Brinkmann Trailmaster Limited Edition

[oldgamefreak]

Your stack should stay wide open and you regulate the temp on the fire box side. This will help you from getting the creosote you mentioned. Also your smoke should be thin and blue not thick and white. That's what's killing your flavor. Creosote build up.

If you can't leek the temps down enough with the fire box you have air leaks. Run through the forums to find out how to stop them. You'll be turning out awesome Q in no time.

 

[chad cochran]

Thanks, Tom!

I've taken the wire brush and the ShopVac to the interior. I have it almost down to bare metal in some spots.

How do I season it?

Also, after the brisket yesterday and all that I learned about the creosote, I took the grates out of the bottom and cleaned them. They did not impress me, as soaking them overnight in the sink and brushing and scrubbing them this morning REMOVED ALL OF THE BLACK PAINT!!!!

Can I repaint them with high temp paint?

The cooking grates are said to be porcelain coated and expect them to keep up better.

 

[tomfrazier]

Your stack should stay wide open and you regulate the temp on the fire box side. This will help you from getting the creosote you mentioned. Also your smoke should be thin and blue not thick and white. That's what's killing your flavor. Creosote build up.

If you can't leek the temps down enough with the fire box you have air leaks. Run through the forums to find out how to stop them. You'll be turning out awesome Q in no time.

What he said ^^^   But I would make sure you have a 90* elbow on your stack or you'll let out too much smoke and heat I think...  Even with my elbow, I usually keep my stack half open but yea control heat with the fire box... Make sure your drawer is all the way closed too... 

Couple of other things. Try to use natural lump charcoal instead of the processed stuff from Kingsford and the like. If you do use the Kingsford like I used to, get yourself a charcoal chimney and pre-light the charcoal. Once they are nice and white add them to your firebox. The processed charcoal gives off a rancid odor when it is first lighting up for some reason.

 

[oldgamefreak]

I use a BIT of coal but mainly wood chunks in a minion basket. On my next smoke I'll be ditching the chunks for Oak splits to see if I can get a longer burn on my fuel. as it is now I'm out there about avery 45 min adding a chunk or so. 

Also for the bottom drawer, I read where someone was lining it with foil to help keep it sealed up. 

 

[tomfrazier]

 
Thanks, Tom!

I've taken the wire brush and the ShopVac to the interior. I have it almost down to bare metal in some spots.

How do I season it?

Also, after the brisket yesterday and all that I learned about the creosote, I took the grates out of the bottom and cleaned them. They did not impress me, as soaking them overnight in the sink and brushing and scrubbing them this morning REMOVED ALL OF THE BLACK PAINT!!!!

Can I repaint them with high temp paint?

The cooking grates are said to be porcelain coated and expect them to keep up better.

Read my post again about seasoning the smoker with Olive or similar oil. Then a nice smoke with some Hickory. The oil like on a cast iron skillet will eventually build up a nice aromatic coating.

As far as the grates. You said bottom grates. I don't mess with the bottom grates. Charcoal goes on those when I do direct grilling. I also haven't had an issues with my cooking grates. I use balled up heavy duty aluminum foil and a wire brush to clean mine and sometimes use my garden hose to rinse heavily soiled debris off. My finish hasn't come off.

I also always wipe my cooking grate down with a folded paper towel dipped in olive oil on the end of a long tong before smoking or grilling. 

I would NOT repaint your grates! If you've removed the finish then just keep them oiled. 

 

[tomfrazier]

Oh I also line the bottom of my main chamber with a long strip of heavy duty aluminum foil (the wide roll) to catch drippings when smoking or ashes when direct grilling. VERY easy cleanup. :)  Then every few uses I'll just take the garden hose and spray out the inside of the main chamber before smoking or grilling... NO soap or other cleaning chemicals... 

I keep mine covered with their custom cover but I'm a bit lax on keeping the outside oiled. The high heat is brutal on paint and the humid south Florida heat makes things worse. Surface rust is getting a hold of the outside of the firebox and the right side of the main chamber where I usually direct grill. I have to repaint mine soon... 

 

[davidski]

heres mine! less than 14 months old, snow and awning crushed it.

 

12417628_10208607837383726_1303115650519213309_n.j

• davidski
• Jan 29, 2016

 

[best beef jerky]

http://bestbeefjerkydehydrators.com/ best homemade beef jerky

 

[best beef jerky]

i would also have to say i agree with him with the rust part.

 

[davidski]

 
http://bestbeefjerkydehydrators.com/ best homemade beef jerky

complete crap. if you want a ton of jerky done right in a short amount of time, LEM is the way to go. 

