The brotherhood of the UDS

[3legged_lab]

Where is that pic that jim posted of stack topper he made? That thing was pretty pimp.

[grizz18]

Looks great Red.

[Weston81]

How are you gonna top off that smoke stack?

Still thinking on that. Any ideas? Figured I'd just set the cap on top and leave a gap until I decided what to do

That'd work fine. I don't ever have to mess with mine- leave it about a third open the whole time after it reaches temp, and just adjust the temp with the valve. This is pretty hillbillied up, but if you cut the bottom off a can, and put it on there, the drinking hole in the top would probably be just about right. Just an idea until you figure something out, because sure as shit, if you just set something on it, a person or dog will bump it and knock it off, just after you checked the temp, and when you come back later that thing will be rolling about 275 with the smokestack wide open. With dried up burned black ribs.

I don't have an UDS, but I do have a weber smokey mt smoker. With mine I never touch the top vent, I leave it open and regulate the temp all through the bottom vents. Maybe when you burn it out (season) the smoker you can fiddle with the bottom vents to see if you can control the temp prior without putting anything on your stack. AT,you had said you didn't put a water pan in yours and didn't have any issue's with the heat dispearsing unevenly or buring the food. How far is your rack from the coals? I have a water pan in mine but a buddy told me to fill it with sand and wrap it in foil, but my bottom rack is about a foot from the coals so if I didn't have the pan it would burn whatever was on the bottom.

[Redbeard]

How are you gonna top off that smoke stack?

Still thinking on that. Any ideas? Figured I'd just set the cap on top and leave a gap until I decided what to do

That'd work fine. I don't ever have to mess with mine- leave it about a third open the whole time after it reaches temp, and just adjust the temp with the valve. This is pretty hillbillied up, but if you cut the bottom off a can, and put it on there, the drinking hole in the top would probably be just about right. Just an idea until you figure something out, because sure as shit, if you just set something on it, a person or dog will bump it and knock it off, just after you checked the temp, and when you come back later that thing will be rolling about 275 with the smokestack wide open. With dried up burned black ribs.

I don't have an UDS, but I do have a weber smokey mt smoker. With mine I never touch the top vent, I leave it open and regulate the temp all through the bottom vents. Maybe when you burn it out (season) the smoker you can fiddle with the bottom vents to see if you can control the temp prior without putting anything on your stack. AT,you had said you didn't put a water pan in yours and didn't have any issue's with the heat dispearsing unevenly or buring the food. How far is your rack from the coals? I have a water pan in mine but a buddy told me to fill it with sand and wrap it in foil, but my bottom rack is about a foot from the coals so if I didn't have the pan it would burn whatever was on the bottom.

yea I'll play with it

AT's grate, per him, hangs 7" down from the mouth of the barrel, as does mine

[Weston81]

Makes sense then, I am tempted to build an UDS myself after pricing out a new one over the last few weeks.

[Redbeard]

Makes sense then, I am tempted to build an UDS myself after pricing out a new one over the last few weeks.

yea lots of distance between the fire and grate.

They work man. Very well. I just built mine, but I've been borrowing my buddy's off and on for a couple years now for large BBQ's.

[assateague]

Like Red said, mine's 7" down, which puts it roughly 24" above the coals. I can keep it as low as about 180 just below the grate by almost closing the bottom valve. As was said, TK told me not to mess with the top vent at all, and that has worked out very well for me on the few occasions I've had it fired up.

[grizz18]

Thats it. I'm going at lunch today to start getting the parts I know I don't have.

Called a place in town that does media blasting, but the working was turd with no information. All he knew was that it was $85/hr. I can imagine a barrel would take more than 15 minutes?

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

I need all the hardware though. Tell me if I'm missing anything.

3- 3/4 nipples
1- cap for the nipple
2- elbows
2- 18" pieces of pipe
2- ball valves
SS nuts/bolts/washers
expanded metal

[assateague]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

[Tomkat]

How are you gonna top off that smoke stack?

Still thinking on that. Any ideas? Figured I'd just set the cap on top and leave a gap until I decided what to do

Do it the way Assateague did his. He got it right.

Your Smooker looks good Red

[grizz18]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

Damn! I wasn't expecting that with the valves!

Will conduit work for the pipe, or would that pose a problem with heat/food?

[Tomkat]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

Damn! I wasn't expecting that with the valves!

Will conduit work for the pipe, or would that pose a problem with heat/food?

You can do it Assateagues crazy money spending way, or you can do it the TomKat $1.14 way.

