Ugly Drum Smoker

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HOW TO BUILD A BIG UGLY DRUM SMO KER

University OF scouting

January 28, 2012

Taylor Ward

Scoutmaster

Troop 687e-mail: [email protected]

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Welcome to the wonderful world of smoking with a 55 Gallon Drum. It is my hope thatyou will leave this class as a Drum Head. The Upright Drum Smoker (UDS, aka Ugly Drum Smoker)

is usually home made from a 55 gallon barrel. The heat source is from charcoal and some wood and is

direct smoking, since the heat source resides below the smoking meat. I use a pan (which I bought at a

garage sale for 3 dollars). I usually use a 50/50 mix of water and apple juice in the pan; it helps reduce the

direct heat and provides moisture inside the Smoker. The key features of smoking meat which make it an

art form and the end result so delicious are: a relative low cooking temperature {low and slow ~ ideally

225 to 250 degrees), using some wood (the Smoke Ring), adding a marinade for flavor and moistness

and/or adding a rub (a combination of spices).

The low cooking temperate allows you to cook a relative tough cut of meat (pork shoulder, pork

picnic, pork butt or beef brisket) and the long cooking time tenderizes the meat. It also allows chicken,

turkey and ribs to continue to baste in their juices. The end result is moist and tender.

The smoke ring is a pink discoloration of meat just under the surface crust (called the bark). A

good smoke ring is about inch in thickness.

The marinade is the liquid mixture which the meat is put in for 6 hours to 24 hours before it issmoked. You can inject the marinade directly into the meat (recommended) or just put the marinade in a

2 gallon zip lock with meat and let it sit.

The Rub is the dry spices mixed which is put on meat just before you place the meat on the

smoker. This is where you can experiment. Note: if you are cooking for a number of people, youll be a

better host if you tone down the heat (such as the amount of chili powder) because the more guests you

have, the more likely youll have a few weak stomachs which cant handle it.

I have included a few recipes here, but only a few. I want you to venture onto the internet and

google smoked chicken wings pulled pork recipe north Carolina style barbeque Once you start

looking you can find hundreds of marinates and rubs and recipes for smoking meats.

The red smoke ring on beef brisket

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The UDS has an advantage in that it can be loaded with charcoal and wood chips or chucks, thenburn at a constant temperature for up to 12 hours. However, the barrel of a UDS is thin and can't hold heatif the air temperature is cold. This could be an issue in cold weather. Also, if you put the meat on straightfrom an ice filled cooler youll use some charcoal just to get the meat up to temperature to begin to cook.At home this isnt a problem (usually), but on a campout, it is hard to get your meat up to temperature ona cold day or if you are cooking a turkey or a brisket and you need 10 hours or more to finish it off. Cool

temperatures (of the meat or the weather) will affect smoking time and may require you to add

more charcoal after several hours.

There are two types of 55 gallon drums; the open head drum and tight head the open head has a latchand the lid is removable. The tight head is the standard one-piece which I used have the advantage thatthey are similar in diameter to a 22 1/2 inch Weber. Here you can see that I used a Weber top as part ofmy build. In fact, I used a lot of Weber parts in this project.

The use of a Weber top allows you to move the grill higher and cook a turkey. The use of the bottom ofthe kettle would allow you to lower the coals too. However, the complexity of welding the bottom andadding an appropriate stand was a little too much for UDS number 1.

Other UDS models use open head Drums and use the barrel's lid as the top. They poke a few holes in it

and add a handle. However, I wanted the extra height and to use the Weber top.

The charcoal needs to be a few inches above the bottom of the barrel to allow the ash to fall and air tocirculate around the burning coals. I bought a weber grill on Craigslist for $50 and used the Lid, grillgrate and charcoal grate. You could also a 22 1/2 inch Weber grill 3 or 4 inches from the bottom of thedrum. This can rest on four 4" carriage bolts (if using the smaller Weber Charcoal grate) or four 2carriage bolts (if using the larger 22 inch grill grate) for the bottom grate..

The charcoal needs to be in a basket to keep it in a pile and burn efficiently. The easiest and cheapestsolution was to make a basket from cut and spread sheet metal. However, the hardware stores wanted toomuch for this. A recycling center may resale surplus metal. I was able to a basket made by a friend at asheet metal business.

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This my basket it is 9 inches high and 11 inches in diameter.

To control the temperature of the burning coals, airflow into the UDS is regulated. I put five

inch holes at the bottom of the barrel and use a wad of aluminum foil in each of 2 or 3 holes to

regulate the temperature. It is very simple to use.

Another method is to install some one inch gas pipe that bends upward to a ball valve. This providesexcellent control of the air intake with easy access. However, it is an expensive option.