 

[chad cochran]

 
What he said ^^^   But I would make sure you have a 90* elbow on your stack or you'll let out too much smoke and heat I think...  Even with my elbow, I usually keep my stack half open but yea control heat with the fire box... Make sure your drawer is all the way closed too... 

Couple of other things. Try to use natural lump charcoal instead of the processed stuff from Kingsford and the like. If you do use the Kingsford like I used to, get yourself a charcoal chimney and pre-light the charcoal. Once they are nice and white add them to your firebox. The processed charcoal gives off a rancid odor when it is first lighting up for some reason.

Looks like I'm gonna have to tear the whole thing apart and start over.....maybe this spring. I gotta get some RTV, gaskets, tuning plates and seal this thing up!! I'm very anal about customizing everything I own to make it mine.

Tom, I'm using mesquite lump today, and when I got it started this morning, it took over an hour to get the temps down!!! I think I started with too much. It was around 575 forever; I thought this stuff was supposed to hold a fairly constant temp and I'm still babysitting. Definitely got an air leak around my ash drawer, vent's completely closed, and it's still running hotter than I'd like. I will say, though, that it seems to last a little longer than I expected. This is my third brisket, so I'll just sit in class, learn what I can, and study.

Lined bottom with foil and oiled all grates.

Today's stats so far:

San Antonio, TX 46*

0700

- Ambient temp 46*, vent closed

- Avg grate temp (Front to back with dual digital probes) 275*

- Meat temp 52*

0800

- Ambient temp 46*, vent closed add 2 fist sized lumps and 2 fist sized mesquite smoking chunks

- Avg grate temp 275*

- Meat temp 113*

0900

-Ambient temp 47*

-Avg grate temp 289*

-Meat temp 122

 

[tomfrazier]

It's 4:30am... Where are your pork shoulders?

 

20160207_042936_resized.jpg

• tomfrazier
• Feb 7, 2016

 

[tomfrazier]

 
Looks like I'm gonna have to tear the whole thing apart and start over.....maybe this spring. I gotta get some RTV, gaskets, tuning plates and seal this thing up!! I'm very anal about customizing everything I own to make it mine.

Tom, I'm using mesquite lump today, and when I got it started this morning, it took over an hour to get the temps down!!! I think I started with too much. It was around 575 forever; I thought this stuff was supposed to hold a fairly constant temp and I'm still babysitting. Definitely got an air leak around my ash drawer, vent's completely closed, and it's still running hotter than I'd like. I will say, though, that it seems to last a little longer than I expected. This is my third brisket, so I'll just sit in class, learn what I can, and study.

Lined bottom with foil and oiled all grates.

Good Morning Chad...

I am by no means a grill/BBQ master but I know what works for me. I use about a quart of charcoal and get it almost completely white in the fire box. I then close the lid make sure my ash drawer is completely closed and my vent about a 1/4 open. Stack is usually half way open. I then let the fire cool down for about five minutes. I then add 3 or 4 chunks of hickory to the top of the fire and close the fire box again. I let it develop a nice smoke for another five minutes and then add the meat. I only have the single stock thermometer on mine. This morning it is 56* outside and my temperature was 270* when I first put the pork shoulders on at 4:30am. They've been on for 30 min and the temperature is 250* right now. Still a little high but the pork shoulder was nearly room temperature when I put it in the grill and the temps will continue to fall... It really is a little trial and error and It took me a while.

Yea you should consider taking your stack and fire box off to install the elbow and seal them to the main chamber. Make sure you clean the rim of the fire box opening where you will apply the high temp silicone real good with alcohol before applying the silicone. I had sheets of Seran Wrap already ready, applied a nice bead along the edge of the fire box and main chamber opening. Neatly laid down the Seran Wrap and gently closed the lids. I applied just enough pressure to close the lids completely then let everything cure for 24 hours. The following day, open the lids, peel off the Seran Wrap and trim the excess with a single edge razor blade... 

5:44 update... Had to open the vent half way to keep the temp up to 225* I guess because it's 20* to 30* cooler than usual outside. I've been adding 3 or 4 chunks of hickory every 20 min or so to the top of the coals as well to keep the smoke up. Starting a batch of coals in my charcoal chimney in a few...

Regards,

Tom

 

[chad cochran]

Obviously I have some tuning issues, and I'm fine with that. If it were perfect from the start, I wouldn't learn anything!!

So, to date, I have smoked three briskets, two packages of chicken breasts, and a whole turkey. I am incredibly satisfied with the preservation that smoking has offered; leftovers don't seem to spoil as fast as other methods of preparation. This got me to thinking about curing and jerky.

