Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Charcoal Smokers => Topic started by: GrillinBWCA on July 04, 2014, 07:19:19 PM
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We tried using our bullet-style Brinkmann Smoke'N Grill about ten years ago when we first got it. The experience wasn't much fun and it wasn't very successful. It's been sitting in the garage ever since. We dragged it out recently because, dang it, we own it and want to use it and have some tasty smoked meat.
This smoker has the electric element, and here is the problem. The water bowl sits almost on the element. There is no room to put the tray with wood chips underneath between the bowl and element except on a little corner of the element right by the door. It doesn't make sense that the pan would sit under the element, and I don't think there's room anyway, plus then it would be inaccessible for adding more chips. I tried putting wood chunks next to the element, sitting on the sheet metal that holds the element, and got no smoke. I added wood chips in the pan but now all the smoke is just on one side where the pan is sitting and there's not much of it. Of course, the owner's manual is no help at all.
I hope this makes sense.
The thing doesn't seem to want to get very hot, either. I realize it's supposed to cook low and slow, but it's not getting out of the WARM setting on the temp gauge after about an hour and a half of being on. I started with hot water in the bowl so it seems like it should be heating up faster than it has. I've heard those gauges aren't very accurate though, and I didn't put a thermometer inside.
First the POC CharBroil grill and now this. I hope someone has some suggestions for me. I hate this. I'm a good cook and I simply cannot be so clueless I'm not able to operate a smoker.
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I'll say it out loud: Brinkmann makes some poorly engineered stuff and this is a pack leader. In order to smoke food well, you must have sustained temperature control and smoke production. Although there are some very good electric smokers there is a tight correlation between cost and effectiveness. If, for some reason, you must have an electric smoker do some research on this forum to see who is using what and how they like it.
There are some lower end charcoal smokers that do a decent job but you'll still have to learn to tend the fire. Again, as you progress upward in cost you'll find more control and less maintenance during the cook.
Suggestion: They aren't cheap, but I know very few who don't like the Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM) line. There's a little learning curve to using them well, but properly used they turn out great chow for good cooks.
Put the Brinkmann out on the curb and maybe you'll get lucky and somebody will haul it off for you ;)
Hub
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I had one and kicked it to the curb after 3 uses. Lesson learned.
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Can you covert it to Charcoal? I bought a $169 gas box smoker from Bass Pro (Master Built). The burner was total junk.
So made a charcoal basket out of an old water pan. It works pretty well now until I decide on something else.
The Smokey Mountain is a good idea... You would be happy with that I feel sure.
You might also look at one of the Acorn grills like LA and Jaxon have. I'm wanting an excuse for one of those real bad.... Heck, a Weber kettle will do a fine job with a little practice. And theres always an SRG...
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We tried using our bullet-style Brinkmann Smoke'N Grill about ten years ago when we first got it. The experience wasn't much fun and it wasn't very successful. It's been sitting in the garage ever since. We dragged it out recently because, dang it, we own it and want to use it and have some tasty smoked meat.
This smoker has the electric element, and here is the problem. The water bowl sits almost on the element. There is no room to put the tray with wood chips underneath between the bowl and element except on a little corner of the element right by the door. It doesn't make sense that the pan would sit under the element, and I don't think there's room anyway, plus then it would be inaccessible for adding more chips. I tried putting wood chunks next to the element, sitting on the sheet metal that holds the element, and got no smoke. I added wood chips in the pan but now all the smoke is just on one side where the pan is sitting and there's not much of it. Of course, the owner's manual is no help at all.
I hope this makes sense.
The thing doesn't seem to want to get very hot, either. I realize it's supposed to cook low and slow, but it's not getting out of the WARM setting on the temp gauge after about an hour and a half of being on. I started with hot water in the bowl so it seems like it should be heating up faster than it has. I've heard those gauges aren't very accurate though, and I didn't put a thermometer inside.
First the POC CharBroil grill and now this. I hope someone has some suggestions for me. I hate this. I'm a good cook and I simply cannot be so clueless I'm not able to operate a smoker.
I'll try to help Grillin.
