Mark
somebody shut me the fark up.
Given that I am regularly asked for this information, I thought that maybe it would help to put it down in writing. So here it is:
First-off, all-wood cooking on a UDS is not RONCO technology (“set it and forget it”) because you need to tend a wood fire closely or risk ruining your food. I know that one of the main attractions of UDS’s to many is that it can be relatively close to “set it and forget it” as can be expected for a home-built smoker if you are willing to fuel it with charcoal. I’m not concerned about minimizing tending and I like the concept of free fuel that I know what it is. Yeah, maybe a UDS can be somewhat automated with “pellet-pooper” systems, but you’re still paying for manufactured fuel and you really don’t know what it’s made of.
So I made the decision to design a wood burning UDS. This requires a different design; one that allows more air flow to establish a good base of hot embers. I also have a bung hole above the fire that I force air into the fire via a blower. Once the fire is well lit, you can shut off the blower, dial back intake and/or exhaust and just add wood chunks periodically to keep a good ember bed going. And that requires another design modification; a door.
I also like to cook at higher temperatures (like for pizza) or smoke/grill with the lid off some of the time. Again, this requires relatively close tending. If the fire starts getting too hot, just put the lid back on.
As for the types of wood I use; it depends on what I’m cooking and how much smoke flavor I want. Since UDS’s tend to impart more smoke than offsets (due to fat rendering out into the fire) I usually mix my wood with more fruit wood for less smokiness.
I uploaded a photo album of my wood-burning UDS here: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/album.php?albumid=64. I also have a PowerPoint presentation with enough narration to help explain the pictures. If you want a copy, just PM me.
Mark’s Guide to All-Wood Cooking on a UDS
First-off, all-wood cooking on a UDS is not RONCO technology (“set it and forget it”) because you need to tend a wood fire closely or risk ruining your food. I know that one of the main attractions of UDS’s to many is that it can be relatively close to “set it and forget it” as can be expected for a home-built smoker if you are willing to fuel it with charcoal. I’m not concerned about minimizing tending and I like the concept of free fuel that I know what it is. Yeah, maybe a UDS can be somewhat automated with “pellet-pooper” systems, but you’re still paying for manufactured fuel and you really don’t know what it’s made of.
So I made the decision to design a wood burning UDS. This requires a different design; one that allows more air flow to establish a good base of hot embers. I also have a bung hole above the fire that I force air into the fire via a blower. Once the fire is well lit, you can shut off the blower, dial back intake and/or exhaust and just add wood chunks periodically to keep a good ember bed going. And that requires another design modification; a door.
I also like to cook at higher temperatures (like for pizza) or smoke/grill with the lid off some of the time. Again, this requires relatively close tending. If the fire starts getting too hot, just put the lid back on.
As for the types of wood I use; it depends on what I’m cooking and how much smoke flavor I want. Since UDS’s tend to impart more smoke than offsets (due to fat rendering out into the fire) I usually mix my wood with more fruit wood for less smokiness.
I uploaded a photo album of my wood-burning UDS here: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/album.php?albumid=64. I also have a PowerPoint presentation with enough narration to help explain the pictures. If you want a copy, just PM me.
