Smoker

[WalleyeDrifter]

Does anyone have any experience using a smoker made from a 55 gallon drum? I saw some plans for one and it looked fairly easy to put together. It looked like something that would be nice to have at the cabin when there are alot of guests around. THe one down side I noted was that you cannot add more fuel once you start the process. It looked like a maximum of a 6 hour burn time when fully loaded. Thanks.

[Walleyehooker]

Not a smoker but I made a BBQ out of a 265 gallon fuel oil barrel a long time ago with a rotisserie on it to do pigs etc. Lots of guys use these or at least used to.

I guess I would have to see the plans but you can fabricate slide in trays to add fuel which im guessing is charcoal?

[OnAFly]

Look for Ugly Drum Smoker or UDS. There's a ton of info on the web about these. I'm sure with the right tools, you could make about any features you'd want for on of those, including a little door to put more fuel in

BTW, guys that make them, swear by them.

[Farley]

Yeah there is no reason you couldnt put a door in the bottom to add more wood or whatever.

[MNmikew]

With the right fire basket, you can easily get 10-12 hours on a cook with a UDS.

[WalleyeDrifter]

MNmikew................is the longer burn time a factor of the size of the fire basket or are there design concerns?

[Big Dave2]

MNmikew................is the longer burn time a factor of the size of the fire basket or are there design concerns?

Both!

Don't put a door in a UDS! No need for one. If you build the fire basket big enough there is no reason you can't get 12+ hours out of it.

The secret of the UDS is how air tight it is, if you put a door on it you may compromise that feature.

Do a google search for UDS smokers and you should find all the info you need. If you want even more info look up bbq brethern and search for the mother of all UDS discussions.

[thirdeye]

I have two of them. They have the best flavor of any smoker I have ever had. And I can get 10 or 12 hour burn times in the 250 degree range.