I have been smoking for a few years with an old style Brinkmann Smoke n' Pit Pitmaster Deluxe, but I've often wanted something a little smaller. I fire up the SnP for hams, ribs, shoulders, brisket, etc., but it is major overkill (waste) when I just want to do a few appetizers or something smaller that doesn't require a long cook.
I found an ECB on Craigslist for $10, so I went and grabbed it. The guy said it was missing the thermometer... no big deal, I'll just grab a new one, or plug that hole and install a better one below the grate. It looked to be in good shape, but after looking it over in person, the grates also needed to be replaced... crap, now I am racking up $20 worth of stuff. With the initial $10 cost, I am getting close to the new price. LOL! Oh well, I stopped by Home Depot to pick up a thermometer and grates. They didn't have either for this model. I suppose that is probably because you can just buy a new one for $40. My wife an I decided to look at the new ones and they only had one left... the box was beat to hell and the body was egged a little. Nothing really wrong with it, but they offered to take $10 off, so I bought a brand new one for $30. So, for a total of $40, I've got a brand new ECB and another in need of an overhaul. Perhaps those grates aren't as much as I think. I have a friend who has been wanting to get into smoking... perhaps I will give it to him for Christmas.
Anyhow, here they are. Obviously the one on the left is the $10 job, and the one on the right is getting a quick burn in before I test out some groceries.
ABTs and stuffed mushrooms. Great break in treats.
The finished product. Well, most of them. It is always hard to get photos of finished work as everyone wants to try them out.
One thing I can tell right away... a different technique is required to run these little things... well, kind of. A little practice should straighten things out, but there will be a bit of a learning curve, just as there was with my SnP. I've got that thing nailed now... with the mods and such, I can pretty much set my baffles before lighting the coals and hit my target temps once the coals are going. Hopefuly the ECB is as predictable after a few mods and practice. Another thing I don't care for is the big bowl of boiling water generating a plume of steam. I'll need to find some fire brick or sand before doing much more cooking on this thing.
I found an ECB on Craigslist for $10, so I went and grabbed it. The guy said it was missing the thermometer... no big deal, I'll just grab a new one, or plug that hole and install a better one below the grate. It looked to be in good shape, but after looking it over in person, the grates also needed to be replaced... crap, now I am racking up $20 worth of stuff. With the initial $10 cost, I am getting close to the new price. LOL! Oh well, I stopped by Home Depot to pick up a thermometer and grates. They didn't have either for this model. I suppose that is probably because you can just buy a new one for $40. My wife an I decided to look at the new ones and they only had one left... the box was beat to hell and the body was egged a little. Nothing really wrong with it, but they offered to take $10 off, so I bought a brand new one for $30. So, for a total of $40, I've got a brand new ECB and another in need of an overhaul. Perhaps those grates aren't as much as I think. I have a friend who has been wanting to get into smoking... perhaps I will give it to him for Christmas.
Anyhow, here they are. Obviously the one on the left is the $10 job, and the one on the right is getting a quick burn in before I test out some groceries.
ABTs and stuffed mushrooms. Great break in treats.
The finished product. Well, most of them. It is always hard to get photos of finished work as everyone wants to try them out.
One thing I can tell right away... a different technique is required to run these little things... well, kind of. A little practice should straighten things out, but there will be a bit of a learning curve, just as there was with my SnP. I've got that thing nailed now... with the mods and such, I can pretty much set my baffles before lighting the coals and hit my target temps once the coals are going. Hopefuly the ECB is as predictable after a few mods and practice. Another thing I don't care for is the big bowl of boiling water generating a plume of steam. I'll need to find some fire brick or sand before doing much more cooking on this thing.
