipples free from jobsite the pipe fitters )
1 - 22 1/2 inch uniflame weber knockoff bbq grill from walmart ( used the grate for cooking and the smaller grate to sit under the charcoal basket and the lid for the top of the uds had to bend the lip of the lid to fit )
2 - 3/4 inch ball valves ( free from jobsite pipe fitters )
2 - 3/4 inch nipple caps
2 - spring handle replacement parts from charbroil.com
2 - packs of jb weld
2 - cans of high temp paint on silver one black ( raiders )

ok i burned out the barrel drilled 4 1 inch holes 2 inched from the bottom of the barrel, threaded in the 5 inch nipples for the ball valves and caps. now the smaller grate can sit on top of the nipples on the inside of the barrel 2 inches of the bottom, on top of the grate goes my charcol basket. i drilled 4 holes 6 inches from the top of the barrel for the grate and 4 holes 8 inches from the bottom of the first holes. ok here is the experimental part the second set of holes are for a FLAME SHIELD/HEAT DIFFUSER i cut out a 22 inch round piece of 16 gauge sheet metal drilled 4 1 inch holes and threaded the 4 inch nipples into it. and put a handle in the center. now if that dosent work i will put a second grate there. the first grate sits 26 inches above the bottom of the charcoal basket and the FLAME SHIELD/HEAT DIFFUSER sits 18 inches above the bottom of the charcoal basket. ok for the lid i used a 22 1/2 inch uniflame bbq for parts 30 dollars walmart. i had to bend the lip of the lid out no big deal now it sits flush on the barrel, i use the ring from the original lid and it goes right around the barrel and uniflame lid to keep it tight on the barrel, i cut out the original vent on the uniflame lid and made it 4 inches stuck a piece of 4 inch x 24 inch aluminum seal lock tube. with the rigid side in i cut 1 inch slits all around it and bent those ends up and jb welded the out side to seal it. then i made a top piece out of sheet metal. i just keep coming up with ideas and i dont want to stop modifying it oh well let me know what you guys think thanks.

I'm having a hard time visualizing this, do you have any pictures of the build?

Sounds like you're well on your way to some good BBQ. How about a few pics of your pit for a visual? Good Luck!

I had a lot of plans for mine when I initially started it. The little voice in my head said to make it simple and use it first. In my experience, if you need to build a flame/heat diffuser, it would indicate that you are having some air leak issues. Be careful with your modifications, It might be best to see how well the original design works and then evaluate for any needed modifications .

im uploading the pics but i got this message

Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing.

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What are you using for your upload? Most of us use Photo Bucket.

i was just posting it straight to here ill try photobucket now

That's the ticket...

bacardi2001 said:

ok here is the experimental part the second set of holes are for a FLAME SHIELD/HEAT DIFFUSER i cut out a 22 inch round piece of 16 gauge sheet metal

Click to expand...

This isn't Galvanized Sheet Metal, is it?

N8man said:

This isn't Galvanized Sheet Metal, is it?

Click to expand...

no its weldable from home depot

and lets try this i still have another cleaning to do in the barrel
http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j172/bacardi2001/

You do good work.... Let us know how it works

ok all photos added any questions let me know. i got some ideas from how to build a smoker ebook let me know if you guys want it.

bacardi2001 said:

no its weldable from home depot

and lets try this i still have another cleaning to do in the barrel
http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j172/bacardi2001/

Click to expand...

Love the "Tin Man" mod! Fire it up bro and bring on the pron...:biggrin:

SDJ,

My guess is that your magnets are leaking. You should be able to shut everything down and have the fire go out.

Try closing off one thing at a time until you can make your fire go out.

Stuff the lower intake holes full of aluminum foil instead of the magnets.

My lid does not seal on the rim, and I can kill the fire in mine easy.

If you think it's the lid, roll up some foil and put it around the edge of the lid and jam the lid on.

Find your air leaks and you will be in control again.

Jerry
www.uglydrumsmoker.blogspot.com

jerrykr said:

SDJ,

My guess is that your magnets are leaking. You should be able to shut everything down and have the fire go out.

Try closing off one thing at a time until you can make your fire go out.

Stuff the lower intake holes full of aluminum foil instead of the magnets.

My lid does not seal on the rim, and I can kill the fire in mine easy.

If you think it's the lid, roll up some foil and put it around the edge of the lid and jam the lid on.

Find your air leaks and you will be in control again.

Jerry
www.uglydrumsmoker.blogspot.com

Click to expand...

if this is for me i havent fired it up yet just burned it out i did put the lid on for a minute or two during burning and no leaks just smoke out of the smoke stach. just experimenting on this one i will post pics later today after painting and finished product.

Does the domed lids fit better on a barrel that was a closed barrel to begin with or an open headed one ?
Thanks,
Raz

Closed head. Seems it is a regional thing. Lots of people in the east say a Weber fits right on. Never seen one fit without mods out west.

Norcoredneck said:

I usually only get 5-6 coals going, 2 vents open when temp climbs i cap one and use valve to throttle. Most cooks with large load I have 1 cap off and maybe 1/4 valve open. Air leaks are bad, removing the lid to look is worse. Close it up, open a beer and adjust only 1/2 hour. After temp settles in leave alone. Temp might drop after 4-6 hours. if it does shake/kick drum to knock ash loose and wait before adjustments.

Click to expand...

Thanks for ther advice Norcoredneck, Im going to smoke some "highway" chicken this afternoon, I will fit a valve like the one you have on yours today and see how that goes.
PS, the temp did drop after 6 hours to 180F.

SDJ,

My guess is that your magnets are leaking. You should be able to shut everything down and have the fire go out.

Try closing off one thing at a time until you can make your fire go out.

Stuff the lower intake holes full of aluminum foil instead of the magnets.

My lid does not seal on the rim, and I can kill the fire in mine easy.

If you think it's the lid, roll up some foil and put it around the edge of the lid and jam the lid on.

Find your air leaks and you will be in control again.

Jerry

Click to expand...

Thankyou for this advice Jerry, Im going to do some testing today and will find out whats leaking.
I did manage to do my first cook, not much just some MOINK balls.

Man I can't believe the length of this thread! When I built my UDS it had about a thousand posts and I thought I was going to never get through it looking for ideas and advice.

ok i added a few more pictures of the finished uds seasoning process sprayed inside with pam and a chimeney full of charcoal and a bag of cherry pellets ( never used pellets before but they sure smoke alot ). now with the heat shield i didnt get very far past 200 degrees although i dont have much patience. so i took the shield out and the damn thing blew past 400 degrees in a hurry all i need to do now is figure out how to control the temp but i think it will work fine with out the shield any suggestions on temp control?

http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j172/bacardi2001/