Our UDS Cooker (and How to Build One) - Part 1

[KCinNC]

wow, wish my wife would make that quote..... "why don't you just buy one" ?

i guess just the process of building your own smoker from parts, is also part of the enjoyment

[nateb21]

Not sure what a Master Forge is but I am sure it is comparable to many other entry level smokers. Is it an offset smoker? Either way you could do it and turn out decent results after learning the smokers temperment, or you could spend easily under half that price on a drum smoker that I feel is much easier to cook with, very versatile, and extremely effiecient. I love my drum and I also have an entry level which turns out good results but much rather cook on my drum. Just my two cents

[jdintn]

yes Nate it's an offset I think i'm going to go ahead with my uds because if I was buying one it would be about $500 for the one I want, thanks for the advice

[jdintn]

Well I started my smoker today. As you can see we stayed warm while we were doing it. More posts as we go along.

[jdintn]

Do I need to sand the inside now? It got pretty hot, no paint left inside and the outside looks ready to paint with BBQ paint

[jasper]

Glad you went with the UDS. I love mine!

About the Master Forge. Stay away. The reviews I've found rate it poor. There's currently a recall on one of its models for Fire/Burn hazards. I even read an article stating that the product uses galvanized steel in its lid - bad...And I can't even find the product on Lowe's web site.

Drum on friend!

[jdintn]

thanks for the info Jasper

[pfrnkln]

If you had a substantial burn and a decent duration (a few hours) using decent wood and charcoal I would say you wont need to sand it. If you choose to sand anway - you will want to do a "cook" using charcoal and wood to generate some smoke prior to cooking food. Porbably would not be a bad idea to do that anyway.
PS - looks like about the weather I been dealing with - fear not - it will keep cooking temps even in a Buffalo winter!

[Dale in GA]

Paul, thanks so much for making the thread available in pdf format. We are hoping to start building one in a couple of weeks. Thanks!

Dale

[jdintn]

Question for the U.D.S. pros. Has anyone added a water tray in their drum or is there a need for one? Would it help or hurt< I'm a beginner so I could use the help making what ever I cook better :)
Thanks in advance