UDS BCF Question

[smokyjoe82]

I tried to post this in the mother of all UDS thread, but it told me the thread was too old and I couldn't reply, hence starting a new one. Apologies if this is the wrong thing to do.

Hey all, almost done with my first UDS build. Only thing left is the charcoal basket. Unfortunately here in Australia, the expanded metal which is popular in making charcoal baskets in the USA is very hard to find/expensive. And pre-made charcoal baskets are expensive as well. I was planning on making a BCF, as not only does it seem easier to source materials for one here in Australia, it's seems a little easier cleaning/maintenance wise. Any reason for a newb not to start out with a BCF? I don't plan on doing super-long cooks yet, I'd say most will be 12 hours or less.

If going down the BCF path is ok, I have 3 options:
1 - a 15 litre (4 gallon) stainless steel stock pot - https://www.kmart.com.au/product/15l-stainless-steel-stock-pot-42417385
2 - a 20 litre (5 gallon) stainless steel bucket - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154862978659
3 - a 20 litre metal drum - https://www.autorepairsdirect.com.au/a/metal-cans-lids/grp/20lt-metal-open-top-can-lid-with-lock-ring/100000120

They're listed there in my order of preference. The 4 gallon stainless steel stock pot is by far the easiest as I can just drop into a store close by and grab it. Next is the 5 gallon stainless bucket, as (like the pot) it's basically ready to go after some hole drilling and a rack. The last option will need a burn off to get rid of exterior paint etc.

Will the 4 gallon stock pot work ok, and be big enough, considering I'm not going for 20+ hour cooks?

 

[kynmo2010]

I have used metal buckets before: raise up the grate for charcoal and drill holes below for airflow, but I didn't find them to work as well. Instead of expanded metal, go to a Farm supply store and see if you can find some small fencing material, like heavier duty chicken wire. What I found came in 20' lengths and was maybe 20" tall. It had a mesh of about 3/4" maybe. I cut it down to about a foot tall, and cut the length to make a cylinder 12-15 inches in diameter. Bolted this together and used u-bolts to attach to a weber kettle charcoal grate. Used cap screws to make legs for the grate to get airflow under it. I have used this for over 10 years.

 

[ronbrad62]

I have a basket in my UDS that I bought online, and I have no idea what the volume actually is, but thinking in comparison to a 5 gallon bucket it may not be quite 5 gallons and I get 8 to 10 hour cooks on average using lump charcoal, so that might be a guide for you. It sounds like any of those methods would work, as long as you had enough holes cut into each one for good air flow. I like the method that was mentioned above because you can make it as big as you want.

 

[Nuco59]

I've used a five gallon tin that once held isopropyl alcohol- worked pretty well. Had a small circle of expando but could have been sheetmetal that you drilled a fark ton of holes in - all good. You just need something to hold some coals that has some airflow. Thankfully nothing on uds is rocket surgery. meat over heat = win.

 

[Nuco59]

And I'd be sad if the mother of all UDS threads accepted no new entries.

 

[smokyjoe82]

And I'd be sad if the mother of all UDS threads accepted no new entries.

That's what it told me. Apparently thread necromancing is out.

Thanks for the advice guys. I was concerned about chicken wire due to being galvanised. I ended up calling around and found an old school metal supply place that sold me a 45" x 10" piece of expanded metal for $25. It's a light gauge, easy to bend, so hopefully will do the trick, though it may wear out. But it will give me a start.