The top grill grate is used to put the meat on. I bought a new Weber kettle grill for $20. This is suspended3 inches below the top of the barrel using four 2 inch carriage bolts. Be certain that there is just over 7

inches between the top grill grate and the 2nd

grill grate (which holds the water/apple juice pan). If

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it is under 7 inches you will not be able to lift the lower grate out because the carriage bolts for the

top grate will be in the way.

Total cost for the UDS was around $100. If I were more patient (or if I had an old weber grill), I couldhave made this for significantly less.

Finally you need to install a standard grill temperature gauge (0 to 550 degrees)

Check out www.orlandodrum.com for a new drum. You might get a discount if the drum failed itspressure test (it would have a pin-hole leak and couldnt be used for holding liquid). Craiglist is anothergood place to look for a used Drum.

There is almost no room for error

when lifting the 2nd grill grate up and

out. It is about 1/8 inch from the top

grill grates carriage bolts shownhere.

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Used or new you will want to burn your drum out when you first get it (if it is a tight-head drum saw offthe top edge (and file the spurs and sharp edge to make the edge smooth. Put the5 inch drill holes inthe bottom and put a big fire in the drum to burn off the food grade liner or whatever residue exists fromthe prior use. Big Fire with flames out the top so that all the interior liner burns off and the inside looksblack.

Parts List:

1 new or used 55 gallon carbon steel drum with a 2 bung on lid (a tight head drum)

I got a food grade used drum on Craigslist for $25.

One used weber grill

I got a standard Weber Grill from Craigslist for $50 [Make sure it is the 23 inch model

not the smaller 18 inch Weber]. I read that Walmart had a knock off for $40. If it is a 23 inch

diameter top it will fit atight head drum.

One new Weber 22.5 grill grate ($20)

Eight 2 carriage bolts (Home Depot) [for the two 22 1/2 weber grill grates]

Four 4 carriage bolts [for the lowest grate where the charcoal basket sits].

12 nuts for the carriage bolts (Home Depot) [for the three Weber grates]

One temperature guage (0 to 550 degrees).

Tools:

Circular Saw with carbon blade (to cut off the top of a tight head drum)

Power Drill with inch drill bit for metal (for the bottom air holes) and 1/8th inch drill bit for

metal for the carriage bolts which hold the grill grates and one slightly larger drill bit for the

temperature gauge.

Metal file to smooth top edge of drum to remove spurs from where tight head lid was cut off.

Flat head screw driver for carriage bolts.

Several inches of Wire to secure lowest grate (3 to 4 inches from bottom) to permanently secure

the bottom grate (if you are using the smaller weber charcoal grate), no wire needed if using thefull size 22 inch grill grate for the lowest grate.

Ready to Start Smoking

Take the two top grates out of the smoker and put a fairly small amount of your preferred wood

in the basket. I usually stick a 6 or 8 inch by 3 inch diameter piece of wood vertically in the

middle of the basket. Fill the basket with charcoal from the bag until it is about 2 inches from

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the top. Use a chimney to prepare some hot charcoal, when the charcoal is ready, pour the hot

coals on top of the charcoal in the basket. Replace the lower grate, put the water pan in and fill it

with a 50/50 mix of water/apple juice), then put the top grate on and put the lid on. In about 5

minutes is should get up to 220 and may climb to 250. Put the meat on when it reaches 220

degrees.

To regulate the temperature take one or two aluminum plugs out to increase the temperature(more air) and put one or two aluminum plugs in to decrease the temperature. It is very easy to

regulate this way.

If the temperature is cold or the meat went on the grill at a very cold temperature, you may find

that the temperate will decline after 4 or 5 hours. On those occasions you will need to remove

the top grate with the meat (I usually set it carefully on my charcoal chimney), remove the water

pan and the lower grate. Knock the basket to help some of the ash fall away and pour on some

more charcoal. Reverse the process to and replace the 2nd grate, water pan (carefully) and the top

grate with the meat on it.

Resist the temptation to keep peeking under the Lid. The less you peek the faster it will be ready

and the additional oxygen each time you lift the lid will cause the charcoal to burn a little faster.

Note the Smoker is set on 8 bricks. This is very important if you are on the ground, but not if

you are cooking on concrete. Also note that inside the drum the hot charcoal will be a few

inches above the bottom of the Drum so the bottom of the drum is not in direct contact with

charcoal. However, I always raise the drum with one brick high off the ground with at least four

(4) bricks to avoid direct contact with the ground.

