Preferred UDS Charcoal Basket?

bbq1980 · 01-29-2014, 11:51 PM

So far, I've found a drum and have taken the Norco approach and have the grates at 1.75" and 8" from the top. I'm also borrowing the 2" aluminum strip idea to adopt a 22.5" Weber lid.

I thought I had the charcoal basket all figured out but now I'm probably making it much more complicated than it needs to be. After a ton of research, I'm waffling and can't seem to settle on the dimensions.

I'm locked and loaded on supplies, with two 17" Weber charcoal grates, the expanded metal, a 16" perforated pizza pan for a diffuser plus an 18" ash pan. Originally, I was planning on a 17" x 8" basket. The width would help disperse heat evenly, it'd have plenty of capacity and be 15" from the lower food grate. Piece of cake.

But then I got to thinking that the edge of the basket might be too close to the edge of the ash pan. I saw the posts about larger baskets being potential overkill and I'd also planned to have another rack for the diffuser roughly 3" above the top of the basket. So that got me second guessing before I fire up the jigsaw...

Now I'm leaning towards something like 15" x 10" or 15" x 12". Also, with the 15" diameter or so, I'd have a little extra room on the sides of the ash pan and I could potentially lay the ash pan on top of the basket as others have done to avoid having to drill more holes into the drum.

So what have you used and what were the burn times like? Wider and shorter? Smaller and taller? Did you have to reload fuel at all with the diffuser? I think I've seen all the basket variations but no real consensus. I've traditionally cooked with Ozark Oak lump and would like to stick with that for the UDS, though I could mix in some TJ's briquettes for stability.

Thx in advance.

ebijack · 01-30-2014, 04:29 AM

Lots of ways to do it. For mine,
I used 2) 15 inch Weber grates at 90 degrees to each other to keep smaller pieces from falling thru wired tied together. 2) pieces of expanded metal 12X14 from HD formed and bolted together. WIred the coal grates 3 inches up from the bottom of the expanded metal. A removable ash catcher pizza pan held on with more safety wire. Real easy to remove to dump ashes. I have ran out of coals once, my fault as I did not fill up the basket enough. Cold temps you burn more coals.

After that I tried a mod of directing the inlet air to only the coal basket and do not use the ash catcher. I sweep out the ashes with a small broom and dustpan. I actually like it better than the ash catcher. Here's a shot so you can get an idea of the room from a 15 inch Weber grate.

SmittyJonz · 01-30-2014, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbq1980

Now I'm leaning towards something like 15" x 10" or 15" x 12". Also, with the 15" diameter or so, I'd have a little extra room on the sides of the ash pan and I could potentially lay the ash pan on top of the basket as others have done to avoid having to drill more holes into the drum.

Thx in advance.

Man that's a lot of thinking on something as simple as a burn basket......,

I thought Ash Pans went UNDER the basket?

ALOT of folk roll expanded metal around a gas grill bottle so whatever diameter that is and 8-10" tall with 2-3" legs and you have Plenty of burn time 12-16 hrs.

Fwismoker · 01-30-2014, 09:27 AM

BBQ i'd look at Big Poppa Smoker kit's drum baskets because they sell the parts ala cart. The big benefit is by using that one allows you to move the basket from the smoking position up higher to a grilling and searing position. It comes with all the hardware you need.

If you're gonna have a UDS you might as make it grill and sear also, it expands the capabilities big time.

bbqgeekess · 01-30-2014, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fwismoker

BBQ i'd look at Big Poppa Smoker kit's drum baskets because they sell the parts ala cart. The big benefit is by using that one allows you to move the basket from the smoking position up higher to a grilling and searing position. It comes with all the hardware you need.

If you're gonna have a UDS you might as make it grill and sear also, it expands the capabilities big time.

And you can move that basket up while it's hot, and while the upper grates are in place right? That nest hook is really handy.

coachmccoy543 · 01-30-2014, 09:40 AM

12"x48" #9 3/4" expanded. I think a 48" piece comes out to about 15.25" diameter. I put my bottom approx 3" from the bottom thus giving me a basket that is 9"x15.25". I weld it to a 16" pizza pan and use 3 - 3/8"x3" bolted on the bottom of the pizza pan for feet.

Hope this helps.

Fwismoker · 01-30-2014, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbqgeekess

And you can move that basket up while it's hot, and while the upper grates are in place right? That nest hook is really handy.