I was gifted with one of these many moons ago. Not the best, but better than nothing for sure! First, make sure lava rock is evenly distributed. Next, important! Make sure element is sitting snuggly on rock, if need be move rock to seat element nicely.But, no rocks atop element! Now is the time to put your wood chips on. Distribute evenly but DO NOT TOUCH ELEMENT WITH WOOD! put your water pan on, using hot water is a good idea. Assemble as needed, lid on and plug in. In no time you should see smoke rising. After thinking about your heat/temp issue, maybe first plug in element and see if it's heating or not. Could be faulty and need replacing. It's really simple to operate but if element isn't working properly, all bets are off. Good luck!
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I'll say it out loud: Brinkmann makes some poorly engineered stuff and this is a pack leader. In order to smoke food well, you must have sustained temperature control and smoke production. Although there are some very good electric smokers there is a tight correlation between cost and effectiveness. If, for some reason, you must have an electric smoker do some research on this forum to see who is using what and how they like it.
There are some lower end charcoal smokers that do a decent job but you'll still have to learn to tend the fire. Again, as you progress upward in cost you'll find more control and less maintenance during the cook.
Suggestion: They aren't cheap, but I know very few who don't like the Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM) line. There's a little learning curve to using them well, but properly used they turn out great chow for good cooks.
Put the Brinkmann out on the curb and maybe you'll get lucky and somebody will haul it off for you ;)
Hub
Ditto to the WSM recommendation. ;)
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The heating element might be defective if the temp is not getting higher than "warm"
You can test it with a ohm meter and see if the reading you get corresponds with the factory rating of that element.
Hub speaks the truth about Brinkmann. The problem is that people get more frustration with these cheap models and end up giving up on smoking their own food due to being too difficult. The difficulty is trying to use a smoker that is not air tight and of poor design.
You can actually smoke on a gas grill probably better than the Brinkmann you got.
If you still want to give this unit a go I would first test the element. If the element is bad then you can locate one online for a fairly cheap price.
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Can't say enough about the Weber - Smokey Mtn. or Kettle!
The important thing is not to give up. Maybe you can can get the Brinkman working, maybe not.
Heck, I even saw Alton Brown make a smoker out of a couple of clay flower pots ! ! !
BD
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Have one.It isnt a total loss.It makes a fine cold smoker,just put in your amazen smoker and get to smokin.Mine will heat about 250
F which will cook some good round roasts.As a cold smoker with the amazen the machine will do cheeses and meats,and at low temp can also smoke and cook salmon pretty darn well too.
So what Im saying is it makes a good enclosure for a smoker.Also the temp gauge on it is total fallacy,stick in a real thermometer to read temps.I drilled a hole in lid to stick in a thermometer to see real temps.
Ive actually been able to use the thing quite a bit.I dont use water pan or the lava rocks either,the rocks are just 'sorta there',never seen em do anything.
Sounds like Hikerman knows of what he speaks.I'd do what he says.I will even do what he said because I never figured out how to use it properly either,I just worked around its many limitations.
The amazen smoker is what it needs,worked for me.Find out the real temps,it should to at least 250F,I smoke/cook meat with the amazen with 225-240F range and turned out some good product.
You certainly dont grill on it in the traditional sense,thats for sure,just not hot enough.
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This is an 8 lb. Turkey Breast,its just a Turkey minus legs and wings.
Put onto smoker with internal temp of 37F.Onion and celery tucked between skin and bird,breast up.Butter the skin.Salt and pepper.
Smoker is apple dust in amazen brand smoke generator,smoker grill is electric with temp at 235-250F as it cycles.
Starting out....
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st1.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st1.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st2.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st2.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st3.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st3.jpg)
After about 2 hours....
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st10.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st10.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st11-1.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st11-1.jpg)
And about 4 hours total,internal temp of 160F,coming off grill...
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st12.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st12.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st13.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st13.jpg)
And let sit 40 minutes before serving,supposedly the temp will rise another 5 degrees as it sets up on counter for 165 final temp. Color is excellent,the bird was as moist a bird as weve ever made,think its the low temp cooking that the juices stayed in the bird. Was fine flavor.
