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You don't. A full load of lump charcoal and a few wood chunks will rock without touching it for way over 12 hours. I didn't believe it either at first.
The UDS I'm running has gone over 17 hours at 250. You keep the oxygen at a low enough level that it takes a REALLY long time to get all the way through your charcoal. Trust me. Build your UDS. You will love it.
My basket is 17" in diameter and 7" high. I fill it and get well over 17 hours out of it at 225 - 245 and still have quite a bit of lump in the basket when I am done. UDS is one of the more efficient smokers/pits out there if you built it right.
Yep. I thought the same. I built mine and can run at least 4 batches of ribs (~5hrs each, 20-25hrs total) with just under a full basket of charcoal. Very efficient.