Hey all,
Finally getting my start with a smoker. Came together with a barn find on a property where my Dad was building a new home for someone. While clearing out the out buildings from the previous owner I found a old and beat to hell Brinkmann ECB. It wasn't round anymore and the door hinge has been ripped apart halfway. So I grabbed it up and loaded it into a large trash bag and hauled it home to see what I could do with it. After working it with my hands, rubber mallets, and straps, I got it back to being "more round". At least now the lid goes back onto properly! HAH I then added a rope gasket to seal that 1/4" gap around the lid. I also took some high temp RTV sealant that I used to bond the rope gasket to the lid and sealed around the original temp gauge. I then hammered the door hinge to line up better, put a thick bead of sealant around the door opening and then closed it and covered the hinge with sealant too.
I took the legs off of the smoker and put them on the outside. I then got lucky and found a tiny travel grille for $5 on clearance at Kroger. I now use that little grill for my charcoal pit. I took the turn style vent off of the lid of the little grill and added it to the top lid of the smoker. I also went out and got a thermometer from Home Depot and put that dude in the lid of the smoker.
Here it is now, in all of its "glory"...
So it came down to the first time ever smoking on it. I asked my fiance to pick something pork up from the store when she hit the grocery. I cam home to a 4 lbs center cut pork loin. I figured it would work and started in on it. I cut that dude in half. Took half and brined it for 24 hours in a mixure of: apple cider vinegar, water, salt, garlic, chicken bouillon paste, and couple tablespoons of rub. The next night, I figured up that it would take a couple hours give or take to smoke this guy. I started by pulling the loin out of the fridge and brining mixure, tossed it onto a plate and started covering it on the dry rub. Covered in saran wrap and let it hang out. I tossed a load of apple wood chips into some water in a pie pan and them sit. Then I started up the chimney coal starter and let him get the coals going good. I tossed those coals into the little grill and put the smoker over top. I filled the water pan with a bit of water and put that into the smoker. I let the cooker come up to 220 F before throwing the meat into the mix. I threw half of the wood chips onto the coals and then put the smoker over the top of the coals and let the fun begin. About an hour in I tossed the rest of the wood chips onto the coals.
After about 2 hours sitting at 220 the loin hit 142 internal. I pulled it off and wrapped it in a nice loose foil tent and let that guy camp for about 35-40 mins.
This is the end result of my first try on the "new" modded ECB.
I have since cooked the second half up. I didn't brine that one. I only rubbed it down with dry rub and let it hang out in saran wrap while I got the smoker up to temp. Same smoking process with this one. Came out good as well! After smoking this one, I would chop it up and toss it into a hot skillet to crisp it up and cook the thin layer of fat off a bit more. Then I toss in some rice and veggies and let that dry rubbed pork fat cook into the rice and veggies and have all that to eat on. Great meal for dinner and lunch a couple days of the week.
Here is a pic of the second with my rub on it before the smoker...
A quick question out there to folks that have used the ECB.
How much water are you putting in the water bowl?
I just ate the last of the pork... so looking what to smoke next. Already got another bag of charcoal and upgraded to apple wood chunks instead of chips. Might do a whole chicken...
Finally getting my start with a smoker. Came together with a barn find on a property where my Dad was building a new home for someone. While clearing out the out buildings from the previous owner I found a old and beat to hell Brinkmann ECB. It wasn't round anymore and the door hinge has been ripped apart halfway. So I grabbed it up and loaded it into a large trash bag and hauled it home to see what I could do with it. After working it with my hands, rubber mallets, and straps, I got it back to being "more round". At least now the lid goes back onto properly! HAH I then added a rope gasket to seal that 1/4" gap around the lid. I also took some high temp RTV sealant that I used to bond the rope gasket to the lid and sealed around the original temp gauge. I then hammered the door hinge to line up better, put a thick bead of sealant around the door opening and then closed it and covered the hinge with sealant too.
I took the legs off of the smoker and put them on the outside. I then got lucky and found a tiny travel grille for $5 on clearance at Kroger. I now use that little grill for my charcoal pit. I took the turn style vent off of the lid of the little grill and added it to the top lid of the smoker. I also went out and got a thermometer from Home Depot and put that dude in the lid of the smoker.
Here it is now, in all of its "glory"...
So it came down to the first time ever smoking on it. I asked my fiance to pick something pork up from the store when she hit the grocery. I cam home to a 4 lbs center cut pork loin. I figured it would work and started in on it. I cut that dude in half. Took half and brined it for 24 hours in a mixure of: apple cider vinegar, water, salt, garlic, chicken bouillon paste, and couple tablespoons of rub. The next night, I figured up that it would take a couple hours give or take to smoke this guy. I started by pulling the loin out of the fridge and brining mixure, tossed it onto a plate and started covering it on the dry rub. Covered in saran wrap and let it hang out. I tossed a load of apple wood chips into some water in a pie pan and them sit. Then I started up the chimney coal starter and let him get the coals going good. I tossed those coals into the little grill and put the smoker over top. I filled the water pan with a bit of water and put that into the smoker. I let the cooker come up to 220 F before throwing the meat into the mix. I threw half of the wood chips onto the coals and then put the smoker over the top of the coals and let the fun begin. About an hour in I tossed the rest of the wood chips onto the coals.
After about 2 hours sitting at 220 the loin hit 142 internal. I pulled it off and wrapped it in a nice loose foil tent and let that guy camp for about 35-40 mins.
This is the end result of my first try on the "new" modded ECB.
I have since cooked the second half up. I didn't brine that one. I only rubbed it down with dry rub and let it hang out in saran wrap while I got the smoker up to temp. Same smoking process with this one. Came out good as well! After smoking this one, I would chop it up and toss it into a hot skillet to crisp it up and cook the thin layer of fat off a bit more. Then I toss in some rice and veggies and let that dry rubbed pork fat cook into the rice and veggies and have all that to eat on. Great meal for dinner and lunch a couple days of the week.
Here is a pic of the second with my rub on it before the smoker...
A quick question out there to folks that have used the ECB.
How much water are you putting in the water bowl?
I just ate the last of the pork... so looking what to smoke next. Already got another bag of charcoal and upgraded to apple wood chunks instead of chips. Might do a whole chicken...
