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  • first time UDS

    not yet complete but i fired it up to season and play with heat
    55 gallon drum
    weber lid
    3- 1 1/8 holes for intake /with magnets

    fired it up last night went to 400 degrees fairly quickly at that point i placed magnets over two of the intakes. i was able to maintain 300 degrees by leaving magnets over two of the intakes i left the third one completly open. was real happy how easy it was to make changes with the magnets. one thing i noticed was i could make quick drastic changes with the intake adjustment. but when i would mess with the exhaust vent on the weber lid changes where not very noticable just 5-10 degrees with the temp creeping very slowly would have to wait 20 mins or so to notice the changes. even when i shut the exhaust completly it acted this way.some smoke does leak around the lid flange but not any worse than it did on the weber kettle. i noticed this same tendency when using the lid with the kettle also.
    Weber Summit Gold B4/ Holland Heritage/Spirit 310/ 22.5 Weber kettle/ UDS

  • #2
    Probably not a good idea to try and regulate temp with the exhaust. You won't like the way your food tastes.

    Regulate temps with the intakes and leave the exhaust vents open.

    Got any pics of your build?

    Dave
    CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
    UDS 1.0
    Afterburner
    Weber Performer
    Blue Thermapen
    Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
    Thermoworks Chef Alarm
    Auber Smoker Controller
    Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
    -
    "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

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    • #3
      Welcome to Smoked-Meat Jaz!

      YEah... typically you really just leave the exhaust wide open... and do your adjusting at the intake.

      Don't forget to read up on and consider a heat deflector/drip catcher for that thing so yer not burning too much fat... That will drop your temps a bit too...there's some fairly exhaustive data and info on this in the UDS forum...

      Again...welcome and enjoy!
      In God I trust- All others pay cash...
      Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
      Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

      Comment


      • #4
        yes i realize to not regulate with exhaust i was just wondering if my lid leaked to much since when i shut exhaust complety it did not effect temp hardly any. i noticed ddave has two exhaust valves on his lid, is this something i should consider?
        Weber Summit Gold B4/ Holland Heritage/Spirit 310/ 22.5 Weber kettle/ UDS

        Comment


        • #5
          two exhaust vents is kind of nice because when you want to bring temp up hot it will help the air flow through the intakes. i have only one on mine and when i want to crank up temps at the end of a smoke to finish off it is sometimes difficult to get it there.
          sigpic
          Brown Trout Wickiup Reservoir, beautiful Central Oregon

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          • #6
            nothing to fancy
            still have to mount the grate and temp gauges
            i would like to build a good firebox also
            Attached Files
            Weber Summit Gold B4/ Holland Heritage/Spirit 310/ 22.5 Weber kettle/ UDS

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by jazdill View Post
              nothing to fancy
              still have to mount the grate and temp gauges
              i would like to build a good firebox also
              Looks like a UDS.

              By firebox, do you mean charcoal basket?

              Originally posted by jazdill View Post
              i noticed ddave has two exhaust valves on his lid, is this something i should consider?
              If you read through my UDS threads, you will see that I tinker a lot. And theorize a lot. And change my mind a lot. Sometimes I go back and forth a lot and confuse myself.

              Having said that, I added the second vents because I was trying to increase airflow to solve a problem of bitter taste on my meat. I think it worked as after adding the second vent, I have not noticed the problem. I am also using RO lump a lot more instead of Kingsford comp for the long cooks which could have had something to do with it as well.

              Others seem to be happy with just one vent. So I would say, if you think you need more airflow or would like it, then add a second vent. If you are happy with the way your UDS cooks with a single vent, I wouldn't worry about adding a second vent.

