Success with a Brinkmann vertical charcoal smoker

[alaskaneric]

Hi all. I'm new to the site. First post. I thought I'd share my experience with the Brinkmann vertical charcoal smoker because I had good success with it, in contradiction to many, many negative things I read on the web on various sites.

I bought at a garage sale for $25 the square file cabinet looking Brinkmann charcoal vertical smoker in hopes it would do better than I'd achieved with my Fire Magic gas/charcoal grill. After reading up I made the following mods:

1. I put the square charcoal pan on the bottom of the cabinet as an ash catcher
2. For $10 at Walmart I bought a 12" x 12" square grill wok, enamel coated, with curved "ears" on two sides which fit perfectly into the rack inside the smoker. The wok pan is the same size as square solid pan described above, but is full of holes. This I used for my charcoal pan.
3. I bought Green Egg felt, adhesive backed, and lined three sides of the two door jambs. $15, but I have a lot left over.
4. I removed the thermometer and bought a good quality grill thermometer with threaded nut for wall installation. I used two large washers to sandwich the hole where I removed the Brinkmann thermometer. Fit perfectly. $10.

I used a chimney to start the wood charcoal. After dumping the hot coals into the grill wok I added a few more pieces of charcoal and a few pieces of wood that had been soaking for 2 hours.

I filled the round water tray, lined with foil with boiling water. I laid in the meat on the racks. I've tried pork ribs and beef brisket.

In very little time the smoker got up to 225 deg and I closed down the vents and was able to maintain 225 deg for 5 hours without adding charcoal. I just added water once. Some wisps of smoke escape from the hinge side of the upper door, but not from anywhere else, so the vast majority of the smoke exits the upper vents as it should. I vigorously shook the charcoal pan (grill wok) to shake the ash out and added more charcoal and wet wood chunks. I thus maintained the temp above 215 and below 235 for 13 hours, adding water twice as frequently as charcoal and wood, which was about 3 or 4 times. The ambient temp was between 75 and 95 deg F. I used a digital meat thermometer in the brisket but just did a jiggle test on the ribs to check for doneness. I pulled the brisket at 195 deg. I smoked it lightly until it plateaued at 165, then just kept the heat on. I didn't wrap it while cooking. I wrapped it when I took it off and held it in towels in a cooler for 6 more hours and the temp was still about 150 deg when I sliced it and served it. Nice bark. Melt in your mouth beef. Great smoky flavor.

The ribs and brisket both did very well. Many compliments received. Very moist. No dryness. Brisket came from Costco. Choice, for $3/lb.

So I think it is possible to get great results with the Brinkmann smoker. I expect in the winter when temps are colder that some insulation is needed or just burn through more charcoal with vents open to keep the heat up. Wind would make it difficult.

I'd like to hear from others who've had good success or tribulations with their modified Brinkmann.

 

[IamMadMan]

I'm glad you were able to have a good cook on the Brinkman....

 

[pjtexas1]

I had one years ago. Turned out some good q with mods. I wouldn't soak the wood chunks. Good to hear you have it figured out.

 

[posey's_pork_pit]

I cut my BBQ teeth on the Brinkman Vertical after making similar mods. While I believe my q is better coming off the Shirley, family and friends enjoyed my q coming off the Brinkman as well. Bottom line is it's the cook, not the cooker, that makes or breaks the BBQ. :becky:

 

[Diesel Dave]

Welcome to the madness!!!!

Sounds like you got that Brinkman figured out

 

[krex1010]

I had a brinkman in the past, yes it is an economical choice and you absolutely can get good results with those units, I did find getting consistent results were difficult at times due to certain issues with design, but hey for smokers in that price range it is what it is. Also as was mentioned above, no need to soak wood chunks, drier wood equals a cleaner smoke and the water soak really doesn't have any benefit. Welcome to the BBQ world! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

[Evil-g]

Best $15.00 I've spent and I've had some success with the same mods you've done. I'm going to put expanded metal on the other shelf one day. It's perfect for pork butts, chickens ( whole or pieces) and fattys. Holds temps well too.

 

[Bludawg]

Glad it's working for ya. Don't soak them wood chunks. A good way to insulate that is to cover it with Hardy backer. Remove the exhaust daisy & install a wood stove chimney cap for more draft.

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

I started with one like that. And similar mods. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy

 

[rookiedad]

nice work. as the winter comes in i would experiment with running the cooker dry with some sand in the pan. i think you will be able to maintain 250* without alot more fuel usage. post some photos of it in action!

 

[alaskaneric]

photos added

Thanks all for the replies. I've been too tied up to reply earlier, but I'm attaching some photos of the smoker in action as requested. It's hard to see the smoke in the photo, but 90% of the smoke is exiting the exhaust daisy. You can see the doors aren't square; they're warped and don't close all the way, but no matter.

Good suggestion on the hardiebacker for insulation. I hadn't thought of adding a stove pipe for better draft. Good ideas. If I do the hardiebacker I won't attach it to the smoker, I think. I like that it's lightweight so I can carry it out for use and put it back under the roof when stored so it doesn't get rained on.

I know the water vs. sand seems to be a debate. The sand would be a better heat sink to stabilize the temp, but the water does increase the moisture content of the air inside, which should delay the drying of the meat some.

I will go with dry wood next time. Wet wood helps to see the smoke, but I know it doesn't change the smoke flavor.

I've been thinking about the comments like, "

While I believe my q is better coming off the Shirley, family and friends enjoyed my q coming off the Brinkman as well.

