Ugly Drum Smoker
- Thread starter jgh1204
- Start date
wdpope1
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
I forgot to pick up lump this week had to use left over lump some biquetes and temps were more stable little more smoke but a wrapped fattie and a meatloaf first time on meatloaf and WOW finished it with sweet baby rays honey chipotle bbq sauce
Razor800
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
Here is what I've found, I hate red liners. I cannot get rid of it. My next step is sandblasting. If the price is not right I will go with the purchase of a reconditioned, unlined drum. Hindsight, I should have done that first.
SmokerKing
is One Chatty Farker
Yes, if you live near a large city, there will be some type of container, packaging store. I've purchased all new barrels for my smokers. Prices anywhere from $55-$70 over the year. Well worth it in my book.
SmittyJonz
somebody shut me the fark up.
Burn it out HOT for a few hrs, power wash it - super power wash - anything left was meant to stay - spray it with Pam n season it. Cook something.
Chitown_hillbilly
Full Fledged Farker
My current source for unlined barrels is the Local High School. They get all kinds of stuff in them, wax for the floors, Some sort of Anti freeze that they flush the boiler lines with, Oil at the bus barn, etc. They've got a dozen sitting around. Found the head maintenance guy at the bar one night and asked him if I could have one. Burned the crap out of it and haven't looked back.
Razor800
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
When I started this quest, I called a local container store. They had a reconditioned, unlined drum for $65 or a higher gauge one for $95. I thought $65 was too much. Yeah, I was stupid. In propane and sweat equity I have that in it and it still isn't ready. I have a lead on a sandblaster and if the price is decent I am going that route. Live and learn.
I have spent hours reading this thread and looking at builds. I wanted to subscribe to this thread and ask a few questions I couldn't find specific answers for.
1. I was going to paint the inside with some high temp grill paint. Seems like most people oil and season the inside. Does this cause issues with rust in wetter climates? Any reasons I should not paint the inside?
2. The goal is to make it look nice to keep the wife happy but still KISS. I really like the smoke stack look. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to say dual 1.5" stacks, 8 evenly spaced holes, or dual weber vents besides aesthetics?
3. A friend gave me a box shaped basket. I was going to put legs on it and try it out. Anyone else use box shaped baskets or are round baskets for some reason preferred?
1. I was going to paint the inside with some high temp grill paint. Seems like most people oil and season the inside. Does this cause issues with rust in wetter climates? Any reasons I should not paint the inside?
2. The goal is to make it look nice to keep the wife happy but still KISS. I really like the smoke stack look. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to say dual 1.5" stacks, 8 evenly spaced holes, or dual weber vents besides aesthetics?
3. A friend gave me a box shaped basket. I was going to put legs on it and try it out. Anyone else use box shaped baskets or are round baskets for some reason preferred?
Kaptain Kadian
is Blowin Smoke!
Don't paint the inside. You don't want any paint getting into your meat as you are cooking. I repeat, do not paint the inside of the barrel. Oil and season. It won't rust like that.
Exhaust makes no difference on smoke stacks or many holes. You just want enough exhaust to have enough draw to pull the heat up. I use a pipe screwed into the 2 inch bung, simply because it was easier than drilling a bunch of holes and capping them off. To each his own on that.
Square or round basket makes no difference, just want it big enough to hold enough charcoal to do a long enough cook for a brisket or pork butt. I used a 18.5 inch weber grate with 12 inch tall expanded metal grating wrapped around it. Burns for a really long time full.
Thanks! Maybe I am really over thinking this but I am driving myself crazy here. Everywhere I read states the golden rule of having the charcoal basket bottom 24" from the first rack. Now I am assuming that all 55 gallon drums are basicly the same and I have a new drum marked dot "7a type a". So I have approximately 33" of inside height with the flat lid on. If I do my intakes at 2" with the bottom of the grate resting at 3" from the bottom and measure up 24" that's only 6" to spare for cooking area. I dont plan on using a diffuser and I am concerned 6" is not enough space. I have literally spent the last 3 hours reading on the subject and cant seem to find a definitive answer. Some say 18" and up, some say just use a diffuser, some say 24" is gospel, and some say +/- couple inches wont matter. Am I over thinking this?
TXLX
Full Fledged Farker
^ I'd worry less about it. I run my cooking grate about 8-9 inches from the top, and the top of my firebasket is pretty high. Just leave yourself enough room on the bottom for the firebasket to ash and air to get under it, and go as high as you want.
I run a drip pan for pork butts and briskets under the cooking grate, but I wouldn't be worried about the heat without it.
I run a drip pan for pork butts and briskets under the cooking grate, but I wouldn't be worried about the heat without it.
SmittyJonz
somebody shut me the fark up.
You're overthinking it. Forget the 24" BS and build a basket 10-12" Deep that sits 3-4" off bottom. Measure down from the top for your grates to whatever looks right to you- if running a dome lid put first grate 2-4" down and second 8-10" under that - if flat lid go 6-8" down they another 6-8" under that.
You can see the nuts on side of mine to see my spacing. I have 3 grates - the bottom one I run a cake pan water pan then 2 cooking grates.i can't remember my measurement but the greatest distance is between top and middle grate. Everybody's is a little different, but this has worked for me for 100+ cooks.
