Coating the inside of a new smoker?

[danuk]

Got a new smoker yesterday from the wife. Its a Brinkmann smoke n grill. I know all the tips and mods that need doing but am wondering if I need to prepare the smoker in any way ? Should I maybe give the inside a quik brush over with olive oil or something before I light it up?

I have a cover for it so the outside should be ok.

Excited for giving it a go tomorrow!

Thanks

 

[seenred]

Hi Dan...congrats on the new rig! With any brand new pit I've ever seasoned, I like to run it empty, as hot as I can get it, for a couple hours right out of the box...just to burn off any manufacturing gunk. Then after it cools you can wipe the burned off junk out real good.

Then I'd lightly coat the inner surfaces with veg oil for seasoning and corrosion restistance, and cook away! It'll season better and better as you cook on it.

Good luck and be sure to post pics! Thumbs Up

Red

 

[danuk]

Thank you Red! That sounds like a great suggestion and I will do that tomorrow. I will definitely post some pics of my first smoke. I am a little excited. Have some ribs and a pork shoulder but think I will just try with the ribs to start and see what the temperature does etc. Then the pork later in the week.

Thanks for the advice. Now off to assemble the smoker :)

 

[seenred]

Thank you Red! That sounds like a great suggestion and I will do that tomorrow. I will definitely post some pics of my first smoke. I am a little excited. Have some ribs and a pork shoulder but think I will just try with the ribs to start and see what the temperature does etc. Then the pork later in the week.

Thanks for the advice. Now off to assemble the smoker :)

It's a good idea to start off with just the ribs...it takes some trial and error to learn the temperament of any new smoker. Temperature control is different on every pit, and it may take you a few smokes to learn how much fuel to use, how to set your dampers for air flow, if it has any hot spots, etc.

Goood luck, Brother, and thank you for the point! Thumbs Up

Red

 

[bdskelly]

You can go wrong with Red's recommendations.  Get yourself a spray bottle and fill it with vegetable oil and give the inside a good spritz 

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I'm a bit different in this department. I due a hot burn and then start cooking. I let the food season the smoker. Never had a problem.

 

[danuk]

Well its built and modified already after reading threads on here. I have put the legs on the outside so that it can be lifted off the fire pan. I have put holes and a mesh grate in the fire bowl for air circulation and I have also fitted a decent temp sensor on the top.

Will fire it up as hot as I can tomorrow and then run a 2 hour burn after spraying with oil. Will leave the ribs until Wednesday. Thanks for the advice all :)

smoker 1.jpg

• danuk
• Dec 26, 2016

smoker 2.jpg

• danuk
• Dec 26, 2016

smoker 3.jpg

• danuk
• Dec 26, 2016

 

[GaryHibbert]

Thats a nice looking new smoker. Are you sure you're only a "little excited"??

Gary

 

[JckDanls 07]

Dan... do you have any other means of checking temps besides the factory thermometer that comes with the unit ? If you can, take the thermometer off the lid to test it in boiling water just to see if it's accurate (if not done already) ... good luck with your new toy and your new addiction ...

 

[seenred]

Dan... do you have any other means of checking temps besides the factory thermometer that comes with the unit ? If you can, take the thermometer off the lid to test it in boiling water just to see if it's accurate (if not done already) ... good luck with your new toy and your new addiction ...

:yeahthat:

Second what Keith says...the factory thermometers on many retail smokers are notoriously inaccurate. It may turn out to be dead-on, but you shouldn't trust that it's accurate until you've had the chance to check it with the boil test.

Red

 

[danuk]

I knew the factory sensor was pretty useless - It measures 'warm', 'smoking' and 'hot'!!! So i fitted the decent sensor on the top when I assembled it. It had great amazon reviews for how accurate it was but I will remove it tomorrow to test in boiling water. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[timberjet]

Just know that the temp way up in the lid is considerably hotter than at food level. That was my first smoker right there. They work fine but take a lot of attention and fiddling. I would start with a short easy cook like chicken to get the hang of it.

 

[SmokinAl]

Good luck with your new smoker!

Looking forward to seeing it in action!

Al

 

[danuk]

Thanks all! Well i have run it through a hot burn and am now running it coated with oil.

Both sensors show it to be a little hot though. How can I lower the temperatures? Is it a case of using less charcoal ? or do i need to fit a vent at the top ? I have a vent but was unsure whether it would be needed.

Anyway i am very happy and looking forward to cooking the ribs on it tomorrow :)

 

[danuk]

Wondering whether adding the water tray (filled with either water or sand) will keep the temps down. Will give it a go tomorrow :)

 

[timberjet]

those units run hot no matter what you do since there is no real way of controlling the airflow. I put a vent in my lid when I had it and that helped a little. A thermal mass in there be it water or sand will help to stabilize temperatures but may not help with keeping temps down. I eventually retrofitted a gas burner under mine and used a metal can with wood chunks for smoke. Remember that having the thermometer up in the lid like that will read hotter than at grate level.

 

[SmokyMose]

Thanks all! Well i have run it through a hot burn and am now running it coated with oil.

Both sensors show it to be a little hot though. How can I lower the temperatures? Is it a case of using less charcoal ? or do i need to fit a vent at the top ? I have a vent but was unsure whether it would be needed.

Anyway i am very happy and looking forward to cooking the ribs on it tomorrow :)

You're just going to have to play with it til you learn how it likes to run. Part of the fun ;-)
Glad to have you with us!

 

[mkriet]

You might be better off to go with the propane suggestion above, or try putting dampers in the bottom, and one in the top to control air flow.

I used to have one of those until it went up in flames (literally, long story). I upgraded to a wsm and love it. If you can put dampers on that thing to control air flow coming in, you will love that thing. Controlling the air flow will allow your fuel to last a lot longer, and make it so you don't have to fuss with it as often.

Otherwise figure on walking out to add charcoal about every hour, and cooking around 250 no matter what your cooking (although I never did any mods).

 

[dannylang]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SMOKING MEAT, its addictive, with lots of rewards of great tasting vittles.

dannylang