A cautionary tale:
I helped a young friend build a UDS yesterday, sent the drum and the kid home with detailed instructions on seasoning and cooking up some brats for dinner.
Fast forward to an hour ago:
Got a call from a very groggy young friend. He is in the emergency room, being treated for 1st and 2nd degree burns on arm, chest and neck, sans a significant amount of chest and head hair. He is wrapped up like the mummy, doped up on 3 injections of morphine.
Apparently, earlier this morning, he and a friend were preparing to smoke some ribs. He had 15 briquettes going in his chimney starter. He went inside to work on the ribs. His buddy, not knowing what the hell he was doing, poured some lighter fluid on the coals remaining in the basket from yesterday. Either residual heat, or incompletely extinguished coals helped vaporize the lighter fluid. 5 minutes later, my young friend, unaware of the addition of the fluid, poured the red glowing coals into the basket. The resulting flash back, vector directed by the height and diameter of the drum caused the forementioned injuries.
Oops!
Rule #1: Unless you are a team of highly trained professionals, only one person works the fire.
Rule #2: See rule #1.
Rule #3: Get rid of the lighter fluid.
Sterling