Ugly Drum Smoker

woodbutcher1 · Nov 10, 2015

Take a 6 to 8 lb. sledge hammer. hold that on the inside of the drum lip.
With another good sized hammer,flatten the lip of the drum all the way around. No need to flatten the Weber lid. you'll knock of a lot of enamel.

Southern Home Boy · Nov 10, 2015

Tharg said:
Anyone have any tips for getting a bbq kettle lid to fit a drum when the lid is virtually the same circumference as the drum rim?
I was thinking of getting an inch wide strip for the inside circumference of the drum and riveting it just under the rim so it stick up just above the rim , if that makes sense

I used an open head drum for my last UDS. I took the lid, cut out the center and epoxied the kettle lid to the rim of the lid that came on the drum. Snaps on tight as a frog's butthole.

Redtail · Nov 13, 2015

Southern Home Boy said:
I used an open head drum for my last UDS. I took the lid, cut out the center and epoxied the kettle lid to the rim of the lid that came on the drum. Snaps on tight as a frog's butthole.

What epoxy did you use?

Roguejim · Nov 14, 2015

Alright, I'm very interested in what I've read here, although, I can't go through 800+ pages. So, I'll just ask a few questions, if that's alright.

I can get a 55-gal drum for $20. The only other significant expense I can think of is the charcoal basket, ball valve,and a grate. Maybe paying to have the drum sanded down? I'm trying to figure out if it would be more cost effective to go the Big Poppa Drum Kit route, or piece it together. Any help? I only have a Weber 22.5" kettle, so, a drum would give me a pretty versatile, and inexpensive arsenal, I think. Thanks.

AussieMatt · Nov 14, 2015

I pieced mine together and then changed it a couple of times so the end cost was more than the BP kit. Having said that, I can make one that works great for cheaper than the kit now.

But, the reviews on the BP kit are very good and if you want to get everything in one hit rather than piecing it together and ordering from different places, the BP is the way to go.

Grumpy the Elder · Nov 15, 2015

What do you do about the fat that cooks out of the meat when cooking butts?

RT · Nov 15, 2015

Grumpy the Elder said:
What do you do about the fat that cooks out of the meat when cooking butts?

I just drop 4 or 5 paper towels in the bottom when done and it will soak it up.

Blythewood BBQ'er · Nov 15, 2015

I will shake the ask out of my basket a day or two after I cook and then scrape out with a little scoop I got from walmart. Ash soaks up the grease nicely.

ebijack · Nov 15, 2015

Grumpy the Elder said:
What do you do about the fat that cooks out of the meat when cooking butts?

Catch in a drip pan, makes the best gravy you ever had. Only some of the grease gets around the drip pan to hit the coals.

fisherfrk · Nov 16, 2015

thirdeye said:
The guy I cooked with used sand in his water pan.

I tried that once and when the sand got dry and butts dripped into the pan, the sand was picked up in the steam and got all over the food. Not a good idea IMHO.

fisherfrk · Nov 16, 2015

Roguejim said:
Alright, I'm very interested in what I've read here, although, I can't go through 800+ pages. So, I'll just ask a few questions, if that's alright.

I can get a 55-gal drum for $20. The only other significant expense I can think of is the charcoal basket, ball valve,and a grate. Maybe paying to have the drum sanded down? I'm trying to figure out if it would be more cost effective to go the Big Poppa Drum Kit route, or piece it together. Any help? I only have a Weber 22.5" kettle, so, a drum would give me a pretty versatile, and inexpensive arsenal, I think. Thanks.

I am totally sold on making my own. Drums burn out really well and after a good burn, most of the outside paint is gone. I found a great deal on ball valves on e-bay, 10 for 42.99. If you have a 22.5, you have a dome lid for the smoker, 90% fit easily, if they don't fit on the top of closed barrels, they will fit on the bottom. The only other costs are the bolts, the nipples, and the grates.

The basket is the toughest. I use 2" expanded cut to 8" x 4 ft. that wraps perfectly around the charcoal grate from an 18" webber kettle. I have been using hog rings to put it together and it seems to make a very clean basket. I finish it off with a 16" pizza pan to catch ash and 3" bolts for the legs. about 12 bucks in the basket.

Good luck, if you want to take it to the next level, get a guru for it.

wdpope1 · Nov 22, 2015

Has any one ever made a wood lid for there UDS I`m a carpenter and have the skills and ability to make a lid out of wood

SmittyJonz · Nov 22, 2015

wdpope1 said:
Has any one ever made a wood lid for there UDS I`m a carpenter and have the skills and ability to make a lid out of wood

I have not seen one - I saw one knucklehead using a 1/2 sheet of plywood. should work fine - if you make one be sure and post pics

Dick Danger · Nov 25, 2015

Building a 110 gallon UDS. I wanted to have two grates one 14" down and one 7" down. This is what I came up with. I used eye bolts to support the grate on the U bolts. Bottom grate is around 25" above the bottom of the charcoal basket. Using three more eye bolts to support the top grate which sits directly on the lower grate. Not ideal, but 14" down was right in the middle of the middle drum roll and I didn't want to drill into the curve. I hope to have it smoking by Sunday.

[/url]110 gallon UDS by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

[/url]Untitled by getinmyhead, on Flickr[/IMG]

Wahoo95 · Nov 25, 2015

Just finished this one today for a guy that's a Cowboys fan. Set him.up with a Weber Lid and a Flat Lid.

BeginnerBBQ · Nov 30, 2015

Looks good! Is the logo a magnet or a sticker. Does the heat affect it? I'm assuming if its a magnet you take it off when your cooking. Sorry for my ignorance I've seen similar things elsewhere but never known what was used. I was going to get a stencil and use engine enamel high temp spray paint for a logo but wanted to look into options.

Wahoo95 · Dec 1, 2015

Used a car magnet for the logo. Should hold up to cooking temps but I told him it'll probably last longer if he removes it during cooking. Lots of folks use magnets to control air flow so it should hold up fine.

BeginnerBBQ · Dec 11, 2015

First Build

Ok, I will be venturing on my first UDS build over Christmas. I am pretty excited. I will have access to a ton of metal working tools (my father-in-law runs an autobody shop) but from what I can gather (as I try to find important info on this huge thread) it will be best to just keep it really simple especially since this is my first build. Does anyone have any other tips/things to avoid for a first build to make it a successful build?
Thanks

Budman1 · Dec 11, 2015

K.I.S.S. Best part about a uds is you can always modify it. Do yourself a favor, read the thread. Good luck and post pics!

fmaster360 · Jan 21, 2016

I am in the process of burning my ethanol drum out. It had tan paint inside. It's been burning four about 4 hours now, and the pictures are the current state. Trying to decide if it's good once the fire stops, if I should do another burn tomorrow, or if I should just hit it with a weed burner tomorrow. Thanks in advance! Hoping to finish putting it together Saturday and smoking Sunday!

Ugly Drum Smoker

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