[Redbeard]

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

FYI, I have the 22" weber and my lid doesn't fit on my barrel. I don't know if my barrel just has an extra large lip on it or what. Hopefully yours fits

Here's mine with the weber lid

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370620734.706544.jpg

[grizz18]

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

FYI, I have the 22" weber and my lid doesn't fit on my barrel. I don't know if my barrel just has an extra large lip on it or what. Hopefully yours fits

Here's mine with the weber lid

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370620734.706544.jpg

Dang. I've seen some fit and some not fit. 50/50 I reckon.

[Redbeard]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

Damn! I wasn't expecting that with the valves!

Will conduit work for the pipe, or would that pose a problem with heat/food?

You can do it Assateagues crazy money spending way, or you can do it the TomKat $1.14 way.

wait?! are you tighter than AT???

[assateague]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

Damn! I wasn't expecting that with the valves!

Will conduit work for the pipe, or would that pose a problem with heat/food?

It's galvanized, and since it's the intake, I'd probably prefer not to have it there. Black pipe isn't too expensive, though. You can get a 3' piece, and have them cut it and rethread it right there. You will want to get some sort of hanger/attachment for the upper part, where the valves will go. They take quite a bit of torque to turn until they get loosened up. I'd imagine a 3/4" pipe hanger would work.

[Redbeard]

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

FYI, I have the 22" weber and my lid doesn't fit on my barrel. I don't know if my barrel just has an extra large lip on it or what. Hopefully yours fits

Here's mine with the weber lid

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370620734.706544.jpg

Dang. I've seen some fit and some not fit. 50/50 I reckon.

cut the lip off and it might fit. Or see if you can flare out the lip on the weber lid to fit around the barrel's lip

[assateague]

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

FYI, I have the 22" weber and my lid doesn't fit on my barrel. I don't know if my barrel just has an extra large lip on it or what. Hopefully yours fits

Here's mine with the weber lid

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370620734.706544.jpg

Take some snips, and cut the lip in a few places, and then pound it flat with a hammer. Should be plenty big, then. I've also seen some pics where they do that and then run a bead of silicone around the bottom to make a sort of "gasket" (yes, silicone is heat-proof. Just make sure to use 100% silicone caulk)

[grizz18]

I didn't get stainless anything, for what it's worth. And I don't think you'll be able to find 18" pipe pieces, but I could be wrong. Be ready for those valves- they're about $14 a piece.

And I'm a little jealous about the lid.

Damn! I wasn't expecting that with the valves!

Will conduit work for the pipe, or would that pose a problem with heat/food?

It's galvanized, and since it's the intake, I'd probably prefer not to have it there. Black pipe isn't too expensive, though. You can get a 3' piece, and have them cut it and rethread it right there. You will want to get some sort of hanger/attachment for the upper part, where the valves will go. They take quite a bit of torque to turn until they get loosened up. I'd imagine a 3/4" pipe hanger would work.

I thought about a threaded U bolt.

[assateague]

I'd go for the pipe hangers. They'll hold it off the barrel as well.

[Redbeard]

I just scored a round weber lid, and grate from my parents old grill that they're about to scrap!

FYI, I have the 22" weber and my lid doesn't fit on my barrel. I don't know if my barrel just has an extra large lip on it or what. Hopefully yours fits

Here's mine with the weber lid

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370620734.706544.jpg

Take some snips, and cut the lip in a few places, and then pound it flat with a hammer. Should be plenty big, then. I've also seen some pics where they do that and then run a bead of silicone around the bottom to make a sort of "gasket" (yes, silicone is heat-proof. Just make sure to use 100% silicone caulk)

well I'm leaving my weber lid for my weber grill. My barrel lid is good enough for now

[assateague]

Oh, I thought you had an old Weber lid, too. I forgot that you had the Smokestack Royale.

[Redbeard]

Oh, I thought you had an old Weber lid, too. I forgot that you had the Smokestack Royale.

so you think a hold the size of a beer can mouth is plenty for the stack?

[assateague]

Yep. It'll let air out around the can, too, since it's not a tight fight. Hold on, I'll take a pic of how open mine is when I use it.

[assateague]

Penny for scale.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370623748.118124.jpg

[Redbeard]

Then I could just cap it and tap the cap with a 3/4" - 1" hole. Ya think?

[Redbeard]

Or just use a beer can!

[assateague]

You'd be a lot cooler if you did.

[Redbeard]

How sweet would it be if I pulled this vent cover off my old weber lid? Would it put me in the upper echelon of UDS coolness?

[Redbeard]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370625394.422763.jpg