- Mar 6, 2018
- 1
- 0
Firstly, Id like to introduce myself before I start asking questions.
My name is Mike and I am an Active Duty Soldier, currently stationed at Ft. Carson Colorado. I have about 10 years in, and still going strong. Being in the military, I am not afforded the opportunity to have many hobbies as work takes up the majority of my time, to include a good portion of my personal time. I got in to smoking meat a few years ago; started with a little Brinkman drum smoker, moved to an electric Masterbuilt, and finally an Oklahoma Joe Highland offset smoker. All three have their pros and cons, but I still enjoy the process and ultimately the end result. I have found, as I'm sure many of you would agree, that its hard to beat a stick burner, which I am most partial to. I have been wanting to start a project for some time and am really liking what a lot of you guys are doing with these UDS smokers. I like how you can personalize them and make them your own.
I haven't yet started my build, but am still in the process of doing some research, so any and all advise or suggestions are most welcome. I found a company in Denver that sells reconditioned drums and will be picking mine up on Saturday for about 40 bucks. Its a food grade, 55 gallon drum with a removable lid. The man at the company suggested I use a drum that he has, that is a bit thicker metal, and has a sort of a gel coating on the inside as opposed to an enamel paint. Its only a few bucks more (including delivery to my local area) but just like a decent offset smoker, as opposed to a cheaper one, I am thinking that getting a drum that is a bit thicker metal will only help with retaining heat. He suggested the one with the gel coating because it will be easier to burn off once I do my first burn.
Enough about the drum itself, my question is more about the air intakes. I notice most UDS smokers have two air intakes on either side of the drum, and some have a small nozzle on the back side. Is the nozzle something that you add yourself, or is it a drainage plug that comes on some drums? If its something you add yourself, what is the purpose? I've seen a few videos on youtube where guys will have a cap over the nozzle and will often remove it or screw the cap on for air flow. Why not just add a third air flow pipe as opposed to the small nozzle? (that is if you add the nozzle yourself). Additionally, what would be the downside of adding a third intake?
Lastly, I have seen a number of people add a lower rack above the charcoal basket where they use a pizza pan as a heat deflector. I am somewhat knowledgeable as to the purpose of a heat deflector, but not entirely sure of exactly its use. Would it be more for briskets or shoulders? Would you recommend adding one and using it as necessary?
I apologize for the lengthy post; I am very happy to have found this forum as many of you have lots of knowledge to pass along to a beginner builder. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and any advise you may have.
- Mike
My name is Mike and I am an Active Duty Soldier, currently stationed at Ft. Carson Colorado. I have about 10 years in, and still going strong. Being in the military, I am not afforded the opportunity to have many hobbies as work takes up the majority of my time, to include a good portion of my personal time. I got in to smoking meat a few years ago; started with a little Brinkman drum smoker, moved to an electric Masterbuilt, and finally an Oklahoma Joe Highland offset smoker. All three have their pros and cons, but I still enjoy the process and ultimately the end result. I have found, as I'm sure many of you would agree, that its hard to beat a stick burner, which I am most partial to. I have been wanting to start a project for some time and am really liking what a lot of you guys are doing with these UDS smokers. I like how you can personalize them and make them your own.
I haven't yet started my build, but am still in the process of doing some research, so any and all advise or suggestions are most welcome. I found a company in Denver that sells reconditioned drums and will be picking mine up on Saturday for about 40 bucks. Its a food grade, 55 gallon drum with a removable lid. The man at the company suggested I use a drum that he has, that is a bit thicker metal, and has a sort of a gel coating on the inside as opposed to an enamel paint. Its only a few bucks more (including delivery to my local area) but just like a decent offset smoker, as opposed to a cheaper one, I am thinking that getting a drum that is a bit thicker metal will only help with retaining heat. He suggested the one with the gel coating because it will be easier to burn off once I do my first burn.
Enough about the drum itself, my question is more about the air intakes. I notice most UDS smokers have two air intakes on either side of the drum, and some have a small nozzle on the back side. Is the nozzle something that you add yourself, or is it a drainage plug that comes on some drums? If its something you add yourself, what is the purpose? I've seen a few videos on youtube where guys will have a cap over the nozzle and will often remove it or screw the cap on for air flow. Why not just add a third air flow pipe as opposed to the small nozzle? (that is if you add the nozzle yourself). Additionally, what would be the downside of adding a third intake?
Lastly, I have seen a number of people add a lower rack above the charcoal basket where they use a pizza pan as a heat deflector. I am somewhat knowledgeable as to the purpose of a heat deflector, but not entirely sure of exactly its use. Would it be more for briskets or shoulders? Would you recommend adding one and using it as necessary?
I apologize for the lengthy post; I am very happy to have found this forum as many of you have lots of knowledge to pass along to a beginner builder. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and any advise you may have.
- Mike
