The issue that I, along with hundreds of other enthusiasts, have is the constant battle to keep a cheap offset smoker temperature high enough and constant enough for a consistently good result.
So after some research, and several hours of YouTube videos later. I took the plunge.
Hopefully this post will help others build a UDS or Ugly Drum Smoker.
The first thing I needed was a drum. I wanted one with a removable lid (to avoid lots of angle grinding and metal bending)
I picked a drum for £12 from Facebook marketplace locally.
First thing to do was clean and strip the drum (Paint, liner or any contamination).
Only one way to do that. Light a big fire in the drum!
It's a good idea to drill the air inlet holes first so the fire burns nice and hot. You'll see the paint stripping off as the fire burns.
Once cooled and jet washed it's onto the build.
Some drums come with a resin liner (you can see the red in this picture). So prepare for some hard work. A sander will help or if you have one, a grinder with sanding attachment.
All paint and liner must go, hard work but worth it so there are no nasty toxic fumes.
Once the drum is clean then it's time to build. There are loads of designs to choose from, but the basic elements are:
1) Air intakes that can be 'closed off'
2) A basket or bucket to hold the fuel (coals or wood)
3) A vent on the lid
4) A grate or grill for the meat to sit on.
First I concentrated on the lid.
An incredible bit of kit for drilling neat holes in metal.
My plan was to have 4 elbows to act as mini chimney vents, each with a cap to close off and control the airflow.
The handle was an old kitchen door handle with a scrap spring I found in the shed.
If the holes are drilled carefully enough, the elbow joints simply screw straight into the holes. No nuts or washers required.
The air inlet holes were already drilled for the burn out. I found instructions on a forum that suggested the grill should be 26 inches from the base of the drum.
To hold the grill I found that 3 equally spaced bolts provided easier access (to remove and replace the grill), than working with 4 bolts. It's down to personal choice.
I measured and drilled the holes, making sure the bolts are secured with nuts washers on the inside to prevent smoke/heat escaping or rain getting in.
Once I had bolts fitted, a test of the grate.
This grate was designed to fit a 57cm kettle (weber master touch or similar) It was a perfect fit.
So far things looking good. Now onto the paint.
I ordered 3 cans of Stove Paint. Designed to stand up in excess of 600⁰F. As smokers only really require a steady 250⁰ I thought this would do the trick.
After 2 cans of paint the drum was covered. Not a perfect finish, but these things aren't meant to be pretty (which is why they are called Ugly I suppose).
At this point the drum is basically ready for accessories. At the very basic level the holes (airflow) can be controlled using magnetic covers. Some people use fridge magnets or magnetic hooks.
I decided I wanted a more solid valve based design I had seen on a YouTube video.
To build and fit the inlet pipes (to control the airflow to the 'Fire') would need the parts in the photo. I already had some spare 22mm copper pipe.
I sprayed the pipe and some of the fittings red using car paint, then simply assembled the vents.
Carefully screwing in the elbows into the inlet holes at the base of the drum, then adding two lengths of copper pipe, adding the ball valves at the other end and tightening it all up.
The vents are held in place with the U bolts, and positioned 3 inches below the grill rack (which double up as an additional position for the grill to sit closer to the heat if I wanted a hotter temperature cook)
Finally adding some accessories like the bottle opener and a temperature dial (drilling small holes and using small bolts reduces the risk of air or water ingress).
Judging by some of the amazing creations online you can really go to town on accessories and decoration.
I'm sure I'll be tinkering and customising as I get used to this new kit.
Next up, building a coal basket & seasoning for first use...
I'll put that on a seperate post.
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