Barrel smokers

UDS: Ugly Drum Smoker

This was the original barrel smoker.  Made in the backyards of dedicated smokers for - who knows how long?

Apparently The Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) company liked the concept and commercialized the UDC into their own version.  Easy to find on the web, they have the horseshoe handles and rebar to hang from, along with a (now) porcelain finish.

A few years back they went out to find a company to help with sourcing and production and, according to a lawsuit, the fellow that assisted them started his own company called Barrel House Cooker  (BHC) company.

I looked and compared both cookers.  I appreciate what both offer but found the features of the BHC 18C to be more appealing to what I was looking for.  I'll skip the details but it really boiled down to just that.

I do not care to get into the specifics of the lawsuit, and feel the courts will sort out what happened and right the wrongs, if needed.  But in my view both companies have a place in the market, and competition is a good thing!

I actually considered rolling my own UDS - I have a source of drums close by my office.  But I would not have saved much money and would not have gotten the features the BHC product offered, so I went that way.

I have unboxed and prepared the barrel for cooking but have yet to get it rolling.  I did my first smoke on a PBC with the help of my neighbor (see my previous post) and am happy with the result.  I don't think the result from my cooker will be that much different, but I am standing by my choice and looking forward to my first smoke.