Brinkmann Smoke N Grill (ECB) Modifications

hamiltont · Oct 6, 2010

A couple weeks ago I picked up a new Brinkmann Smoke N Grill (ECB) on Craig's List for next to nothing. I figured it would work great for short Que's orhors d'oeuvres. When I seasoned it the thing did okay for a while but then pooped out. Briquettes were buried in ash. So I did some research here, incorporating ideas from various posts. The biggest addition was the base of the unit. I purchased a Brinkmann Lava Rock Pan that is for an electric Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker, Part # 450-7010-0. Here's the link: http://cspoutdoors.com/relaropanfor.html I borrowed the charcoal grate from the Weber Smokey Joe. I'll have to get a replacement for it. Never know when you might need both.. Here are some pics showing the rest of the mods. I plan to give it a test run this weekend. I have no doubt it will work. I just may have to make a few tweaks. I'll post back with the results. Cheers!!!

sincitydisciple01 · Oct 6, 2010

I'm on the verge of doing something similar. Father in law stumbled across a Brinkman @ a garage sale and gave it to me to tinker with. Did you use fiberglass rope your seal? If so, how did you get it to stick? I also read somewhere else that it tends to "shed" leaving threads on the food. Let me know how it goes. thanks!

hamiltont · Oct 6, 2010

sincitydisciple01 said:
I'm on the verge of doing something similar. Father in law stumbled across a Brinkman @ a garage sale and gave it to me to tinker with. Did you use fiberglass rope your seal? If so, how did you get it to stick? I also read somewhere else that it tends to "shed" leaving threads on the food. Let me know how it goes. thanks!

I used something like this: http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productdetails.aspx?sku=46635&source=GoogleBase & used the adhesive that came with it. I sanded & cleaned the area with lacquer thinner before applying it, and I use the adhesive to "seal" the ends of the rope. So far I haven't seen any fibers floating around but thanks for the heads up!! Cheers!!!

ATX21 · Oct 6, 2010

I have that same ECB i am going to do some mods to it the main one is putting the leg on tthe out side and using 1/2 threaded rods to lift the charcoal bowl in the chamber a foot of the ground i only found zinc coated rods and washers will it be safe to use for this ?

---k--- · Oct 6, 2010

Looks good. :thumb:

I did similar mods to my charcoal pan and air intake. I didn't bother with the lid mod. I figured that I was going to be running it with the exhaust wide open, so it didn't matter where the exhaust was going. I was able to turn out some good BBQ with it. Held temps fairly solid.

hamiltont · Oct 7, 2010

Update: I fired up a chimney of briquettes last night ran it wide open for about a half an hour. Maxed at a little over 425F. Then I plugged the two 3/4" air intakes & the one 3/4" exhaust & throttled back the main air intake to almost closed. It held at 225F until the charcoal pooped out, about 3 hours total. I was a little surprised the factory gauge showed IDEAL at 425F. Pics below: Cheers!!!

bigabyte · Oct 7, 2010

Excellent work!:thumb: They really can be good little smokers with the right tweaks.

deguerre · Oct 7, 2010

Hmmmmm...and to think all I use my old one for is a rest stand for my chimney after I've lit it. Nice work!

theflints01 · Oct 7, 2010

Why no pics of the food?

hamiltont · Oct 7, 2010

theflints01 said:
Why no pics of the food?

Ahh yes. Food pics coming Soon. This was a maiden, dry run to season it & to get a feel for the performance. I'm sure the water & meat will have an impact but I'm pretty confident it will handle it with little issue. Cheers!!!

cowgirl · Oct 7, 2010

Great job on the mods Hamilton!

BBQ_MAFIA · Oct 7, 2010

Very nice. My ECB just sits in the back yard.
I can't remember when I last used it.

qnbiker · Oct 7, 2010

hamiltont said:
Update: I fired up a chimney of briquettes last night ran it wide open for about a half an hour. Maxed at a little over 425F. Then I plugged the two 3/4" air intakes & the one 3/4" exhaust & throttled back the main air intake to almost closed. It held at 225F until the charcoal pooped out, about 3 hours total. I was a little surprised the factory gauge showed IDEAL at 425F. Pics below: Cheers!!!

Great mod job! As for the 425* reading, when the fire is roaring on an ECB, side mounted thermometers read the heat coming around the water pan. Mine read 100* higher than a digital probe on the grate under these conditions, almost the same once it settled in. I took mine off and mounted it in the lid.

hamiltont · Oct 7, 2010

qnbiker said:
Great mod job! As for the 425* reading, when the fire is roaring on an ECB, side mounted thermometers read the heat coming around the water pan. Mine read 100* higher than a digital probe on the grate under these conditions, almost the same once it settled in. I took mine off and mounted it in the lid.

Hey qnbiker, Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to compare temps next time it's runnin' to see what difference I have. Did you vent through the top or leave it as originally designed. I'm wondering if that will make a difference?? I'll find out... Cheers!!!

Big George's BBQ · Oct 7, 2010

Nice Work

qnbiker · Oct 7, 2010

hamiltont said:
Hey qnbiker, Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to compare temps next time it's runnin' to see what difference I have. Did you vent through the top or leave it as originally designed. I'm wondering if that will make a difference?? I'll find out... Cheers!!!

I used fireplace rope to seal the lid and put a 22.5 kettle vent on the top.

hamiltont · Oct 8, 2010

qnbiker said:
I used fireplace rope to seal the lid and put a 22.5 kettle vent on the top.

That's good info!! Thanks again for the heads up!! Cheers!!!

hamiltont · Oct 11, 2010

Update: As promised, here are some pics of "the food". This was the first live run with the modifications. I loaded the charcoal bowl full of lump & added about 10 lit briquettes on top (minion method) & filled the water bowl 3/4 full. Once the temp was steady I loaded 5 Pork Sirloin Roasts & hickory. The pork was done long before the coals went out. In fact there was enough left to do a package of brats. Actually I could have done a lot more. The total burn lasted ~8 hours. I made a few adjustments during the burn to improve the performance. I made the holes in the charcoal pan larger because the embers were clogging it up and I increased the size of the holes in the lid (3/4" to 7'8") to allow it to breathe a little better. I chopped the Pork Sirloin Roasts. They were dry as expected but a little apple juice and S&P made it very tasty! Cheers!!!

hamiltont · Jun 17, 2011

Just a quick update: Don't use the adhesive that comes with the stove gasket. I ended up redoing it with high-temp red RTV silicone gasket maker. THAT works!! Cheers!!!

El Ropo · Jun 17, 2011

If your pork loin was dry, you overcooked it. Loin is very lean, and should be taken off cooker no later than 140 (I prefer pulling at 135).

If you wanted chopped or pulled pork, you prolly should of looked for a boston butt, or picnic roast.

Also, Pork loin has a tendency to dry out doing low and slow. I prefer to cook loin at around 300, so it's not exposed to the heat as long. Lean cuts of meat in general do better at higher cooking temps, they'll be rubbery when done low and slow.

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