Captain, Oh my Captain!

[Checkered Past]

Very nice tribute to a fallen brother Kelly....

[SmokinLee]

Awesome cook Kelly...)

[sweet_magnolia]

Fantastic tribute and smoke, Kelly! When did you get a drum? I love it!

[Bbqgoddess]

Fantastic tribute and smoke, Kelly! When did you get a drum? I love it!

Becky it finally came on Friday, it matches our thermo's!

[hog warden]

Kelly......loved the tribute and sentiment.

On your new pink drum, I have the same charcoal basket. I know they say to light it from the bottom and let it burn up, but when I tried it, I got a lot of white smoke initially and it seemed to me like it lit the whole basket before it stopped smoking. My charcoal load lasted about 5 or 6 hours, about half of normal for my old UDS basket. The guys who I saw using them didn't seem to mind as they were running them hot and fast.......smoking at temps around 275 to 300. They finished in 3 to 4 hours vs. what may take 2X to 3X that going low and slow.

I'm going to try the next one burning top down. I get 12 to 15 hours plus with it that way. Not sure which way is best, but will be fun to find out!

[Bbqgoddess]

Kelly......loved the tribute and sentiment.

On your new pink drum, I have the same charcoal basket. I know they say to light it from the bottom and let it burn up, but when I tried it, I got a lot of white smoke initially and it seemed to me like it lit the whole basket before it stopped smoking. My charcoal load lasted about 5 or 6 hours, about half of normal for my old UDS basket. The guys who I saw using them didn't seem to mind as they were running them hot and fast.......smoking at temps around 275 to 300. They finished in 3 to 4 hours vs. what may take 2X to 3X that going low and slow.

I'm going to try the next one burning top down. I get 12 to 15 hours plus with it that way. Not sure which way is best, but will be fun to find out!

Thank you.

I thought the lighting from the bottom was odd because everyone I know lights from the top down? I love the vortex deflector it seems to keep the temps real even in the drum. Now I am curious to try to light the drum top down. Ok that is on the next to do list!

[sweet_magnolia]

Becky it finally came on Friday, it matches our thermo's!

[DDave]

I thought the lighting from the bottom was odd because everyone I know lights from the top down?

I thought that was kind of odd as well. But then I see the basket on their site has solid sides . . . most others the sides are expanded metal. I wonder if there is an airflow issue going top down with solid sides?

You'll have to let us know how the top down method works. Works great with an expanded metal basket.

Dave

[Bbqgoddess]

I thought that was kind of odd as well. But then I see the basket on their site has solid sides . . . most others the sides are expanded metal. I wonder if there is an airflow issue going top down with solid sides?

You'll have to let us know how the top down method works. Works great with an expanded metal basket.

Dave

Hummmmmm.... I had not thought about that Dave, but perhaps? Ok now I gotta smoke something today!

[DDave]

Hummmmmm.... I had not thought about that Dave, but perhaps? Ok now I gotta smoke something today!

Where is the air intake on your smoker? From what I have read it sounds like it is in the bottom of the drum?

Dave

[Bbqgoddess]

Where is the air intake on your smoker? From what I have read it sounds like it is in the bottom of the drum?

Dave

Exactly, it is smack in the middle of the bottom! and the basket is solid. I love the vortex thing - it seems to keep the heat even in the drum and works as a deflector at the same time. I did a chicken Monday - I used RO lump maybe half full in the basket with a couple of chunks of apricot. I ran it at 250* for 2 hours then kicked it up to 325* for probably 30/45 minutes, then I closed it all up. Chicken was awesome and so was the skin - and the next day I checked the basket and I have 1/4 basket left. I am just blown away by the efficiency of the drum!

[DDave]

Exactly, it is smack in the middle of the bottom! and the basket is solid. I love the vortex thing - it seems to keep the heat even in the drum and works as a deflector at the same time. I did a chicken Monday - I used RO lump maybe half full in the basket with a couple of chunks of apricot. I ran it at 250* for 2 hours then kicked it up to 325* for probably 30/45 minutes, then I closed it all up. Chicken was awesome and so was the skin - and the next day I checked the basket and I have 1/4 basket left. I am just blown away by the efficiency of the drum!

Sounds like it works well.

The only reason I can think of for them to recommend lighting at the bottom is the solid sides and single air intake at the bottom. But realistically I don't think it matters. It's not like you can have oxygen at the bottom of the basket and none at the top. As long as there is fire in there and heat is rising and going out of the exhaust, it has to pull air in from somewhere.

If you're in the mood for an experiment, try a top down burn with a fairly full, somewhat packed basket of lump to see if you have any troubles holding temp.

Dave

[Bbqgoddess]

I am gonna put a Tri tip on her tonight!!!! I will try to light it from the top down this time, Dave how do you light yours from the top?

[DDave]

Dave how do you light yours from the top?

I light about 10 or 12 briquettes in a chimney then after they get going I pour them on top of the lump in the basket. I kind of group them pretty much in the center.

Dave

[hog warden]

Kelly:

I assume your drum came with some instructions, but if not, what they told me about lighting from the bottom up was to load the basket about 3/4 full of lump charcoal, plus a chunk or two of whatever smoking wood you might want to use. They pull the tray out from the bottom, then put one or two of the Weber starter blocks under it to get it going. Light those slide the ash pan / tray back under, put the basket in the drum, all dampers wide open. Give it about 20 minutes or so to catch, get going and settle down, then start your smoke.

I deviated from that, as I didn't have the Weber starters, so put about half a chimney of charcoal in the bottom, then dumped the rest of the load on top. They way I did it, the whole basket got going before it settled down, but once it did, it was thin blue the rest of the way. Just took about 45 minutes or so to get there (white smoke until then) and didn't last as long as I'd hoped. It could be I screwed up. Wouldn't be the first time.

So try it the recommended way, and try it top down. One may be better than the other......or they may turn out to be the same. Only one way to find out!!!

Plus......you have their drum. I have a UDS, with side vents and my smoke stack does not have the same type of damper on top as their does. Mine may be all out of whack on air flow as compared to yours.

They are pretty neat and even more so if you got the "Pretty in Pink" one.