First UDS build

[MyLeakyBucket]

Finally finished my winter project this weekend on building my first UDS. Made a fair few mistakes along the way (e.g. buying galvanised steel mesh for the charcoal basket), and getting the inner lining out was an effort, but hoping it will pay off with some great BBQ.

Have been seasoning it this afternoon, will probably have to wait until next week to try cooking anything. First impressions seem pretty good -- has been holding at around 200-250F for about 5 hours now after some initial spikes in temp, with minimal temperature control. Don't quite know what to do with the valves for now, but hoping will come with practice.

General set up is a 55 gallon drum, charcoal basket, two shelves (lower used with pizza pan as heat diffuser), side shelf for Maverisk and tools, three air vents near bottom (one ball valve, two with caps), and a slightly ill-fitting lid with exhaust holes and handle. All in, probably cost about £100 and quite a few hours. Attached a few pics.

Would be scouring the forum for advice on how to keep temperature, useful modifications (e.g. is it worth drilling another hold for the Maverick probes?) and charcoal set up. Should be a fun summer.

[batvan]

Top work there mate! Good work on the basket too. What did you use for the ash collector? I finished mine afew weeks ago.hardest parts been getting all the parts n Had some dramas with my thermometer, I ordered from river country in the US n they turned out to be complete tossers.anyway done 3 cooks on it now and it's good fun n a learning curve.

[MyLeakyBucket]

Cheers, glad it's finally built.

On the basket, I used the base and grill of a super cheap BBQ from Argos for the basket base and ash collector, sawing down the attached BBQ legs to raise the basket a few inches off the ground.

Then bought some stainless steel mesh from ebay and attached it with stainless steel cable ties. Found the mesh to be one of the hardest bits of the BBQ to source, as could not find anywhere local or on the web to cut stainless steel mesh to size. Eventually found a place on ebay that sells it for car grills and was the perfect size.

I ended up getting a cheap thermometer -- mainly relying on a Maverick remote thermometer for temp. What did you go for?

Definitely looking forward to learning on it. Even after a first go, it was more satisfying than my cheap horizontal barrel BBQ, which would not hold it's temp for any length of time.

[essexsmoker]

Hope you have some great cooks!

Personally I would recommend 3 valves. That way each is equal and gives an equal burn across the basket, or the fire draws to the capped vents.

I now have a auto stoker but when I used the valves manually I would open to about 1/3 each from the start then adjust after temp had stabilised. You want the valves to be where they will end up on the cook from the start. If you have them wide open the heat soars and you waste coals.

Hope that helps.

[Kiska95]

Hi Guys

Just completed my UDS too!

Like leaky bucket I used a cheapo BBQ base from Sainsbury to use as an ash collector and bought a excel proQ replacement coal basket using SS bolts to keep all together and raise off the ground. wasn't until I was in the garden that I realised that a garden sieve with holes in the side would have done the job too. the kids bought me a BBQ Guru Digi q 2 for my birthday so I am hoping that I can maintain temp. The only big expense was the chrome grates @ £15.99 each from Sunshine BBQ what did you guys use? By the way I got hold of some horse shoes and had 3 of them welded on the bottom at a local garage for a fiver great as legs. I put another grate at 12" from the bottom to put a 16" Pizza plate on to act as a deflector. Also got a pair of Thermostats from Amazon (china) for under a tenner but not expecting much so going to rely on my Chef alarm. Whatever position on the dial for 275 on the chef alarm I will set at 12 O'clock. You can use the bottom half of a weber smokey joe as it just drops in the bottom of the UDS and does everything you need.

[batvan]

The mesh for the basket defo not as simple a purchase here as it is for those in the states! I ended up taking the grinder to the bulk head divider that came with my corsa van. Cut it to size n shaped it round some logs till I had the right size for the charcoal grate I had then bolted it together with 2 old hinges I had lying around.its ugly but seems to work. Just need a better ash collector now. Thermometer is river country (tossers) after I eventually got it and paid the extra postage. But I will be investing in a maverick soon so I don't have to lift the lid n the temps are probably all over the place anyway inside the drum. Last cook I did with the Aussie heat beads n they made a big difference.

[MyLeakyBucket]

Seen quite bit of discussion on heat beads. The Rnage near me has heat beads for a few quid more than the Big K briquettes that I usualoly get. Worth the upgrade?

[YetiDave]

Lumpwood all the way

[essexsmoker]

Lumpwood all the way

Do you not find it burns too hot and uneven heat?

Never used it for low and slow so have no idea.

[YetiDave]

I've used briquettes maybe 3 or 4 times and I've never seen the point in paying through the nose for them or putting up with cheap, smokey briquettes. Never once had a problem using lump and this is just the cheap B&Q stuff. Higher temps, slightly inferior fuel economy wise, but less ash and no binders If you can source reasonably priced briquettes then go for 'em, but really I don't think they're worth it when Sainsburys or B&Q lumpwood will do the job just fine. YMMV!