Brinkman Smoke and Grill any good?

[sharptailhunter]

My local Home Depot has a Brinkman Smoke and Grill on sale for $125.99. Is that a good price and is it a decent smoker?

 

[domn8_ion]

Is that the vertical or horizontal style?

 

[gypsyseagod]

if thats w/ the fire box- grab it. i have 1 & i like it. a few little mods for less than $10 & it's perfect. i think we paid $149.00 for mine. jeff wrote a review on it & it's on another post here today but here's a few things i found. the firebox is kinda thin. i installed a baffle between the box & chamber(foil for now-until i can weld in a realplate & adjustable slides),i angled the charcoal tray highest to lowest from box side to end side for tuning(so the far end cooks lower & longer for fatties same time as say a shoulder in the middle),i use the 1st grate(closest to the box) as a tuning plate,and i was going to use dryer vent to extend the stack to the grate but the warming rack gets in the way(plus i bought 5"duct which was too big) so i may cut/ modify the warming rack. it does lose a bit of smoke around the lid but only if pouring the smoke to it. i plugged the (i guess) rotisserie holes w/ foil.and the factory lid thermo reads "ideal" on the dot while my mid grate temp reads 300-350. all in all it's still a great pit.

 

[gypsyseagod]

domin8- it's the 1 on my avatar

 

[gypsyseagod]

oh, i forgot this-if you do brisket or a large pork(lots of drippage of any kind) you better have a catch pan as barrel mount screw just before the drip cup will leak. i learned that the hard way having my catch pan off center. some of use use a litterbox if neccessary(thats mine in my avatar under the pit).

 

[low&slow]

Yep, theres a lot of drippage. Easily fill a beer can up 2 times on a brisket smoke. Thats where my dog likes to lay down. Right next to the drip hole. Cause if it overflows and starts dripping, he just leans over and licks it up. Hell, sometimes he lays right under it and it drips right on his head. He likes barbecue as much as me.
I haven't really modified mine in any way except for plugging the rotisserie holes. I also removed the warming shelf because my beer can chickens wont stand up in there with it installed. I never use it anyways.
I use a water pan as a tuning plate, it helps keep the meat moist too.
Other than being a charcoal eatin machine, its a pretty darn good smoker.

 

[gypsyseagod]

thinking of modifying the drip can to a 3lb coffee can.lol

 

[sharptailhunter]

It's the model with the side fire box. Obviously I am new to the barbecue thing, so forgive my ignorance. So, in a wood smoker, does the hardwood (i.e hickory, mesquite, apple, etc) burn to create the heat? Or, do you use charcoal to provide the heat and then add chunks of hardwood to create the smoke? If that's the case, does the hard wood sit right on the charcoal or does the charcoal heat a plate or pan that the hardwood sits in? Also, what's a tuning plate?

 

[gypsyseagod]

you can do both or either (check out that 5 day free e course for indepth details) but so you know right off the bat. 1)lump charcoal burns hotter w/ less fuel than briquettes and wood burns hotter than that (mesquite & red oak being the hottest)so if you have access to wood thats the way to go. a tuning plate simple directs heat along the chamber or redirects/diffuses heat by the firebox to get your temps even across the cooking chamber. cheack out this thread. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...9915#post59915