Learning to use an older Brinkmanns Smoke'nPit - baffle or tuning plates?

[ncsmoker95]

Hi all --

Opinions sought here --
I have an older very heavy Brinkmanns' offset - much heavier than any of the offsets you see today at Lowes and HD that you can easily pick up with one hand. Not this thing...

Anyhow - it has NO baffles of any kind inside.

Regarding something to better block heat from the firebox...
I've seen the baffle that is a 45degree downangled plate mounted over the passage between the firebox and the main smoker.
I've also seen other contraptions that are plates under the entire grates, all the way from one side to the other, some with varied sized holes in them, some not.

Knowing that these things have evolved over time -- which style is newer/best/worth the effort/an oversell-overrated idea?
Need to do something, but I know that many companies upsell overly complex unnecessary things to "add value" to their product.

And yes -- I'm wanting to DIY something, not just get my wallet out, unless there's something reasonably priced.

Thanks, Tim

 

[Marknmd]

Good morning!

I think it depends on the smoker. In your case, I'd try option #1 first - a 45 degree downangled plate as you describe - to block radiant heat. See how that works out. MHO

Good luck

Edit: youtube shows this smoker to have the stack up high. And it's in an unusual place, on the side of the pipe rather than on the vertical bulkhead - but up high and angled at about 45 degrees as it sticks out. Then it does a 45 degree bend and become vertical.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Depends upon the location of your exhaust. Does it exhaust out the top of the smoker or at grate level ?

The old Oklahoma Joe was designed as a " bottom up " smoker, heat runs under a convection plate or what Yoder calls a heat management plate, which is a form of tuning plates, then rises up around the meat and out the top of the smoker.

Horizon and Yoder now make the same design as the Okie Joe's, they have a small baffle and then a convection plate. Like this , which if your smoker exhausts out the top, is what I would do. But this or tuning plates won't work with a grate level exhaust

 

[Newglide]

Have you tried using it as is?
I have an old Country and it had a baffle similar to your option 1. with the baffle in it was a bottom up cooker. The bottom of the meat would always get burnt, I'd always have to flip on long cooks. I tried plates to even things out and was never really satisfied. then I heard about people cutting out the baffle so I did. Now it cooks much better, I did put the baffle on a few bricks on the firebox side and put my water pan there. I regulate the temps with fire size and the air input.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Have you tried using it as is?
I have an old Country and it had a baffle similar to your option 1. with the baffle in it was a bottom up cooker. The bottom of the meat would always get burnt, I'd always have to flip on long cooks. I tried plates to even things out and was never really satisfied. then I heard about people cutting out the baffle so I did. Now it cooks much better, I did put the baffle on a few bricks on the firebox side and put my water pan there. I regulate the temps with fire size and the air input.

It works without the baffle because it exhausts at grate level. Heat enters the cook chamber, immediately rises, then gets pulled down across the meats to exit. That's a " top down " smoker.

With tuning plates, or a convection plate, most of the heat goes under the meats and then out at grate level.

With the baffle alone, air flow has to be cut way down, so the heat rises immediately after going under the baffle. The baffle restriction has a venturi effect, any increase in air flow shoots the heat further into the cook chamber.

Which is why a stack extension on those cookers just amplifies the problem. No need to increase air flow if ya have to cut it down on the firebox intake.

 

[Heart of Dixie]

If there is a major difference between left and right which there probably is, you can put a water pan against the CC/FB bulkhead and see what happens. Mine works best with the pan about an inch off it.