Trouble keeping temps up on my UDS - Page 2

Kaptain Kadian · 03-09-2016, 09:52 PM

Did you paint the inside of the barrel?

sterling_bbq · 03-09-2016, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaptain Kadian

Did you paint the inside of the barrel?

Just the top 3rd. I'm not worried about fumes. It was high heat resistant BBQ paint. I imagine I'd have to get over 1000F before it started melting off and messing with the food. It was just fine at 350F.

Fwismoker · 03-09-2016, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sterling_bbq

Just the top 3rd. I'm not worried about fumes. It was high heat resistant BBQ paint. I imagine I'd have to get over 1000F before it started melting off and messing with the food. It was just fine at 350F.

It's not about being heat resistant paint but what gasses are being put off from the heat and mixed with the smoke.

Now I think it's a non issue also but none the less I'd give it a hit with a weed burner.

Kaptain Kadian · 03-09-2016, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fwismoker

It's not about being heat resistant paint but what gasses are being put off from the heat and mixed with the smoke.

Now I think it's a non issue also but none the less I'd give it a hit with a weed burner.

What he said. I wouldn't want to worry about paint fumes, gas, or whatever getting into my food. I would burn it out and coat it with oil to season it. No benefit from having paint in your cook chamber.

sterling_bbq · 03-14-2016, 10:38 AM

Cooked up some Brats and a Nekkid Fatty this weekend. Turned out great but I had the same temp problems as before. Couldn't get the thing above 225. I had all the air intakes and exhausts wide open. I even had the lid cracked open an inch. It finally hit 250 after about 3 hours. So it's not the exhaust and it's not being overloaded with meat.

The only other thing different from my first test run was the fuel. On the first run I loaded the basket about half full with lump. I took a small pile of lump (maybe 8" in diameter and 4" tall) and started it on my ghetto homemade charcoal chimney (Just some wire mesh and some bricks. My birthday is coming up so I'm not allowed to buy anything for myself. I'll be getting a real one soon enough) and waited for about 20 minutes until they were good and hot. Not fully ashed over but I didn't want to wait. I took that pile and dumped it on top of the basket, put the basket in the drum and closed the lid.

For the next cook I shook the loose ash out of the basket and filled it the rest of the way up with lump. I started it the same way as before with a small pile of lump.

This weekend I again shook out the loose ash but since I had used up my entire bag of lump I just took some from the basket that had hardly any ashing on it. Most of the chunks had some ashing but none were fully ashed over. Plenty of good fuel left in there.

So, is it that I'm reusing fuel? I've seen people on these forums talk about shutting down their UDS and then just topping off the fire basket for the next cook so I didn't think it would be a problem. I am shaking out the ash (there's not much with lump) so I don't think it's a problem of ash choking out the fire. I've seen people say they start their UDS with 10-15 briquettes of charcoal. Does it make a difference if you start with briquettes or lump? I'm stumped guys.

Lid cracked:

Stuck at 225:

Not so great view of the coals:

3 air intakes wide open:

8 exhausts wide open plus the lid cracked:

The fatty turned out pretty good. I cooked it to 180 internal but it was a little dry for me. I think I'll try 165 next time.

Kaptain Kadian · 03-14-2016, 11:00 AM

If you got the temp up by cracking the lid, it is a good indicator you don't have enough exhaust. Need more exhaust that intake. It is easier to choke off exhaust than not have enough.

sterling_bbq · 03-14-2016, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaptain Kadian

If you got the temp up by cracking the lid, it is a good indicator you don't have enough exhaust. Need more exhaust that intake. It is easier to choke off exhaust than not have enough.

That's the thing. The temp was the same with the lid cracked or closed. The temp dropped when I had the lid completely off but that's because it let all the cold air in.

sterling_bbq · 03-14-2016, 04:04 PM

I guess I'll just wait till my homemade guru is done later this week. A fan blowing air directly on the coals should make short work of any problems with temps being too low. I'd really like to get this figured out though. I am going to widen up my exhaust vents another 1/8" to get them up to 1/2". I really don't see how that is the problem if the temperature stays low even when the lid is cracked open. Based on what I've read, and my test run, these things should get really hot with all vents open.

