Brinkmann Square Vetical Smoker

[monty]

:?: Anybody ever have any experience with the Brinkmann square vertical smoker? There seems to be several different models and Wally World carries one for about sixty bucks. Includes thermometer as well as a lot of regulating vents and so on. Any advice appreciated. Still on the edge, buy or build. Have a free older fridge for the asking. Thanks, Monty

 

[Dutch]

I've not seen anything like that at any of the Wally World's in my area, Monty. It looks like I have to replace my ECB as it seems to have wandered off yesterday while I was at work. :evil: I now have my GOSM and my Camp Chef two burner stove CHAINED to the back porch and my 40 lb & 20 lb. propane bottles are locked in the garage.

 

[monty]

Hey, Earle, that would tick me off royally. Sorry to hear you have that kind of problem in your neighborhood. As for the square vertial smoker log on to WalMArt.com and hit the seasrch box with "smoker" and it will pop that puppy up. Looks good with a thermometer and full length door for easy access. Sets up a bit on four legs. Rated it for 50lbs of meat. I think it is an internet thiing only. Nearest WalMart does not stock it either. Unit is just under sixty bucks and approx shipping is about fifteen. Hope your daughter has a wonderful wedding! My daughter married a young man that every father would want his daughter to marry. Could not have lucked out better. Been six years and they are going stronger than ever! My best to your daughter!
Monty

 

[Dutch]

Monty-My daughter's guy is into restoring old cars and trucks and his daily mode of trasportation is a restored '67 Ford Mustang. I offered to swap him my daughter for his car and he countered with the offer to let me RIDE in it anytime I want. So basically he STILL has his car AND my daughter but he did offer to help me find an old '56 Chevy P/U :D

 

[monty]

Looks like you have gained a son! Best of all to you and your expanding family. Now, if your new son should happen to run across a '69 Cuda Formula S lemme know! Did you ever get to check out the Wally World site for the Brinkmann Square Vertical? I am really leaning towards it and I have not seen or heard any other mention of it anywhere.

 

[Dutch]

Well my ECB has been recovered intact thanks in part to a friend of mine on the local police department. He was patroling in the area when he spotted two kids (8 & 9 yrs old) pulling my ECB down the street in a wagon (also stolen from someone's yard). The kids had no idea what they had and said that they were going give it to their dad so he could sell it for scrap metal :shock: So I'm going to smoke a pork shoulder for him as my way of saying thanks!!

 

[monty]

Happy to hear of the return of your ECB! Good idea to reward your friend. I am sure he will appreciate your effort in return for his effort. Now, for the two little miscreants...their father should be spanked! Monty

 

[backyardchef]

srm. I just saw the smoker your talking about for 60 bucks at my Wally World yesterday. It's not a bad unit for under 60, a little flimsy on the metal and the door does not catch as easy . Another thing on the door if you give it a little jolt it has a tendecy to pop open on you. On the other hand, it has four shelves, two on top to put your meats , the 3 rd on the bottom is your water pan and the last shelf is your coal section. Once again if your on a budget for something cheap , it will get the job done. I'm thinking about getting it for my first smoker.

 

[monty]

Thanks, BYC. As I have said in previous posts I am no stranger to many styles of cooking but totally in the dark about smoking. In this neck of the woods (literally) there is very little smoke cooking. You say that the unit appears to be a bit flimsy. Perhaps I should just take up on a friend's offer of an old fridge and convert that. The unit will definitely have to stay outside in the Vermont winter. Your take on this? Thanks! Monty.

 

[Dutch]

I don't like flimsy! Camp Chef has come out with their version of a cabinet style smoker called the "Smoke Vault". The door is so flimsy that the guy that was putting one together for a display model actually bent the door. I think that I'll stick to my GOSM and ECB until I can get me an offset smoker!! I wonder if there is a way to add an offset box to my GOSM!!??!!

 

[monty]

Well, I guess you gets what you pays for! Think I will put the whole project on hold till spring. Earle, you sort of gave me a bit of an inspiration. I am playing with the idea of putting together a smoker and Dutch oven type of set up that will be complementary to each other. Open fire pit for Dutch oven and other cooking as well as for supplying coals for the smoker. Would not be hard to do here given that open cook fires are ok and that I have ten very private acres upon which I like to entertain. Also have a great supply of sheared granite for a base. (New England's most prolific ground crop...Rock!) Think I will go with the fridge conversion. Seems to me it would be a lot better for my needs. Any more thoughts? BTW have been doing some small scale smoking in my propane grill!