Yea you can pull it up while it's hot....when i use it for reverse sears that's what i do. Can you pull it up with the top grate in place...probably but you'd have to move some meat out of the way. It's just easier to pull it and put it back imo.

bbq1980 · 01-30-2014, 11:32 AM

Thanks for the input. I'd be going the weld-free route for sure and have a smaller ~13" x 5" basket I built for my "UDS-ified" ECB where I did the 90 degree orientation and that's worked well. The dimensions from coach were similar to what I was envisioning and yeah, the 18" ash pan would be bolted on to the bottom of my 3" bolts. I have a gas grill so I'd primarily be using the drum for it's primary purpose.

The BPS basket checks in at 13 and 3/8" x 7.5" so 15" x 9" or 15 x 8" should be more than enough. Those basket handles look cool though. I haven't quite figure out yet what I intend to do for a handle. I've seen the coat hanger, the chains, etc. I figured I'd get the basket built first.

01-29-2014, 11:51 PM	#1
bbq1980 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 04-05-13 Location: Buffalo Grove, IL	Preferred UDS Charcoal Basket? So far, I've found a drum and have taken the Norco approach and have the grates at 1.75" and 8" from the top. I'm also borrowing the 2" aluminum strip idea to adopt a 22.5" Weber lid. I thought I had the charcoal basket all figured out but now I'm probably making it much more complicated than it needs to be. After a ton of research, I'm waffling and can't seem to settle on the dimensions. I'm locked and loaded on supplies, with two 17" Weber charcoal grates, the expanded metal, a 16" perforated pizza pan for a diffuser plus an 18" ash pan. Originally, I was planning on a 17" x 8" basket. The width would help disperse heat evenly, it'd have plenty of capacity and be 15" from the lower food grate. Piece of cake. But then I got to thinking that the edge of the basket might be too close to the edge of the ash pan. I saw the posts about larger baskets being potential overkill and I'd also planned to have another rack for the diffuser roughly 3" above the top of the basket. So that got me second guessing before I fire up the jigsaw... Now I'm leaning towards something like 15" x 10" or 15" x 12". Also, with the 15" diameter or so, I'd have a little extra room on the sides of the ash pan and I could potentially lay the ash pan on top of the basket as others have done to avoid having to drill more holes into the drum. So what have you used and what were the burn times like? Wider and shorter? Smaller and taller? Did you have to reload fuel at all with the diffuser? I think I've seen all the basket variations but no real consensus. I've traditionally cooked with Ozark Oak lump and would like to stick with that for the UDS, though I could mix in some TJ's briquettes for stability. Thx in advance.

01-30-2014, 09:27 AM	#4
Fwismoker somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 08-22-13 Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana	BBQ i'd look at Big Poppa Smoker kit's drum baskets because they sell the parts ala cart. The big benefit is by using that one allows you to move the basket from the smoking position up higher to a grilling and searing position. It comes with all the hardware you need. If you're gonna have a UDS you might as make it grill and sear also, it expands the capabilities big time. __________________ Change the way you rotisserie for the BETTER![COLOR="Red"][B]Cajun Bandit Kits for your WSM or Weber Kettle Now Available![/B][/COLOR] Visit [COLOR="Red"]OctoForks[/COLOR] in Sales & Ventures Website & Blog: [url]www.octoforks.com[/url]

01-30-2014, 04:29 AM	#2
ebijack Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-23-13 Location: Detroit Mi Name/Nickname : tom	Lots of ways to do it. For mine, I used 2) 15 inch Weber grates at 90 degrees to each other to keep smaller pieces from falling thru wired tied together. 2) pieces of expanded metal 12X14 from HD formed and bolted together. WIred the coal grates 3 inches up from the bottom of the expanded metal. A removable ash catcher pizza pan held on with more safety wire. Real easy to remove to dump ashes. I have ran out of coals once, my fault as I did not fill up the basket enough. Cold temps you burn more coals. After that I tried a mod of directing the inlet air to only the coal basket and do not use the ash catcher. I sweep out the ashes with a small broom and dustpan. I actually like it better than the ash catcher. Here's a shot so you can get an idea of the room from a 15 inch Weber grate.

01-30-2014, 11:32 AM	#8
bbq1980 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 04-05-13 Location: Buffalo Grove, IL	Thanks for the input. I'd be going the weld-free route for sure and have a smaller ~13" x 5" basket I built for my "UDS-ified" ECB where I did the 90 degree orientation and that's worked well. The dimensions from coach were similar to what I was envisioning and yeah, the 18" ash pan would be bolted on to the bottom of my 3" bolts. I have a gas grill so I'd primarily be using the drum for it's primary purpose. The BPS basket checks in at 13 and 3/8" x 7.5" so 15" x 9" or 15 x 8" should be more than enough. Those basket handles look cool though. I haven't quite figure out yet what I intend to do for a handle. I've seen the coat hanger, the chains, etc. I figured I'd get the basket built first.