If you have a smoker try this,its a super winner for sure! (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/spuds/bow.gif) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/spuds/2706.gif)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_st14.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/st14.jpg)
You could try cooking your bird in oven at 250F,just remember for safety you have to reach an internal temp of 140F in no more than 4 hours.Bet it comes out just as moist,literally clear juices flow as you cut it,amazing!!
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Making a roast at 250F to an internal temp of 127F,on the grill with smoke and water in the water pan....
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_hsst.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/hsst.jpg)
Took just under 2 hours....let it sit a good 20 minutes
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_fmv4.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/fmv4.jpg)
All done,dipped in sour cream/horseradish,wow!!!
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_fmv5.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/fmv5.jpg)
Thanks to Rita's slicer i turned the rest into thin sliced Deli cuts,very cool! Now I can save another fortune using cheap cuts of meat made into expensive deli slices! (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/spuds/2706.gif) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/spuds/bow.gif)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/th_fmv6.jpg) (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d109/mightybooboo/fmv6.jpg)
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Hey Spuds, two really good cooks!
BD
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Thanks, everyone.
We actually got the smoker at a garage sale for $5 and I added the electric element for another $45. There were/are no lava rocks. There are none mentioned in the owners manual I pulled up online.
Since it seems clear the electric element isn't going to get hot enough, I think I'm going to rip that out and give the smoker a try with charcoal instead. Nothing much to lose. We're familiar with watching Dutch ovens and keeping heat relatively constant using briquettes, so hopefully we could do the same with the smoker. If we can't get that to work, then we'll have to decide what we want to do.
As someone mentioned, the POC CharBroil grill is an option. That POC would probably do better as a smoker than a grill anyway.
We also have two Cobb cookers which I've used to smoke fatties on. We love those grills, and the fatties have been delicious!
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3841/14514271882_5eea66ac98.jpg)
I also have an even smaller stovetop smoker I haven't tried out yet, from NordicWare. I need to haul that out and see how it works.
(https://www.nordicware.com/upload/images/products/36550_White_1.jpg)
Thanks for helping me determine it's probably not me. I've had so many cooking problems lately it's starting to get annoying.
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Well Grillin, it sounds as if either your element is not the right one, it's faulty, or MAYBE the lack of lava rock. I'm assuming the rock keeps temps somewhat even. The bottom piece on mine had a layer of rock that the element sat on and heated. The wood chips went on the rock, the pan of water hung over the element, and then the first of two grids went over the pan, 2nd one was about a foot higher. Did you check the element? If it is working, your fix may be a cheap bag of lava rock!
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It was cooking slowly. I know that's what we want. I was only going by the temp gauge which I know is unreliable. But should I be able to put my entire hand on the lid without it burning me? It would have helped things if we hadn't gotten rained out last night and had to finish up on the POC grill.
What has me puzzled is there's no space between the element and the water pan. There's no room to set the little 1/2" high pan with chips in it on the element. I'm not sure where that's supposed to go.
It has just occurred to me I own a drill. It would be simple enough to drill three new holes in the body of the smoker and move the little brackets that hold the water bowl and the bottom rack up about three inches. I can't see any reason that would be a problem, and then there'd be plenty of space for wood chips or chunks to sit in the little pan on top the element. That should help.
I'm not sure if adding lava rocks would help any if the element isn't getting hot enough to start with. I need to figure out how to find out how hot the element gets.
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Grillin, mine did not come with the pan you are talking about. The water pan very nearly sat on element. Which makes sense. The water must get HOT! It is a smoker/steamer, or as it's called a water smoker. Before adjusting bracket hangers, I'd see if the element gets hot on it's own. My old unit still lives. It's at a friend's cabin. I hope we are talking about the same unit.
Can you take a pic of the bottom piece with the element?
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I thought about it after I posted if I moved the pan up, it might not get hot enough. Although since it won't get hot enough now, that wouldn't be that much of a change.
