2013 Gratuitous Grill Thread

[steveh_131]

The Target here in Valpo has the One-Touch Silver on clearance sale for $69.99.

You guys might want to check your local target stores if you're in the market. They're usually $99.99.

 

[Caleb]

How was prepping the insides?

 

[chezuki]

How was prepping the insides?

After about half a barrel of wood, the liner was at least 80% gone. When it reached a certain temp, it rather dramatically turned to little ribbons of ash and sloughed off leaving bare metal. I filled the barrel to the top with some big well-seasoned logs (12+" diameter) and got it roaring again. It should burn well into the night and I suspect by morning there will be no trace of a liner to scrub out.

I wish I'd taken a pic once it was build back up, it was an inferno.

 

[chezuki]

It's Labor Day, this thread should be on the front page!!!

My UDS is finished with the exception of paint (hence the emphasis on the "U"). I'm seasoning it now and getting a feel for regulating temperature.

Here it is:

It will look like this as soon as I can get Autozone to order a few more cans of Daytona Yellow Engine Enamel:

I figure a radioactive waste drum in my back yard ought to confuse the neighbors.

 

[chezuki]

Test run...

 

[Clay]

well, no pics because most if not all of it is gone.

I smoked 30 bacon wrapped jalapenos and some brats. I also grilled some burgers, which probably also got some smoke. All in all good day!

So chezuki - how did your first run go, and how easy is it to regulate temps?

​

 

[chezuki]

well, no pics because most if not all of it is gone.

I smoked 30 bacon wrapped jalapenos and some brats. I also grilled some burgers, which probably also got some smoke. All in all good day!

So chezuki - how did your first run go, and how easy is it to regulate temps?

​

Lol... I don't want to talk about it.

 

[chezuki]

I should have closed off one of the intakes. I left it unattended for a while and temp shot up to about 340. Closing off an intake dropped the temp, but the damage was done... Black ribs and chicken. Live and learn, I should have walked before I tried to run.

 

[Clay]

how many intakes do you have?

 

[chezuki]

3. Two threaded with caps and one with ball valve for fine tuning.

Pork tenderloins are on in an attempt at redemption... So far so good.

 

[steveh_131]

I should have closed off one of the intakes. I left it unattended for a while and temp shot up to about 340. Closing off an intake dropped the temp, but the damage was done... Black ribs and chicken. Live and learn, I should have walked before I tried to run.

Aww man, that's rough. Yeah you really have to learn your UDS. They're all somewhat different. Here is my basic method for keeping it at 275 degrees:

Fill the charcoal basket most of the way up
Light 25 briquettes - probably need to do more if it's really cold out or if you want high temps for chicken
Dump them on the top of the basket when they are fully lit
Put the lid on, all intakes open
Let the temps rise to maybe 250
Cap off an intake
Cap the other once it hits 275, then adjust by the ball valve to keep it there
I let it heat up good for maybe 30 minutes, waiting for some thin blue smoke instead of the white billowing stuff
Open the lid, put my meat on quickly, and close it
Open up all 3 intakes again
Temps will drop and stay low, around 200 for a while - I suspect it is because of the thermal mass of cold meat at the top, slowing down the upward draft
Give it some time and it will start heating back up - it will be slow. Maybe 30 minutes to get back to 275

Here's the tricky part - It seemed to sit there for a while with all intakes open an no big rise in temps, but then I think the coals really start to light and temps will skyrocket. I had to cap two of the intakes and cut the ball valve down most of the way to maintain 275 after that.

Hope that helps any future UDS builders.

 

[steveh_131]

And now for my pr0n. Sunday night dinner:

And labor day was my first shot at spare ribs, trimmed St. Louis style:

This was the rub that I used:

1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Paprika
4 T Coarse Salt
2 T Find ground Pepper
2 t Onion Powder
2 t Garlic Powder
2 t Celery Seed

This will cover 3 slabs of ribs. It is a good classic flavored rub, everyone LOVED it. Just a little bit of a bite. I prefer a little more heat, but the family hates it so I kept it cool. Add 2t of cayenne pepper and another T of pepper to add some heat.