Note: Stacked

on bricks

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Wood and Charcoal

A brief word about using wood. Dont use too much, most of the heat and long burn comes from

the charcoal. If you put too much wood in you will be feeding in more charcoal after a few

hours. The wood smoke flavor will enter the meat fairly early in the process. The low and

slow cooking process will tenderize the mean and the marinade and rub will add to the flavor.

Oak is a great wood, it gives a smoky flavor without overpowering. I use this most of the time.

Of course, it helps that I have big old Oak trees in my yard and need to trim them every couple of

years, so it is available.

Pecan will give the meat a bit of a nutty flavor. I usually use it in combination with Oak

Cherry is a good wood that adds to pork in particular.

Mesquite ~ Beware, always use sparingly with another wood (like oak), too much mesquite will

over power your food and make it a bit bitter.

Hickory. Youll take the bit if you use hickoty. This is also great with pork.

Here is another example of a smoker (using the open-head drum).

Ok, now you have the basics. The best thing to do is to go on the web and search for recipes,

marinades and rubs, learn more about the types of wood used in smoking and dont be afraid to

tweak a recipe here or there. Experiment! Have Fun!

Type Ugly Drum Smoker into google or try one of these web sites to learn more.

www.thesmokering.com

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com

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A few Recipes and a couple of Tips

Save some money on your spices for your rubs by going to the Ethnic Foods Aisle and look forthe Badia Spices youll find bigger bottles of the basics like Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, ChiliPowder for a lot less money than the spices section at most grocery stores.

The key to successful smoking: When your meat is at temperature you should always let it rest

for about hour or longer. [Keep in mind that smoke meat is typically cooked to a highertemperate then regular cooking. Smoked Pork Brisket to 195 degrees or so.] The best way todo this is to put your meat in aluminum foil and then have a cooler ready with a towel in thebottom. Lay your meat on the towel in the cooler and then put more towels around the meat andclose the lid. The meat will stay at cooking temperature for 3 to 4 hours. This allows you toknow youll have your meat ready on time (and never late) by starting a couple hours earlier thanyou expect. Your meat will sit in the cooler for an hour or so and the juices will redistribute.

Type of Meat, Smoking Temp, Time to Complete, Finished Temp

Brisket (Sliced) 225F 1.5 hours/pound 1 180 degrees

Brisket (Pulled) 225F 1.5 hours/pound 195 degrees

Beef Ribs 225F 3 hours 175 degrees

Pork Butt (Sliced) 225F 1.5 hours/pound 175 degrees

Pork Butt (Pulled) 225F 1.5 hours/pound 190- 205 degrees

Whole Chicken 250F 4 hours 167 degrees

Chicken Thighs 250F 1.5 hours 167 degrees

Chicken Quarters 250F 3 hours 167 degrees

Whole Turkey 12# 240F 6.5 hours 170 degrees

Turkey Leg 250F 4 hours 165 degrees

Turkey Wings 225F 2.5 hours 165 degrees

Boudin 230F 2.5 hours 165 degrees

Breakfast Sausage 230F 3 hours 160 degrees

Meat Loaf 250 -300F 3 hours 160 degrees

Meatballs (2 inch) 225F 1 hour 165 degrees

Spare Ribs 225-240F 6 hours 172 degrees

Baby Back Ribs 225-240F 5 hours 168 degrees

Smoked Corn 225F 1.5 2 hours N/A

Smoked Potatoes 225F 2 2.5 Hours N/A

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Peppered Bay and Garlic Brisket

1

10 large

3

1 Tsp

1 cup

1/2 cup1/2 cup

1/4 cup

2 Tbs

2 Tbs

Whole, untrimmed brisket

cloves garlic, lightly crushed

bay leaves

whole peppercorns

red wine

orange juicewater

Worcestershire sauce

kosher salt

coarse grind black pepper

Trim the thickest fat down to one-half inch thick, but no less. With a narrow bladed knife,puncture ten evenly spaced holes through the fat of the brisket, deep enough to insert the garlicand bay leaves. One inch should be deep enough. Into each hole, insert a lightly crushed garlicclove and a piece of bay leaf, along with a couple of peppercorns.

Marinate the brisket two hours in the orange juice, wine and worcestershire sauce. Put on therub mixture of salt and pepper before the brisket goes into the smoker

Smoke the brisket fat side up. I like to use oak for smoking this one, and I try to keep thesmokiness on the light side. The flavor of the garlic, bay and peppercorns will meld with themelting fat, basting those flavors into the brisket. Remove the bay leaves and peppercorn if youcan. I just eat around the bay leave.

Pull the Brisket out when it hits 195 degrees, wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in a cooler withtowels. It will stay at temperature for several hours. Be sure to let it rest for at least hour so

that the juices can redistribute into the meat.

This is a great recipe if you like beef, the flavor of the meat really comes out because of the hintof garlic bay and pepper.

