# New Toy Drum Smoker



## Rustyc30 (20/9/08)

Found this on a USA BBQ sight and built one last weekend and I have to say cook things so bloody well and gives meat a nice smoke flavor with out being to over the top. Doing some Baby Back Ribs on it now can't wait to see how they taste.

Does anyone else hot smoke meats?


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## theMISSIONARY (20/9/08)

What wood are you using in it?....i assume you are using wood


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## fraser_john (21/9/08)

This is exactly what I have been planning on building! I just cannot find a drum.

As for wood, you can buy good smoking wood from Rays Outdoors or BBQ Galore. Soak it in water first so it does not catch.


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## theMISSIONARY (21/9/08)

I will have to grab a drum from work......only it will need lots of cleaning we use lots of nasty chemicals

i have seen one bloke who used something other than wood for smoking.....i cant remember what it was i thought it strange at the time


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## paul (21/9/08)

Ive seen the 44 cut down a bit before and used as an extension in the middle of a webber before.


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## kook (21/9/08)

I've got a WSM (vertical smoker) with similar design.

I'm really happy - if I set the fire up right I can get 12 hours out of it easy without needing to refill. Thats using heat beads, charcoal I find I need to replenish after about 8hrs.

I'm using apple wood for smokewood at the moment as I got a load of it for free. The only stuff I've seen in chunk form at BBQ's galore is hickory, all the rest seems to come as tiny chips which you need to replenish regularly.

So far I've done chickens, baby back ribs, spare ribs, pork shoulder (Boston Butt), ABT's, sausages, chillis and salt in the smoker. I may do a beef brisket next Saturday (10-12hr smoke).

Smoking some rock salt might sound crazy, but it makes a great seasoning for any dishes where you want a very subtle smoke-like flavour added.


edit - One quick question - how are you maintaining a nice low smoking temp (100-120C) in there without a water pan or similar? Are you just using a small fire and replenishing often?


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## Rustyc30 (21/9/08)

I use charcoal with a few pieces of soaked smoking wood in it. A good way to make sure that you have gotten rid of anything in there is to stoke it up and give it a good burn out should remove any left over nasties.

Did some ribs on it last night which came out a treat.

Next weekend i'm going to do a 4kg pork shoulder give a long slow smoke till it just starts to fall apart


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## Rustyc30 (21/9/08)

Load up the basket with fuel then control the amount of air flow it has 3 1/2" hole at the base 2 are covered with the check plate and the other has a ball valve so by adjust that you can hold it 110-120 for ages. Longest I have done so far is 6 hours and used about a 1/4 of the charcoal next weekend will be around 8hrs or so


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## Thirsty Boy (21/9/08)

do a bit of web search guys - there are lots of options for smokers. One of the more popular being a bog standard metal garbage tin.

Search for "trash can smoker" and you will see a few different takes on it. I use an electric hot plate as the heat source and just sit a cast iron smoker box on the element to put the smoking wood in.

I've seen the same thing done with nothing more than a big carboard box...

Mind you - I really like Rustyc's version. One of these days when I get a bit more room...


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## juddda (22/9/08)

You don't need to be extravagent with the equipment when smoking food. You can use a simple cast iron smoker box (Aldi had some recently for $9) on a hooded gas bbq with some saw dust. Or you can use a weber with half the amount of coals as you would a normal roast and throw on some soaked wood chips when you first put the meat on.

The trick is to do it "low and slow" (a long period of time, usually 6-8 hours depending on the size and cut of meat and low temperature between 110-120 Deg). It is important to not let it get below 100 deg otherwise you could end up sick. :icon_vomit: 

We have been playing with smokers for around 12 years now and have 9 smokers of various shapes and sizes.

It is time consuming, the meat practically falls off the bone and is as tender as a ..... but the results will leave you wondering why you did not try it before :icon_drool2:


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## Mercs Own (25/9/08)

Rustyc what was the site??


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## SDJ (22/11/08)

This is my UDS (ugly drum smoker) I built this thing and it will run on 5 kilos of heatbeads for 14+ hours at 250F, found the info I needed at a US BBQ site




so far I have cooked MOINK balls (beef=MOO + pork= Oink ...... MOINK) italian meat balls wrapped in bacon then seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayene pepper and lightly smoked, served with sweet chilli sauce and my latest AG IPA.




also did a pork shoulder that was dry rubbed with similar spice to the MOINK balls than marinaded and basted with apricot jam before being smoked with nectarine wood.




I am constantly amazed at how well this thing will keep its temperature, I am using fridge magnets to block the air intake holes and set temp, it normaly varies by about 8-10 degrees F when sitting outside in the wind.

I also cooked 2 chickens but forgot to get pics, it was dam good eating!!


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## Rustyc30 (23/11/08)

SDJ 

their great arn't they firing mine up again today to cook some baby back ribs for dinner and have a 5kg pork roast to go on it next weekend


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## browndog (23/11/08)

What did you paint that drum with Rustyc ?

cheers

Browndog


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## TidalPete (24/11/08)

browndog said:


> What did you paint that drum with Rustyc ?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog



I presume black stove paint would do a good job Tony.
This thread has got me interested in getting a smoker.

TP :beer:


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## SDJ (24/11/08)

Rustyc said:


> SDJ
> 
> their great arn't they firing mine up again today to cook some baby back ribs for dinner and have a 5kg pork roast to go on it next weekend



Dammed straight they are!! I am finding it tough getting used to the smoke flavour though (perhaps I use to much wood?) next weekend I am doing some ribs and am going to do them with "Oh yeah" sticky rib sauce and without smoke, just long and slow cooking.
might do a fattie as well and some ABT's

this sort of cooking needs a bold full flavoured beer so I am thinking of doing another ECB and keg it for awhile.


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## ausdb (25/11/08)

paul said:


> Ive seen the 44 cut down a bit before and used as an extension in the middle of a webber before.


I added the middle section of a 44 to my weber to cook a "beer can" turkey a few Christmas's ago. The extra volume slowed the cooking right down and terned the weber into something between a smoker and a weber kettle. The 8.5kg turkey took about 6 and a half hours to cook but man it was tasty


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## wakkatoo (25/11/08)

anyone help out with a decent website on this? Had a bit of a search and found some forum discussion but nothing that really fully details how to build, then use it. 

Cheers


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## robbo5253 (25/11/08)

ausdb said:


> I added the middle section of a 44 to my weber to cook a "beer can" turkey a few Christmas's ago. The extra volume slowed the cooking right down and terned the weber into something between a smoker and a weber kettle. The 8.5kg turkey took about 6 and a half hours to cook but man it was tasty




Is this a direct fit? Do you cut where rings are or in the flat section?
Did you cut a door in the 44 so you could top up the coals/wood or the meat?

Cheers

Robbo


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## Chad (24/12/08)

SDJ said:


> This is my UDS (ugly drum smoker) I built this thing and it will run on 5 kilos of heatbeads for 14+ hours at 250F, found the info I needed at a US BBQ site


I found you hanging out over here in this ridiculously long thread.

I took a wire disc to my drum today to clean up the inside and applied first coat of kettle paint. Good to finally see my smoker coming together.


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## SDJ (31/12/08)

Chad said:


> I found you hanging out over here in this ridiculously long thread.
> 
> I took a wire disc to my drum today to clean up the inside and applied first coat of kettle paint. Good to finally see my smoker coming together.



Ooops busted :huh: talkin to the yanks about smoking meat. good to hear someone lelse is making a smoker.
keep us updated with info and pics please Chad.


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## SDJ (31/12/08)

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436

this is the link to The Barbecue brethern website, this link will take you to a page thats all about making an oil drum smoker like I have, read the whole thread, its about 176 pages long.
Some, like myself make it simple and then theres the others that just cant help themselves and have to make it complicated, you still get the same result, moist, tender meat that tates bloody good!!


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## SDJ (13/2/09)

I am currently pigging out on my first batch of beef jerky cooked on my home made 44gallon drum smoker last week, damm its good!! with out blowing smoke up my own arse ( which would be hard as I dont smoke and am not a contorsionist) its the best jerky I have ever eaten!!

I can see why most people that cook beef jerky say it dos'ent last long  tis bloody beautiful


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## Chad (13/2/09)

I think I browsed over ever 2nd page in that thread. 

I haven't finished my smoker yet. I hit a snag which I need to correct (I know what I need to do) and still need to source a lid. I just didn't bother fixing my snag back then cause it was in the middle of those stinkin hot days of summer. Now that it's cooled down I'll get in and finish it.


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## Chad (15/2/09)

SDJ, how many control ventilation holes do you have around the base of your drum. I got stuck into my drum again today and am up to drilling the ventilation.
I was originally going to put in one vent, but then thought two might be better to get the drum up to temp quickly, and then shut one off to hold it.

For anyone else looking into making one of these, I did a reconnaissance mission to BBQ's galore a while back to see what accessories I would need to complete the task. I found the following, with prices the best I could remember;

1. A remote temp probe - $60



2. Round grill racks that fitted my sized drum perfectly - $18 each
3. Quick start bead lighter. Anything that makes lighting easier, the better for me  - $35


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## SDJ (16/2/09)

Chad said:


> SDJ, how many control ventilation holes do you have around the base of your drum. I got stuck into my drum again today and am up to drilling the ventilation.
> I was originally going to put in one vent, but then thought two might be better to get the drum up to temp quickly, and then shut one off to hold it.
> 
> For anyone else looking into making one of these, I did a reconnaissance mission to BBQ's galore a while back to see what accessories I would need to complete the task. I found the following, with prices the best I could remember;
> ...