 

[backyardchef]

SRM. Your Welcome on the input about the Wally smoker. BTW I'm a first time smoker myself and trying to learn on this site everything I can to get started. My take about the fridge , it's definitely thicker then the Wally version and if you can put it together cheaply . Then I say why not... I'm all for inexpensive especially if it's my first time. Also I seen some at Home depot with a side box and a big grill area, it's the round barrel type and I think it goes for $160 and some change. It's not a bad unit and definitely heaveier duty... Have you seen it yourself.

 

[monty]

BYC, please bear in mind that a trip to Home Depot is more like a pilgrimage for me. Nearest one is almost sixty miles away! Same goes for Wally World. Nearest Sears is thirty miles and the local hardware stores are at least twenty miles distant. Nearest gas station is about twelve miles and I drive a 4X4 that gets about 14 MPG. Most of my shopping is on the net. (Dial up and SLOW!) Not too much window shopping these days! Cheap and effective is the name of the game here! Thanks for your input and I am now convinced that I will convert an old fridge and do it in the style of BDV!
Monty

 

[Dutch]

Monty-If I remember right, I think BigDaddyViking67 has a Smoker that he made from an old refrigerator. I think he also posted a link to the pictures. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s certainly doable if you have everything on hand.

Ok, I found it Monty!!! Look under the PORK forum heading then scroll down to "1st smoke in old fridge". bigdaddyviking shows his smoker with ribs in action.

 

[monty]

Yup, Earle, I think that's the ticket. Got a free fridge and the other stuff is either cheap or free. The pics that BDV posted are super!. I remember seeing plans somewhere that show an old fridge being used as both a hot and cold smoker. For cold smoking a remote firebox is piped into the bottom of the fridge. For hot smoking the coals are in the fridge and the low pipe is part of the draft system. When cold smoking the firebox also served as a Dutch oven heat source. Both can be in use for either smoke together. Will have to wait, though. Still laid up on a work related injury. When I am back on my feet, literally, I have six cords of firewood to process and all the other "get ready for snow" stuff that needs doing. Then it will be plow, plow, plow all winter. Monty

 

[Dutch]

Sorry to hear that you're laid up Monty, hope it's nothing too serious and that you get back on your feet soon.

Back when the family business was running we had a smokehouse that was gas fired and the smoke was produced with an offset smoke generator (basically a hot plate with a blower). We had a customer that had a Dairy Farm and made his own cheese. He wanted us to cold smoke some cheese for him but we never connected. Either he had cheese that he wanted us to smoke and both smokehouses were always going 24/7 or he didn't have any cheese and we would be in a slow season and both smokers sat idle 3 days out of 7.

 

[monty]

My initial interest in smoking meat was for cold smoking. I raise a couple of pigs every year and have a bunch of laying hens. Next year I plan on getting back into raising turkeys as well. Right now I pay to have my meat smoked by the butcher I employ every year. Helluva service. THey pick up the live animals and call you in a day or two to pick up your packaged, labeled, weighed frozen pork. They get a fancy price for smoking and so I just started looking into the whole thing. A dual use smoker like I have in mind would be ideal. It will also fit well with my penchant for entertaining! As for the injury, tendons and ligaments right ankle as well as the calf muscle. Trying to be twenty again. Have been on my butt since July and will hopefully be released to work by the first week of October. Going nuts would be putting it lightly! Monty

 

[nyc q]

I to am the not so proud owner of the latest ECB Brinkmann vertical smoker from Walmart. So far I have only modded it by drilling a hole in the top and dropping a thermometer that actually works. I have also swapped out the water pan for a foil wrapped pizza stone with limited success.

I want to mod the charcoal pan but would appreciate some guidance. The other thing I intend to try is sand in the water pan, but first I need to get a shovel or two full of clean sand.

So ECB owners please help me get my temps up.

 

[soflaquer]

Guys, first of all they call it a "Water" pan for a reason. I've read all the forums on all the sites about utilizing SAND in the pan. Sure it acts as a thermal sink, but it was engineered that way for a reason, otherwise they would have called it a SAND PAN.

Some Mods are very usefull, but IMHO I would stick with placing boiling water in the "Water" pan.

Jeff

 

[Dutch]

NYC Q, First off, Welcome to the best Q forum in the world.

As far as mods to the fire pan I drilled some 3/4 ins. holes in the bottom of my fire pan (the side of my pan as vents in it not too conductive for drawing an upward draft especially when using the Minion method for starting your briquettes.) Make a charcoal rack to hold the briquettes off the bottom of the pan. This will increase your air circulation and it will also provide a space for the ash to fall with out smothering your bottom briquettes. Always put boiling hot water in the water pan. This way the heat can be used for heating up the food item right away without having to heat up the water first.