Thinking of building a UDS

[DJBenz]

So after reading many posts on the forum, I'm thinking of taking on a spring project to build a UDS in time for the summer. I've read some of the UDS build threads here, and a lot of the mammoth 'ultimate' thread over at BBQ Bretheren, but there seems to be very little in the way of your actual "You're gonna need to do this" type guides...

...with the exception of Stretchie's PDF from here which gave me a big glut of concentrated useful info.

Anyway, just to confirm I have things right in my head:

1. Drums seem to come in 'clamp on' lid and 'tight head' types. With the tight head, is the lid still removable? Are there drums in circulation with non-removable lids?

2. The basics I'll need in the UDS will be air inlets (anything from coverable holes to ball valves), an exhaust, fire basket over an ash pan, two grills (one up top, one closer to coals), temp gauge. Anything I've missed? I'm not counting anything like handles, nuts/bolts etc. just the bare basics.

3. In terms of cooking slow and low in a UDS they seem to be considered good for the job, but with a fire lit within an enclosed space like this, is there really much low heat going on? It must get very hot in there?

Those are my questions for the moment, I'm sure there'll be more.

[robgunby]

Good man, building a UDS is great fun and they are fantastic cookers. To answer your questions as best I can....

1) The clamp on lids are great because the clamp overcomes the warping that happens to the lid during the burn out. Get a clamp on lid one if you can. If you are buying it from a drum company, ask them to shotblast it for you to remove most of the exterior paint - makes the burnout less choking!

2) Spot on. In terms of bare basics, you can start with just 1 grill, about 8-9 inches down from the top, and add a second at a later date if you want. Temp guage - since building mine, I have removed the temp gauge and just use my Maverick. The temp gauge was slow to react and inaccurate, and it got in the way. Might seem obvious but in case it's not - do not use any galvanised parts in your build. Buying SS nuts and bolts may require a specialist online retailer.

3) UDS is an airtight system. The only oxygen fuelling the fire is that which you allow through your air inlets. As such, you are able to gently smoulder your coal for hours on end. I have done 30 hours on a single fire with about 5-6kg lump in there, and there was plenty of fuel left at the end of the cook. My UDS quite happily holds a steady 225 at the grate. It will hold even lower temps for holding meat at temp after cooking, but you have to be careful not to snuff the

One final tip, I found non galv expanded metal very hard to find without buying a huge 8'x4' sheet for £40. In the end, a washing machine drum (stainless steel) from a repair shop was £5 and makes for an excellent fire bin.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your build - it isn't hard, I actually found sourcing the parts the hardest bit!

[DJBenz]

Some great tips, thanks Rob. Yeah, I'd picked up about using non-galvanised parts due to the coatings, I'll have to make sure whatever fixings I use are SS. Mind you, I also read somewhere that the temp on the outer walls of most UDS's doesn't get to a serious temp that would affect the coatings on the fixings. Better to be safe than sorry though.

So far I have a place I can get the barrel from for £12, I'll probably scour car boots for a cheap kettle to mod into an ash pan/basket combo, and we have a local appliance centre where I might even be able to pick up an old drum - good tip. Grills, fixings, inlets and handles should be easy enough to get from the local Screwfix / Toolstation places.

There's something that just occurred, do people use water pans to keep things moist in the drum or is it not necessary?

[keith157]

DJB it might be well worth your while to "PM" Toby to see if there are any spaces left on the "Drum & Baste" course/comp. Basically it takes you through the build of a UDS as well as how to cook on them.

[robgunby]

The galv argument will go on for ever, but like you I figured better safe than sorry.

Your fire basket needs to be full of holes for air circulation, this is why most people use expanded metal. You would have to cut so many holes in a kettle to use it as a fire basket there would be more holes than kettle. My washing machine drum just needed the axle grinding off and some holes cutting in the bottom with a holesaw for allowing ash to drop out.

I managed to pick up a 22" kettle on ebay for under £5. This gave me my grill (couldn't find them in any DIY stores and they are £15 on ebay) and a dome lid for if I expand to a second rack as and when becomes available.

Keith's advice is good - those weekend courses will have you up and running, but if you can't make it / afford it, it's not a hard job to complete solo, and cooking on them is pretty easy. Only real cooking advice you need is - load yer basket up minion style with plenty of fuel and wood mixed in, and try to catch the temps on the way up, it's easier than trying to damp it down again.

There is no need for a water pan, they don't do much (if anything) in the way of keeping meat moist and you don't need a heat baffle as you can control the temperature accurately using the inlets.

Oh one other thing, most designs call for 3 inlets. If I were to make another, I would use four.

[slatts]

Just a thought.......

Would you use a heat deflector in a UDS???

[robgunby]

I've read of people using them but I don't find it necessary. Heat is pretty even in my UDS, and I get great results with direct heat. Simon mentioned using one to dissipate smoke but again I've not had any issues with uneven smoking.

[stretchie_]

Alright matey, hope my write up helped.

Funnily enough I've just started another build today, this time a horizontal drum, and will be doing a wtite up for that one too. Not sure when it will be finished though. I've not found a drum with a clip lid, only found sealedones myself. This one has a lining in so I just broke and burnt a, pallet in it and will take a grinder with a glap disk to it.

[robgunby]

Alright matey, hope my write up helped.

Funnily enough I've just started another build today, this time a horizontal drum, and will be doing a wtite up for that one too. Not sure when it will be finished though. I've not found a drum with a clip lid, only found sealedones myself. This one has a lining in so I just broke and burnt a, pallet in it and will take a grinder with a glap disk to it.

Stretchie, I have to say your guide was a great help to me. It would be really, really helpful if you could update it with suppliers though - some of the parts can be hard to find.

It surprises me when people say they couldn't get a drum without a lining or with a clip top, I rang up a drum company and they asked me what I wanted, I told em, they shotblasted it, I bought it!

[stretchie_]

Ah, but I'm a cheap skate and only had free drums, I've got a drum from a bike garage, a drum from a friend which came from near his work, and a couple off freecycle, in that case it's just what you can find.

And for the steel it all came from the local steel supplier, Devizes Steel in Wiltshire. Great bunch of people.