Brinkmann Smoke' N Pit w/sfb

[smksignals]

Oh man , am I excited. I just purchased my first smoker. It is a horizontal Brinkmann Smoke' N Pit with the offset fire box. This thing is a big sucker. The cooking surface in the smoke chamber is 39" long and 18" deep. I will be seasoning it later today. Any recommendations on the amount of charcoal needed? Also, for seasoning the grill, I only need to add charcoal to the sfb, and not the smoking chamber, correct ???

I plan on modding the thing before it gets to greasy to work with. I am gonna lower the stack inside, create some sort of baffle, and get a charcoal basket. I also plan on getting one of those digital thermometers with dual temp readings for the cooking surface and food temp.

Thanks for the help. I am really looking forward to some nice long cooks !!!

 

[gypsyseagod]

i have the same thing only the box said smoke n grill (google shows that as an r2d2 type smoker on the brink site). anyway, when i seasoned mine i used 1/2 an 18lb bag of charcoal & a whole bag of mesquite chunks over 6-8 hours getting it up to the ideal/hot range for about 2 hours then back to ideal(on the dot)about 300-350 mid grate by my thermo for the rest of the time. i didn't burn anything in the smoke chamber. just spray oil or lightly coat the inside of the smoke chamber & grates(takes about 2 cans of spray oil to get it all).good luck w/ your new toy & post some pics- we love the q-view. if ya need any other help just ask.

 

[low&slow]

Congrats on the new addition to the family. Its a great smoker, a bit of a fuel monster, but a great smoker.
You are correct. To season it you dont need to put charcoal or wood in the smoking chamber. Just put it in the firebox. I would buy a big bag of charcoal, just to be safe.
You can use the charcoal grate inside the smoke chaber as a baffle. Or, I like to put a big metal pan of water on the grate closest to the firebox. It works great and it keeps the meat moist too.

You will be addited very soon. Looking forward to you pics.

 

[smksignals]

"You can use the charcoal grate inside the smoke chamber as a baffle"

l&s, I am glad you mentioned that. That is exactly what I was thinking. I am going to pitch out the sheet metal tray that is supposed to attach underneath the smoke chamber charcoal grate. It is warped, and I can not get it to stay on. I am going to get some sheet metal and trim it to the size of the grate, and bolt it on. Or heck, maybe layer it with tinfoil instead. This should make one long baffle that I can raise or lower with the hanging brackets inside the chamber.

I will try and take some pix before tinkering ...

 

[gypsyseagod]

mine was a bit warped too but i turned ut over & walked on it to flatten it a bit. put the firebox end on the highest setting & the "cold" end on the lowest-that should get ya through until ya get stuff fabricated. here'sa thread w/ some great mods http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=1458

 

[flagriller]

Sweet. ongrats on the new addition. You're doing the right thing by moding right out of the box, thats what I did! Added 2 thermometers one on each side just above grate level and the vent lowering to grate level.

 

[smksignals]

ok, I spent 1/2 the day yesterday seasoning my smoke 'n pit, and I am ready to use this bad boy. I bought 2 pyrex pro digital thermometers (1 at each end of chamber w/probes suspended from the grate by sticking them through potatoes) and practiced throughout the day maintaining heat and adding wood to get the desired amount of smoke through the stack. I have to say I am feeling pretty confident I can keep this thing between 225-250 degrees, and just 'kiss' the meat with smoke.

Here are some pix of the smoker with mods. Thumbnails in order of bullet points

1. Brinkmann Smoke 'N Pit
2. Old vegetable basket I had laying around, put in the fire box to hold the coals. This is the basket I used - http://www.problemsolvers.com/psolve...log/81410e.jpg
3. Basket in the fire box
4. Sheet metal charcoal tray inverted and bolted to adjustable coal rack to act as a baffle
5. Smoke stack lowered to the grate. Pop rivet is keeping it from unraveling.

Now its time to make a list, go to the store, and try this bad boy out !!!

Thanks for looking, Kurt T.

 

[gypsyseagod]

great job. now where's the q-view?? we're starving here.

 

[low&slow]

Excellent mods and pics. Thank you for sharing. Sounds like you are ready to go. Time to get that thing dirty.

 

[cajun_1]

Congrats on the new toy. Just bought one myself last week. Did most of the mods, but still unhappy with the way it cooks. Did 2 yard birds yesterday. Took over 6 hours and 10# of charcoal. Have alot of leaks.

 

[gypsyseagod]

i'm fixing to do some lip mods for the thing(soon as i find a rig welder). i'll post them when done. plus wood is way cheaper here so i'm going w/ wood now.

 

[cajun_1]

Thinking of moving smoke stack to side of the lid by the grate. Can still keep the warming tray. There is about a 1/2" gap between the lid and smoke chamber all the way around.

 

[gypsyseagod]

hence the lip mods i'm about to do. i gotta get a hole saw metal bit & change the stack to just under the grate. whaddaya think ?

 

[cajun_1]

Would just under the grate' not allow the smoke linger above thegrate for any lenght of time?

 

[chris_harper]

if the smoke/heat enters just under the grate, and exits on the opposite end, just under the grate, it creates a "rolling" effect to the smoke. it will enter and roll thru the smoker, exiting the smokestack. that is how it was explained to me. mine is built that way, and i get some hella smoke riings on my briskets.

 

[cajun_1]

Thanks Chris, What your saying makes sense. Thanks for the info.

 

[johnd49455]

I have a chargriller pro which is a mirror image of the charbroil. I learned on this over the last year. I did a 16# turkey in Michigan weather 30 degree range & used 1 full 20# bag of charcoal & 39# of cherry wood chunks on a 16 hour smoke. Definitely fuel hungry. I have don no mods on the unit & seems to work well if the meat isn't to close to the fire box. I use a turkey fryer thermometer through the mounting hole for the rotisserie which measures the temp just below the cooking grate for a second thermometer to the lid thermometer.
My major problem with the unit is that after about 6 hours with the massive fuel use that the ash drawer is so full of ash that I need to keep the air controll open all the way to keep the heat up.

 

[bbq bubba]

Hey John, i think what you need is a charcoal box, and to raise your charcoal grate, leaves more room for air to get to the coals and the box keeps the coals more compact for a better burn. I built this for my drum smoker i'm building.........

Just some expanded metal, cut n bent and bolted together (i'm a woodworker!

)
This is in place, with the grate already raised 2"

 

[texassmoker]

I just got one like yours this last spring. I've been wanting one for awhile. This one is my favorite for doing burgers now cause I can remove the water pan and mark the meat a bit with the flame from the fire box.

I didn't know much about modifying these smokers until I found this site...I may have to try a couple of them soon.

 

[stokinsmokebbq]

I have the same smoker. Im in the midst of doing the mods and was thinking for a seal on the lip of the hood of using an oven door seal. (The seal on the inside of an oven door) and applying it using the high heat adhesive. Has anybody done this or have an better idea? Too much smoke escapes when in use so i thought it was a good idea. Also the top warming rack doesnt get in the way of extending the smoke stack? Or do you take that out completely? Thanks for the input.