" The implication is that other smokers work better. I'm curious about what is better? I've smoked meat a few times on big horizontal smokers (thick-walled barrel with offset firebox) and they have greater thermal inertia. When I got the fire too hot it took awhile to bring the temp down. And it was hard to regulate the draft, and hence temp. The Brinkmann responds quickly to changes in draft, added fuel, etc because it is so small. I'm not trying to argue the Brinkmann is better, but I'd like to hear from the experienced "q" brethren why they use a more expensive smoker. What's the benefit?

 

[alaskaneric]

I wanted to update my experience with the vertical Brinkmann smoker and ask some questions after having smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving. By reviewing many posts I decided to smoke the 15 lb bird at 350 F so to not dry it out in a long, slow, low temp smoke. Outdoor temp was 75+ but I still had trouble getting the temp up over 300 F without insulation.

I first used the tail ends of my charcoal bag to start it up, but the tiny pieces of charcoal and much dust decreased airflow and I couldn't get the temp above 225 F. I fired up a second chimney of chunky pieces of charcoal and threw them on and the temp instantly jumped to about 280 F. Even with vents full open I couldn't reach 300 F. I then laid fiberglass insulation over the top and upper part of three sides, with holes cut for the exhaust vents, and tied it against the smoker and the temp shot up to 450 F. By untying it so the batts hung loosely the temp stabilized at 325 F.

The next challenge I had was getting the right indicator temp to test for doneness. I put two temp probes in, one in each breast, and got temps varying by 20 deg. I decided if there was a cold spot in the meat that it must not be done, so I kept smoking/roasting until the minimum temp in the breast was up to 160 deg F. After taking it out and poking around with the temp probe the temp was near 180 in most places, so I think it was overdone. the skin cracked and peeled off most of the breast, so the meat formed a new dry "shell" on the outside. The outer 1/2" to 3/4" of the breast was dry, but the rest was OK. The dark meat was all perfect. Can anyone advise how best to test a turkey for doneness?

Other info about my bird: I placed in the cavity of the bird several garlic cloves, herbs and orange peels. I smoked it on its back and placed an aluminum foil pan under it to catch drips. I rubbed the skin with olive oil before roasting. I wrapped the wing tips and leg ends with foil.

I would appreciate hearing any tips from those of you who've smoked turkeys before, especially with this kind of vertical smoker.
thanks!

 

[Wags05]

" The implication is that other smokers work better. I'm curious about what is better? I've smoked meat a few times on big horizontal smokers (thick-walled barrel with offset firebox) and they have greater thermal inertia. When I got the fire too hot it took awhile to bring the temp down. And it was hard to regulate the draft, and hence temp. The Brinkmann responds quickly to changes in draft, added fuel, etc because it is so small. I'm not trying to argue the Brinkmann is better, but I'd like to hear from the experienced "q" brethren why they use a more expensive smoker. What's the benefit?[/QUOTE]

I'm a believer that if you're comfortable with your cooker and you're cook is well planned, you'll have success. I purchased a 48 Lang a few years ago for the simple fact I could cook food in bigger quantities. BTW those ribs look good.:thumb:

 

[Nuco59]

This is how it starts- you buy an "entry cooker"- like an El Cheapo Brinkmann- they DO have limitations but that's why they are affordable. You make "the recommended mods". You use it a few times- and the food is good and getting better with every cook. Then, you hear about "everyone" with high dollar cookers and you start to wonder...and doubt...and it starts eating at your soul.

yep- you can run like hell - or wallow in it with the rest of us :-D

 

[Dil950]

I started with an ECB and just went up from there. I think of the smokers i tried, the most applicable to this post is the wsm vs the ecb. Higher cost gets you better materialls/design and in the end result, steadier temps. My ECB would swing all over the place due to there was no way to control airflow to the charcoal. Didnt mean the food coming off was inferior but just meant more tending. There are mods that reduced the swings but in the end, for me, the wsm was worth the extra 200 so i didnt have to deal with it. Again food coming off cheaper smokers can be just as good, but usually require more effort. How much that effort is worth varies person by person. My two cents.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Careful it is addicting and does get expensive You probably cas get the temp up > 300 if you dont put water in it That is what a lot of people do that use the Backwoods Smokers Also if you use lump that may help- that burns hotter

 

[alaskaneric]

... in the end, for me, the wsm was worth the extra 200 so i didnt have to deal with it. Again food coming off cheaper smokers can be just as good, but usually require more effort. How much that effort is worth varies person by person. My two cents.

Thanks for the replies. I can begin to understand the reason for wanting something you don't have to babysit so much.

 

[Nuco59]

Some people love the "babysitting" and tending fire. To them, that's what smoking is all about. Different group like the "set it and forget it" of a UDS or insulated cabinet cooker. I'd give the UDS a go if I were you- reasonable build cost- great results. Any insulated cabinet is going to come with much larger price tag which may seem reasonable give the size of your wallet.

 

[wango]

I cut my bbq teeth on a vertical Brinkman but older/cheaper than yours. Mine only has one door, not the Dutch doors that your model has. With mine, while tending the fire and water pan you lose ALL the heat, so you gotta be quick. Ambient temps, wind, rain, etc have a big affect on it. It has turned out tons of great food and if the weather cooperates I can turn my back on it for short periods. But the lack of consistency is a pain, especially when I have guests coming and I know the temps have been off all day. I bought a vertical offset Okie Joe and it is better but still lacks the consistency I want. I'm considering converting the Okie Joe into an insulated reverse flow. I'll never part with the Brinkman though, my kids bought it new for me for Father's Day almost 20 years ago and she still works, I mainly use it for appetizers now, mionk balls, abts, sausage bombs, poppers, etc.