G,day Chad, I have three 22mm holes in my drum all up, 1 at the front and one either side, I marked out the holes, then drilled a ring of smaller holes inside the mark, punched out the center then cleaned it up with a dremmel tool.
I have found mine gets up to temp fairly quickly if I light 9 heatbeads in my home made bead lighter, (baby formula tin with arse cutout and a piece of mesh 1/3 up from the bottom supported by four self tapping screws, primitive but it works every time).
to keep at 250F I normaly close the 2 side vents with fridge magnets and open the front hole (  ) half wayish, I also am using a weber bbq lid and close the vents to help control the heat as well.

Hope this helps, drop me a pm if you need any more info B) 
Cheers Steve.
P.S I dilled a small hole in the side of the drum just under the lower rack and use a $12.00 digital thermometer inserted in the hole.


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## SDJ (16/2/09)

'Round racks"??? what diametre are they Chad??


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## SDJ (16/2/09)

Cooked my second batch of beef jerky in the drum on Sunday, now the whole family likes it so I have to stash some for meself  




When smoking jerky the moisture from the meat runs down the side of my drum, cleans up fairly easy tho.




Two weber bbq racks with 2 weber heatbead rails keeping them about 60mm apart, seems to have worked both times so far.

Mexican jerky next week


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## Chad (16/2/09)

SDJ said:


> 'Round racks"??? what diametre are they Chad??


Can't remember, I haven't bought the accessories just yet. I think it would have been about a 15mm gap between the rack and drum. It would be a suprisingly tidy fit.


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## Chad (21/2/09)

Did a bit more on it today. Finished cleaning the inside. Looks all shiney now  . I have to grease it up before it decides it wants to rust. You can see the bolts for the castors fitted to the underside.



Put a light first coat on the outside. Used a high temp spray on paint. Black in colour to retain the heat better.



And also cut the holes for the ventilation (you can see them in the first photo). I've gone a control valve on the front and two smaller ones on the sides that I can screw a cap onto to close of permanently. I have the option of screwing valves onto these if I find I need better control.



I just need to find me a Weber lid and it will be almost ready for a maiden run. Got my eye on a couple on eBay.


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## Wolfy (22/2/09)

Chad said:


> I just need to find me a Weber lid and it will be almost ready for a maiden run. Got my eye on a couple on eBay.


Lots being thrown out around here, seems the (extended) neighbors don't want them anymore.
I have 2 'new' Webbers to go with my generic-kettle BBQ and I know what I'll be doing with one of them after reading this thread ... just have to find a 44gal drum to sit in the middle. 
Was another Webber today on Freecycle down here too, maybe too many fire-ban days or something.


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## Kleiny (22/2/09)

Wolfy

If you are ever in Bendigo 44's are for sale for $5 each and are clean.

They are used with bladders to carry liquid tomatoes to one of the factories in the area.

They are on Eaglehawk rd, If you need any more info give me a pm

Kleiny


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## wakkatoo (23/2/09)

Kleiny said:


> Wolfy
> 
> If you are ever in Bendigo 44's are for sale for $5 each and are clean.
> 
> ...



Hmm, will keep that in mind...


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## KHB (23/2/09)

This is my next project scored a free 44 gallon from the guy who picks up our deep frying oil. Just need to take to it with an angle grinder and ive got a webber to utalise parts!!

KHB


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## Chad (23/2/09)

Bought a few bits this arvo, so I thought I would update here. The rack was exactly the same as Rustyc has in his photos in the first post, and was a very nice fit. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a stock standard Weber grill. It was $30 from BBQs galore.
I also got the quick start lighter thingy, which was $30 too.


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## /// (26/2/09)

Just a quick question, do you keep the meat or the air temp at the 100-120c mark.

I have a keg-spit and think I have found out a new thing to do with it...

Scotty


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## Chad (26/2/09)

Thanks for asking that Q as I have had the same in my mind. I've seen photos of both methods and am unsure of which is better/safer.


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## Chad (27/2/09)

Some update photos.

I used stainless nuts and bolts. I went with a nice flat eye hook.



And a dome nut on the outside. You can see I have 2 shelves.



This is just a photo of the overall. Just need a charcoal tray setup in the base and a hood. I missed out on a hood on eBay the other night :angry: .


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## Rustyc30 (28/2/09)

Looks the goods mate welcome to the world of smoking


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## wakkatoo (28/2/09)

Picked up a weber hood for $10 today from Rays Outdoors B) . Brand spanking new. Just has a tiny dent on the lip (took a bit to find) hence the low price.

I'm starting at the top and working my way down. :lol:


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (28/2/09)

I was getting a gas refill at a camping and fishing shop and noticed the small fish smokers.
The interesting part was the variety of special timbers they had for the smokers, wine barrel, olive, sheoak and most Aussie natives.


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## SDJ (6/3/09)

Just to let you know, you dont need a weber lid, lots of guys doing this use flat steel lids with vent holes drilled in them some even use plywood.
The weber lid does give you more room to smoke large roasts or do beer can chickens, with 2 racks I can smoke 12 chickens in one go.


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## pipmoy (30/3/09)

Does the charcoal just sit on the floor of the drum or do you put it on a raised bed?


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## SDJ (2/7/09)

pip said:


> Does the charcoal just sit on the floor of the drum or do you put it on a raised bed?



G,day Pip, sorry for taking so long to get back to you, its been awhile since Ive been on here, 
the heatbeads in my smokers sit in a firebasket made out of steel mesh, with bolts for legs that stop the ash build up putting the fire out, I usually add a fencing wire handle to the basket, makes it easier to put it in and take it out, also stops me getting black marks on my shirt


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## SDJ (2/7/09)

Just finished another drum smoker for a tradie mate of mine, he was impressed and bought another one for a mate of his, noice!!








Cheers Stevo


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## browndog (2/7/09)

SDJ said:


> Just finished another drum smoker for a tradie mate of mine, he was impressed and bought another one for a mate of his, noice!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So what sort of delicasies do you cook up in these things big ti, I mean Steve?

cheers

Browndog


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## kabooby (3/7/09)

Been looking at this thread while eating my lunch :icon_drool2: 

Any reason why you couldn't use the weber as a smoker? Apart from only doing smaller cuts of meat.

Kabooby


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## Jez (4/7/09)

no prob with using a weber. slight change of technique is all.

Jez


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## SDJ (5/7/09)

browndog said:


> So what sort of delicasies do you cook up in these things big ti, I mean Steve?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog



basically the same as any weber bbq but way more and I can smoke meat, fish and cheese too, 
smoked burgers wrapped in bacon



smoked chicken tenders wrapped in bacon


home made hickory smoked ham


Kangaroo jerky



I have used a weber for smoking food but the drum is way easier and just to give you an idea how much it can cook it will fit 12 roast chooks in side on 2 racks

Cheers stevo


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (5/7/09)

Only slightly OT. 
I picked up a couple of BBQ marinade injectors from evilbay, last week pumped a 6.5kg lump of rump with a marinade then slow cook/smoked it in the hooded barbie for about 7hrs.
Bloody marvie.
Anyone else used these?

look here


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## Rustyc30 (5/7/09)

well just about to take a beef roast out that has been cooking away for a few hours can't wait


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## Chad (14/8/09)

Well, after months of unsuccessfully trying to find a suitable cheap lid for my smoker I finally just went into Kmart and bought the cheapest weber style BBQ I could find. As it turned out there was only a choice of 1. The lid wasn't the best fit, but after some beating of the outer lip of the lid it manages to sit on the drum, kind of. Although, I'll see what I can do to make it a bit more secure.

So it is currently outside performing a meat-less dry run to test out the temperature range and control. I am *very *suprised at just how little the charcol has to be burning to get it up to 100 degs ambient temperature.

Tomorrow will be the first meat run with a 2.2kg pork leg but I have a question, where is the temperature supposed to be measured? Is it the ambient or middle of the meat? I have come across info that suggests that ambient should be around 100-105 deg C, but I wanted to double check that with someone.

Photos coming tomorrow.


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## pipmoy (28/9/09)

I have been reading up heaps on the UDS for months now and I'm getting the gear together to make one in the coming weeks.

I have the weber lid and plate and all the vent hole attachments and I'm now just working on getting an ash basket set up.

I have a drum with the removable lid so i'm looking to make this end the base of the UDS and cut the other end off and have that as the top. The reasoning behind this is so after smoking is done I can simply undo the clamp and lift the drum off the base that has the ash basket attached to it. This stops me from needing to bend into the drum to remove the ash basket and clean out the ash. And the existing clamp helps keep the drum well sealed when smoking to help better regulate temps (i hope). 

My only drama is trying to find a suitable threaded temp gauge with good temp marking.....Not just COLD, WARM and HOT...

Will put up pics when I get it going. First smoke will be my home made sausages...


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## Tony (28/9/09)

I will be chasing something like this.

http://www.temperature.com.au/Products/Dia...ermometers.aspx


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## Spoonta (30/9/09)

I have a free weber lid for someone in perth pick up only pm if you would like it


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## Spoonta (1/10/09)

Spoonta said:


> I have a free weber lid for someone in perth pick up only pm if you would like it




gone already the quick and the dead around hear


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## crundle (3/10/09)

I have finally read through the entire UDS thread (phew!) and intend on building one of these soon, hopefully some pics to follow when it is done. It wont be pretty, but hopefully will cook nicely.

Crundle


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## browndog (3/10/09)

Steve, what is the finish you have on those drums mate?

cheers

Browndog


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## bradsbrew (3/10/09)

browndog said:


> Steve, what is the finish you have on those drums mate?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Browndog


I was thinking the same thing BD. Looks like Ferroko 3 (micaecious ironoxide) but i dont know if it would take the temp. Perhaps some Hi-temp 1200.

