Ugly Drum Smoker

[mikett]

Looks good. What's up with the rebar, the straps, and the cable?? There's a whole lot going on there lol

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Thanks
The cable is hooked to the cart, pull that to drag it around.
Straps and tubing was just to hold the lid down tight until my clamps get here.

 

[Beekeep]

Ribs going on

I Just completed building a HeterMeter with a Micro Damper to control the temps on my UDS. After using it without a controller for 2 years I got tired of not sleeping much when I did overnight brisket cooks.

Did a beef back rib cook today even with 20MPH winds and temps in the low 40s and 30s it came out great.

You can not beat a UDS.

 

[StanDaMan79]

I Just completed building a HeterMeter with a Micro Damper to control the temps on my UDS.

Can you post a couple pic's of it please? Sounds interesting.

 

[Beekeep]

It is a home built kit to control a fan and servo to keep your pit at a very constant temperature. It can use a Raspberry Pi serve a web page or attach to your router so you can view and adjust it from anywhere. I built mine in a weekend.

Everything you want to know about it can be found at these links.
https://github.com/CapnBry/HeaterMeter/wiki/An-Introduction-to-LinkMeter---HeaterMeter
http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?59833-Community-3D-Printer-Assembly-Trading-Resources
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?61...t-The-Micro-Damper-quot&highlight=heatermeter

I will post a picture of mine when I get home.

 

[StanDaMan79]

I will post a picture of mine when I get home

Waiting patiently....I'd like to see how it mounts, how you "run" it. Off your phone? Laptop. My phone is an Android.

 

[plakers]

Okay guys I need some help. Last UDS built in 2012. Gave it to kid when I moved and promised self I would find a SS barrel and do one again. Got busy. I have perused through the extra pages to this thread but not finding what I need.

Drum I got is closed head. The WallyWorld kit lid my wife bought me for Christmas doesn't fit the rim. I know I've seen some corrections for this but haven't found it. A thin strip welded to the inside of the rim? I don't weld.
I could amend the lid to fit inside the rim but then there's the rain? Can anyone steer me in the correct direction? Show me a sign?

 

[StanDaMan79]

Drum I got is closed head. The WallyWorld kit lid my wife bought me for Christmas doesn't fit the rim. I know I've seen some corrections for this but haven't found it. A thin strip welded to the inside of the rim? I don't weld.
I could amend the lid to fit inside the rim but then there's the rain? Can anyone steer me in the correct direction? Show me a sign?

Seems 55g drums vary slightly in size. My 20 year old barrel is much heavier gauge steel, and lids form a weber kettle fit perfect. New barrel, much lighter steel from 2014, no fit. You could probably drill and rivet that band in place?

I have a brand new 30-35g steel drum, that I bought, not realizing it was a close head drum. So it sits, awaiting a solution. I found a drum deheading tool cheap enough, but don't know if the lid is reusable after it does its job? I wanted to build a smaller version of the UDC, like the PBC, but the project is stalled for now, seems we have similar situations...

 

[plakers]

Took a move and left the drum behind with the boy.
It had served me well and the elements were getting to the bottom of it.
I pledged I would find me a SS drum and create another. Finally found one that I could afford, used the WallyWorld kit.

cut the top to create a shelf to grate. on my old one this was my position of choice for the grate for butts and ribs. Lower for chicken.

Lid took some work, had to add an ID ring as the lid diameter about 1/2" small

Cruising at 255*F. Ran a test run, this time it gets its first butt, a 10 pounder.

 

[HabitualSmoker]

Might as well post this here since I haven't yet

I love that I'm seeing more and more stainless drums recently! I took plakers' cookers and made a baby out of em :mrgreen:

 

[bstomper]

QUESTION.
My uds has been running really high (temp wise) lately, Don't know if I'm starting to much coal or what.

any help on how many coals to start?

thanks

Here is a cut and paste from a different thread that might help.

"It's always good to learn from others experiences. I've built two uds's, one with great sucsess and the other.......well.......not so much. The first was as basic as they come and it works awesome. The second one I tried to pimp out a bit and it has never worked properly. I've used my first for smoking home made moose sausage and it held temps at 150 to 170 for six hours. Never thought it would hold temps that low. I was impressed. It has also held 250 for 17+ hours. I had problems at first with the temps fluctuating until I started experimenting, just like you did. I found that I was loading the charcoal basket up with way to much charcoal and then also lighting way to much on start up which was causing the fluctuations. Temperature fluctuations seemed harder to control with lump that with birquets. My charcoal chimney when full holds 80 kingsford burquets. For a short cook of less than six hours at 250ish, I dump one full charcoal chimney in the basket and for cooks longer than six hours I will use two chimney's of charcoal. I them remove 15-20 of those birquets and light them in the chimney and when they are completly ashed over I dump them in the basket. once the tempes get close to where I want them I close off some of the intake air and it settles in at 250ish and stays there for the duration of the cook. If temps start to drop off a bit, I give the usd a bit of a shake to help keep the ash from building up in and under the charcoal basket and the temp settles right back in. This has method has never let me down. Wind will also cause issues if your intakes come staight out of the side of you drum. I installed a 90 degree elbow on each intake nipple wich helped a great deal. I also ditched the ball valves, never did like the look of them, and now use a stack of pipe bushings (3/4 x1/2, 1/2 x 3/8, 3/8 x 1/4, 1/4 x 1/8, and a 1/8 pipe plug) to adjust intake air. They work great and it only takes a few cooks to learn which bushing combination gives you the desired temperature that you want."

