Brinkmam Smoker

[muddave]

What do ya"ll think of the Brinkman Smoker only 39.99 at H D ?

 

[bbquzz]

I don't have any experience, but have always found you get what you pay for. I have seen the acronym ECB on this board from time to time, it means El Cheapo Brinkman.

 

[muddave]

Thanks that what i thought just wanted to make sure. Thanks Dave

 

[3 Olives]

What do ya"ll think of the Brinkman Smoker only 39.99 at H D ?

Put the money towards a Weber Smokey Mtn. I was given a Stainless Steel Brinkman as a gift and I assembled it and gave it to a friend. I doubt they are a good deal when they are free.

 

[bigwheel]

I love em. Needs a few holes in the firepan so it can draw air. Pain to tend the fire and water. Cooks very good.

 

[BigAL]

It's what I started on yrs ago and used it for yrs. Not bad to start out on, but I'd rather spend $80 or so on a weber OTS. Easier to load and control, imo.

I used to have 2 and gave them away a few yrs ago. Kinda miss their smell.

 

[bigwheel]

Well if I was gonna add 50 I would go for the Brinkmann Gourmet. Same general principle. Easier to operate. Separate base/firepan and already has air holes in the pan. Aint worth a caca for cooking full racks of spares as is similar for all the small bullet smokers otherwise it does ok on about everything. Now I am uptown and got the electrical model of course. Charcoal aint healthy for a person. Makes stuff taste crappy and give a person a big old kanser. Got to buy haul and store it figger out how to light it blah blah blah. I aint touched that nasty stuff in years.

 

[BigAL]

BW -Do you use all wood, BW? Do you use any lump?

I don't know about the higher end models of bullet smokers.

Do you use a guru?

Another idea is to just go big or go home. Spend $4k on a diamond plate fat 50.

 

[bigwheel]

Yeppers all wood. You just break off a dead tree branch and break it up enough to cram it in the firepan down on top of the lava rocks. Or storebought chunks work too. If it a warm calm day it will hang on 295 all day long. If it coming a straight down rain just set a upside down washtub on top. For blizzards tornadoes or cold North wind set an inverted 55 gallon barrel down over the top. Few bricks along the bottom edge to keep the barrel up off the ground so it can draw air. That will put it in a cooking range which I aint bothered to measure but it plenty hot. I have used tons of lump and briquettes over the years. Electricity and lava rocks taste mo betta. Thats why they wont allow them in comp cuz everybody knows they would win.

 

[muddave]

My brother has a old one, i borrowed it today so i get to try it my self before i buy something. now i have to decided what to cook in it. Any ideas and recipes? Thanks Dave

 

[BigAL]

My brother has a old one, i borrowed it today so i get to try it my self before i buy something. now i have to decided what to cook in it. Any ideas and recipes? Thanks Dave

I suggest boston butt for pulled pork. Easy and very forgiving. About any rub you want, less sugar(save that toward the end so it won't burn) and cook indirect till the bone will pull out.(195-200ish)

 

[bigwheel]

Got to side with BigAL on this one. Butt is hard to beat. Only way to mess it up is to either not cook it long enough to get tender...or so low and slow it turns into Tasso (that is a cajun version of pig jerky for them who dont know about such stuff. Also called warming it to death by some). Anywhere twixt about 250 and 300 works purty good for a pit temp. If the gauge still works on the old ECB should be hitting about Ideal or thereabouts. Or about 3 misssissppis if a person doing the hand job. Now do that one you got have any holes in the firepan? If not you need to drill some. Now back in the good old days they come with a hole in there about the size of a fifty cent piece direct in the bottom. Rumor is some smart yup decided to cook on his wood deck and wound up burning the house down or apts etc...cuz a hot coal fell out of the hole so now they give firepans without holes which makes is real hard to support combustion cuz it cant get any air to the fire.

 

[muddave]

My brother said today i could just have it. Yes it does have the hole in the fire pan. Boston butt sounds great, How much charcoal do i use? and how long it take? what else can put in with it that cooks to same amount of time? Thanks Dave

 

[bigwheel]

Fill it up with charcoal and water. Butt on top brisket on bottom fat side down works for me. You want the butt to dribble its fat onto the lean side of the brisket. That is like an automated basting system. If the butt gets done first which it should...just wrap it and move it to the insulated hot box and move the brisket up to the top rack maintaining the fat down position. When the brisket hits about 185 or so prob be good to wrap it with a little good tasting liquid..beef broth..black coffee..wooster sauce..hot sauce..beer etc. and bring it on up to 195-200 or till it passes the poke test. This is my favorite mop/sop wrapping liquid which comes from a Texas fella named Walter Jetton. This particular recipe makes a bunch so you might want to at least cut it down to 1/2 or 1/4 of the amounts given. Dont bother making the bone stock from scratch. Just snag some Betta Than Bullion Beef Flavor from Kroger or Albertsons. Its black goop in a small jar located usually by the bullion cubes. Dont use the cubes or powders. Way too salty.

http://bbq.about.com/od/moprecipes/r/bl00513a.htm

 

[jackpetro]

I started out with a small upright brinkmann smoker and it served me very well for many years. And I just received a Brinkman Charcoal smoker. I am VERY excited to start using it to smoke everything. The Brinkman smoker is a great meat smoker for the budget minded beginning pitmaster. Brinkmann smokers and grills.

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

Its a good beater pit. I have had a few. They get this trashed, no buddy will lift it from ya.

Just save your cash for a WSM. Well worth the dough. Granted, a ECB will teach you fire control, but with a WSM ya don't need it. Wish I saved all the cash I shelled out on Brinkman to just buy a WSM in the first place.