First UDS (mini) build

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I don't have new pics but I did 4 more light coats last night and will do the bottom again tonight, let it set for 24 hours and hopefully get it seasoned Thursday and maybe a cook too. 

So this high heat flat is pretty flat, does anyone know if I can put a coat or 2 of the high heat semi gloss on for a bit of a sheen?  

OR

Can I rub veggie oil on the outside to sheen and protect or would that be a bad idea?
 
 
I don't have new pics but I did 4 more light coats last night and will do the bottom again tonight, let it set for 24 hours and hopefully get it seasoned Thursday and maybe a cook too. 

So this high heat flat is pretty flat, does anyone know if I can put a coat or 2 of the high heat semi gloss on for a bit of a sheen?  

OR

Can I rub veggie oil on the outside to sheen and protect or would that be a bad idea?
I think they make high temp clear for headers. Unless you want a dirt attracting sticky mess you don't want to oil the outside of your drum. You might have all the dogs in the neighborhood and other critters coming around to get a lick in. 
 
 
I think they make high temp clear for headers. Unless you want a dirt attracting sticky mess you don't want to oil the outside of your drum. You might have all the dogs in the neighborhood and other critters coming around to get a lick in. 
Bah! I hadn't thought of that - we have coons around us and I can imagine them licking it on an all night smoke although maybe it would scare them off with a burned tongue though ;)
 
Well I got it all painted and had to wait for weather to clear but did a seasoning and smoke. I'll post pics soon when on a PC.

I used Kingsford briquettes with Apple and hickory wood. I seasoned for about an hour at 250-300 and then threw some ribs on. They tasted good but had a bit of a creosote flavor. Did I not season enough? I ask because I put some ribs on the mini wsm and they tasted amazing. Why the big difference?
 
I seasoned mine for 3 hours at 250-300 on 3 separate occasions. It might have been overkill put I wanted to ensure that any residue had been burned off and that there was a good build up inside the smoker. I have used it twice now and everything was great.
 
Well I got it all painted and had to wait for weather to clear but did a seasoning and smoke. I'll post pics soon when on a PC.

I used Kingsford briquettes with Apple and hickory wood. I seasoned for about an hour at 250-300 and then threw some ribs on. They tasted good but had a bit of a creosote flavor. Did I not season enough? I ask because I put some ribs on the mini wsm and they tasted amazing. Why the big difference?
A creosote flavor would be caused by too much of the wrong kind of smoke. Or green wood could cause this. I would have seasoned it at a higher temp for a couple of hours without any wood. Was your top vent all the way open. How about a picture of the UDS now so we can see what is going on.
 
I find that it takes a while to get mine up and running with thin blue smoke. Like an hour. You probably are ok with the seasoning you did anyhow but next time you run it you might want to oil it again and bake that stuff on really good before you start smoking anything. I can't see how the seasoning caused this. It has to be the exaust vent or lack of.
 
Okay, here are some pics.

This is it all done and ready.


Just lighting them both.


I used Jeff's rub, 1/2 Tbs less pepper and no cayenne for the wife.


Look close, I think that is TBS coming out of the UDS.


I foiled the rack that was in the mini WSM after 2 hours.


This is after 5 hours. I did foil and no sauce. these turned out great, no creosote flavor.


This was on the UDS, Overall it smoked more than the mini, the basket was bigger and more wood but I am also thinking the fat dripping through the holes didn't help. These had a bit of creosote flavor and I don't know what all the yellow stuff is. Fat juice?


This was from the mini. I love both minus the creosote and the wife really like them too. I suck at cutting though, the meat was nice and tender, not mushy though. I think I like foiled better and Jeff's rub didn't need to be sauced for me but it was good with sauce too.

 
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Great looking build! I had a UDS and a mini wsm but like you wanted something bigger than the mini and smaller then the drum so i built mine out of a jumbo joe. I call it a Jimmy ...nice having a medium size smoker / grill.
 
Great looking build! I had a UDS and a mini wsm but like you wanted something bigger than the mini and smaller then the drum so i built mine out of a jumbo joe. I call it a Jimmy ...nice having a medium size smoker / grill.
Thanks! That was my thought, I don't need a massive UDS quite yet. Your build it what got me thinking about doing a middle sized one.
 
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Nice job on both.   
points1.png


Gary
 
I use a filet knife to cut through competition texture spares. It is flexible, and moves around the bones and cuts through the cartilage. Baby backs have shorter and straighter bones, so a sharp chef's knife works great. You can rock chop in one quick motion. A sharp and honed knife is key. They look great by the way!
 
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