H O W T O B U ILD A BIG U G LY D R U M SM O K ER U n iv er sity O F sc o u t in g Ja n u a r y 28, 2012

Taylor Ward Scoutmaster Troop 687 e-mail: taylor.ward@ward-law.net

Welcome to the wonderful world of smoking with a 55 Gallon Drum.

It is my hope that

you 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 is smoked. 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

The UDS has an advantage in that it can be loaded with charcoal and wood chips or chucks, then burn at a constant temperature for up to 12 hours. However, the barrel of a UDS is thin and can't hold heat if the air temperature is cold. This could be an issue in cold weather. Also, if you put the meat on straight from an ice filled cooler youll use some charcoal just to get the meat up to temperature to begin to coo k. At home this isnt a problem (usually), but on a campout, it is hard to get your meat up to temperature on a 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 latch and the lid is removable. The tight head is the standard one-piece which I used have the advantage that they are similar in diameter to a 22 1/2 inch Weber. Here you can see that I used a Weber top as part of my 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 of the kettle would allow you to lower the coals too. However, the complexity of welding the bottom and adding 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 to circulate around the burning coals. I bought a weber grill on Craigslist for $50 and used the Lid, grill grate and charcoal grate. You could also a 22 1/2 inch Weber grill 3 or 4 inches from the bottom of the drum. This can rest on four 4" carriage bolts (if using the smaller Weber Charcoal grate) or four 2 carriage 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 cheapest solution was to make a basket from cut and spread sheet metal. However, the hardware stores wanted too much for this. A recycling center may resale surplus metal. I was able to a basket made by a friend at a sheet metal business.

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 provides excellent 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 suspended 3 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

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.

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 shown here. Total cost for the UDS was around $100. If I were more patient (or if I had an old weber grill), I could have 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 its pressure test (it would have a pin-hole leak and couldnt be used for holding liquid). Craiglist is another good place to look for a used Drum.

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

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 the full 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

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: Stacked on bricks

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.

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

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 for the Badia Spices youll find bigger bottles of the basics like Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder 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 higher temperate then regular cooking. Smoked Pork Brisket to 195 degrees or so.] The best way to do this is to put your meat in aluminum foil and then have a cooler ready with a towel in the bottom. Lay your meat on the towel in the cooler and then put more towels around the meat and close the lid. The meat will stay at cooking temperature for 3 to 4 hours. This allows you to know youll have your meat ready on time (and never late) by starting a couple hours earlier than you expect. Your meat will sit in the cooler for an hour or so and the juices will redistribute.
Type of Meat, Brisket (Sliced) Brisket (Pulled) Beef Ribs Pork Butt (Sliced) Pork Butt (Pulled) Whole Chicken Chicken Thighs Chicken Quarters Whole Turkey 12# Turkey Leg Turkey Wings Boudin Breakfast Sausage Meat Loaf Meatballs (2 inch) Spare Ribs Baby Back Ribs Smoked Corn Smoked Potatoes Smoking Temp, 225F 225F 225F 225F 225F 250F 250F 250F 240F 250F 225F 230F 230F 250 -300F 225F 225-240F 225-240F 225F 225F Time to Complete, 1.5 hours/pound 1 1.5 hours/pound 3 hours 1.5 hours/pound 1.5 hours/pound 1904 hours 1.5 hours 3 hours 6.5 hours 4 hours 2.5 hours 2.5 hours 3 hours 3 hours 1 hour 6 hours 5 hours 1.5 2 hours 2 2.5 Hours Finished Temp 180 degrees 195 degrees 175 degrees 175 degrees 205 degrees 167 degrees 167 degrees 167 degrees 170 degrees 165 degrees 165 degrees 165 degrees 160 degrees 160 degrees 165 degrees 172 degrees 168 degrees N/A N/A

Peppered Bay and Garlic Brisket

1 10 large 3 1 Tsp 1 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/4 cup 2 Tbs 2 Tbs Whole, untrimmed brisket cloves garlic, lightly crushed bay leaves whole peppercorns red wine orange juice water 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 garlic and bay leaves. One inch should be deep enough. Into each hole, insert a lightly crushed garlic clove 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 the rub 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 the smokiness on the light side. The flavor of the garlic, bay and peppercorns will meld with the melting fat, basting those flavors into the brisket. Remove the bay leaves and peppercorn if you can. 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 with towels. 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 hint of garlic bay and pepper.

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 look of this marinade and then used the same Rub which is also used in the Kyle Style Smoked Pork recipe that follows. Everyone absolutely raves about this one. It is the recipe I give out most often.

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 celery flakes, 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 at Publix/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 cup paprika (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 a hot rub 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon celery 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 ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground sage 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix the dry rub ingredients.

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 in the charcoal. I usually take my brisket off after about 4 or 5 hours because it has the smoked 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 to get to 195 degrees (for the meat temp.) at least one half hour before serving. Always let the meat rest for at least hour so the juices can redistribute back into the meat. I put the meat, tin foil on a bed of towels in an ice chest and surround the meat/tin foil with more towels 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 is done! However, if it goes to 205 or 208 it will be falling apart and cut with a fork (and very very tasty too).

Smoked Pork Butt "Kyle Style" (adapted from food network) Ingredients Marinade: 2 cups cider vinegar 1 cup corn oil 1 can pineapple concentrate (I use a little pineapple juice) 1/4 cup salt (Kosher) 1/8 cup paprika 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/8 cup white pepper 1 chicken bouillon cube (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water) 3/4 cup sugar Turbinado sugar is a raw sugar that is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane 1/2 cup salt (non-iodized) 1/3 cup black pepper 1/4 cup paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon celery salt 1 tablespoon hickory salt (I either skip this or use a hickory wood) 1 tablespoon msg, optional 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground sage 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Glue: 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 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 in numerous places. Place pork in a resealable plastic bag and cover with remaining marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.

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 smoker for 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 pork has an internal temperature of 200 degrees F. (Alternatively, you can finish cooking the pork 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.