I smoked them at 275. At the 3.5 hour mark, I heated up some sweet baby ray's with a little bit of water on my side burner and glazed the ribs on both sides, then smoked them another 30 minutes.

At 4 hours they passed the 'bend test'. Pulled them, let them rest uncovered for 15 minutes, then covered them with foil for another 15 minutes. Sliced and served.

They were perfect. Good, clean bite. Didn't fall off the bone (I don't like fall-off-the-bone ribs as well). Flavor was awesome, barely any of the guests even put sauce on them.

 

[steveh_131]

And now my ridiculously easy baked beans recipe that everyone loved:

2 big cans of Bush's baked beans
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 package of bacon
A few lines of ketchup and mustard across the top

Mix well, smoke for 1.5 hours at 275 under the ribs (it will catch all of the delicious drippings).

No pics, they went fast. They were very greasy, but I loved them that way. If you want less grease, I would leave out the bacon or just put in a quarter package or something.

 

[Caleb]

It's Labor Day, this thread should be on the front page!!!

My UDS is finished with the exception of paint (hence the emphasis on the "U"). I'm seasoning it now and getting a feel for regulating temperature.

Here it is:

It will look like this as soon as I can get Autozone to order a few more cans of Daytona Yellow Engine Enamel:

I figure a radioactive waste drum in my back yard ought to confuse the neighbors.

you using pipe and ball valve for your intake? in allows enough air flow?

 

[steveh_131]

you using pipe and ball valve for your intake? in allows enough air flow?

He's also got the two plain capped intakes, to really get it heating up.

You have to get a 'full flow' ball valve, that is critical. Adding a 90 degree elbow and extra lengths of pipe will restrict your air flow some, so you don't want it to be very long. It does help as far as all the bending over. I went with just a short pipe nipple attached right to the ball valve for mine. if I ever do it like his, I would do two raised intakes with valves and then two capped intakes.

 

[saleen4971]

those are awesome. may have to save my pennies and dimes for one....

 

[steveh_131]

those are awesome. may have to save my pennies and dimes for one....

A UDS? Do it, man. I LOVE mine. I think it is every bit as good as a $400 weber smokey mountain of comparable size.

Side-note: Does anyone here use rib racks? I'd kind of like to get one, but I am wondering how well they work.

Do you get enough smoke and heat to all of the ribs? Can you get them on and off the rack to do a bend test and stuff, or is that a pain? How many can you fit on a 22.5" grate?

I'm also wondering if I'd be able to use one on the top rack of my UDS with just a weber dome lid, or if the lid will rub up against the ribs.

 

[chezuki]

Aww man, that's rough. Yeah you really have to learn your UDS. They're all somewhat different. Here is my basic method for keeping it at 275 degrees:

Fill the charcoal basket most of the way up
Light 25 briquettes - probably need to do more if it's really cold out or if you want high temps for chicken
Dump them on the top of the basket when they are fully lit
Put the lid on, all intakes open
Let the temps rise to maybe 250
Cap off an intake
Cap the other once it hits 275, then adjust by the ball valve to keep it there
I let it heat up good for maybe 30 minutes, waiting for some thin blue smoke instead of the white billowing stuff
Open the lid, put my meat on quickly, and close it
Open up all 3 intakes again
Temps will drop and stay low, around 200 for a while - I suspect it is because of the thermal mass of cold meat at the top, slowing down the upward draft
Give it some time and it will start heating back up - it will be slow. Maybe 30 minutes to get back to 275

Here's the tricky part - It seemed to sit there for a while with all intakes open an no big rise in temps, but then I think the coals really start to light and temps will skyrocket. I had to cap two of the intakes and cut the ball valve down most of the way to maintain 275 after that.

Hope that helps any future UDS builders.

One mistake I made was adding more charcoal on top of the lit coals in the basket. I decided (without real reason) that there weren't enough coals burning. I am embarrassed to say, I'm pretty new to charcoal. I managed the kitchen of a bbq restaurant for years, but I had two $20,000 Southern Pride rotisserie smokers fueled by natural gas.

 

[chezuki]

I think I'm getting it figured out!

 

[Clay]

now THAT looks GOOOOOOD!!