LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-10 AT 03:10AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-10 AT 03:03?AM (MST)
UDS's (Ugly Drum Smoker's) Work awesome and are cheap to build and produce some great smoked food....For those who are interested I will give step by step instructions on building one....
ITEMS NEEDED
55 gallon drum with lid (not one that had any toxic chemicals or petroleum oil)
(4) 1/2 x 2" black pipe nipples (no galvanized metals with food)
(3) 1/2" pipe caps
(1) 1/2" Ball valve
(4) 3/8 x 2" stainless bolts (with thread entire length of bolt)
(4) 3/8" flat washers
(4) 3/8" lock washers
(1) 12" long thermometer
TOOLS NEEDED
3/4" drill bit
3/8" drill bit
MIG welder (if you don't have access to one you can use JB weld)
Jigsaw or Sawzall with metal blades
Tape measure
Pencil or chaulk
OK...first thing you will need to do is find a drum that has not had any toxic chemicals or oil in it.... Once you get one it is time to drill 4 evenly spaced 3/4" holes 3" from the bottom of the drum....
Now get a good hot fire in it and stuff it full of wood so it will burn off anything inside of it...I drilled the holes first so it can breath when while it's burning out...Don't forget about the lid ...Be carefull not to get the lid to hot or it could warp..
During the burn out you can start to build the coal basket...You will want it to be plenty wide and tall enough so that it will hold a large bag of charcoal....I used expanded metal and a small grill I had lying around for the bottom...Space the bottom part of the grate about 3" from the sides so that the coals will be elevated off the bottom, this way they will get enough air...You can bolt the expanded metal together or weld it..I did both...
Once the fire dies down in the drum you can check to see if the burn was hot enough to remove any paint or liner from the inside of the drum...You may need to have another burnout if that is the case...
Ok..now it it time to weld the nipples into place..give yourself enough nipple on the outside so you can screw the caps on easily....(Don't laugh at my welds)
This Ball valve is the fine tuning control of heat.
Now you will want to drill (4) 3/8" holes evenly spaced 24" from the bottom of the drum...And install the bolts and washers..This is whats going to support the grill...
Drill a hole about 1" under the grill just big enough for the thermometer to slide in and insert clip to see if it holds tight and doesn't slop around...
Now drill a 2" hole in the center of the lid for the exhaust...
Now you can paint the drum with high temp paint or just leave it ugly like I did...Some folks go as far as painting them up all fancy and welding nice shiny exhaust tips on the lid like a smoke stack...For now the only thing I care about is the good tasting food that comes out...
Your all done and it's time to cook....Depending on what your going to cook you will need to plan on how much charcoal you will need to use....When doing pulled pork I cook at 225 for 10-15 hrs depending on how big the shoulders are...Burning charcoal these smokers can hold a temp of 225 for 20 hours...you might just have to shake it every 5-7 hours to let the ash fall through the grate..The smoke comes from what ever hardwood you want to use ...you will only use anywhere from 3-5 3x3" pieces per cook...Oak and Almond work good for about everything..but you may find a specific wood that you like most...Fruit woods are more mild and work good with poultry...
Basic instructions for smoking....
Take coal grate out of drum and pour charcoal inside of grate...take coals from center and create a void of charcoal in the center..Now take your wood and lay a few pieces in there spaced out so that it will be consumed evenly throughout the cook..In a charcoal chimney get a full stack lit and hot then dump into the void you created in the grate..Now lower the coal grate back into the smoker, install the thermometer and the grill and put the lid on...open vents and stabilize your temperature before adding the meat...
Most of these smokers will run 225-250 with one cap off and the valve half shut.....
So far I have done Ribs, Pork Butts (pulled pork), Tri-Tip, Whole chicken and turkey, chuck roast, ...with Ribs and Pork Butt being every ones favorite....
Disclaimer:
The poster does not take any responsibility for any hurt or bad feelings. Reading threads poses inherent risks. The poster would like to remind readers to make sure they have a functional sense of humor before they visit any discussion board.
