Ugly Drum Smoker

[10miler]

Just picked up the 29” round gates Tyler Shirley made for me. It’s top notch in looks and build quality. It’s not heavy at all. About the weight of a pizza pan.

He even threw in some juice with the deal? Nice!:becky:

 

[Czarbecue]

I would have been able to cook my Xmas spread on one grate rather than 3 on my WSM. And would have gotten more sleep before my 17 hour drive across the South. I’m ready to retire the WSM.

 

[10miler]

I would have been able to cook my Xmas spread on one grate rather than 3 on my WSM. And would have gotten more sleep before my 17 hour drive across the South. I’m ready to retire the WSM.

Retire it to Florida! I’ll take it!

 

[el luchador]

if I ever find a 110 gallon barrel come up on my local craigslist Im building one of these bad boys.

 

[JEStucker]

Here's a photo of mine running Christmas Eve, it's got some air gap issues, but it was the first time it was used, so I know what I need to do to fix it. All in all it was good, just ran a little hotter than the thermometer in the dome was indicating, going to have to invest in a remote read meat probe so I can watch internal temps closer.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Any more 55 in a 85 builds out there.?

 

[Czarbecue]

Any more 55 in a 85 builds out there.?

The only thing I would do similar to that would be to insulate where the charcoal basket is to get a more efficient burn since everything will just be pushed out from the draw. I just need to find me a 26" pipe about 16" tall and I can do that with my UDS.

 

[Hinds15]

What do you call these and can you get them from the big box stores like Lowe's and homeDepot?

 

[jham0077]

Not sure of the technical name, but yes, I got mine at Lowe's. They're nice.

 

[dadsr4]

Not sure of the technical name, but yes, I got mine at Lowe's. They're nice.

Shelf support strips used in bookcases.

 

[Czarbecue]

If you don’t mind welding some support rods to your grates, these would be a great alternative. The adjustable rack system will allow you to move grates up and down with food.

https://www.hunsakersmokers.com/products/5-level-adjustable-rack-system

 

[NotSoBigDan]

They're called shelf pilasters. I have them in my UDS and I wouldn't do it again, for a few reasons.

1. The clips in the pic above aren't long enough. A grate can still "fall through" if pushed too far to one side. You'll need to buy the ones that are slightly longer, with a "tit" or "hook" to keep the grates from sliding too far to any one side. Pic below.

2. Oftentimes, when removing a grate (especially a lower grate) if you bump a clip from below as you pull the grate up, that clip will pop out and end up in the bottom of the UDS or in the fire basket. This happens WAY easier than you would think.

3. Over time, unused slots in the pilasters get some "buildup" in them, making those slots nearly useless.

4. How much adjustability does a guy really need? I believe I'd be much better off just using stainless bolts at set depths. I have a Weber lid on mine which allows me to run a grate right up at the top and I use a grate right above the fire basket for a diffuser and water pan. I've cooked on two grates many times, and three grates once or twice. Two is manageable easily enough. Three is kind of a pain.

This has been my experience, anyways. As always, your mileage may vary.

 

[SmokerKing]

I believe I was the first to utilize the rack guides in a UDS. However, I do not use that style of guide or clip. Here is what I use and they have worked out great for me, for years now;

Lowes track=107828

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Lowes bracket= 107820

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I weld mine in, but you don't need a welder, there are through holes for screws. Sure beats fixed bolts IMO. Allows for complete adjustability for multiple grates.

I also cut the brackets short for the grate support. I keep them long for the diffuser and saucer support;

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[MikeTheTiger]

Smokey

I hope I am posting in the right section. I have learned a lot from you guys and finally built my own UDS. I am smoking a BUTT for New Years, wish me luck. Here is a pic

 

[kls44]

I use the same strips/brackets as SmokerKing, they work great.
MikeTheTiger, nice looking UDS.

 

[Big Dan]

I hope I am posting in the right section. I have learned a lot from you guys and finally built my own UDS. I am smoking a BUTT for New Years, wish me luck. Here is a pic

That's a real nice unit!

 

[Big Dan]

nicely done.
the basket is the only challenging part of the whole UDS build, and I contend that there must be an affordable product out there that one could just drop in so as not to have a basket.

Heck, I think that two chimney full of charcoal could probably power a uds at 275° for a good 8 hours.

Jeff Makes GREAT baskets for UDS:http://www.giveittogodbbq.com/xxl-champion-baskets.html

 

[Hinds15]

Lol crap just left Lowe's with the undesirable ones I posted. Your setup is exactly what I need. I'm building a stacker for my kettle but it's the same idea. Guess I'll run back to Lowe's lol.

I believe I was the first to utilize the rack guides in a UDS. However, I do not use that style of guide or clip. Here is what I use and they have worked out great for me, for years now;

Lowes track=107828

[/URL][/IMG]


Lowes bracket= 107820

[/URL][/IMG]

I weld mine in, but you don't need a welder, there are through holes for screws. Sure beats fixed bolts IMO. Allows for complete adjustability for multiple grates.

I also cut the brackets short for the grate support. I keep them long for the diffuser and saucer support;

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[Nuco59]

To me, the whole cooking with multiple racks on a UDS is almost more trouble than it's worth. I did 4 good sized briskets on 2 different occasions- I won't do it again. Rotating grates because one cooks at a different temp, meat wrapping, spritzing or flipping are all the pits.

I'm with BigDan- you don't need a ton of different heights. 3 more studs set in a good spot will take care of you just fine.

That being said- if you do need (or think you need) a ton of height options, the setup that Smokerking uses seems to be the best of the bunch.

 

[breez]

Hinges work better for multiple grates, they flip up as you lift lower grate and you can flip them up before putting in lower grate.