              Dave
              CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
              UDS 1.0
              Afterburner
              Weber Performer
              Blue Thermapen
              Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
              Thermoworks Chef Alarm
              Auber Smoker Controller
              Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
              -
              "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

              Comment


              • #8
                i will build my basket using the fire grate from the weber kettle i believe it is either 17" or 17 1/2". having trouble finding the expandable in my arear though. i will build basket as wide as possible. how tall do yall recommend? also i seen where you all are using a diffuser on top of the basket.

                how high from the top of the drum should i mount my rack since i am using a weber dome. i was thinking of mounting a secound rack the same distance my weber kettle is from the fire grate to the cooking rack so i could also do some grilling on my UDS.

                i have not bought or researced anything about thermos. what is best way to go electronic or dial. i have next to nothing in my UDS sofar i dont mind spending some on a good thermo. where is best place to mount. i already have small weber one mounted in the top of the dome.
                Weber Summit Gold B4/ Holland Heritage/Spirit 310/ 22.5 Weber kettle/ UDS

                Comment


                • #9
                  You get after Man!...That'll get ya some good eats!
                  Sunset Eagle Aviation
                  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunse...888015?fref=ts <... We sure could use some likes!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Here is a link to a thread on how to build a "no weld" charcoal basket.

                    http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12848

                    A lot of folks make them 8" tall but that's a matter of personal preference.

                    As far as racks go, what a lot of folks do is mount the bottom cook grate 24" from the BOTTOM of the charcoal basket. Most charcoal baskets have 3" legs. That puts the first cook grate 27" from the bottom of the drum. For the top cook grate put it as high up in the drum as you can without messing up the fit of the lid.

                    I also have a set of bolts below the bottom cook rack that I can set some expando on then I put the charcoal basket on that and use it for grilling. The distance is a bit more than the distance between the charcoal and cook grate of a Weber but it is pretty close.

                    As far as thermos go, I have one of these
                    http://www.teltru.com/p-338-barbecue...inch-stem.aspx

                    It has a short stem so you have to realize that the temp in the center of the drum is hotter than what the dial shows (with out a deflector).

                    I also use a 12" deep fry thermo on occasion. Here is a thread I did on a mod for that.

                    http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3732

                    It's good to have a digital probe as well such as a Maverick ET-732

                    Lots of different ways to go.

                    Dave
                    CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
                    UDS 1.0
                    Afterburner
                    Weber Performer
                    Blue Thermapen
                    Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
                    Thermoworks Chef Alarm
                    Auber Smoker Controller
                    Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
                    -
                    "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      DEFLECTOR. Ahem.
                      In God I trust- All others pay cash...
                      Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
                      Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Richtee View Post
                        DEFLECTOR. Ahem.
                        Easy Rich.

                        One step at a time.

                        Dave
                        CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
                        UDS 1.0
                        Afterburner
                        Weber Performer
                        Blue Thermapen
                        Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
                        Thermoworks Chef Alarm
                        Auber Smoker Controller
                        Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
                        -
                        "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          is there a heat diffusher i can buy that yall recommend?
                          Weber Summit Gold B4/ Holland Heritage/Spirit 310/ 22.5 Weber kettle/ UDS

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Here's the one I had made from a forum member.

                            I dont think he has them in production. So what I recommend is to get yourself a 20" pizza pan, find a plasma cutter, and make something similar. This is what I did w/ my 18.5" UDS and my soon-to-be-done 14.5" UDS

                            You can also wrap a regular grate w/ some foil and it'll do the exact same thing. The deflector I purchased was made w/ the purpose of even across-the-grate temps, as well as controlling some drippings.

                            Best of luck

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by ThunderDome View Post
                              You can also wrap a regular grate w/ some foil and it'll do the exact same thing. The deflector I purchased was made w/ the purpose of even across-the-grate temps, as well as controlling some drippings.
                              Just don't use too big a grate or you will really knock down the burn times.

                              Deflectors do make the UDS much more stable as well by minimizing lid lift heat spikes.

                              The one ThunderDome linked to is AWESOME! I bought 2 of them.

                              Dave
                              CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
                              UDS 1.0
                              Afterburner
                              Weber Performer
                              Blue Thermapen
                              Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
                              Thermoworks Chef Alarm
                              Auber Smoker Controller
                              Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
                              -
                              "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

                              Comment

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