Drum Smokers / Cookers

SoCalTim

Business has been very good this year, so I decided 'the business' is gonna buy me a new pit. While I absolutely love my Egg, it's isn't easily transportable.

So, I decided i'd like a drum smoker.

Who's got one and what can you tell me about your experience(s) ..

Big_Green_Craig

I had a homemade version several years ago. It worked very well and I was surprised how well the thing kept temp. 

If you are looking to buy one pre-made, I would check out the Pit Barrel Cooker. This manufactured "UDS" has been doing very well on the competition circuit and won the Amazing Ribs 2015 Top Ten Best Value Backyard Smokers Award. 

Thatgrimguy

I have 3 now. I built them myself.  Standard UDS builds but with weber 22" lids. I have about an average of $125 in each one.  They take a solid weekend to build (you may have better tools and skills than I do.) If you want to build one, Look up the UDS thread at bbqbrethren site and look up cowgirls blog for her build. 


If you want to go on the other side of the budget. The Hunsaker and the Gateway drums are top notch smokers. Made out of rolled 1/4" steel and both have unique well made intake, exhaust and fire baskets.  

If you are just interested in the ultimate transportable grill/smoker then look at Johnson Customs Ultimate Tailgater.  Or just get a trailer smoker from Shirley Fabrication like I am!!

SoCalTim

Excellent! I didn't realize there were so many choices. Research time.

McStew

@SoCalTim You can pick mine up from my office in Commerce and have it as a gift 

Thatgrimguy

If you just want something that is inexpensive portable, already built and works great . You can't go wrong with a Weber Smokey mountain. Wsm are great. 

shucker

I have a pit barrel cooker.  I really enjoy cooking on it.   It's relatively inexpensive, very portable and pretty versatile.   It cooks the best chicken I've ever had.  The whole hanging meat method is different and a fun way to mix things up.   It produces really good food and it's basically a set it and forget it type cooker. If my "business" were buying me a cooker I'd look at a gateway.   I've cooked on one a couple of times and they are extremely nice but pricey for a drum smoker.   If you want to go DIY you can look at the kit big poppa smokers sells. I built a uds with one a couple years ago and it worked out well. 

Thatgrimguy

Not sure how I forgot the PBC  @shucker is right. That's a wonderful entry priced drum!

McStew

@SoCalTim this is an old picture but minus the handle this is what it looks like if you want it like I said you can have it for free 

SoCalTim

@McStew .. PM sent

clintmiller

I built one this summer, mainly just for the experience of building my own smoker. I used a 30-gallon drum with rebar for hanging meat. It's basically a Pit Barrel Cooker clone with better airflow control and the ability to shut it down after cooking to reuse charcoal.

I'd call it semi-portable. Late in the summer, I took it along on a minivan trip from Austin to Dallas to Atlanta to the Alabama beach and back to Austin. It made it through the trip, but I can't say it's the most portable thing in the world. Next summer, I'll probably take my Jumbo Joe on our car trip instead.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Thatgrimguy said:

I have 3 now. I built them myself.  Standard UDS builds but with weber 22" lids. I have about an average of $125 in each one.  They take a solid weekend to build (you may have better tools and skills than I do.) If you want to build one, Look up the UDS thread at bbqbrethren site and look up cowgirls blog for her build. 


If you want to go on the other side of the budget. The Hunsaker and the Gateway drums are top notch smokers. Made out of rolled 1/4" steel and both have unique well made intake, exhaust and fire baskets.  

If you are just interested in the ultimate transportable grill/smoker then look at Johnson Customs Ultimate Tailgater.  Or just get a trailer smoker from Shirley Fabrication like I am!!

That Johnson Tailgater is badass

xfire_ATX

I spent a year or so debating the UDS build, even found a Weber Grill someone was tossing out to use the grates and top.  In the end I started cooking on the Weber then picked up a used LBGE and put the drum on the back burner since I now have (4) cooking methods.

when I find the right 55 Gal Drum laying around I will probably still do it.

lousubcap

@shucker - PM sent.  Interested in more PBC info.

ryantt

Love my UDS, it's just as much fun to cook on as my egg. With a full load of charcoal I can go 18-20 hrs without a problem.  I've even cooked on it in the winter with temps below freezing.  Just wrapped it in a few water heater blankets. I know it was  kind of hick but it worked.  

SoCalTim

clintmiller  can you tell me how you mounted the rebar? Did you drill holes thru the drum?? Tim

McStew

@SoCalTim best way is to drill holes, if your not using it just cover the holes with magnets for cooks not utilizing the hanging racks.  