Brad


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## /// (4/10/09)

Chad said:


> Tomorrow will be the first meat run with a 2.2kg pork leg but I have a question, where is the temperature supposed to be measured? Is it the ambient or middle of the meat? I have come across info that suggests that ambient should be around 100-105 deg C, but I wanted to double check that with someone.



Bump - did anyone give you an answer here? Had moth-balled converting a 44gal drum, but getting it back into action. Will be running trial next week, so wondering the same, what is the best ambient temp?

Scotty


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## crundle (5/10/09)

My understanding from reading the UDS thread is that you are aiming for the temperature at the level of the grill to be 235 degrees Farenheit. Where people are using a thermometer on the lid, apparently the temperature reads about 50 Farenheit lower than it is at the grill, so this needs to be factored in or the thermometer needs to be adjusted if possible.

I have drilled the bottom intake holes in my drum, but still need to burn out the paint on the inside. A bit hard to do in the suburbs though, as neighbours can get cranky, so I am planning to take it to a mate's place in the country where a big fire wont disturb anyone.....

Looking forward to the first cook on this baby, they sound fantastic.

Crundle


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## crundle (5/10/09)

Found this link which is quite informative also about building an ugly drum smoker, this part focuses on the temperature gauge - UDS Temperature gauge

cheers,

Crundle


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## Spoonta (5/10/09)

good post Crundle good info in there


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## losp (6/10/09)

why is everyone wetting the wood?
everything i have ever read says to make sure everything is pretty much dry, otherwise you are turning the thing into a steamer, by adding moisture in there.
i have never seen the chips catch fire, and i guess it would be no big deal if they did... other than a burned meal.


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## crundle (9/10/09)

Just got mine back from the sandblasters, $50 to clean it inside and out. The outside is painted with black matt heatproof paint, the inside coated with cooking oil spray and is now in the process of baking the cooking oil to season it. It is sitting pretty with all holes open at 300 farenheit, and I think with more heat beads in it it will be good to get over 350.

The idea is to smoke the smoking wood, not to burn it, so it depends on how hard you are cooking as to hwo wet or otherwise the wood needs to be. The moisture isn't much of an issue, but if you are cooking low and slow at say 235 Farenheit, then the wood should only be smoking, as there will be a limited supply of air getting in to keep it alight. If you are cooking chicken at a higher temp with all holes open, then the wood is more likely to burn instead of smoke, so it may need to be a bit wetter. The other option is to have the wood in a container that limits air getting in, so that it can only ever smoke. BBQ shops sell boxes for that with wood chips, but for these things it seems that chunks of wood are the go.

Planning my first beer can chicken (with Galaxian Pale Ale) on Sunday - pics to follow!

Crundle


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## Chad (10/10/09)

Looks as though I forgot to post some pictures of my first run. I was measuring the ambient temp, as you can see the probe going in through the vent.
It was ok for the first time. I put way too much wood in, and the meat wasn't nearly as tender as I was expecting. Although it could have been the cut of meat.








I have a leg of lamb marinating in the fridge for tomorrow.


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## Chad (11/10/09)

One thing I can't figure out is the finishing temp time. I have finishing temps for meats, but have no idea how long it is for, and is it part of the overall cooking time?


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## Chad (11/10/09)

Had a greater success this time round. Used just a single small chunk of hickory and the finishing flavour was much more balanced. It really does add that extra dimension to the meat.
The meat this time was also quite tender, not falling off, but very easy to eat. I also used a mop this time instead of a dry rub.


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## crundle (11/10/09)

Looks the goods there Chad!

Not really sure what you mean by finishing temp time. I use either a $15 Ikea meat thermometer (also great as a mash thermometer) or my Weber meat thermometer, and check the temperature of the meat to see when it is done. For chicken, it is generally done when the internal temperature in the breast is at 82 degrees Celcius, although this may be a touch on the high side I am very careful about chicken. There is no real time limit to it, it is simply a matter of the meat is cooked when the internal temperature of the meat reaches a certain temperature. This can take a short amount of time if you are cooking at high temps, or can take many hours if you are cooking at a much lower temp.

I fired mine up for the first time in anger today, and it worked a treat, if taking a bit longer than I thought it would. I cooked up 2 beer can chickens, using Galaxian Pale Ale, garlic and herbs in the cans and sat the chickens directly on the weber grill sitting inside my drum. I had the temperature measured at the top of the drum at 300 Farenheit, and had the drum loaded up with a 5kg bag of briquettes and one small chunk of hickory.

The smoke flavour was incredible, but the chicken was a tad overdone, having been in the drum for nearly 4 hours. The drum roasts veggies very well also.

Only one hiccup really, and that was when the grill fell into the base of the drum, with the chickens in hot pursuit! A bit of a flare up in the drum involving oil ensued, but the chickens were largely unhurt, and other than making a mess of the surrounding pavers (SWMBO expects them to be cleaned tomorrow) that was the only issue. I need to have longer bolts supporting the grill to make it less prone to dropping into the drum, but want to make sure that I am able to move the grills around and have the ability to have 3 grills in place when doing ribs.

Sorry no photos for this one as I was a bit under pressure timewise today, but for the next cook I hope to get some taken.

I would heartily recommend to anyone to build one of these things as they are simply amazing to cook on and with summer coming up they are a great way to cook outside for a large group of people if needed.

For anyone interested, I have a pdf of the build process that I used to base mine on.

cheers,

Crundle 

View attachment UDS_Instructions.pdf


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## Chad (11/10/09)

Attached is the cooking data that I got from somewhere and have been using it as a starting guide. 

View attachment Smoking_Times.pdf


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## crundle (12/10/09)

Thanks for the smoking time guide there Chad. My chicken seemed to agree with that guide at about 4 hours, but like I said, I prefer chicken to be a bit higher in temperature than the guide states.

The chunk of Hickory I used was dry but didn't burn when the lid was on, just gave a good dose of smoke, but ignited when the lid came off.

Going to be having some good food from this thing!

Crundle


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## Bubba Q (27/10/09)

For those who have a bit of knowledge on smokers

I plan to purchase a rotisserie attachment & small smoke box for my hooded 4 burner bbq. Would this setup be suitable for smoking?

I plan to give this a go next weekend with either some beef or pig and was wondering if it was a good idea or if I should just save my cash.


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## losp (13/11/09)

crundle said:


> Just got mine back from the sandblasters, $50 to clean it inside and out. The outside is painted with black matt heatproof paint, the inside coated with cooking oil spray and is now in the process of baking the cooking oil to season it. It is sitting pretty with all holes open at 300 farenheit, and I think with more heat beads in it it will be good to get over 350.
> 
> The idea is to smoke the smoking wood, not to burn it, so it depends on how hard you are cooking as to hwo wet or otherwise the wood needs to be. The moisture isn't much of an issue, but if you are cooking low and slow at say 235 Farenheit, then the wood should only be smoking, as there will be a limited supply of air getting in to keep it alight. If you are cooking chicken at a higher temp with all holes open, then the wood is more likely to burn instead of smoke, so it may need to be a bit wetter. The other option is to have the wood in a container that limits air getting in, so that it can only ever smoke. BBQ shops sell boxes for that with wood chips, but for these things it seems that chunks of wood are the go.
> 
> ...



I have never had any wood catch fire. and i have never wet the wood. Although i don't do big smokes. mainly a lot of seafood (trout, salmon, various fillets) with the occasional pork or steak.


----------



## Phoney (15/11/09)

Well, thanks to you guys ive decided to knock one up for myself...


I got this drum for $15, bargain! But all that white paint on the inside has to come off....




So after HOURS of blood, sweat and tears fighting with the wire disc drill attachment it's finally clean. I cant believe how quickly the bare metal begins to rust!




Bunnings didnt have brass ball valves in stock and I doubted a plumbing supplies store would be open on a weekend, so I made these spring tensioned sliders out of aluminium strap to cover 1/2" holes. Therefore I have 8 x 1/2" intake holes at 2" and 4" from the bottom of the drum, and 4 x 1/2" exhaust holes in the lid. I may need to enlarge those holes, but I didnt want to shell out $50 for a 3/4" drill bit (that I probably would never use again) before at least seeing if I even need it.




Handles installed on the lid (exhaust holes are closed off in this pic)




So ive since given it it's first coat of black kettle paint today, inside and out. With another coat due for tomorrow. Still yet to attach the grill mounts and the temperature guage... but im hoping to have it ready for a test burn by next weekend.  

Question: What are you guys using for your fire baskets? Bunnings dont seem to have the expanded metal that the US guys all seem to be using.... Ive got an old mini 'webber charcole kettle' style bbq thing I bought from one of those asian discount stores for a pittance years ago. Ive taken the legs off and it now sits about 5" high. It's only 14" in diameter and has about 3" between the charcole grate and the top. Could I get away with using this? (Of course, after I give it another dozen air holes and some new, shorter legs to sit on an ash pan)

here it is




Ill post some more pics of the final product....

Oh and finally: The most important question of all; What colour should I paint the air hole sliders? I reckon yellow, the missus reckons green. Thoughts?


----------



## Chad (15/11/09)

phoneyhuh said:


> I cant believe how quickly the bare metal begins to rust!


Go grab yourself some solidified oil from the supermarket and give it a good coating. It will really slow the rusting down until you get the rest of it finished off.