 

[PorkinButts82]

Here is a cut and paste from a different thread that might help.

"It's always good to learn from others experiences. I've built two uds's, one with great sucsess and the other.......well.......not so much. The first was as basic as they come and it works awesome. The second one I tried to pimp out a bit and it has never worked properly. I've used my first for smoking home made moose sausage and it held temps at 150 to 170 for six hours. Never thought it would hold temps that low. I was impressed. It has also held 250 for 17+ hours. I had problems at first with the temps fluctuating until I started experimenting, just like you did. I found that I was loading the charcoal basket up with way to much charcoal and then also lighting way to much on start up which was causing the fluctuations. Temperature fluctuations seemed harder to control with lump that with birquets. My charcoal chimney when full holds 80 kingsford burquets. For a short cook of less than six hours at 250ish, I dump one full charcoal chimney in the basket and for cooks longer than six hours I will use two chimney's of charcoal. I them remove 15-20 of those birquets and light them in the chimney and when they are completly ashed over I dump them in the basket. once the tempes get close to where I want them I close off some of the intake air and it settles in at 250ish and stays there for the duration of the cook. If temps start to drop off a bit, I give the usd a bit of a shake to help keep the ash from building up in and under the charcoal basket and the temp settles right back in. This has method has never let me down. Wind will also cause issues if your intakes come staight out of the side of you drum. I installed a 90 degree elbow on each intake nipple wich helped a great deal. I also ditched the ball valves, never did like the look of them, and now use a stack of pipe bushings (3/4 x1/2, 1/2 x 3/8, 3/8 x 1/4, 1/4 x 1/8, and a 1/8 pipe plug) to adjust intake air. They work great and it only takes a few cooks to learn which bushing combination gives you the desired temperature that you want."

Pics please. Sounds interesting

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[bstomper]

Took a move and left the drum behind with the boy.
It had served me well and the elements were getting to the bottom of it.
I pledged I would find me a SS drum and create another. Finally found one that I could afford, used the WallyWorld kit.

cut the top to create a shelf to grate. on my old one this was my position of choice for the grate for butts and ribs. Lower for chicken.

Lid took some work, had to add an ID ring as the lid diameter about 1/2" small

Cruising at 255*F. Ran a test run, this time it gets its first butt, a 10 pounder.

Looks like you had the same doner bbq as I did for my second build. Wish I could find a ss drum

 

[bstomper]

Pics please. Sounds interesting

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Here's a pic of my intake. I have three 3/4" nipples spaced evenly. One just has a pipe cap and the other two has the below set up with bushings.
Wow never realized how bad the paint job is doing. Looks like a face lift is in order.

 

[casadekletz]

Hey guys, just started my first cook on my UDS this morning. Couple of pics of what I have. Just waiting for the ribs to cook then a couple of chickens are getting tossed on.

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[chargrill2369]

Hi I made a uds. I followed the instructions I found on yourube. It works great and holds temp well.

 

[PoohDaddy]

I'm on page 211 of reading this mega thread!! I'm bout to start my build in the next week or so. I have seen several pics with latch's holding the lids on but have not seen what kind or where to get them. any help on this subject?

 

[ebijack]

I'm on page 211 of reading this mega thread!! I'm bout to start my build in the next week or so. I have seen several pics with latch's holding the lids on but have not seen what kind or where to get them. any help on this subject?

I don't know that you need a latch. But you will see quite a few versions of hinges depending on the lid used. You have alot of pages to see. Take notes of the pages so you can go back later. Cause you know you will. :doh:
Some of us make our own from brackets etc from HD.

https://www.google.com/search?q=uds...AhWCz4MKHWORDu8QsAQINQ&biw=1452&bih=747&dpr=1

 

[PorkinButts82]

I don't think the latches are necessary if your lid is a somewhat tight fit. As for the hinge, spend the $50 and take all the guess work out of it. Order, unbox, install, and enjoy. After you chase down parts and time for doing so, you're better off buying one. Just my .02

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[PorkinButts82]

I just picked up a kettle off CL, $10. Just needed the lid. Painted it and luckily it fit pretty good as my drum sat, no mods needed. I leaked a little so put 4 paper binder clamps and it worked great.

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[PoohDaddy]

Thanks fellas! I got work to do!


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