I want a Big Green Egg barbecue-smoker but I do not have the budget for one. So the next best thing – according to the internets is an Ugly Drum Smoker. A UDS. So I built one.
Well, I started to build one. Mine is 90% done. I will work on it some more this week to try and get it completed.
I still need to complete the briquette basket for inside, add a drum thermometer, and get the correct size of racks to put inside it.
And then I need to “do a burn” to season the interior of the drum. Seasoning the interior involves spraying or wiping the interior of the drum with an oil like canola oil and then burning a basket of briquettes with some hickory or apple wood to add some smoky goodness to the inside of the drum. That’s next.
The reality is that an Ugly Drum Smoker is NOT actually ugly. Once it is complete with a coat of high temperature paint, it is quite a handsome smoker.
I will add more details once I get to the next step with this Ugly Drum Smoker.