Brinkmann Trailmaster Limited Edition

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My guess is that your fuel may be betraying you. My basket is 10x10x7 and my extension goes down the the rack. I prefer lump to briquettes, but I have had to use briquettes since I am unable to find a lump brand in my area with a consistent size. All that to say I can maintain consistent 325 degree temps. My theory is that the regular shape of the briquettes allows for more efficient heat generation with minimal air space between the coal.

I can't speak to the wind orientation since my driveway is like a wind tunnel, but i generally have the fire box away from the wind. Here are some pics of the extension, basket, and some wings I did at 325 for two hours on Father's Day, the skin turned out perfect, thanks to the advice on these forums.

Thank you for your reply.

Just out of curiosity, was the 325F the temp at the grate? If so, what did the useless top thermo read during that time?
 
Yeah give it a try but you really have to fine tune it that way and keep a close eye on it.. Temps will soar if your not careful. But if you need to get more air and higher temps that is a great way I have found to get it done.
 
Thank you for your reply.

Just out of curiosity, was the 325F the temp at the grate? If so, what did the useless top thermo read during that time?


With the fine tuning of mine all of my three thermometers read identical.. So if you get it right the top one becomes just as useful as the rest.
 
Thanks Mike. I never thought of that! I'll give it a try.

I want to get this thing dialed for the 4th of July. I have a really nice 6.5lb bone-in pork butt for the day's BBQ, bourbon baked beans, chipotle buttered corn-on-the-cob, etc I want to all do on the smoker.
Don't forget......
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  Don't forget the Q-Views!!!  I would like to see how long you cook the corn and how it is done...
 
If you're having a problem with airflow and want to cook at a higher temps you can even remove the ashtray completely (if you have the charcoal basket). Or you can put a small fan near the vent to increase the air flow. 
 
@Remmt700P

No problem. My temp reading of 325 is at grate level using a dual probe maverick. I really recommend extending the exhaust to grate level to increase smoke contact, especially if you can do it in a more stream lined way to maximize space. Yesterday I got 48 pounds of butt on (6 total) , and I would not have been able to fit them in as 'easily' as i did if I had the dryer extension. Not that there is anything wrong with the dryer extension, it is an elegant solution to a problem, and if it were not for this forum I would never have thought of doing mine the way I did (which only protrudes 2 inches). PM me if you want the specs, and it only costs $12 to make my extension.

Here are some pics of the afore mentioned cook.

 
I often crack the ash tray pan as well to get more air into the fire box. I've had pretty consistent temps across the chamber with my exhaust extended to the grill grate and can get temps up to 350* if needed.
 
This thread has been very informative, have had mine about a year and love it. Two questions:

Has anyone else had a problem with the firebox rusting? If so, what did you do to fix it?

Anyone using an auto temp control like the Digiq or stoker? Would you recommend it?

Thanks again!
 
Finally got to use my smoker with all the mods and the brisket was some of the best I've ever had, didn't even have to wrap it until the last 10 degrees. Only issue I had is it burned a lot of fuel, 20 lbs of kingsford, 5 lbs of frontier lump, and 10 lbs combined of mesquite, oak, and pecan chunks. It was a 20 lb brisket and took about 15 hours




 
By splits do you mean split logs?

No, I haven't tried that. I think my fuel cost yesterday was so high because the wind shifting directions all day. I love in a town home, and the townhomes behind us are all in an oval, which seems to create a funnel and causes the wind to continually shift. I used a charcoal box that was 12x11x6 but I may try to build one larger.
 
Brilliant design idea for the chimney extension! The idea is to make sure that the air flow is at least what it would be with just the factory chimney. To do this you have to look at a lot of factors, most of which I cannot calculate or measure; turbulent or laminar flow, friction, and so on. What I did is calculate what is called the hydrostatic diameter. This measurement relates the effective area of the opening of different shaped pipes. The formula is HD = 4 * area/p where HD the hydrostatic diameter is 4 times the area of the opening divided by the parameter of the pipe. This works for circular and rectangular pipes. You will notice that as the rectangular pipe becomes flatter and moves away from a square the effective diameter gets smaller. That means that a 2x6 inch opening is way better than a 1x12 opening. I did some basic friction calculations and found that a rectangular opening in a 2:1 ratio was no worse than a circular opening. You can calculate the hydrostatic diameter of your extension and compare it to the diameter of the factory chimney. Also, the shorter the extension the lower the friction.

You did a great job with your grill! Thanks for posting. I would not have thought of what you did with the chimney extension.

I'm currently trying to measure the effect that such a chimney extension makes in the temperature distribution. What I've found is that with the chimney extension the dome temperature is 15F hotter and the grill surface is 20F warmer. I don't think this is due to a constriction because that would have caused the fire to go out and when I remove the extension the temperatures dropped. I think I was getting good flow. This is the test rig I'm using. The final version will be made of smooth metal - too much friction and turbulent flow. I think the measurements I need are midway on the grill and at the far end (I pile the coals at one end for indirect heating).

I like your solution because it takes less room. My test rig sticks 4 inches into grill area. I could hide in in the corner but that makes it longer and I think I want the flow centered to help keep the temperature distribution to a minimum.
 

 
I like the end cap you used for the chimney extension. Simple. What is the depth of the opening? What is the diameter of your chimney opening.
 
By splits do you mean split logs?

No, I haven't tried that. I think my fuel cost yesterday was so high because the wind shifting directions all day. I love in a town home, and the townhomes behind us are all in an oval, which seems to create a funnel and causes the wind to continually shift. I used a charcoal box that was 12x11x6 but I may try to build one larger.
Yes, split logs.  Depends on the type of wood used, but they'll generally burn a lot hotter and longer than charcoal, somewhat hotter and longer than lump.
 
Honestly, it didn't occur to me to find a formula. I figured that at 2x6 inches the square inch amount was the same (well, slightly larger) than the ovoid 3x4 inch factor opening. Perhaps I got lucky, but any temp challenges I have are due to the quality of the TMLE. On average, once I have stabelized my target temp, I am running a 7 degree temp difference from end to end, and a lot of the time I only have 1 degree difference, and that without a deflection plate. I'll have to keep that formula in mind if I ever do a scratch build.
 
Just had the Trailmaster Vertical offest delivered yesterday, will assemble this weekend. Will take pics of the assembly and and alterations I have to do to get it up and running effectively, as well as any mods in a new thread. Does anyone else own the Vertical unit?
 
I have my exhaust basically sitting on the food grate and haven't had an issue with flow. are you guys using tuning plates with the exhaust extension?
My exhaust is sitting about 1/2 inch above the food grate.  I have tuning plates made, just need to trim them to fit where I want them to go.  I have no problem with airflow without the tuning plates.  We'll see when I get them in.  My temps have been very consistent from side to side.  No more than 5* difference and it is usually less than that.  Going to do a lot of smoking this weekend and next week.  I'll post Q-Views.  Happy smoking!!!
 
Can anyone tell me the distance across the smoking chamber at the top of the firebox opening?  And then, how far is that from the cooking grate?  I am at work right and can't measure.  I am wanting to trim up my tuning plates and was thinking, if there is enough room, I wouldn't need a baffle.  Just place the plate above the firebox opening.  Thanks in advance!
 
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