British BBQ Society Forums

hi everyone
i have finally fired up my new build uds ,all i wanted to do was season it and get to know what it behaves like .
it is working well but with all 3 air inlets open it has hit a max of 270-280f absolutely wonderful as i have played with it and i can control the temps with one pipe capped it stabilised at 250-255 and 230-235 with 2 capped spot on except i want to be able to raise it to 350-400 for when i want crispy skin on chicken i think i need another air pipe as i think 3 is not enough what do you think guys

HI Paul.
Higher temps are possible with the UDS.
1; How long are the legs on your fire basket? (Needs to be a really good airflow under it)
2:You can add another pipe to the drum, but you will need another drum to space each hole every 1 1/2 ft around the drum instead of every 2ft.
3: Add more lit charcoal at the end of the cook to raise temp for crispy skin.
4; Buy a forced air set up.

Hope this helps
Si

Top tips from Si there

Thaks Gazz
I forgot to say Check your temp gauge against boiling water!
My temp gauge is out by 50 degrees, it gives areadinr of250 but is actally 300.

Si

thanks si and gazz
i have had another play with it today and i have used a digital thermometer hung under the centre of the cook rack and found that there is a difference of more than 50f between the probe and the dial gauge i fitted in the front of the drum i checked the dial gauge in boiling water before fitting and it was bang on ,so thats one lesson learned dont rely on the dial gauge. on the digital thermometer the smoker was around 335-340f so i think it is alright to use it as it is, i need to invest in a maverick et 732 or another wireless dual probe bbq thermometer as i cannot keep running in and out checking the temps all the time, does anyone know where to get one at a reasonable price??

I've got 6" legs on the fire basket in mine, I found with the initial 3" legs that on a long burn the coals got suffocated. The temp on mine can get up quite high but not so much in the past 6 months, the external temp deffo makes a difference, but now the weather is picking up again (sorry to jinx it) I will have to keep more of san eye on temps again

hi
my basket legs are 3 inch with a ash pan(roasting pan)drilled and bolted on the legs so it is attached. my basket is a temporary one made from a supermarket shopping basket cut in half then overlapped to make a square basket and i removed one handle leaving one in the centre it is able to hold 15-16lbs of briquettes and i straightened the other handle and use that to hook out the the basket from the drum . with the tapered shape the coals fall inwards and they seem to be able to knock the ash out quite well i am cooking a shoulder of pork tomorrow night through the night and eat it thursday evening i estimate it will need a 14 hour cook with a rest time on top it is in the fridge in a spiced up brine it will be going in about 1 am so wish me luck this is my first real cook .except a leg of chicken at the weekend when i was playing i will let you know how it goes