# Is this a good deal...



## Guest (May 23, 2007)

or a piece of junk?
I have never used a smoker before...  

http://www.grillshowroom.com/double-gri ... moker.htm#


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## Nick Prochilo (May 23, 2007)

Get the Weber ! Never heard anyone complain about 1 yet!


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## PantherTailgater (May 23, 2007)

THIS http://www.bbq-4-u.com/viewtopic.php?t=9231 is a good deal!


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## Finney (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> or a piece of junk?
> I have never used a smoker before...
> 
> http://www.grillshowroom.com/double-gri ... moker.htm#



Erik, I don't think that's a great price... and it's not a great cooker.  If you can spend the cash for a WSM get it.  If not, save until you can.  While it may cost 3x the price you posted...  it's 10x the cooker.  You can make the Brinkman cook good, but it takes a lot of mods and still a lot of work while cooking.

If you make your own sauce hurry up and enter the sauce contest to win a Primo... Otherwise, save your money for the WSM.


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## Guest (May 23, 2007)

PantherTailgater said:
			
		

> THIS http://www.bbq-4-u.com/viewtopic.php?t=9231 is a good deal!


soo tempting....must not use the credit card!


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## Nick Prochilo (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> PantherTailgater said:
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> 
> ...



Just do it!


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## Smokey_Joe (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> PantherTailgater said:
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> 
> 
> ...



It's OK...just tell your wife you have OUR permission!  


.


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## Guest (May 23, 2007)

Seriously guys- I'm new at this stuff.
I just spent $300 on a gas grill a couple months ago. What can this thing do that my grill cant?


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## Nick Prochilo (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> Seriously guys- I'm new at this stuff.
> I just spent $300 on a gas grill a couple months ago. What can this thing do that my grill cant?



Smoke. Take a look at some of the posts here and see what people have smoked.


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## Finney (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> Seriously guys- I'm new at this stuff.
> I just spent $300 on a gas grill a couple months ago. *What can this thing do that my grill cant?*



Win BBQ contests!   
Seriously, you would be surprised at the difference in the finished product.


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## PantherTailgater (May 23, 2007)

erik13 said:
			
		

> Seriously guys- I'm new at this stuff.
> I just spent $300 on a gas grill a couple months ago. What can this thing do that my grill cant?



Erik, it will allow you to use charcoal to either grill steaks at high temp without a gas taste or slow cook meat.  If you've never had a pork that has been slow cooked over charcoal or wood you're missing one of the great pleasures of life.  If you can afford it, upgrade to the Webber.


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## cleglue (May 23, 2007)

erik,

Get the WSM.  I bought a brinkman years ago and never learned to make it work.  You can't regulate the temperature because the bottom is wide open to the air.  There are no vents to control air flow.  We all love the WSM...trust us on this one!

Edit...Here it is in action.

Slow smoked butts.









Slow smoked ribs.


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## Diva Q (May 23, 2007)

I will echo exactly what everyone else here has said.; Get the WSM!!!

i just bought my second and if  I could get away with it I would buy two more. 

They are awesome. And I find they only get bette rwith age. As the gunk builds up the WSM runs tighter and even more smooth. 

It is awesome. 

Truly.

Get One. 

But if you do get one use the Amazon link to help out the forum. Many times they put it on with free shipping  etc.


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## boar_d_laze (May 23, 2007)

First:  
Good deal or piece of junk?  Piece of junk.  The unit is known as the ECB aka El Cheapo Brinkman.  Not only is it not very good, the price you're showing us is on the high side.  

Second:  
Why do you need a smoker as well as a gas grill?  They do different things.  Grill is not barbecue, and vice versa.  Now, you can barbecue after a fashion in a grill.  Not conveniently, not well, but after a fashion.  Some smokers make pretty good grills.  One of the nice things about the WSM in particular is it's utility as a charcoal grill.

Third:
Supposing you decide to add a smoker -- and you should -- WSM or something else?  There are two best choices in the small smoker category.  One is the WSM, the other is the Bar B Chef Offset.