----------



## Wisey (17/11/09)

Hehe, a fire would have burnt that off Phoney

You wont keep it shiny mate


----------



## Phoney (17/11/09)

I know, but firewood is hard to get around here....and lighting a fire that big in my small backyard would probably have brough the fire dept to my front door! :lol: 

Never mind it's all painted inside and out with black kettle paint now


----------



## siiren (19/12/09)

I have just finished making my UDS.
Currently on the seasoning run, but had to throw in a few snapper cutlets and a few scotch filets!!!!
Very easy build.
Got a 44 from work, which had an internal bladder. Cut that out easily with a stanley knife.
Built a fire in the drum to burn off the paint.
Rubbed over the whole drum with a scotch brite pad.
Sprayed the outer shell with a high temp paint.
Added my handles, vents, rack and chimney.
Oiled the internal wall with good old home brand canola spray.
Pics to follow........just have to find my camera data cord.....hmmmmmmm


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## crundle (20/12/09)

You will love your UDS, I cook with mine every opportunity I get. I made some smoked pizzas the other day that were great, and will even be taking the drum camping over Christmas for the whole family to cook our dinner with each night, they are so versatile to cook on.

I have now added four levels for the grills to sit on so I can get the food as close to or as far away from the charcoal/heat beads as needed.

Love my UDS!

Crundle


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## komodo (21/12/09)

Any one over SE burbs of melbourne got a source for the open top 44gallon drums with steel lids?
Theres a guy in airport west with them on ebay but thats a hike and a guy in dande has them but with plastic lids and I dont have a webber lid...


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## wakkatoo (12/1/10)

For those in the ballarat area - picked up 2 drums today from a bloke out at Learmonth. $10 each and very clean. Have been used to hold a non-toxic ingredient used in making shoe soles. He's washed them out and there is no smell or residue. After a good burn it should come up a treat.


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## siiren (12/1/10)

I have 4 racks of ribs in the freezer ready to smoke on Saturday.....YUM!!!


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## crundle (12/1/10)

funny that this thread got a bump today, I was over at a mate's house today welding up a fire basket and 3 grills for my smoker.

I made the fire basket almost the same diameter as the grills to spread the heat more evenly during the cook, and took the step of making 3 hooks on the fire basket so that I can adjust the height of the basket wherever I want it.

Now if I want to cook with direct heat near the top of the drum, I can raise the fire basket and grill only inches above it for more heat, or drop it down if I want to cook low and slow - pictures to follow once I get them uploaded.

Crundle


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## Kleiny (12/1/10)

Photo's crundle?


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## Phoney (13/1/10)

What sort of metal did you use to make your firebasket?

I couldnt find that 'expanded metal' anywhere, so I ended up using the bottom of a little old kettle BBQ as my fire basket. Made short legs with bolts & nuts and drilled about 100 1/4" holes in it for air intake. It works OK. Holds the temp at around 260F for about 6 hours, and then drops to 200F for another 6.


----------



## barls (13/1/10)

fired up my little smoker, which is a 20L pot, and smoked a butterfly lamb roast the other day. heres the pics.
first is in progress





the second is the finished product


----------



## crundle (14/1/10)

I finally got around to putting up the photos of the fire basket!

It is made from 5mm mild steel wire, welded up by a mate who builds rolling ball sculptures, so he is good with wire welding.

My idea was to have the fire basket almost as wide as the inside of the drum to allow the heat to be more evenly distributed than it is when using my brazier inside the drum as I currently do, but I may have made it a touch too tight a fit, which means that I have to cut the bolts that I am using to hold the grills down to the bare minimumto be able to move the fire basket in and out.

I wanted to be able to move the fire basket to any height I wanted it, so that I can keep it low for low and slow cooking, or raise it up high for direct grilling or rotisserie work if I ever give that a go. My plan is to have this drum smoker as a versatile outdoor cooker for parties, and to be able to cook outside in Summer to keep the house cooler (using the oven in Summer makes the air con work overtime).

















I am still unsure of what to use in the bottom of the drum to collect ash and grease, if at all. It may work out easier in practice to make a small scoop to scrape it clean from time to time than to build a tray to fit.

There is only about 3/4" clearance around the outside of the fire basket, so if I were to do this again, I would give it a greater clearance to make moving it around easier, but this should be great when I fire it up next week!

Crundle


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## Fourstar (14/1/10)

barls said:


> fired up my little smoker, which is a 20L pot, and smoked a butterfly lamb roast the other day. heres the pics.



Hey barls have any wider shots of the mini smoker?! Are you firing the wood from your stovetop burner?


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## komodo (14/1/10)

Any one in SE melbourne theres a guy on fleebay with steel drums with steel open lids for $10 pickup in cranbourne or delivery to BENDIGO AND SHEPPARTON-KYABRAM 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/205-LTR-OPEN-TOP-ST...=item4a9da5c041


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## barls (14/1/10)

yeah sure.
i do use it on the stove top without an issues apart from the kitchen smelling of what ever im smoking at the time.
here it is in its normal location well ether this burner or the one behind.




the top, the reason for two temp gauges was that one didnt go high enough and i was off the scale.




inside just a grill with the chips i use underneath it.


----------



## johnw (29/1/10)

Can anyone advise where you get high temp/kettle paint? Does Bunnings sell it?

DrinkBeer


----------



## Kleiny (29/1/10)

DrinkBeer said:


> Can anyone advise where you get high temp/kettle paint? Does Bunnings sell it?
> 
> DrinkBeer



They sell potbelly black if that is what your after.

kleiny


----------



## breaky (29/1/10)

DrinkBeer said:


> Can anyone advise where you get high temp/kettle paint? Does Bunnings sell it?
> 
> DrinkBeer




automotive spray paint cans are high temp and you can get it at kmart etc

Regards 

mark


----------



## brettprevans (29/1/10)

breaky said:


> automotive spray paint cans are high temp and you can get it at kmart etc
> 
> Regards
> 
> mark


do you think that auto paint is going to be food grade? i dont or at least wouldnt chance it.


----------



## Phoney (29/1/10)

Bunnings sell black kettle paint, rated to 400C. About $25 for a little tin, but it's enough to do a 44 gallon drum inside and out.


----------



## johnw (29/1/10)

phoneyhuh said:


> Bunnings sell black kettle paint, rated to 400C. About $25 for a little tin, but it's enough to do a 44 gallon drum inside and out.




Awesome!

I have my drum but its a bit old with a slight coating of rust. It has previously been used as a burner i think. Would i need to get rid of the rust before i paint it with the pot belly paint?

THe drum also has cement in the bottom, i was going to use this as the base for the beads. Then place a some wire shelf above the plate with a cast iron smoker box sitting on it. Will this work? Is there a wire/grate type of metal that i can cut using wire cutter/tin snips? I dont have access to a welder or anyone who knows how to be good with their hands? 

Much appreciated

DrinkBeer


----------



## breaky (29/1/10)

citymorgue2 said:


> do you think that auto paint is going to be food grade? i dont or at least wouldnt chance it.



You dont paint the inside, you paint the outside :lol:
On the Inside, once you burn it out and clean it up, just oil it - called seasoning it


----------



## Duff (1/2/10)

Started my adventures in smoking yesterday. Made a garbage can drum smoker which is heated by an old electric frypan. Tossed a handful of hickory chips in the base and turned it up. Results were fantastic.


----------



## Phoney (1/2/10)

I cooked for 12 on Australia Day. It was awesome!


2kg rubbed pork shoulder






Capsicum & jalapeno Fatty, before:






After:






MOINK Balls






Salmon chunks + pork shoulder






[quote name='breaky' date Jan 29 2010, 11:10 PM' post='589989']You dont paint the inside, you paint the outside :lol: 
On the Inside, once you burn it out and clean it up, just oil it - called seasoning it[/quote]

Oh well I pained the inside. Does no harm, just prevents it from rusting.


----------



## manticle (1/2/10)

phoneyhuh said:


> Oh well I pained the inside. Does no harm, just prevents it from rusting.




I don't want to be a negative wet blanket type but just double check that - volatiles released from paint that has been exposed to high temperatures might not 'do no harm'.


----------



## breaky (1/2/10)

phoneyhuh said:


> I cooked for 12 on Australia Day. It was awesome!
> 
> 
> 
> ...






manticle said:


> I don't want to be a negative wet blanket type but just double check that - volatiles released from paint that has been exposed to high temperatures might not 'do no harm'.



Yep, i think you'll find that painting the inside is a no no. theres no need to paint it so why risk it??Once you season the inside with oil, the fats from the cook keep it oiled


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## Phoney (1/2/10)

manticle said:


> I don't want to be a negative wet blanket type but just double check that - volatiles released from paint that has been exposed to high temperatures might not 'do no harm'.



It says on the paint tin that it's rated to 400C. Quite a few folks on the BBQ Bretheren website have painted their insides with similar paint... (although they're all in the USA)


----------



## manticle (1/2/10)

Presuming the heat inside the smoker is under 400 I guess you should be fine. As I said - I don't want to be MR negative and I wouldn't suggest I'm Mr expert. Nonetheless it's worth checking and it's worth pointing out.

Smoked meats are super tasty.


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## Phoney (1/2/10)

Yep, inside temp rarely goes over 150C.


----------



## breaky (2/2/10)

phoneyhuh said:


> It says on the paint tin that it's rated to 400C. Quite a few folks on the BBQ Bretheren website have painted their insides with similar paint... (although they're all in the USA)



Dont the Bretheren burn their new (to them) drums to get rid of the paint inside? - Or am i missing something - wouldnt be surprised :lol: 

Most of em get spikes in their temps at some time or another - opening the lid for too long or forgetting to to adjust the vents or.........

O f course what you do is up to you - it would just worry ME thats all

Cheers

Mark


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## SDJ (16/2/10)

Ive been smoking meat and making jerky for almost 2 years now and never paint the inside of my drum, it doesnt need it and has built up a nice dark coating inside, not one sign of rust and it sitts on the back porch permantly, keep it simple and copy what works is my motto.

just my 24.09 cents worth


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## SDJ (16/2/10)

breaky said:


> You dont paint the inside, you paint the outside :lol:
> On the Inside, once you burn it out and clean it up, just oil it - called seasoning it



About time Duff  nice legs mate  

Stevo


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## Kleiny (28/2/10)

Im currently making a smoker out of a keg and a small style webber hood. Anybody made a small smoke from a keg? I have seen a couple on the net.