Thatgrimguy

I found a step bit to be the easiest. Get one just one size smaller than what you need and make a first hole, the swap to the next and make the precision cut. 

blasting

Love mine.  It's very satisfying to do a cook on something you designed and built yourself.   I spent dozens of hours reading threads and determining who knew what they were talking about.  The actual building of it would only take about 4 hours if I were to do it again.  I found it to be an enjoyable project.    

A few things:
-find a new barrel, rather than screwing around with trying to clean an old one.   You definitely want to spec it as uncoated.  The interior coating can be a bear to get out.  I got an uncoated, virgin drum from a local supplier for about $45.
-use stainless steel hardware - no zinc or galvanized
-I used 3 - 3/4 ball valves.  Next one I'd use magnets on two, and one ball valve
-I read a lot of pros about the weber lid retrofit.  The flat lids allow condensation to drip down on the food was the consensus.  I went weber lid.
-just buy a used weber kettle.  Besides the lid, you can re-purpose the cooking grid, and the charcoal grate.
-I have two grids spaced about 6" apart - they are bolted together and lift out as one.  Bolted 4" below the lower grid is a round piece of 1/8" steel - (deflector).   All three lift out as one.   I haven't seen this done anywhere, and I sure like it this way.  Happy to take a pic if anyone wants to see it.
-including paint, barrel, used kettle, valves, stainless hardware I'm still under 150$

SoCalTim

@blasting .. I absolutely would love to see a picture!

blasting

Sure thing Tim.  I'll take some pics tomorrow afternoon and post them here.

Pat20001

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

Thatgrimguy

Pat20001 said:

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

Car dealerships usually have drums that had brake cleaner in them. Which is just alcohol solvent and water. It burns out real easy with no liner. 

1WVU

Thatgrimguy said:

Pat20001 said:

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

Car dealerships usually have drums that had brake cleaner in them. Which is just alcohol solvent and water. It burns out real easy with no liner. 

Some brake cleaners have perchloroethylene, which is a nasty carcinogen, so be careful about that...

Carolina Q

Brakleen MSDS...

"When exposed to extreme heat or hot surfaces, vapors may decompose to harmful or fatal corrosive gases such as hydrogen chloride and possibly phosgene." 

http://www.crcindustries.com/faxdocs/msds/5089.pdf

McStew

Pat20001 said:

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

If you have a Grainger near by they have them or can order them for you.  

Thatgrimguy

1WVU said:

Thatgrimguy said:

Pat20001 said:

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

Car dealerships usually have drums that had brake cleaner in them. Which is just alcohol solvent and water. It burns out real easy with no liner. 

Some brake cleaners have perchloroethylene, which is a nasty carcinogen, so be careful about that...

I've checked the MSDS on what we use. It's just alchol and burns off at 300 degrees. My burn on my barrel hit 800+ according to my thermometer.

SoCalTim

Pat20001 said:

@SoCalTim I'm in Torrance any idea where I can find a drum?

I actually found quite a few on Craigslist ... somewhere in the $45 dollar range.

blasting

On a lot of the build threads, finding a suitable drum seems like a common challenge.  It seems the going price for a used drum is 20-50$.  I'd suggest before buying used,  anyone on the hunt should at least look if new ones are available.  I got lucky as I said earlier - phx has a major distributor and I got a virgin new one for under 50$

Fyi, the outside paint wont take the heat.  Some guys burn it off.  Others wire brush it.   I blasted mine.  Any automotive store or Hd sells high heat spray paint.

HeavyG

UDS's are neat in that you can build them yourself and customize their appearance however you want.

However, if you want something that can be broken down for easy transport it is hard to beat the Weber Smokey Mountain or the Napoleon Apollo bullet style smokers.

They are a lot easier to transport and clean than a 55 gallon barrel. BBQ competition champion Harry Soo uses WSM's to compete. Harry had an amazing opportunity to cook an actual Wagyu A-5 full brisket (about a $2500 hunk of beef) flown in from Japan a few years ago and he cooked it on his WSM using good ole Kingsford Blue Bag briquets. Harry has been playing around with a UDS recently but I believe he still is competing with the WSM.

A great resource for WSM users is http://tvwbb.com/ 

WSM's do have potential air leaking problems since they are not a solid barrel like a UDS but that is not an insurmountable problem

Me and a few buddies have built a few UDS's in the past decade but I still prefer my decade old WSM.

If you are always going to be able to transport a UDS in a truck or trailer then the ability to break the WSM into sections may not be so advantageous.

Were you looking to build or buy a UDS?

Dondgc

@Thatgrimguy - when does your new rig come in? Looking forward to pics...