The Texas BBQ Forum

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and i have a questions about standing water in a UDS. I had my UDS outside all winter long with a cover on it, however this last Saturday i went to go and check my smoker to get ready for spring smoking and i found tons of water in the bottom of my UDS!! I was freaking out because i had read that having water in your smoker along with ash makes Lye, which is poisonous. I would like to use my smoker soon, but i definitely don't want to serve tainted food and hurt someone. I also noticed mold build up on the grilling racks, which i was just planning on giving a thorough cleaning to sanitize. What should be done with my drum and firebox? Thanks for any help!

Not sure about the Lye but I would just do a good hot burnout for the mold.

Clean out your UDS really good with a wire brush, rinse off, and reseason and you will be good to go. Happened to my WSM , it happens.

Related but similar problem. Probably a rookie question: I recently completed (if a uds is ever completed!) my drum and first two cooks. First cook was thighs, last cook was a rack of baby backs. After both cooks I noticed about 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the barrel. It hasn’t rained in days, so it’s not leakage and I checked everything before the cook. Is this normal?

Are you sure it’s water

Yep, throw in a big wad of paper towels and it soaks right up, cleans out easy. Just wondering if it could be condensation during cook? I didn’t notice any water after seasoning burn, but that was hotter, in the vicinity of 300-350F. So, maybe moisture coming from food?

I would think that a GOOD SCRUBBING would remove all problems but I guess it's best to find out for sure GOOD LUCK