I will post some pics when its done (hopefully next week)

Kleiny


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## Kleiny (11/3/10)

The keg smoker is all but together i will post some pics tomorrow.


I am going to try and give it a run this week sometime, anybody got some suggestions on some decent wood and recipes.

I reckon i might try those little bacon wrapped things first.

Kleiny


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## Fourstar (12/3/10)

Kleiny said:


> The keg smoker is all but together i will post some pics tomorrow.
> I am going to try and give it a run this week sometime, anybody got some suggestions on some decent wood and recipes.
> I reckon i might try those little bacon wrapped things first.
> Kleiny



A long slow smoked pork shouldersoaked for a few hours in cider vinegar. Dried & then given a dry spice rub, smoked for 8-12 hours then shredded. A home made bbq sauce added and dumped into rolls with 'slaw.

Pulled pork rolls. :icon_drool2:


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## Phoney (12/3/10)

mmm. Im buying 2kg of pork belly & about a kg of ocean trout today... To smoke on Saturday. Will try the cider vinegar trick....


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## Fourstar (12/3/10)

I did some pulled pork shoulder in the slow cooker a fortnight ago~. 

- A dry rub of cumin, corriander, salt, pepper & fried all over for some serious caramelisation. 
- Dumped in the slow cooker with a diced onion, a tsp of smoked paprika & ground chillis, 3-4 cloves of garlic, a few sprigs of thyme a tin of diced tomatos and a big splash of cider vinegar.
- Let it cook for 16 hours & shredded it. 
- Ladled it out into a frying pan in batches and cooked it down until semi dry.
- Assembled in corn tortias with sour cream, cheese, salsa, a dash of chipotle tobasco and mixed salad greens.

Awesome.


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## Phoney (12/3/10)

Awesome indeed, but sour cream doesnt belong in real Mexican food 

Here's my favourite rub recipe:

2 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. White Sugar
4 Tbsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. Chilli Powder
2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
2 Tbsp. Black Pepper --freshly Cracked
1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Put all of the above in a jar, close the lid and shake like hell. This makes enough to store for future use.


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## Kleiny (26/3/10)

Ok pics of the converted keg smoker.

The keg is legal from a once local brewery who drilled a whole in it not to be used as a pressure vessel.
I got the old webber style lid from the recovery yard for $2
The grill is from my BBQ meat keeper (borrowed for smoking)
The fire basket is an old pot
The valve for air intake is all form the big green shed $10
all up under $20

Im going to burn it in today and hopefully do some ribs on it tonight.












Kleiny


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## siiren (26/3/10)

I have been practicing smoking ribs over the past few months with my UDS.
It's been a challenge, the first few batches came out a bit tough.
Reason being temperature under the bottom grill was 10deg cooler than the top.
I was aiming to smoke at 120deg, but the top grill was reaching 130+.
The last few batches have been perfect, well for me anyway, and have had the temp sitting at 100 +- 5 deg over 5 hours, basted every 45mins with a mop of 50/50 vinegar and apple juice. I use a bbq sauce also in the last 30mins of the cook to glaze the ribs.
Lucky for me I have a good source from a local butcher who regularly has specials on ribs for $4.85kg (min 5kgs)

I have tried many rubs sourced from US forums and books, but have settled with an awesome recipe from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book.
It's from a chapter on designing your own rub, and I have tweaked it using various other ingreedients, such as mustard powder and chicken salt.
Here's the recipe:

Sweet Rib Rub
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs garlic salt
2 tbs kosher/sea salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground corriander
1/8 tsp allspice

Season the ribs to your liking, wrap and refrigerate min 2hrs, best overnight. An hour before cooking, remove from the fridge and allow to reach room temp. You can add more rub just before cooking, but not necessary.

Memphis - style championship red sauce (also from same book)
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1 cup water
3/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup (bought from continental deli or substitute with a bit more sugar and water)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4tbs honey
3tbs molasses
4tsp salt
4tsp worcestershire sauce
1tbs apple sauce
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2tsp liquid smoke
1tsp onion powder
3/4tsp cornstarch
1/2tsp mustard powder
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
1/4tsp black pepper
1/8tsp garlic powder
1/8tsp white pepper
1/8tsp celery seed
1/8tsp ground cumin

Heat to simmer and cook until desired viscosity. It looks like a hard recipe, but it's well worth it, sweet and sticky with amazing flavour. Makes 4 cups.

Enjoy.


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## wakkatoo (11/4/10)

Got stuck into finishing my smoker recently. All I have to do is make up a basket for the coals and find a decent thermometer then I'm ready for some meat.

Only got a couple of pics of when I was burning it atm. Had to tip it on its side to get the heat down the bottom of the drum. Bit of time with a wire brush on the end of the drill and it came up all nice and shiny. Currently getting 2 coats of pot belly black.


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## breaky (11/4/10)

siiren said:


> I
> Lucky for me I have a good source from a local butcher who regularly has specials on ribs for $4.85kg (min 5kgs)


 
Ok Siiren, 

come on, spill the beans, where is this butcher in Adelaide??

Mark


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## Phoney (19/4/10)

I had a great day yesterday.

2 kgs of baby back ribs, made according to this recipe.
2kgs of pork belly rubbed & marinated overnight
Big rainbow trout, soaked in brine overnight
whole chicken with a lemon up it's arse


Before:






The smoke:











After:







Look at that crackling! :icon_drool2:


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## wakkatoo (26/4/10)

where is everyone getting their dial thermometers from? Having trouble sourcing something that isn't incredibly expensive <_<


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## Wolfy (26/4/10)

wakkatoo said:


> where is everyone getting their dial thermometers from? Having trouble sourcing something that isn't incredibly expensive <_<


Some cheap-ass online-deals place from Hong Kong/China/similar, there is a thread or two about it here (they also sell cheap digital thermometers), and I'll see if I can find the name/URL for you, should be somewhere in my email.

*Edit: *Is $3.99 cheap enough (only goes up to 100 though), but look around their website they should have more (that price includes shipping too).


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## wakkatoo (26/4/10)

thanks wolfy - I've found similar but I'm trying to get something that has a thread on it so it can be permamently attached to the side (similar to the mashmaster temp probes). It seems as soon as a thread is added, the price gets up near $70. Was hoping for something under $20.

I'll keep looking


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## wakkatoo (9/5/10)

Gave it a test run today whilst cleaning the shed. Marinated some pork spare ribs in a really simple honey-soy marinade and cooked them for about 2 and a half hours. Really happy with the result - just wish I put more on!


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## OLDS2006 (9/5/10)

Did you end up getting a temp gauge, I got this one
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/57MM-BBQ-BARBECUE-S...=item4a9c883a31
or you could try here
http://www.foodutensils.com.au/kitchen-ute...k3ddfm0020sq3p1


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## sinkas (13/5/10)

are people soncerned abotu using brass fittings for the intakes, or should aI not sorry about it?

Also on the topic of the paint on the inside, of all the weird and wonderful diseases I have seen, most seem to be in people who have worked in Asian dye and pain manufacturing/printing,


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## MCT (13/5/10)

OLDS2006 said:


> Did you end up getting a temp gauge, I got this one
> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/57MM-BBQ-BARBECUE-S...=item4a9c883a31
> or you could try here
> http://www.foodutensils.com.au/kitchen-ute...k3ddfm0020sq3p1




Thanks mate, just ordered some of those ebay ones.
Just need to work out what I'm gonna do about making a fire box now.Wish I had a welder.....


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## Spoonta (8/9/10)

I have a free weber lid in perth if you want it pm me


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## kuzzy (9/9/10)

Will a single 2" ball valve in the bottom do for air flow?


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## Phoney (19/9/10)

If anyone is looking at building one of these... I was going to build a second one but ive since decided against, therefore;

I have a spare food grade 44 gal drum, enough expanded metal for a fire basket and enough steel strap for the intakes. Will part for a donation, pick-up from Sydney inner-west. pm me if interested.


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## Jez (20/9/10)

pm sent for expanded metal


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## Fents (26/10/10)

smoking crew, what do you think of these off ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gas-Smoker-Oven-Fis...=item1e5f3fcbea

Ive PM'd TB but he's not to sure, says maybe the lowest setting heat (150c) i think isnt low enough.....

i realise its just a gas burner in a box but im way to retarded to make anyhting else.

recommend me something else that just requires me to cook?


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## sinkas (26/10/10)

The guyts who sells these runs the austrlaian bbq asoc, and is a gun bbqer, I believe they are pretty good


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## MCT (27/10/10)

I would say that 150c is way too high if you are planning on smoking low and slow (ribs, pulled pork etc).

Make a UDS!


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## barls (27/10/10)

mct. if you need to use a welder give me a yell


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## Phoney (28/10/10)

Fents said:


> smoking crew, what do you think of these off ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gas-Smoker-Oven-Fis...=item1e5f3fcbea
> 
> Ive PM'd TB but he's not to sure, says maybe the lowest setting heat (150c) i think isnt low enough.....
> 
> ...



Isnt quite low enough, I usually smoke at 220F to 240F (105C to 115C) 

But I see no reason why you cant put a fire basket full of BBQ brickets where the gas burner is and use it just like a Weber Smokey Mountain. Then just control the temperature by the amount of air you let in via the intake/exhaust vents.


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## MCT (30/10/10)

barls said:


> mct. if you need to use a welder give me a yell




Cheers mate, but I got it all sorted. 

I love my drum smoker, it's usually puffing away most weekends.


