My UDS'S build

[stomper]

I joined up last year but haven't had much time to spend here. I got the UDS bug last year and built a simple basic uds with a single rack and have loved cooking on it ever since. I have always loved the taste of food cooked over coals. I can remember my father cooking over a habatchi when i was young. I quickly found that I needed more rack space and decided to build another one, but i wanted it to do more than just smoke with it. I bought a cheap walmart bbq for the lid and proceeded to look for a drum that the lid would fit perfect. It took some doing but I found one. This new smoker will have the capability to use as a grill and a cold smoker as well as the typical UDS use. The charcoal basket on my first one was 14" in diameter and 10" tall. This one will be 18" in diameter and 6" tall. Both have similar capacity. I have done a 12 hour cook and had coal left, so it will be fine. There will be an attached ash pan for easy clean up. The drum will have two rack one at 7" from the top and the other 1" from the top. The lower rack will rest on stainless U bolts and the upper will have stainless 1/4" bolts. there will be 3 hooks attached to the side of the charcoal basket that will rest in the U bolts of the lower rack (rack removed)so the basket hangs just below the upper grill when it is in the grilling mode. A simple lift and twist of the basket and it can be lowered for smoking. I have welded a 1/2" pipe nipple near the bottom of the drum for the attachment of a venturi cold smoker for smoking cheese and such. I don't really care for the ball valve look so i came up with a different intake that I think will work great. It has three 1.25" holes and I am hoping it will give me enough heat to cook pizza. The vent in the lid may not let me reach the 500-600* that I a hoping for but I'm hoping that by lifting the lid a bit will help with the needed air flow to reach these temps. A friend and me have a few builds going as you will see in some of the pictures. He is building one for himself and a friend of his. I have built a basic one for my friend and I have also built myself a mini. Here whats happened so far.
The drums and parts




My intake








The modified lid hinge








The mini with 2 racks





My buddy's finished UDS







The mini and my first one in action

[Pappa Roach1]

Looking Good.
The Weber Knock Off Grill you are using is I believe the (22 Inch Backyard Grill). Wal Mart On Line is showing it Out OF Stock. Figures
For Under $50 you got the Hinged Dome Lid, 1 Cooking Grate, and the Charcoal Grate for the CharCoal Basket. That is not bad for the parts you get. The Weber Replacement Grates are over $31.00 for the pair. You do not have much in the NEW Hinged Dome Lid this way.

The Sliding Air Vent should work OK. The Big Pappa UDS Kits are set up that way, and seem to be pretty popular on other sites.

https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/grills- ... aQod6YgAtg

The Big Pappa Kit looks pretty good to me. From your design using both the sliding Air Control, and the U Bolts for raising the basket, I am pretty sure you have looked at the Big Pappa Smokers.

I picked up my Air Control parts at Lowes yesterday.
3/4" X 30" Black Iron Pipe: $9.55
3/4" Elbo: $2.07
3/4" Close Nipple: $1.31
3/4" Conduit Lock Nuts: $0.50
3/4" Ball Valve: $11.41
Stanley SS U Bolt: $2.54
1/4" X 20 SS Nuts X 4: $1.00 Guess
TAX: $2.08
That puts you at $30.46 EACH X 2 Each = $60.92 For the Adjustable Air Controls

Then the 2 Capped Air Intakes.
3/4" 1-1/2" Nipple: $1.31
3/4" Cap: $1.74
3/4 Conduit Lock Nuts: $0.50
Tax: $0.26
Total: $3.81 Ea X 2 = $7.62

That is a Total of $68.54 just for the Air Control Parts with 2 plugs still to add for the Ball Valves when not in use. When you do the math the sliding Air Control system you are using starts to look better even if it is unhandier to use.

Keep us posted.

Bob

[SmokinFF]

Check out Menards for your grates. Think I paid around $8 each last time.

[El Gato]

nice

[stomper]

Thanks guys. Thats the exact grill I bought. The barrels that I found had coconut oil in them and the top of them are necked down a bit which makes the lid fit perfect, as if it was made for it. I bought the grills from amazon.ca, they are weber replacements
http://www.amazon.ca/Webber-7436-Replac ... king+Grate

The intake works great and I can just tap in gently with my foot to open or close it. I think it will work out great.
I will keep you posted

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

[Big T]

[Rodcrafter]

Very nice

[Pappa Roach1]

SmokinFF
Good tip on the Menards Grills. That is a very good price.
I picked up mine at Lowes with some other parts.
The Weber Replacement 22.5 Inch Cooking Grate was $19.99 X 2 Each.
The Weber 18 Inch Charcoal Grate was $10.99

I was Very Impressed with the quality of the Weber replacement parts. Very heavy made, and looked of high quality construction. George Stephen came up with the basic Kettle Grill design in 1952, and redesigned it into pretty much what it is today in 1956. No wonder the Original Kettel Grill has been around for 60 years. They are still made well, as evident by replacement parts being commonly available, as well as all the Dome Lids still in Great Shape being recycled into UDS Lids. I also learned that Weber Grills are still made in the USA in Illinois. As long as they stay made in the USA I will be buying Webber Grills from now on for my back yard grilling.

Bob