Here's the conversion kit we have. The little flat pan for the chips won't fit under the water bowl. I see a lot of the reviews have complaints that the thing does not get hot enough to actually cook the food, so at least I'm not alone.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XLiwkr1HL.jpg)
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So this is a conversion kit! Still you need to plug in element and get a temp. read. If that seems OK then you have two options. I would get some lava rock for under the element and put wood chips around but not on element, or it looks to me that that little pan will fit UNDER the element. Put your chips in that and let 'er rip. I'm sorry I don't remember the temp. that my unit ran at, but it was low. Opening lid set you back....
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That heating element is rated at 1500W and should get the job done. 1500W is a strong element.
Using the calculation for resistance (120vX120v)/1500W=9.6 ohms
So when testing it with a ohm meter you should get 9.6
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I checked and the little pan does fit under the element. I'll try to get a temp sometime.
I don't think lava rocks would fit under the element. In fact I'm sure they wouldn't unless they're less than a half inch tall.
I made a point not to open the lid more than a couple times, and held it over the body of the smoker when I did so as not to let more heat escape than I had to. I'm sure some did, but I did my best to resist checking on things.
I confess I don't know how to use an ohm meter. Sorry for my ignorance.
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OK, well then plug it in and see what kind of temp you get after say 5-10 min.
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Is there any way to use foil covered bricks to help with heat retention like some use in their Bradley's? Just a thought as I haven't any experience with this model but looking at the conversion kit and reading the suggestions to use lava rock got me thinking about the bricks. Seems like someone could weld a raised rack onto the element plate.
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Bricks are a good idea, but there's no space above the element for anything.
I've been thinking about the lava rocks, bricks, etc idea, but it seems like the water pan would serve the same purpose in that once the water was heated, it would help maintain the temp like bricks or lava, with the added benefit of helping keep the food moist. It would be easier to jump-start the heating process by pouring a tea kettle of boiling water into the water pan, too, instead of heating rocks from cold to hot.
I put hot water into the water pan, but it wasn't boiling. Maybe that's part of the problem. I'm also wondering if the factory water bowl is too big and blocks the heat, although since the bottom is rounded, the heat should be directed up the sides so that's probably not a huge factor. Or maybe I put too much water into the pan.
The more I think about what I don't know, the more things I think of that I don't know.
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Grillin, my two cents is if element seems to work on it's own, then I would put little wood chip pan under element, invest a few bucks in a bag of lava rock,(these will help retain heat) and put the rock around wood chip pan. My unit was electric, my element had no disc under it, it simply nestled on the rock.
Use hot water, and try it out on an inexpensive cut of meat. We used to load mine up with a small turkey, go whitewater canoeing for the day and come home to dinner. This is a LOW and SLOW cooker remember. Oh your pan cannot be too big if it fits into unit. The idea is it kinda steams with smoke rising giving the smoked flavor, and any fats fall into water pan. I'm guessing if you have the electric kit, then your unit was originally a charcoal burner. So you could always try that to. Is there a door to add charcoal on yours?
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Yes, there's a door, and yes, it started life as a charcoal smoker. I might try using it like that.
I had burgers on the bottom and brats on the top shelf. The burgers were cooking a lot better than the brats, so maybe it would make sense to move the top rack down about halfway to the bottom rack. Most of the time, we'd be doing thin foods like burgers, and we could still move the rack up higher again or take it out completely if need be.
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Try Jeff Phillips web site--smoking-meat.com. He has some mods for those El Cheapo Brinkmann's. I can call them that cause I've had two--charcoal and electric. Read about his mods long after BOTH of them were relegated to a non-profit garage sale! They are VERY hard to get to temp and keep that way, IMHO.
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Yes, there's a door, and yes, it started life as a charcoal smoker. I might try using it like that.
I had burgers on the bottom and brats on the top shelf. The burgers were cooking a lot better than the brats, so maybe it would make sense to move the top rack down about halfway to the bottom rack. Most of the time, we'd be doing thin foods like burgers, and we could still move the rack up higher again or take it out completely if need be.
Charcoal would solve your low-temp. issues. But there would be a learning curve on how much lit coal to use etc.
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I'm sure that varies a little depending on weather conditions, too. But I'm sure a little variation would be okay.