Razor800
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
If you are new to the whole UDS thing, word of advice: listen to those that know. My barrel is being sandblasted. $40, so well worth it given the pains I have gone through with the red liner of death. Picking up tomorrow and painting will begin. May be ready for Memorial Day.
ebijack
Babbling Farker
Had some time while smoking Pron Hvy
I figured I should get this documented in the Monster UDS thread as another mod some might be interested in.
Had a friend (thru my wife) self invite herself over for me to smoke some ribs for her and her hubby who is working this holiday weekend. So I got one of my UDS's up and running and start making my PBC style hanging rack. She shows up with 2 racks of ribs St Louis and baby backs. Oh yeah, could you also smoke some whole chicken and chicken breasts? Sure, fired up the mini and got the birds on. Birds are done. Oh yeah, I also brought some brats, O.K. got the mini back going. Oh yeah, I also brought some shrimp, can you smoke those too? Yeah. Oh yeah when that's done can you smoke some salmon fillets too? So the mini and one drum had a good workout. This was my last cook on my mini as it is going to another good home that needs a grill/smoker. I will build another mini ..says my wife!
Anyways I wanted a way to try this hanging meat deal so many are excited about. I have seen some other photos of Brethren's set ups in their UDS's for this, but I had other ideas I wanted to try. I welded on some 1/4 nut over some 1/4 holes I drilled at 3 locations to hold the hanger grate at 1 inch down. I also added 3 at 4 inches down for when using only one cooking grate, just because. Hopefully I can screw the bolts in/out as required after they get gunked up. I used some 1/8 X 3/8 X 6ft CRS from HD and 1 piece of bent sheet metal angle. I still have to make some hooks for hanging. But at least I got this done in between all the other smoking.
Thanks for looking.
I figured I should get this documented in the Monster UDS thread as another mod some might be interested in.
Had a friend (thru my wife) self invite herself over for me to smoke some ribs for her and her hubby who is working this holiday weekend. So I got one of my UDS's up and running and start making my PBC style hanging rack. She shows up with 2 racks of ribs St Louis and baby backs. Oh yeah, could you also smoke some whole chicken and chicken breasts? Sure, fired up the mini and got the birds on. Birds are done. Oh yeah, I also brought some brats, O.K. got the mini back going. Oh yeah, I also brought some shrimp, can you smoke those too? Yeah. Oh yeah when that's done can you smoke some salmon fillets too? So the mini and one drum had a good workout. This was my last cook on my mini as it is going to another good home that needs a grill/smoker. I will build another mini ..says my wife!
Anyways I wanted a way to try this hanging meat deal so many are excited about. I have seen some other photos of Brethren's set ups in their UDS's for this, but I had other ideas I wanted to try. I welded on some 1/4 nut over some 1/4 holes I drilled at 3 locations to hold the hanger grate at 1 inch down. I also added 3 at 4 inches down for when using only one cooking grate, just because. Hopefully I can screw the bolts in/out as required after they get gunked up. I used some 1/8 X 3/8 X 6ft CRS from HD and 1 piece of bent sheet metal angle. I still have to make some hooks for hanging. But at least I got this done in between all the other smoking.
Thanks for looking.
searnold56
Knows what a fatty is.
I don't know if anybody posted this yet, but it looks to be a pretty fool-proof, no-weld method. I'm learning lots of best practices from this thread, but will use the following as my basic plans.
http://www.fix.com/blog/building-an-ugly-drum-smoker/
http://www.fix.com/blog/building-an-ugly-drum-smoker/
I figured I should get this documented in the Monster UDS thread as another mod some might be interested in.
Had a friend (thru my wife) self invite herself over for me to smoke some ribs for her and her hubby who is working this holiday weekend. So I got one of my UDS's up and running and start making my PBC style hanging rack. She shows up with 2 racks of ribs St Louis and baby backs. Oh yeah, could you also smoke some whole chicken and chicken breasts? Sure, fired up the mini and got the birds on. Birds are done. Oh yeah, I also brought some brats, O.K. got the mini back going. Oh yeah, I also brought some shrimp, can you smoke those too? Yeah. Oh yeah when that's done can you smoke some salmon fillets too? So the mini and one drum had a good workout. This was my last cook on my mini as it is going to another good home that needs a grill/smoker. I will build another mini ..says my wife!
Anyways I wanted a way to try this hanging meat deal so many are excited about. I have seen some other photos of Brethren's set ups in their UDS's for this, but I had other ideas I wanted to try. I welded on some 1/4 nut over some 1/4 holes I drilled at 3 locations to hold the hanger grate at 1 inch down. I also added 3 at 4 inches down for when using only one cooking grate, just because. Hopefully I can screw the bolts in/out as required after they get gunked up. I used some 1/8 X 3/8 X 6ft CRS from HD and 1 piece of bent sheet metal angle. I still have to make some hooks for hanging. But at least I got this done in between all the other smoking.
Thanks for looking.
I like that a lot! I might make that as an accessory when I get my drum finished.
SmittyJonz
somebody shut me the fark up.
Yup that's how most are built. If I ever build another I'm going with a slide vent intake(s) and shelf brackets for adjustable grate levels.
Beentown
is Blowin Smoke!
Ha, over 4 million views!
SmittyJonz
somebody shut me the fark up.
I don't think it matters much -just as long as it's 3-4" off floor for ash to fall and air to circulate