The WSM is the easiest smoker to learn, one of the easiest and best to use.  It's very portable and converts to a damn good direct heat grill.  Compared to other "water smokers" (aka bullets) ... well there is no comparison.  Not only is the WSM far and away the best of the bullets, it's the only one that can really be considered a serious barbecue. Downsides are it's hard to clean, it's just a bit too small to handle ribs comfortatbly, it has a small firebox which means it's sensitive to bad wood and can oversmoke, and _it just doesn't look like a smoker._

The Bar B Chef Offset is a smallish offset smoker of the same dimensions as a number of competitors including the Silver Smoker, the Char-Griller Smokin Pro, the New Braunfels Hondo, etc.  However the Bar B  Chef is much better built than any of the competition, heavier steel, to tighter tolerances, and has the "basic mods" already done.   The Bar B Chef certainly looks like a barbecue.  It's large enough to handle ribs comfortably.   However, despite its appearance it does not do a good job of direct heat grilling (firebox too tight), the size of the firebox is small enough that it's also sensitive to bad wood, it weighs in the neighborhood of 250 pounds -- so it's not portable, it's got a steep learning curve, and until you learn the ins and outs of fire management it requires a lot of tending.

If you're interested in smoking meat -- don't fool around, get one or the other of these.


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## Diva Q (May 23, 2007)

I can fit 16 racks of ribs in my WSM and i have yet to have a problem cleaning it.


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## SteerCrazy (May 23, 2007)

my neighbor bought a brinkman smoker after he saw my WSM.....let's just say after 1 year and about 5 cooks on his smoker it was put in the trash at the end of the season


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## john pen (May 23, 2007)

I fought with an older unit similier to what your looking at for a year and a half..almost turned me off to smoking. My offset stickburner requires less care than my brinkman did. I got a WSM for my b-day a year and a half ago and I never looked back. Save your money and get a WSM.


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## SteerCrazy (May 23, 2007)

in fact.....save your money for the WSM 22.5" coming soon


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## Cliff H. (May 24, 2007)

SteerCrazy said:
			
		

> in fact.....save your money for the WSM 22.5" coming soon




That's what I'm talk'n bout.


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## Finney (May 24, 2007)

SteerCrazy said:
			
		

> in fact.....save your money for the WSM 22.5" coming soon



We'll have to wait and see if that ever happens.


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## Larry D. (May 24, 2007)

A show of hands, please.  How many here started with an ECB or other cheap bullet-style smoker, then (after much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth) switched to a WSM and never looked back?  (Sound: "Whoosh" of wind caused by the rapid raising of thousands of hands.)


Now, how many had a WSM, but didn't like it and switched to an ECB or other cheap bullet-style smoker?  (Off stage: sound of crickets chirping in an otherwise totally silent landscape.)

I rest my case.


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## JWJR40 (May 24, 2007)

Its not a bad price, but I had a Brinkman and put it away after trying to mess with the temp.  I bought a WSM and love to dook on it.  Put in the extra money for the WSM.


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## Griff (May 24, 2007)

WSMs even work great in the winter in Alaska.


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## Green Hornet (May 24, 2007)

Dag-nab it. I was not even looking for one, but now I am thinking I need it.
My Weber 22" kettle, Smokey Joe and Summit are lonley.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2007)

You guys are gonna kill me but I got a brinkman at wal-mart for $28.
I just want something cheap for my first try at smoking.
I'm going to try it tomorrow with some babybacks. I'll post the results...good or bad.


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Jun 3, 2007)

Eric, I started out with a Brinkman like that one.  Like everyone else has said they are hard to control the temps.  There are a few posts about modifications to them that may help.

I have built 3 offset smokers and now own 2 WSM's and love them.  WHEN you decide to get rid of the Brinkman and get a WSM keep the grates and pans from the Brinkman.  The grates work great for doing beef jerky on the WSM's.  Good investment for the grates and pans.


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## Captain Morgan (Jun 3, 2007)

Erik, you can make great Q on it, and while learning, you'll understand
WSM's more when eventually get one.  It's good to learn some things
the hard way, and I believe bbq is one of those.


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## oompappy (Jun 3, 2007)

Captain Morgan said:
			
		

> Erik, you can make great Q on it, and while learning, you'll understand
> WSM's more when eventually get one.  *It's good to learn some things
> the hard way, and I believe bbq is one of those*.



Yep!!


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