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Taylors I just combined a couple of recipes Beef Brisket

I was just checking out a few recipes through an internet search and decided that I liked the lookof this marinade and then used the same Rub which is also used in the Kyle Style Smoked Porkrecipe that follows. Everyone absolutely raves about this one. It is the recipe I give out mostoften.

Marinade

Ingredients

1/2 cup red wine 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup beef bouillon/soup stock 2 teaspoons onion salt 2 teaspoons garlic salt 4 teaspoons pepper

4 teaspoons celery flakes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Stir in celeryflakes, onion salt, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Marinade overnight in a 2 gallon sized zip lock in the refrigerator (at least 6 to 8 hours,but the longer the better).

Rub:

3/4 cup sugar (use Turbinado/Demerara sugar ~ Sugar in the Raw It is atPublix/Walmart, etc. White Sugar will burn in the smoker ~ dont use it)

1/2 cup salt (non-iodized) 1/3 cup black pepper 1/4 cuppaprika (for a little less heat half it(I did for jambo dinner ~ w/ 20 people

youll always have 4 or 5 with no stomach for any heat ~ even at full strength this is not ahot rub

1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoonchili powder 1 tablespooncelery salt 1 tablespoon hickory salt (I dont use this because it is hard to find) 1 tablespoon msg, optional (I dont use this either) 1 teaspoon groundcumin 1 teaspoon ground sage 1/4 teaspooncayenne pepper

Mix the dry rub ingredients.

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Take Brisket out of ziplock when you are ready to cook it. Put the Rub all over the brisket

(both sides and in nooks and crannies).

Prepare a smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F with hickory or oak wood chips or chucks inthe charcoal. I usually take my brisket off after about 4 or 5 hours because it has thesmoked wood flavor in the meat, wrap it in heavy duty tin foil and put it in a preheated

oven at 250 degrees. (Here you can speed it up a little by going as high as 275 degree toget to 195 degrees (for the meat temp.) at least one half hour before serving. Always letthe meat rest for at least hour so the juices can redistribute back into the meat. I put themeat, tin foil on a bed of towels in an ice chest and surround the meat/tin foil with moretowels and close the ice chest. It will maintain 200 degrees for 3 hours or more that way.

Place Brisket on smoker. Dont keep checking by lifting the lid because your temperature

will drop each time you do. When the temp is about 195 to 200 the Brisket isdone! However, if it goes to 205 or 208 it will be falling apart and cut with a fork (andvery very tasty too).

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Smoked Pork Butt "Kyle Style" (adapted from food network) Ingredients Marinade:

2 cups cider vinegar1 cup corn oil1 can pineapple concentrate (I use a little pineapple juice)1/4 cup salt (Kosher)1/8 cup paprika1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce1/8 cup white pepper1 chicken bouillon cube (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water)3/4 cup sugar Turbinadosugaris a raw sugarthat is obtained orcrystallized from theinitial pressing ofsugarcane

1/2 cup salt (non-iodized)1/3 cup black pepper1/4 cup paprika1 tablespoon garlic powder1 tablespoon onion powder1 tablespoon chili powder1 tablespoon celery salt1 tablespoon hickory salt (I either skip this or use a hickory wood)1 tablespoon msg, optional1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Glue:

2 tablespoons yellow mustard1 tablespoon honey

1 pork butt (approximately 5 pounds) Apple and hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes, for smoking Oak

is good too. Charcoal, for smoker

Marinade: Place all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and whisk together. Rub: Place all ingredients in a container with a lid and shake well. Glue: Whisk ingredients together and place in a squeeze bottle. Pork: Reserve 1 cup of marinade and set aside. (The reserved marinade will be used to

base the pork during the cooking process.) Inject a little marinade into the pork butt innumerous places. Place pork in a resealable plastic bag and cover with remainingmarinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.

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Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Cover pork with a light coat of the "glue" mixture to help the rub stick. Sprinkle

generously with rub, making sure to work it into the meat. Prepare a smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F and add the apple and hickory wood chips to

the lit charcoal. Place pork on smoker. Be careful not to over-smoke. After 2 hours, baste pork withe

rserved marinade and return it to the smoker for 1 hour. Baste again and return to smokerfor 1 more hour. Repeat 1 more time, with the basting and smoking for 1 more hour.Remove pork from smoker, wrap in aluminum foil and rertun to smoker until the porkhas an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. (Alternatively, you can finish cooking thepork in a 250 degree oven.

When the pork reaches 200 degrees F, remove it from the heat and let standfor about a half

hour (put it n the cooler wrapped in tin foil and towels).Then pull the pork apart with 2 large

forks for pulled pork.