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Have you or will you ever build a UDS?

Have you or will you ever build a UDS?

  • Total voters
    103
In my case, no. I had a Pit Barrel Cooker, but gave it to my BIL when I got my LSG offset. If I ever feel the need for one again, I would just buy another PBC. Factoring in the cost of the parts and tools to build a UDS, and the time it would take me to do it, I would rather just spend the extra on buying something I know will work perfectly out of the box.
 
Tannhauser42 said:
In my case, no. I had a Pit Barrel Cooker, but gave it to my BIL when I got my LSG offset. If I ever feel the need for one again, I would just buy another PBC. Factoring in the cost of the parts and tools to build a UDS, and the time it would take me to do it, I would rather just spend the extra on buying something I know will work perfectly out of the box.
Click to expand...

The Big Poppa kit is reasonable, and outside of priming and painting it's an afternoon build. And no welding needed, all nuts and bolts.
 
thirdeye said:
The Big Poppa kit is reasonable, and outside of priming and painting it's an afternoon build. And no welding needed, all nuts and bolts.
Click to expand...
That's the kit I bought. I already had the drum. I did it leisurely, no hurry. I think I spent 2 weeks stripping the drum until full completion. Certainly doable in a day or two counting the burn in but I seldom rush for anything. It was a fun build.
 
Built one, used it a lot, cut it into a burn barrel. Miss that thing and will probably do another one at some point - loved having a cooker with decent distance between the fire & grate for direct/covered cooks.

Haven't had a UDS in a few years, but I'd say dollar for dollar a home built UDS is the best value there is for a cooker, and cooks about as well as just about any other vertical IMO.
 
Built one and looking for another drum. Mine is showing its age. I've had no luck finding a sandblaster near me so a drum without a liner would be required. As I am lazy and not willing to burn, sand, repaint a drum with a liner in it. I'll find one one day.
 
Built 2 and gave one to my sister.. In the process of building another. The things are great when you want BBQ on a lazy day. They cook well and require very little attention
 
I'd probably buy enough pipe for a 24x48 offset and put some mileage on my welder - which would give me the perfect excuse to upgrade to Millermatic 215 and pay for an electrician to wire me up a 220 / 30 amp.
 
Back in '06 the "Godfather" of the drum smoker posted his "invention" on FB claiming 8hrs of hands off BBQ just like grandad used to make with juices dripping on hot coals and the whole shebang.
He couldn't make them fast enough, the only foolish thing he did was to explain how it worked with all the measurements and equipment needed.
So naturally I stole all I needed to build a drum smoker and got after it. About the same time some dude named Big Mista started one of his own, oddly enough we both decided to put lower doors and removable ash pans. I believe we were the first two from this site to build what is now dubbed the "UDS".
I went on to walk at each contest I entered with it, and Neil went on to becoming rich at farmers markets and then a brick and morter restaurant. Finally becoming a TV star with Arbys, "I don't even cook my brisket that long"!!
I judged a KCBS contest 3 weeks ago and I would say way more than half the teams were using 3 or 4 professional ($400+) barrel cookers.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19764
Ed
 
Planning to build one(I voted wrong. my bad). An old co-worker now works at a company that throws their barrels out when theyre empty and shes giving me one for free so itll be a cheap build
 
ModelMaker said:
Back in '06 the "Godfather" of the drum smoker posted his "invention" on FB claiming 8hrs of hands off BBQ just like grandad used to make with juices dripping on hot coals and the whole shebang.
He couldn't make them fast enough, the only foolish thing he did was to explain how it worked with all the measurements and equipment needed.
So naturally I stole all I needed to build a drum smoker and got after it. About the same time some dude named Big Mista started one of his own, oddly enough we both decided to put lower doors and removable ash pans. I believe we were the first two from this site to build what is now dubbed the "UDS".
I went on to walk at each contest I entered with it, and Neil went on to becoming rich at farmers markets and then a brick and morter restaurant. Finally becoming a TV star with Arbys, "I don't even cook my brisket that long"!!
I judged a KCBS contest 3 weeks ago and I would say way more than half the teams were using 3 or 4 professional ($400+) barrel cookers.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19764
Ed
Click to expand...

The various UDS designs were really interesting to follow, and still are for that matter. The BDS concept was the same as the Pit Barrel Cooker, and I guess the Gateway and Hunsaker.... it showed up at your door and with very simple instructions you could be cooking the same day. With no welding needed, I could see that cloning was a potential problem. UDS builders would post the full shopping list for hardware, then kits appeared on the market. It's funny because I drug my drums to all kinds of events, people would take photos and measurements and to my knowledge 2 people actually built one.

HERE is the thread from '06 that made me pull the trigger on a BDS about a month later. And then a second one shortly thereafter. The Danny Gaulden review (also in this thread) was for the original model, but by '05 Rocky was having a drum manufacturer make special batches. They were 5" or 6" taller, thicker, had a HD ring on the bottom and did not have the expansion ridge where the grates went. I think there were something like 8 or 10 models and some in stainless. Although mine are 14 years old, and holding up well the stainless ones would have been the way to go. Mine are the model 2243 and I rarely use the second rack. The first mod I made was a wiggle rod, then my hanging rack, next was a scooper for the ash.
 
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