My Brinkmann SnP UPGRADES!! What do you think?

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solar

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Jul 26, 2008
650
15
St. Petersburg, FL
I'm pretty new to the smoker world, I did have a small H2O smoker making small mostly fryer chickens . I'm very experianced with charcoal Weber kettle grills (I have 3 of them). I know the most important thing with smoking is maintaining a consistant cooking tempurature.

I've done a lot of reading and talked to a few fellow BBQ'ers on some tips on how to set up my smoker. I'd like to share the upgrades I accomplished today, and look forward to any feedback or suggestions.

I bought this used SnP for $50 from a guy that mostly used it as a charcoal grill, he said he didn't have much luck with smoking. When I asked him how hard it was to maintain a constent temp he looked at me funny and pointed out he didn't have a thermometer.

The first thing I wanted to tackle was the fire box, looking at how small of a gap between the vent and the fire rack, I knew I had to improve this first.



I took both charcoal racks and cut them about a inch or so off one side.
Then placed them in the firebox in the opposite direction overlapping each other.



This raised them up enough where I could get a much better air flow through the vent under the fire racks.



The next thing to do was design a baffle to try to keep the heat in the cooking chamber more consistant throughout. I started with a cardbaord template and designed what I thought might help deflect the heat from the fire box some.

Once I was happy with my overall design, I fashioned the baffle out of a couple cheap cookie sheets i bought at the discount store for $2 a piece. (I was suppose to go to a friends metal shop to do this but he couldn't make it today.)






I cut the pans easily with a pair of tin snips, (but if you do this make sure you wear gloves) and drilled a couple holes and attached it with a couple nuts on the studs sticking out from the fire box attachment. It fit perfectly and will hold a optional water pan if I decide to use it.



Then I needed to install a thermometer, but being the anal person I am I decided to install 2 in the door with one being on each side. I figure this way I can monitor how well my baffle system is working and can adjust the meats as needed. The install is pretty straight forward, (drill a hole and install the nut) just make sure you don't install them to low when they touch the cooking rack.






Then I took some of the left over cookie sheet from the baffle and rolled it around a can of spray paint for a template and stuck it into the exhaust tube. The metal will unroll a bit inside the exhaust tube and fit snug.



Being that I got a late start today on my upgrades I won't be able to give the smoker a test run until tomorrow (Sunday). I'm planning on a "dry run" with no meat so I can see how hard/easy it is to control the tempurature. STill doesn't mean that I can have a beer or two while I'm playing/tuning my smoker.



I'll let you all know how mt updrades turned out, and if anyone wants to comment on my upgrades, to let me know if I'm in the right or wrong direction, please feel free to comment.

Happy Smoking, Solar
 
Thank you
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. I'll see tomorrow just how well I can control the temp. I drive my girlfriend nuts when I take on a new project I'm not familier with. I tend to over think things sometimes because I get information from a bunch of different sources, then try to figure out what might work and what might not.
 
Lookin good!. I think the firebox mod is just what the doctor ordered but you may have to do some tweaking on the baffle. It looks like a lot of the heat can come around the sides of the baffle. It may work fine though. Keep us posted on the results and changes. I have a newer model snp and i used a piece of automotive exhaust pipe to extend my pipe but mine is in the lid. I like the way you did yours. Mine occasionally falls out. lol I mounted 2 thermometers like you did but mine are a bit higher and a bit more towards the center. Not much maybe 2" each way They seem to do fine so I think you'll be fine there. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Nice Solar. I think its cool when a guy feels like messing w/ something and making it better.IMO.
 
Thanks for the comment Wayside, I love screwing with things to try and make them better, some work but some don't, but you won't know unless you try, right?
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You should've seen what my smoker looked like when I got it, it was pretty weathered even though it was kept under a porch. The wood shelf was gray, and the inside of the cooking area was pretty nasty, I guess you can call it "seasoned", but like Hank Hill said, "Bobby some people think that the build up on a grill rack adds flavor,......we won't be eating there".

Smoking gun, I believe you're right about the gaps on the baffle. I didn't want to completely close off the air/heat flow, but after looking at it later, I realised that heat will take the path of least resistance.
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I wonder if I use the water pan what affect it might have on the temp though?
 
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Great job. I have a Silver Smoker and other than almost the same stuff you did; I sealed the doors on mine better. I tried the Rutlands High Temp RTV silicone sealant; but must have got it too hot seasoning my smoker the next day. I turned to the red head gasket maker stuff from WalMart and it works great so far. I laid a good sized bead where the doors close down and put plastic wrap on the doors themselves and sprayed PAM on the Plastic Wrap around the edges. What a difference that has made for me. Doesn't look the coolest.
 
I have the new S n P and I did all the mods including the oven gasket as a seal around the lid, My problem is temps being to low, yesterday I did ten chicken thighs and I went through 7lbs of lump coal and a 3lb bag of apple chunks. and it would not get above 203 degrees.  Any ideas?
 
I have the new S n P and I did all the mods including the oven gasket as a seal around the lid, My problem is temps being to low, yesterday I did ten chicken thighs and I went through 7lbs of lump coal and a 3lb bag of apple chunks. and it would not get above 203 degrees.  Any ideas?
What was the temperature that you were cooking in outdoors? cool/rainy/hot sun?
 
 
I agree with kca1202. I just pruchased a SnP and tried to season it and could barely get the temp above 250, made numerous mods. That was with no food in the chamber and all vents wide open. How can we get the temp up in order to season the cooker.
 
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