Doog · 03-14-2016, 07:18 PM

Some respected members gave you some good advice. The choice is yours if you want to listen to their advice.
My advice is go to the UDS thread and look and see what size exhaust hole the majority of the UDS's have.

Good Luck!!

Brother-n-law-BBQ · 03-14-2016, 10:08 PM

Just a thought but those thermometers are bad for being incorrect.I might get a digital thermo like a maverick and see where you are at!

TXBronco · 03-14-2016, 11:24 PM

My UDS fluctuates some during the cook. I've only cooked twice. I have 3 1" intakes (nipples and caps, valve) and one 2" exhaust hole on the lid (magnet). Think I might add another exhaust. I like to cook around 260-270 so far. I can't seem to get above 300 which is fine with me. This is the best place to learn. It's BBQ college in here!

mikemci · 03-15-2016, 01:14 AM

In post#15, it looks like you have some lump charcoal pieces laying on the bottom of your drum. I also don't see any daylight coming through your intake holes. Are the ontakes covered up with magnets or something or is the loose charcoal in the nottom of the drum blocking your intakes? You still need to make your exhaust holes bigger, 3/8" aint gonna cut it bud.

Dr. Trout Bum · 03-15-2016, 07:40 AM

I agree you need more exhaust. Also, how much lump you start with in your chimney makes a difference. Every UDS is slightly different and they kind of like to sit at a certain temp, so how much you light in your chimney can have an impact on the range of temps it will run during the cook.

I'd start with increasing the size of your exhaust holes so you can run with the lid fully on and have adequate exhaust. Then you can begin to play with the amount in the chimney.

sterling_bbq · 03-15-2016, 09:46 AM

The pic in #15 was before I washed it out. I think that may have been some ash on the bottom left over from the burn out. But the intakes are wide open. I'm doing another small cook today. I'll open up the exhausts to 3/4" before I start. That is roughly equal to a 2" bung hole. I'll also play around with how much I start in the chimney. My fuel is getting pretty ashed so I'll pick up some briquettes to top it off and try something different. I'll try 15 briquettes and see if that helps get the temps up at start. About how long does it take for the UDS to get up to temp?

mikemci · 03-15-2016, 09:52 AM

Mine is 45min-1hour for temp and thin blue.

03-09-2016, 09:52 PM	#16
Kaptain Kadian is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-22-14 Location: Broken Arrow/ ok	Did you paint the inside of the barrel? __________________ Lsg vertical cabinet aka Porktress Maximus

03-14-2016, 11:00 AM	#21
Kaptain Kadian is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-22-14 Location: Broken Arrow/ ok	If you got the temp up by cracking the lid, it is a good indicator you don't have enough exhaust. Need more exhaust that intake. It is easier to choke off exhaust than not have enough. __________________ Lsg vertical cabinet aka Porktress Maximus

03-14-2016, 07:18 PM	#24
Doog is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-08-14 Location: Pa.	Some respected members gave you some good advice. The choice is yours if you want to listen to their advice. My advice is go to the UDS thread and look and see what size exhaust hole the majority of the UDS's have. Good Luck!! __________________ Every cook is a learning experience....Big offset, Kamado, Blackstone

03-14-2016, 11:24 PM	#26
TXBronco Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 01-26-16 Location: Amarillo Texas Name/Nickname : Deaver	My UDS fluctuates some during the cook. I've only cooked twice. I have 3 1" intakes (nipples and caps, valve) and one 2" exhaust hole on the lid (magnet). Think I might add another exhaust. I like to cook around 260-270 so far. I can't seem to get above 300 which is fine with me. This is the best place to learn. It's BBQ college in here! __________________ Started on a campfire, went to Propane, recently fell in love with smoke on my UDS.

03-15-2016, 01:14 AM	#27
mikemci Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-19-13 Location: Live Oak, Texas	In post#15, it looks like you have some lump charcoal pieces laying on the bottom of your drum. I also don't see any daylight coming through your intake holes. Are the ontakes covered up with magnets or something or is the loose charcoal in the nottom of the drum blocking your intakes? You still need to make your exhaust holes bigger, 3/8" aint gonna cut it bud. __________________ 55 gal.UDS stick burner mini WSM red Thermapen There are two kinds of countries in the world, those that use the metric system and the one that sent men to the moon and back.