Has anyone had any experience with salt curing?

Does anyone have any advice on making jerky? Can it be done in the BTLE? What does the process entail?

 

[chad cochran]

OK guys, I'm getting a little better.

Put some plate in the cook chamber to divert direct heat from the firebox. Also used a large cookie sheet for a water pan on the lower grill grates right up against the "new" baffle plate. I got a lot better control of my heat.

Used briquettes and smoking chunks, Kingsford mesquite and mesquite chunks. The control of the heat was so dramatically different!!! Brisket almost fell apart when I tried to remove the foil, it was so tender I had trouble cutting it.

The flat on the cutting board was a little bit drier than the flat on the point, and the point/flat was sooooo juicy!!

What do you guys use the end of the flat for? It seems good for chopped brisket, but not really for slicing....

I also still have the point/flat from my last one because the rest of the flat was so dry. Is this normal?

 

[smokering90]

If I'm reading you correctly you're saying that the flat is not good for slicing? I only get slices out of the flat, then the point I like to cube up and make burnt ends. Plenty of threads on here for those. If it was to tender to get slices you might of overlooked it (which it still tastes amazing but it just falls apart) if that is the case I recommend getting a good thermometer such as a maverick. This will allow you to read temps of the smoker and the meat.

 

[chad cochran]

If I'm reading you correctly you're saying that the flat is not good for slicing? I only get slices out of the flat, then the point I like to cube up and make burnt ends. Plenty of threads on here for those. If it was to tender to get slices you might of overlooked it (which it still tastes amazing but it just falls apart) if that is the case I recommend getting a good thermometer such as a maverick. This will allow you to read temps of the smoker and the meat.

Yes, the knife (smooth blade) was actually tearing up the top of the meat from the end of the flat to the middle of the brisket. I have read about "burnt ends" but I'm not really sure what that is.

As far as the thermometer is concerned, I use the Maverick dual for the grill temps from one end to the other to better control my heat, then I have a single that I use for the meat, shoved into the end of the point and down, still in the point, but under the flat (the thickest piece of meat, right?).

Any suggestions are appreciated, I'm still learning.

 

[smokering90]

The flat is going to be the longer thinner cut of meat on the brisket and the point is the thicker fattier part they are separated by a layer of fat. If you're looking for sliced brisket I would put your probe into the flat towards the middle and watch for the temps to reach 190 degrees. At that point start checking it with a toothpick every so often until it gets to your desired texture. Once the toothpick goes in like butter with little resistance than you know you are good for slicing. Make sure you let it rest then slice perpendicular with the grain.

As far as burnt ends go... Once the brisket reaches 160 degrees or so (this is just how I do it, you can keep it whole until the flat is done) I take the whole brisket out and separate the point and the flat. I will then wrap the flat in butcher paper and back on the smoker till its done. Then I take the point and cube it into 1 inch cubes. Take all those cubes and but them in an aluminum pan and sprinkle some rub and bbq sauce on them and into the smoker they go. Once they are done I like to set them out as appetizers (after I've had my fair share of course) they are one of the best things in bbq.

Brisket is tough to get right. Best thing is to monitor your temps. Any questions you have feel free to ask away.

 

[joes bbq ribs]

Hello, wanted to see how covering up the smoke stack like that is working out for you? How far off the left side is that setting from the smoke stack chamber? Lastly are you holding temps a lot better with that mod/ downdraft is what I would call it. Thanks again I was trying to explain what to do to my friend but, he's not one for doing that stuff. I added a full second shelf that slides out on his brinkmann trail master and changed out his main cooking grates as well both made of expanded metal. Anyway get back to me when you get the chance

 

[whiskeyboyz]

Brisket, like any thing else you smoke is all about internal temp. I smoke hot and fast. 350-375 and pan my briskets in a throw away aluminum pan. At 150 degrees internal temp, I cover the pan with heavy foil, putting in some beer or bourbon and Simply Apple apple juice mixed 50/50. Cover and keep at heat. check after another hour. pull off when brisket reached 200-210 internal temp and you can cut it with a plastic fork. Meat gets to 140-160 degrees the tissues will reach a 'stall" point. that why I cover them as it helps to kind of Bake it the rest of the way. I have never cooked a brisket on a smoker with being in a pan. at 150-160 degrees, that brisket has absorbed all of the Smoke it is going to, about 1/4 inch smoke ring. after covering it with foil, you can just add charcoal for heat, no smoking wood needed. Try this same smoke with a Beef Chuck roast. get a good one 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. good eating.