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## geoff_tewierik (1/11/10)

Well I sourced a spare 44 and picked up an old Weber on ebay.

Just need to scrounge up some wood to burn out the paint inside the drum and hit up the big green shed for some fittings and paint.


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## komodo (3/11/10)

Any one looked to electifying one using a temp controller and an electric frypan?
Was looking at this and wondered if electric was something that would work http://www.grainmills.com.au/category75_1.htm


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## jrsy85 (22/11/10)

Here's an easy method for cold smoking

http://www.smoker-cooking.com/build-a-cold-smoker.html

I'm looking to make a decent smoker over the summer. I do my jerky in a food dehydrator at the moment @70c (I think, I haven't read the book for it for about a year) overnight after 24hr marinating.

Cheers,
Joel


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## white.grant (28/11/10)

I was mightily impressed with Barl's smoker at the Case swap at Lake Conjola yesterday, and while picking up some miso paste and Pocky sticks at the local asian supermarket saw a 28 cm steamer for $59 and couldn't resist.

The steamer has two layers and is easily big enough for a whole trout or flattie

Quick trip to bunnings for a thermometer and some hickory chips, 20 mins with a drill and after soaking the chips for 30 minutes I'm away.








First batch are almonds. Mmmm smoked almonds.


cheers

Grant


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## danbeer (3/12/10)

Anyone have any thoughts on the smoker at ALDi this week?

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_16247.htm

Looks like an easy way to get into whole delicious delicious smoked meats..


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## barls (3/12/10)

from what i was told when i looked in to it, is that it doesnt go low enough to smoke low and slow.
hey grant that looks awesome, now all you need is to get the mix of chips, sawdust and chunks to where you like them.
try hickory soaked in ether port, bourbon or even beer.


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## Tim F (28/1/11)

So I've built myself one of these puppies - gonna smoke a snapper this weekend. Any tips on doing veggies? Do they brown up ok at the lower heat? Anyone hazard a guess how long to leave a 2kg fish in there at 100c?


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## stuchambers (28/1/11)

A 2kg whole fish? I would give it at about an hour.
Fillets will cook much quicker.


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## pipmoy (20/2/11)

I've made 2 drum smokers in the last 12 months......

The first one had lots of welding and plasma cutting taking place and was a little bit of a fail........

the second one was kept far most simple and I think will stand the test of time a lot better.....The first one ended up a pile of rust in no time flat.....

Pics of the first one:

As you can see I welded most holes






It was a really crappy drum and was all bent out of shape so it didn't seal very well.....





I had it so the top AND bottom could come off - which at the time I thought was a brillant idea-----FAIL





But the food that came out of it was bloody lovely......Nice and pink from the hickory smoke


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## pipmoy (20/2/11)

UDS No.2 was a WHOLE lot better than No.1......Lots of lessons learnt and I kept it far more simple. 

Shot of the basket-----Thanks to my well trained contractors at work





The 3 holes at the bottom just have a brass fitting screwed in and a male brass plug to close the hole on 2 and a 1 inch ball valve on the other





I found a heat proof rubber (not really rubber but I'll be stuffed if I can remember the name of it) seal that has 2 purposes. First is to seal the webber lid absolutely perfectly on the drum and secondly it stops me cutting the hell out of myself on the sharp edge





Finished product......with thanks to Tony05 (brother) for the gauge....





I lined the inside of the drum with cooking oil about 3 times over a week then fired it up and after it's first cook I re oiled it 2 or 3 times and now I only have to look at it every so often and no rust is ever around.........


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## pipmoy (20/2/11)

And the food from the second UDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yummy.....

Ribs.........Oh my sweet Jesus....















and this is how much I enjoyed the ribs..... 





Anyway guys just thought I'd share......Cheers


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## Tim F (20/2/11)

Recipe or it didn't happen


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## pipmoy (21/2/11)

Ask and you Shall receive 

Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce

Recipe
Yield: 6 cups.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon table salt

2 cups ketchup (NOT TOMATOE SAUCE, they are different. most supermakets will sell ketchup but tomatoe sauce will still work if you can't get it)
1/2 cup yellow ballpark-style mustard (american mustard)
1/4 to 1/2 cup cider vinegar**
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup steak sauce
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar if that's all you have)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or minced

Optional. If you are cooking indoors, or if your meat does not have a lot of smoke flavor, or if you just want more smoke flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. (I have done this when cooking in the oven and it works great. Remember when it comes to liquid smoke, a little goes a long way)

About the chili powder. Not all chilli powders are the same. Many of the common grocery store chilli powders are lifeless and dumbed down for the general consumer. Buy your chili powder from a Mexican grocer or online. I used a Chipotle chilli powder and it is so awesome 

**About the vinegar. I use a 1/4 cup as I don't like my sauce to tart but if you want it to last longer or you like the stronger flavour then go 1/2 cup. Best thing to do is start with 1/4 cup then taste and adjust slowly to get the taste you like..

About the steak sauce. There are many different brands and they all have different flavor profiles, but what we want here is the meaty depth of savoriness that they call umami, so use whatever you have on hand. also don't go over board with this sauce as it can make or break the end produce.

Secret ingredient. Add 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste. This exotic ingredient isn't really that exotic. It shows up on the ingredient lists of a lot of great BBQ sauces. It has a sweet citrusy flavor and really amps up a sauce. If you can't find it in an Asian grocery, it is available online. Worth looking for. (you don't need this and I have made this sauce without it and with it. Both are nice but with the paste is the next level of nice 

Do this
1) In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, black pepper, and salt. In a large bowl, mix the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, steak sauce, molasses, honey, hot sauce, and brown sugar. Mix them, but you don't have to mix thoroughly.

2) Over medium heat, warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute until limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush the garlic, add it, and cook for another minute. Add the dry spices and stir for about 2 minutes to extract their oil-soluble flavors. Add the wet ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes with the lid off to thicken it a bit. DO NOT STOP STIRRING IT OR IT MAY BURN AT THE BASE AND THE SAUCE WILL GET A BAD TASTE (I learnt this the hard way....)

2) Taste and adjust. Add more of anything that you want a little bit at a time. It may taste a bit vinegary at first, but that will be less obvious when you use it. Strain it if you don't want the chunks of onion and garlic. I prefer leaving them in. They give the sauce a home-made texture. You can use it immediately, but I think it's better when aged overnight. You can store it into clean bottles in the refrigerator for a month or two.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Memphis Dust Recipe

Yield. Makes about 3 cups. (I usually half this recipe and it still does about 8 or 9 big sets of ribs)

I typically use about 1 tablespoon per side of a slab of Pork spare ribs. Store the extra in a zipper bag or a glass jar with a tight lid.
Preparation time. 10 minutes to find everything and 5 minutes to dump them together.

Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt (yes this is actually a type of salt. Read what I put below about sugar and salt)
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder (you can use fresh if you like, but better to use dried if you have it)

About the sugar and salt. they are in the recipe for more than flavor enhancement, they help form the crust (a.k.a. called "the bark" by the pros), an important part of the texture of the surface of ribs and slow smoke roasted pork. The salt pulls some moisture to the surface to form a "pellicle" and the sugar mixes with the moisture, caramelizes, and also contributes to the crust. There's only about 2 tablespoons of rub to a large slab. Of that about 1 tablespoon is sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. If you eat half a slab, you're not eating much sugar and salt. I recommend you leave them in. And for those of you who object to white sugar for non-dietary reasons, and use brown sugar instead, you need to know brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. It is not unrefined sugar. I use brown sugar for the flavor and white sugar because it improves the bark. You can substitute table salt, but beware that if you do, you should use about 2/3 as much.

About the rosemary. I know that some people don't like it but trust me, it hides in the background and you will never know it is there. Substitute thyme or oregano if you must, but I think rosemary is the best choice. If you can find ground rosemary, good for you. It's hard to find. So just grind the rosemary leaves in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder. It will take 2 to 3 tablespoons of leaves to make 2 teaspoons of powder. If you have it fresh and want to dry it so the rub lasts longer then get a few sticks, remove the leaves and put all the leaves on a flat baking tray and have the oven on low with the fan on high and leave the door open. You will have dry leaves in about an hour or so. just put them in the mortor and pesel (spelling??) 

About the paprika. I have used Hungarian paprika before with great results, but last batch I did I used sweet smoked paprika from www.herbies.com.au with awesome results........When I use the Hungarian paprika I always replace a few tablespoons of it with chipotle powder which gives a great flavour and adds some nice heat. I usually go pretty hard on the chilli powder but remember not everyone like the heat so adjust according to the people that will be eatiing it....

About the ginger. I think it is a very important ingredient. If you don't have any, get some. simple 

Do this
1) Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. If the sugar is lumpy, crumble the lumps by hand or on the side of the bowl with a fork. If you store the rub in a tight jar, you can keep it for months. If it clumps just chop it up, or if you wish, spread it on a baking sheet and put it in a 250F oven for 15 minutes to drive off moisture. No hotter or the sugar can burn.

2) For most meats, sprinkle just enough on to color it. Not too thick. For ribs that you will not add sauce to, apply the rub thick enough to make a crunchy crust, about 3 tablespoons per side (remember to Skin 'n' Trim the back side). To prevent contaminating your rub with uncooked meat juices, spoon out the proper amount before you start and seal the bottle for future use. Keep your powder dry. To prevent cross-contamination, one hand sprinkles on the rub and the other hand does the rubbing. Don't put the hand that is rubbing into the powder.

3) Massage the rub into the meat at least an hour before cooking. Better still, rub them up, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them overnight before cooking.


