I've been wanting a smoker for a while. Kinda' hard justifying the cost since I don't grill that often. So, I did some research and found a cheap and easy way to make my own smoker called a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker). Basically it is a 55 gallon drum with some added hardware to make it a smoker. You can build your own for around a $100-150. Here's how I did it:
I bought a "food grade" barrel locally from a container business. It was $25 with the removable lid.
The inside of the barrel had a thin varnish type finish, so this needs to be burned out so you don't have nasty/toxic fumes entering your food. I drilled three 1" holes near the bottom for air inlets (vents). One will have a ball valve to "fine tune" the temp. Others will have a bung that I can put a cap on.
So, I got a couple old oak palets from my brother-in-law and took them apart. Put them in the barrel and started a fire to burn out all the varnish inside. Also, it burns off the paint on the exterior to prep for high temp paint.
This is after the burn. I then took a wire brush on my side grinder to strip the remaining paint on the exterior. I cleaned the inside with a pressure washer, then removed any remaining crud with the wire brush.
This is the lid after burning and cleaning. I drilled four 1" holes for smoke exhaust.
Ready for high temp paint.
This is the fire basket I built using expanded metal and a Weber grill fire grate, all from Home Depot. I welded it all together and put 2" legs on the bottom. I then welded a pan to the bottom of that to catch the ashes. The pan was not welded onto the bottom in this picture. This will allow me enough charcoal for a 16+ hour smoke if necessary.
Made some handles with L-brackets and 1 1/4" dowel I had lying around.
I mounted casters on the bottom to make it easier to move around.
This is the (almost) "completed" smoker. The ball valve is to control air inlet to control smoker temperature.
This is the inside. It has two racks. I can smoke a LOT of meat in this at one time. I used stainless hardware to mount the racks (grates). No zinc or galvanized parts inside smoker.
Here it is getting ready for the first smoke. The metal plate with the holes is being used as a diffuser to help "spread" the heat more evenly. I use a Maverick 732 remote temp sensor to monitor the meat and smoker temp from inside the house. It has a temp gauge for "quick glance" temp reference. It's a little out of sync with the digital, I need to get one I can calibrate.
Here's the first smoke. A Boston Butt. Mmmmmm, just about ready. Note the temp probe inserted in the middle for the remote temp monitor. I used apple and hickory wood chunks for the smoke flavoring. I used an off-the-shelf rub. I believe I will make my own next time. The rub I used was a little salty for my taste.
My first completed smoke. Nice bark and color. I pulled when it reached an internal temp of 198. It really could have went a little longer. It was tender and juicy but was not as tender is some areas. I think I should have left it a little longer.
Pulled pork, Yummm! Nice smoke ring. Had some family over and they destroyed it!
Gonna do ribs this weekend!
I bought a "food grade" barrel locally from a container business. It was $25 with the removable lid.
The inside of the barrel had a thin varnish type finish, so this needs to be burned out so you don't have nasty/toxic fumes entering your food. I drilled three 1" holes near the bottom for air inlets (vents). One will have a ball valve to "fine tune" the temp. Others will have a bung that I can put a cap on.
So, I got a couple old oak palets from my brother-in-law and took them apart. Put them in the barrel and started a fire to burn out all the varnish inside. Also, it burns off the paint on the exterior to prep for high temp paint.
This is after the burn. I then took a wire brush on my side grinder to strip the remaining paint on the exterior. I cleaned the inside with a pressure washer, then removed any remaining crud with the wire brush.
This is the lid after burning and cleaning. I drilled four 1" holes for smoke exhaust.
Ready for high temp paint.
This is the fire basket I built using expanded metal and a Weber grill fire grate, all from Home Depot. I welded it all together and put 2" legs on the bottom. I then welded a pan to the bottom of that to catch the ashes. The pan was not welded onto the bottom in this picture. This will allow me enough charcoal for a 16+ hour smoke if necessary.
Made some handles with L-brackets and 1 1/4" dowel I had lying around.
I mounted casters on the bottom to make it easier to move around.
This is the (almost) "completed" smoker. The ball valve is to control air inlet to control smoker temperature.
This is the inside. It has two racks. I can smoke a LOT of meat in this at one time. I used stainless hardware to mount the racks (grates). No zinc or galvanized parts inside smoker.
Here it is getting ready for the first smoke. The metal plate with the holes is being used as a diffuser to help "spread" the heat more evenly. I use a Maverick 732 remote temp sensor to monitor the meat and smoker temp from inside the house. It has a temp gauge for "quick glance" temp reference. It's a little out of sync with the digital, I need to get one I can calibrate.
Here's the first smoke. A Boston Butt. Mmmmmm, just about ready. Note the temp probe inserted in the middle for the remote temp monitor. I used apple and hickory wood chunks for the smoke flavoring. I used an off-the-shelf rub. I believe I will make my own next time. The rub I used was a little salty for my taste.
My first completed smoke. Nice bark and color. I pulled when it reached an internal temp of 198. It really could have went a little longer. It was tender and juicy but was not as tender is some areas. I think I should have left it a little longer.
Pulled pork, Yummm! Nice smoke ring. Had some family over and they destroyed it!
Gonna do ribs this weekend!
