Ugly Drum smoker - Fire burning towards the inlet

[SmokeyJoe]

Hello all,

I'm in need of some advice as the fire in the basket is burning towards the open air inlet of my UDS. I finally finished the build in August and waiting for the delivery of my Mavrick from the US meant that I did not have time to do a practice run or cook before my holiday. The day I got back I could not wait and jumped straight in to to cooking a pork shoulder. I know I should have done a dry run to practice first but as it took so long for me to get all the bits and then find the time to be able to bulid it I could not wait. I knew that the shoulder is quite forgiving so I jupmed in.

The first problem I had was swinning temps, I used some advice from another site and started with 12 briquettes on top of the lump charcoal. I started to shut the vents down as advised but it still over shot 250. I was then playing with the vents, I did the changes with about 30 mins in between to allow them to take effect but I was having to make adjustments all the way through. I managed to keep it between 200 - 275 but it was not rock steady like I was hoping. I have mangaed to get this sorted by starting with 8 lit coals, I think my drum just likes to start slowly.

I've managed a few cooks now, when ever I get a chance I put something on, and when cooking wings/Moink balls/ribs I've been using both the probes from the Maverick to check the inside and outside grill temps but I have noticed that the area closest to the open vent is hotter that the other sides or center and when I open the drum I can see that the fire is burning towards the vent. I have tried to just crack open all the vents so the air flow is more even but I was just wondering if you have any advice that might help. I want to upgrade to ball valves, I'm using magnets at the moment, and I don't want to have to fit a ball valve on each inlet.

I'll post some pics of the drum and food when I have put them on the computer.

Thanks

Joe

[essexsmoker]

You really do need to adjust all the vents. If it's still burning towards 1 vent then maybe you are shutting the others too much, or the wind was stronger on that side? Shut them about about a 3rd then to half then maybe 2 thirds if needed. Do it slowly and give it time. Lump does tend to burn hot and unevenly as far as I know. Maybe don't open up full to start?

[CyderPig]

Hi Mate

You really do need to adjust all the vents. If it's still burning towards 1 vent then maybe you are shutting the others too much, or the wind was stronger on that side? Shut them about about a 3rd then to half then maybe 2 thirds if needed. Do it slowly and give it time. Lump does tend to burn hot and unevenly as far as I know. Maybe don't open up full to start?

Ditto the above
I fill my basket and add 1 full starter of lit to it with all vents open, then shut the vents down as the temp is on its way up, as this is easier than trying to get temps down.
Try placing your exhaust on the opposite side to the open vent, but most of all don't sweat about it too much every drum I have built cooks differently, that's part of the charm of these little beauties!
An ill fitting lid can cause high temps and uneven burns also.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Si

[SmokeyJoe]

Thanks for the advice, I was not sure if I was doing something wrong as it looks like most people use one vent to control the temps. Using all the vents has smothed out the hot spot so I have more consistant temps across the grate, so if I upgrade to ball valves I'll just have to get one for each vent. I tried to move the exhust but that did not make any diffrence and the lid is a very tight fit. It was a closed head drum so I had to grind round the outside edge to release it and it fit very well. As you say Si each one is diffrent so I just have to practice more, not a bad thing as that means more good food.

[YetiDave]

I never ever ever start with all the vents open. I just dump a chimney of lit in the middle and set my vents to how I'd expect them to stay during the cook - usually 1.25 vents open for low and slow. Takes a little longer to get up to temp but it avoids the fire getting too hot. If you've got a hot spot, you might want to add a diffuser to the set up

[CyderPig]

Hi
You wont need 3 ball valves to control your temps.
My drums have 1 BV and 2 nipples with caps spaced every 2ft round the drum.
Too start light your fire as discussed with all fully open, then shut down the nipples as you get to temp, then use the BV to fine tune, try to keep the BV in the direction of the prevailing wind if possible.
Using 3 BV would make it an expensive project, just fix 1BV and continue to use your magnets for the other holes that way you will have even more control over temps.

Cheers
Si