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## pipmoy (21/2/11)

Now for the cooking

I use the dry rub to Marinate the ribs. After coating both sides (making sure to get the rub into every little space) I put them on a plate, cover in glad rap and let sit for anything from 4 hours to over night. The reason I use a dry rub with my ribs is that you want to draw out a lot of the liquid from the meat. My dry rub has salt and sugar in it which helps get rid of the liquid and at the same time some of the liquid is locked into the rub which forms a lovely layer on the meat (bark)........I make sure to drain the excess liquid off the plate every so often.

I get my smoker to 120 degrees C and slow smoke/cook my ribs for about 3.5 - 4 hours. You can use your oven or even your BBQ for this as well, with no real change to finished product but you will not get that smokey flavour and nice pinky colour to the meat that the smoke gives. If using the oven make sure you have a drip tray under the ribs as they WILL drip. don't increase the heat thinking that it will cook faster. yes it will cook faster but the meat will be crunky on the outside and nowhere near as soft and juicy on the inside.....

After the 3.5 - 4 hours of cooking I then get my home made BBQ sauce (specifically for ribs but can be used for other stuff) and coat the ribs with a oil brush then I put it back in the heat for about 20 minutes to bake the sauce into the ribs. Repeat this process once more (you only want 2 coats of sauce. anymore will be to much depending on the sauce) then let the ribs cool for about 15 minute so they don't burn you then RIP IN!!!!!!

I haven't been doing ribs all that long compared to some but in my short time I have found this dry rub / sauce combination to be heavenly in it creation............I'm sure this combo was handed to moses after the 10 commandments and who am I to argue with such devine power......hahahaha


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## Tim F (21/2/11)

now thats a recipe! Will be having a crack at it this weekend. What weight of ribs can a hungry person eat?


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## pipmoy (21/2/11)

Well I usually smoke about 4 - 5kg worth (including bones), so I can enjoy them for a day or 2 and also I'm usually expected to share  lol

I think I also forgot to add a step when preparing the ribs........

Before you apply the rub, you need to remove as much excess fat as possible, not only for health reasons but because you will find that a lot of you rub will drip off with the fat if you leave to much on............Also you need to remove the thin layer of skin off the bone side of the ribs. Firstly so you can remove the fat under it and secondly so you get better contact with the rub on the meat.....plus this layer of skin doesn't break down well in the heat so you get that not so pleasant feel when you eat it.....

I find the best way to remove the layer of skin is to cut it in a few places with a knife and then use paper towel to grip it and it comes off semi easy


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## Tim F (26/2/11)

Cooked up about 3kg today. I really need to make some kind of rib rack to be able to fit more than that in the drum standing up... shouldn't be too hard to weld something up!

I found the ribs a little on the dry side but I think it was just the ribs I got were a little smaller, probably because they were from wild pig. Or do they cut them a bit differently sometimes? Anyway the flavour was definitely there, sweet/smokey/savory/chilli and nice and sticky.


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## pipmoy (27/2/11)

just a comment......Your rack seems to be very low in the UDS? After much research (US smoking forums) i've found that the rack has to be *a minimum of 42 inches from the top of the heat source.*

Having your rack that low will reduce your cooking time and as such will reduce the amount of flavour that is adsorbed, and will also not give the meat that soft fall apart feeling that a slow cooked food should have. This will alos account for the dryness because ribs at the depth in the UDS would probably only need 2.5 hours max.........

You would find your food will become sooo much better if you raise the rack up about 18 inches.....

Just a thought

and in regards to the rib racks, you need to cook the ribs a little longer due to the ribs being on there side.


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## Tim F (27/2/11)

Wouldn't it work the same as long as the temperature at cooking height is the same? I had 120C at the level of the grill the whole time.

Still, I am planning on adding a higher rack as well - think it would be useful to have 2 in there.


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## chopdog (10/3/11)

hey smokers, have any of you guys used one of these? i am looking to build a uds at the moment but when i was in bcf the other day i seen these for $119




http://www.gasmate.co.nz/product_listing.p...e&pid=CM204


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## barls (10/3/11)

hey chop dog was looking at one of those the other day. looked fairly complete and ready to go.


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## chopdog (17/3/11)

anyone one out there in sydney got a spare weber lid and rack???????????


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## barls (17/3/11)

just got my new smoker. its from aldi which is the rebadged hark. works beautifully. smoking a beef roast tomorrow.


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## Phoney (18/3/11)

chopdog said:


> anyone one out there in sydney got a spare weber lid and rack???????????



I bought a brand new rack from BBQ's Galore for 20 odd bucks, and used the flat lid of a 44 gallon drum with exhaust valves built into it (see my pics earlier in this thread) - until I found an old webber lid on the footpath.


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## browndog (18/3/11)

barls said:


> just got my new smoker. its from aldi which is the rebadged hark. works beautifully. smoking a beef roast tomorrow.



Is that one of the tall upright jobs they had in the stores some time back Barls? If so I'd be interested to see how it performs.

cheers

Browndog


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## barls (18/3/11)

works well, have a roast in it at the moment that will be in there for four hours. currently sitting at 90 degrees.

heres the last effort
before






and after


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## barls (18/3/11)

more info on them
http://aussiebbq.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3411


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## chopdog (23/3/11)

Hey guys, looking for a quick response , how good does the inside need to be. I had a very hot fire in the drum, now I have hit it quick flap disc on a grinder, is this enough or do I need to go gat to pure metal??

Cheers


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## MCT (25/3/11)

As long as the plastic lining is gone, it'll be fine.
Do a cook on it real soon though, it'll rust quick. Cooking will season it, just spray with oil before hand.


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## chopdog (25/3/11)

MCT said:


> As long as the plastic lining is gone, it'll be fine.
> Do a cook on it real soon though, it'll rust quick. Cooking will season it, just spray with oil before hand.




cool thanks for the reply, mine didn't have any plastic lining it was used for pva glue and was only painted.

by the way if anyone want to purchase drums let me know


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## chopdog (6/4/11)

hey guys how far from the top of the drum do you have the grilling rack, i read earlier someone said 42inches from the coal but the drum is only 33.5 inches high


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## Phoney (8/4/11)

chopdog said:


> hey guys how far from the top of the drum do you have the grilling rack, i read earlier someone said 42inches from the coal but the drum is only 33.5 inches high



Whoever said that had their 4 & their 2 the wrong way round 

It's *24 *inches. I used this as a rough guide: http://uglydrumsmoker.blogspot.com


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## chopdog (19/4/11)

I have a unused uds for sale, I just finished making it when I got a unreal deal on a offset smoker so I no longer need it. Im only trying to recoupe my cost so pm me if your interested. Im in campbelltown sydney, the uds is painted in potbelly black has stainless steel eye bolts for the grill supports and a weber lid. I will also give the buyer the rest of the weber so its sort of a 2 for 1 deal. I dont have any photos at the moment but will try and post some soon, was thinking around the $150 mark for both the weber and the uds but am open to offers


cheers :icon_chickcheers:


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## MCT (16/5/11)

Latest and greatest UDS ribs. Finally found some with meat. 1.5 kgs.





Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## SDJ (24/3/12)

Been a few years since Ive been on AHB, good to see the cookin is still going on


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## browndog (24/3/12)

MCT said:


> Latest and greatest UDS ribs. Finally found some with meat. 1.5 kgs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That looks divine. What temp did you cook it at and for how long?


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## keezawitch (27/3/12)

are these the sort of smokers you use for salami etc, by the way the food looks yum.


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## Kleiny (28/3/12)

keezawitch, salami is generally cold smoked so you would just have to make an external fire box and duct the smoke into the drum, you can also do bacon, jerky and other charcuterie.


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## Wolfy (30/11/12)

Here are some pics from my UDS-build, it's on the extreme end of the ugly scale as long as it works well that's what matters. 

44 gallon drum from Ebay (think it was $10 or $20), burned it out last summer at my sister's place.

Wire-brush-thing on the drill cleaned out any remaining paint and the rust:





I couldn't find any of the expanded mesh the American's use so I cut an old BBQ grill plate in half:





... wired it to the ash-tray from an old Webber, and used an old BBQ-wok-thing as the ash-tray:





Only hardware needed other than the drum and trays/lids recycled from old Webbers.
Seems the neighbors around here dont like/keep their Webber-kettles, so I've managed to recycle a few now.





Air-intake holes easily cut with the TCT hole-saw:





There is a good build thread on the BBQ Brethren website here, has suggested dimensions and hardware and other options.

Recycled Webber racks mounted on SS bolts:





Air intake holes covered/adjusted via magnets from the fridge:




... like so:


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## Wolfy (30/11/12)

Finished it looks like this, note how the the protective oxide layer nicely matches the colour of the lid:





Firebox filled and ready to go:





225degF target temp, reached and held:





And the traditional inaugural fatty:


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## barls (30/11/12)

Wolfy said:


> 225degF target temp, reached and held:


you mean 225 c its nearly 450f looking at that pic

nice work though mate how about one of the fatty cooked


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## Wolfy (30/11/12)

barls said:


> you mean 225 c its nearly 450f looking at that pic


Doh! ... That'd probably be why it was a bit burned and looked a bit dry when I checked it.
So much for the trial-run to work out how much fuel it uses etc.


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## barls (30/11/12)

sometimes your the windscreen, sometime your the bug. 
it happens mate. 
have done similar things dont worry


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## Wolfy (30/11/12)

barls said:


> sometimes your the windscreen, sometime your the bug.
> it happens mate.
> have done similar things dont worry


And I did it today with $1.66 of sausage meat and not tomorrow with 4kg of pork and ribs.


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## barls (30/11/12)

nice must see pics of that one. im doing sausages and chicken thighs tomorrow. considering draining the chicken from the brine, rubbing it tonight and leaving in the fridge to form a crust.