UDS's (Ugly Drum Smoker's) Work awesome and are cheap to build and produce some great smoked food....For those who are interested I will give step by step instructions on building one....
ITEMS NEEDED
55 gallon drum with lid (not one that had any toxic chemicals or petroleum oil)
(4) 1/2 x 2" black pipe nipples (no galvanized metals with food)
(3) 1/2" pipe caps
(1) 1/2" Ball valve
(4) 3/8 x 2" stainless bolts (with thread entire length of bolt)
(4) 3/8" flat washers
(4) 3/8" lock washers
(1) 12" long thermometer
TOOLS NEEDED
3/4" drill bit
3/8" drill bit
MIG welder (if you don't have access to one you can use JB weld)
Jigsaw or Sawzall with metal blades
Tape measure
Pencil or chaulk
OK...first thing you will need to do is find a drum that has not had any toxic chemicals or oil in it.... Once you get one it is time to drill 4 evenly spaced 3/4" holes 3" from the bottom of the drum....
Now get a good hot fire in it and stuff it full of wood so it will burn off anything inside of it...I drilled the holes first so it can breath when while it's burning out...Don't forget about the lid ...Be carefull not to get the lid to hot or it could warp..
During the burn out you can start to build the coal basket...You will want it to be plenty wide and tall enough so that it will hold a large bag of charcoal....I used expanded metal and a small grill I had lying around for the bottom...Space the bottom part of the grate about 3" from the sides so that the coals will be elevated off the bottom, this way they will get enough air...You can bolt the expanded metal together or weld it..I did both...
Once the fire dies down in the drum you can check to see if the burn was hot enough to remove any paint or liner from the inside of the drum...You may need to have another burnout if that is the case...
Ok..now it it time to weld the nipples into place..give yourself enough nipple on the outside so you can screw the caps on easily....(Don't laugh at my welds)
This Ball valve is the fine tuning control of heat.
Now you will want to drill (4) 3/8" holes evenly spaced 24" from the bottom of the drum...And install the bolts and washers..This is whats going to support the grill...
Drill a hole about 1" under the grill just big enough for the thermometer to slide in and insert clip to see if it holds tight and doesn't slop around...
Now drill a 2" hole in the center of the lid for the exhaust...
Now you can paint the drum with high temp paint or just leave it ugly like I did...Some folks go as far as painting them up all fancy and welding nice shiny exhaust tips on the lid like a smoke stack...For now the only thing I care about is the good tasting food that comes out...
Your all done and it's time to cook....Depending on what your going to cook you will need to plan on how much charcoal you will need to use....When doing pulled pork I cook at 225 for 10-15 hrs depending on how big the shoulders are...Burning charcoal these smokers can hold a temp of 225 for 20 hours...you might just have to shake it every 5-7 hours to let the ash fall through the grate..The smoke comes from what ever hardwood you want to use ...you will only use anywhere from 3-5 3x3" pieces per cook...Oak and Almond work good for about everything..but you may find a specific wood that you like most...Fruit woods are more mild and work good with poultry...
Basic instructions for smoking....
Take coal grate out of drum and pour charcoal inside of grate...take coals from center and create a void of charcoal in the center..Now take your wood and lay a few pieces in there spaced out so that it will be consumed evenly throughout the cook..In a charcoal chimney get a full stack lit and hot then dump into the void you created in the grate..Now lower the coal grate back into the smoker, install the thermometer and the grill and put the lid on...open vents and stabilize your temperature before adding the meat...
Most of these smokers will run 225-250 with one cap off and the valve half shut.....
So far I have done Ribs, Pork Butts (pulled pork), Tri-Tip, Whole chicken and turkey, chuck roast, ...with Ribs and Pork Butt being every ones favorite....
Disclaimer:
The poster does not take any responsibility for any hurt or bad feelings. Reading threads poses inherent risks. The poster would like to remind readers to make sure they have a functional sense of humor before they visit any discussion board.
