Talk me into it or out of it

[pc farmer]

I have a old mes smoker and love it.  I recently got a old brinkman smoke n grill for free. ( only been used 2 times )

I know nothin about charcoal smoking. Would it be worth my time and effort to do the mods to it and learn how to use it?

Part of me wants to do it and the other part says to stick with what I have.

 

[bama bbq]

I think it's worth the effort but it is NOT set it and forget it like an elec smoker is.  If you consider sittin out by a cooker with a cool drink keepin an eye on it and adjusting here and there is a hassle then it's probably not for you.

 

[pc farmer]

I have a farm so I am very busy, I could check on it every hour or so. I only smoke when I know I have time to do it.

 

[pc farmer]

If I know I don't have the time I still have the mes.

 

[JckDanls 07]

do you know the song by the Bellamy Brothers... "he's an old hippie and he don't know what to do... should he hang on to the old... or grab onto the new"... Myself I would just play with it like it is for now... even farmers like yourself need a day of "play"... what better way to play then sit'n with a cold drink and a smoker....

 

[pc farmer]

But I read it doesn't work without the mods. Doing the mods isn't a problem. Its just learning how to charcoal smoke.

 

[tsquared bbq]

you will be fine,

do a couple practice burns. Then torch a fatty or two :-) Oooops I mean smoke it, er..

Seriously its easier to minimize damage and easier on a tight time schedule to do faster cooks. The more burns you do, the easier the management of the burn becomes, so you can do longer burns without discouraging results.

The mods are great and all. A better mod in your case might be a team mate. Most people want to check the pit once an hour because they don't want to get up and look. In your case, its more likely to be "not the at all" so enlisting the troops may help a great deal. I got luck and got 2 out of my batch...

--T

 

[bbqbrett]

Do it.  You got the thing for free you may as well at least play with it a bit!  It will be fun to learn how to do it.  Also, it will bring a new flavor to your food.

Come on, you know you want to!

 

[pc farmer]

I think I am going to try it.   What keep the wook from catching on fire when I put it on the red hot coals?

 

[ravenclan]

I got a SMOKING PIT "brink man" charcoal about two years ago, and just like the others said you have to tend to it, it is not like a electric where you can set it and forget it, but IMHO i think it is worth it to do the mods ...........here in Oklahoma i use it during the summer and my Family and friends love the food that it cooks and i have to say the brisket cooked on it is allot better tasting then off of a electric , but there angain that is only my opinon

 

[jarjarchef]

I think I am going to try it.   What keep the wook from catching on fire when I put it on the red hot coals?

It is a balance of air flow. If you have too much air it will burn very hot and catch the wood on fire. As you cut back on the amount of air flow to the charcoal it will not burn as hot or fast..... That is how you control your cook temps.

As you learn the smoker you will get more ability to multi task. I would run my off set while I was working the goats and other live stock we have. Besides you don't want to keep opening the cook chamber, because if your lookin you ain't cookin.......

 

[pc farmer]

It is a balance of air flow. If you have too much air it will burn very hot and catch the wood on fire. As you cut back on the amount of air flow to the charcoal it will not burn as hot or fast..... That is how you control your cook temps.

As you learn the smoker you will get more ability to multi task. I would run my off set while I was working the goats and other live stock we have. Besides you don't want to keep opening the cook chamber, because if your lookin you ain't cookin.......

Thanks for the info, How hot can I go before it catches the wood on fire. 

 

[jarjarchef]

Thanks for the info, How hot can I go before it catches the wood on fire. 

If you keep the cook chamber in the 225-275 range you should be fine. Without knowing what wood and looking it up I don't have an exact temp for the combustion of the wood.

I leave the top vent wide open and adjust the amount of air by the bottom vents. I would start with a trial run of the smoker. Start with the bottom vent at 50% and see where it settles at. Then adjust from there. More open to get hotter and the opposite to get lower temps. Once you get a feel for it. Throw some chicken in and see how the smoker reacts. Remember your temp will drop, but it will climb back up. just be patcient and allow the time for it to do its thing. After about 20-30 min then make what adjustments to the bottom vents you need. I do not add water to the pan. I would add about 2" worth of playground sand to it and cover with foil to catch the drippings. The sand will give you a heat sync to help in temp recovery and spreading the heat out evenly.

Hope this helps.

Jeramy

 

[JckDanls 07]

myself, I cook chicken at 300` and the wood chunks do not ignite... As Jeremy said.. just do a trial run first with no meat and play with it... adjustments with the bottom (intake) vent take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to take affect... myself I would start with vents wide open to get it up to temp (225`) and then close down the intake to about 1/8-1/4 of the way open and see where it settles... but then again I use the minion method and only light about a dozen briquettes.. when I do light them I only let them get about 1/2 to 3/4 lit (not white hot) and then throw them in next to the unlit briquettes.... that way it will come up to temp slowly and not to hot to start out with... it's easier to bring temps UP then it is to go down....

I'm assuming you have a set of remote thermometers (something like the Mavericks) to measure your temps with as the Manufactures are crap.... give er hell bub

 

[pc farmer]

Well I don't know about the minion set-up. I need to get the mods done and play with it some.

I plan on just starting the charcoal and once it is glowing red add the wood to it.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Well I don't know about the minion set-up. I need to get the mods done and play with it some.

I plan on just starting the charcoal and once it is glowing red add the wood to it.

OK.. try it that way first and see what happens.. If it climbs right on up to 300` or more right off the bat (close ALL vents to get it to come down... will take a good 20-30 minutes to come down)... then we'll have to step back and try the other way.. but by all means try it that way first and see what happens.... no frets.. we'll get you going in no time at all....

 

[pc farmer]

Believe me I will need help from the forum.
I love this site.

 

[tomolu5]

I say go for it, nothing better than kicking back with a cigar, a cold drink and the smells coming out of that smoker. I would do the entity level mods, and start out the same way most of us did with electrics, a fatty, or something else cheap! Then start making rings on briskets!

Many thanks Jeff

Tom

 

[desertlites]

Ain't nothing wrong with learning something new. go for it

 

[pc farmer]

How do I get the charcoal going without using lighter fluid?