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## Wolfy (1/12/12)

barls said:


> nice must see pics of that one


Here you go:

2kg Pork Neck (the most common local name for the Boston Butt cut) coated with a slightly adapted version of this rub:







2kg of Short Beef Ribs (though they were not called that in the butcher shop), rubbed with slightly adapted version of this rub (used home-grown dry chili for example):





... but since it seems that the entire family is going to show up, I think I'll have to buy at least twice as many again, else there won't be enough.

Then, so long as I don't do something silly again, the pork should take 6-10 hours and the ribs 3-4 hours and if I don't stuff them up will post more pics then.


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## Wolfy (1/12/12)

Here are some pics from today's UDS run (more pics/details on the OCAU forums here).

Beans:










Chicken:





Bacon & potato pie:





UDS was lit and ran a bit hot for a while, so it took about an hour before the pork was added.
An hour after that the chicken was put on to cook;





After 3 hours the pork was juiced and alu-foil wrapped and the ribs were put on to cook:




... and it was time to relax because all the meat was cooking:


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## Wolfy (1/12/12)

Another 2 hours later the beef and chicken were almost done, but the pork was not cooking as quickly:





Beef and chicken in the insulated cooler after 1 more hour of cooking, UDS temp was increased to cook the pork:





Beef and Beans:





Chicken and Salad:





Pulling the pork when it was finally cooked:










Eating the pork:





Not everything went as planned or turned out exactly how I wanted, but most went well and the food went down OK which is the main thing.
The local-butcher short-ribs were much thicker and fattier than the Asian-butcher ones and really should have been cooked for 2 hours (or so) more, the pork took longer than expected and the UDS temps were a bit unstable until I got things organized - chicken was cooked without issue and everyone loved it (just a pitty I don't eat chicken unless I have to).
Next time I'll allow an extra 2 hours for cooking (the pork and beef) and it should be good.


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## Wolfy (7/12/12)

Made some jerky in the UDS: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=978729

Also cooked dinner at the same time:, a 'fatty' and some 'Asado' ribs:


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## Wolfy (7/12/12)




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## browndog (13/12/12)

Hey Wolfy, what temp did you cook the beef short ribs at? for $4 per kg compared to $14 per kg for american style pork ribs they are good value. Love you pics, the meat looks awesome.

cheers

Browndog


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## Wolfy (14/12/12)

browndog said:


> Hey Wolfy, what temp did you cook the beef short ribs at? for $4 per kg compared to $14 per kg for american style pork ribs they are good value.


I was aiming for about 225F, but it did fluctuate a bit (if it was in the range 200-250, I was happy) since I'm still getting used to how it all works etc.
I looked at a small pack of USA-cut ribs at Coles just the other day, nearly fell over when the price I was looking at was the per kg not total price (and the total price was double that again).


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## Wolfy (14/12/12)

On the smoker-menu for tomorrow is new batch of jerky. 2.4kg of Yearling Roast Beef, cut much thicker than last time:









1/2 cup Soy
4 spoons Worcester
1 heaped spoon of dark brown sugar
1 heaped spoon of honey
1tsp Pimento (AllSpice)
1tsp Garlic & Onion powder
1/2tsp Pepper
Sprinkle of salt
(on left)

2 spoons Apple Cider Vinegar, Soy & Worcestershire
2tsp Garlic powder
1tsp Onion powder
1tsp Coriander seeds
1tsp Garam masala
1/2tsp Pepper
3x Jalapeno & 10 Birdseye chili (dried, home grown, crushed)
(on right)

Wholesale butcher also had some 'Texas Beef Ribs', while they have large bones, the price made up for it ($2.99/kg):





... if I get up early enough to light the smoker and get things done in time, I'll bring the jerky to the MB BBQ, but the ribs are mine.


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## Wolfy (15/12/12)




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## Wolfy (15/12/12)




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## mxd (15/12/12)

hey Wolfy 

your pulled pork how long did that take ?

And what butcher are you using ?

I'm doing some smoke sausages at the moment so I'll see how they go


thanks


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## Wolfy (16/12/12)

mxd said:


> your pulled pork how long did that take ?
> 
> And what butcher are you using ?


From what I understand a schedule of 3-2-1 is often used for pulled pork (3 hours in the smoker, 2 more hours in the smoker but wrapped in aluminum foil, rest for 1 hour in insulated cooler).
Tasman Meats is the local wholesale butcher, at Springvale there are at least 1/2 dozen all around the main shops (not far from the station) so I just take a pick when I go there.


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## mxd (17/12/12)

Wolfy said:


> From what I understand a schedule of 3-2-1 is often used for pulled pork (3 hours in the smoker, 2 more hours in the smoker but wrapped in aluminum foil, rest for 1 hour in insulated cooler).
> Tasman Meats is the local wholesale butcher, at Springvale there are at least 1/2 dozen all around the main shops (not far from the station) so I just take a pick when I go there.




thanks, I did the 3-2-1 for some ribs but I hear of people doing 12-20 hours for pulled pork, they have alarms in the room with them, it seems crazy to me.

I've got a tasman butcher at pinewood shopping centre, just around the corner from work, and things like ribs didn't seem that cheap. I got some from dandy market for $10kg just trying to find other spots.

I will head to springvale as I've been told the butchers leave a bit more meat on and are a bit cheaper.

cheers
Matt


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## punkin (18/12/12)

Buy a whole pork belly, remove the ribs for bbq and do the rest of the belly as Chinese Bbq pork, crispy roast fatty pork or any other pork belly recipe. Should work out around $6 a kilo.


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## Fourstar (18/12/12)

punkin said:


> Buy a whole pork belly, remove the ribs for bbq and do the rest of the belly as Chinese Bbq pork, crispy roast fatty pork or any other pork belly recipe. Should work out around $6 a kilo.



use the pork belly as nature intended it.. bacon! :icon_cheers: 

As for BBQ pork, thats Char siu which is usually made from pork neck.. Unless you mean the crispy roast pork belly, siew yoke?


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## Wolfy (20/12/12)

The last batch of Jerky got eaten the same day it was made (at MB's Christmas party, most people seemed to like it so that was good) but it did mean I had to make some more before Christmas - now there should be enough that _I_ don't eat it all.










This week the local wholesale butcher had 'Lamb Party Ribs' on special in the part of the fridge they seem to dedicate to various different ribs each time I visit.






I had no idea how to prepare lamb ribs, so I just went with what I usually do for lamb on the Webber. Garlic, Rosemary, a little salt and some grapeseed oil, usually I stab 'holes' in the lamb-roast and fill them with garlic and rosemary sprigs, but that would be difficult with the ribs, so I put the stuff in the spice-grinder and spread it all over.






Turned out rather well.


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## browndog (21/12/12)

Wolfy, you are killing me mate.


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## sponge (21/12/12)

Yea, you really have to stop with the food porn mate.

Just out of curiosity, how long do you cook your jerky for? I used to make it a few years ago but cut it into real small slices which was fairly laborious, but yours look much thicker which seems like a great idea. Plus I always enjoyed thicker jerky, except my mates weren't as big fans... Really need to get back into it again.


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## punkin (22/12/12)

Fourstar said:


> use the pork belly as nature intended it.. bacon! :icon_cheers:
> 
> As for BBQ pork, thats Char siu which is usually made from pork neck.. Unless you mean the crispy roast pork belly, siew yoke?



No i meant Chinese BBQ Pork (the one with Char Sui marinade). Pork belly works really well for that and you get the ribs as a bonus.

Bacon is another very good use for belly.


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## Wolfy (31/12/12)

sponge said:


> Just out of curiosity, how long do you cook your jerky for? I used to make it a few years ago but cut it into real small slices which was fairly laborious, but yours look much thicker which seems like a great idea.


Since I hot-smoke it in the UDS, it only takes 'a few hours', usually I check it every hour for the first hour or two, then as it starts to get done every 1/2 hour until its done how I want it - often re-arranging the bits if some are more done than others - sometimes taking bits out before others if they are done and others are not.


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## browndog (4/1/13)

I fired up the smoker and dehydrator for some jerky and ribs.




Sliced topside in a soy marinade



into the dehydrator for 12 hrs



ribs with a dry rub into the smoker for 3hrs.



charring them up with a BBQ sauce/honey mix on the grill.



the finished product



refreshements for the cook

cheers

Browndog


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## OLDS2006 (23/1/13)

How good is that ^ dehydrator.


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## browndog (23/1/13)

Yeah, when you are making jerky I don't think you can beat them as they are designed to dehydrate food not smoke it. Its a 10 shelf job that can hold about 3kg of wet meat.


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## New_guy (10/2/13)

Had to get on the bandwagon here is my spit roaster / smoker / grill


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## bluc (1/10/19)

I have started my drum smoker build but I need some pipe for inlets and outlets. My drum has a standard bung down bottom(stainless ex honey drum) i want that as inlet and a 2" exhaust up top. I see on america lots people by a pre threaded pipe and it screws straight in any ideas where to buy this have tried my local metal supplier but theirs is all rural galvanised fence stuff. Also looking for something to make charcoal basket does it have to be mesh or could it be a well ventilated steel pot or bucket?


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## sp0rk (1/10/19)

bluc said:


> I have started my drum smoker build but I need some pipe for inlets and outlets. My drum has a standard bung down bottom(stainless ex honey drum) i want that as inlet and a 2" exhaust up top. I see on america lots people by a pre threaded pipe and it screws straight in any ideas where to buy this have tried my local metal supplier but theirs is all rural galvanised fence stuff. Also looking for something to make charcoal basket does it have to be mesh or could it be a well ventilated steel pot or bucket?


You're not heating the inlet/outlet very much, so galv isn't a problem
I'm surprised they don't have that stuff in black steel, though


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