03-14-2016, 10:38 AM	#20
sterling_bbq Got Wood. Join Date: 03-01-16 Location: Orem, UT	Cooked up some Brats and a Nekkid Fatty this weekend. Turned out great but I had the same temp problems as before. Couldn't get the thing above 225. I had all the air intakes and exhausts wide open. I even had the lid cracked open an inch. It finally hit 250 after about 3 hours. So it's not the exhaust and it's not being overloaded with meat. The only other thing different from my first test run was the fuel. On the first run I loaded the basket about half full with lump. I took a small pile of lump (maybe 8" in diameter and 4" tall) and started it on my ghetto homemade charcoal chimney (Just some wire mesh and some bricks. My birthday is coming up so I'm not allowed to buy anything for myself. I'll be getting a real one soon enough) and waited for about 20 minutes until they were good and hot. Not fully ashed over but I didn't want to wait. I took that pile and dumped it on top of the basket, put the basket in the drum and closed the lid. For the next cook I shook the loose ash out of the basket and filled it the rest of the way up with lump. I started it the same way as before with a small pile of lump. This weekend I again shook out the loose ash but since I had used up my entire bag of lump I just took some from the basket that had hardly any ashing on it. Most of the chunks had some ashing but none were fully ashed over. Plenty of good fuel left in there. So, is it that I'm reusing fuel? I've seen people on these forums talk about shutting down their UDS and then just topping off the fire basket for the next cook so I didn't think it would be a problem. I am shaking out the ash (there's not much with lump) so I don't think it's a problem of ash choking out the fire. I've seen people say they start their UDS with 10-15 briquettes of charcoal. Does it make a difference if you start with briquettes or lump? I'm stumped guys. Lid cracked: Stuck at 225: Not so great view of the coals: 3 air intakes wide open: 8 exhausts wide open plus the lid cracked: The fatty turned out pretty good. I cooked it to 180 internal but it was a little dry for me. I think I'll try 165 next time.

03-14-2016, 04:04 PM	#23
sterling_bbq Got Wood. Join Date: 03-01-16 Location: Orem, UT	I guess I'll just wait till my homemade guru is done later this week. A fan blowing air directly on the coals should make short work of any problems with temps being too low. I'd really like to get this figured out though. I am going to widen up my exhaust vents another 1/8" to get them up to 1/2". I really don't see how that is the problem if the temperature stays low even when the lid is cracked open. Based on what I've read, and my test run, these things should get really hot with all vents open.

03-14-2016, 10:08 PM	#25
Brother-n-law-BBQ Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 08-27-13 Location: Fletcher,NC	Just a thought but those thermometers are bad for being incorrect.I might get a digital thermo like a maverick and see where you are at!

03-15-2016, 07:40 AM	#28
Dr. Trout Bum is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 05-12-08 Location: Los Alamos, NM Name/Nickname : Greg	I agree you need more exhaust. Also, how much lump you start with in your chimney makes a difference. Every UDS is slightly different and they kind of like to sit at a certain temp, so how much you light in your chimney can have an impact on the range of temps it will run during the cook. I'd start with increasing the size of your exhaust holes so you can run with the lid fully on and have adequate exhaust. Then you can begin to play with the amount in the chimney. __________________ Pit Boss Copperhead 5 Series, Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Explorer, UDS

03-15-2016, 09:46 AM	#29
sterling_bbq Got Wood. Join Date: 03-01-16 Location: Orem, UT	The pic in #15 was before I washed it out. I think that may have been some ash on the bottom left over from the burn out. But the intakes are wide open. I'm doing another small cook today. I'll open up the exhausts to 3/4" before I start. That is roughly equal to a 2" bung hole. I'll also play around with how much I start in the chimney. My fuel is getting pretty ashed so I'll pick up some briquettes to top it off and try something different. I'll try 15 briquettes and see if that helps get the temps up at start. About how long does it take for the UDS to get up to temp?

03-15-2016, 09:52 AM	#30
mikemci Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-19-13 Location: Live Oak, Texas	Mine is 45min-1hour for temp and thin blue. __________________ 55 gal.UDS stick burner mini WSM red Thermapen There are two kinds of countries in the world, those that use the metric system and the one that sent men to the moon and back.