Brinkmann Smoke N Pit low temps, too much charcoal

[stokinsmokebbq]

Messed up loading pics. Will load better ones when i get home

 

[droach53]

I always start with charcoal but use fire wood logs to finish , by doing this I am able to keep the temp up

 

[sqwib]

 

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• sqwib
• Nov 14, 2014

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• sqwib
• Nov 14, 2014

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• sqwib
• Nov 14, 2014

Looking good!

 

[sparkie1952]

I promise I'm not switching!!!

I just got a real good deal on a 30 inch MES and seasoned it today. I still prefer my wood/charcoal side by side but I am getting old!

Gonna do two turkeys (11 lbs each) tomorrow, It will sure be nice to sit in my chair and watch the remote!

Sparkie

 

[nickm62388]

After reading through all 7 pages of this...... Im shocked becuz i cured my Brinkmann Smoke N Pit for first time today and it held temps great 400 degrees for a good 3 hours....Now i did have charcoal in both firebox and cooking chamber which was a huge reason, and i had to close both dampers on the firebox and chimney because it said not to exceed 450 degrees in cooking chamber......

Now i know it will be different when i just start putting charcoal in firebox only..... But im going to try dry run first with no mods at all and see how it does. I may use high temp caulk and seal all the little crevices and holes (around crap stock thermometer,and around chimney port on outside of lid) I already ordered the MAverick 2 probe digital thermometers so see how they do so I have good temp reading at grate level on both ends of barrel.

Then from everyones input....

1. Add chimney tube inside cooking chamber down to grate

2. flip the cooking tray upside down and raise high end on firebox side and angle down to opposite end

3. Def want a charcoal basket either way because i def dont like the set up it has out of the box

4. and depending on varying temps....im going to use oven gasket rope or whatever and put it around entire lid so its a better seal around lid to bottom of barrel.

Sound good???

 

[sparkie1952]

I always start with charcoal but use fire wood logs to finish , by doing this I am able to keep the temp up

Keep the temp up?

I have always had the trouble with keeping the temp down! Now I use a small Weber tabletop grill just to keep some fresh hot coals ready. I only put in a few at a time to get the temp to stabilize at 225-250 and it's a delicate balance. I also use the wood chunks in the minion basket and add hot coals to the unlit chunks when I first put the meat in the smoker. I feel the smoke must be added for the first part of the process. If your going to do a Pork Butt for instance and it's going to take 10+ hours to get to the 205 deg temp for pulled pork I will run smoke for at least the first half of the process and sometimes even throughout the process. The point is to keep the temp below 250 for smoking.

If you look back you will see the brick wall I built in my smoker to help control the temp on the smoker side. I have it pretty much "tuned" now. It took a long time for me to get the idea of just adding a few coals at a time to maintain the desired temp in the smoker.

Now I can also build a charcoal/wood fire on both sides and get the temp up to 450 deg with a large pizza stone on the grill to do some amazing pizzas!

Sparkie

 

[whiskeyboyz]

You know folks, I read all of these "remedies" and "mods" to offset smokers and I laugh out loud. We at KickAss BBQ South have been teaching Back yard BBQ Classes for 4 years using Offset Smokers, 1 Brinkmann Smoke and Pit, 1 Older Brinkmann Pitmaster, 2 New Brumsfelds, and 3 CharBroilers. We teach hot and fast on a Saturday. Starting at 9:00 am we smoke 1 brisket, 2 chickens, 8-10 racks of ribs, a pork loin and a big piece of salmon/steelhead Trout, a pork butt and appetizers. All is off the smokers by #;30-4:00 pm and done, taste tested and the students take it all home in to-go boxes. We have never done ANY mods to these smokers, Sealing the lids, Caulking or any of that. All of our smokers reach and maintain temps from 300 to 375 all day. The only View media item 316471               

Mister Baffler 4.JPG

• whiskeyboyz
• Oct 6, 2014

we use is our patented Mister Baffler in the smoke chamber.  Raise the fire grate an inch or so, use Hardwood lump charcoal which burns hotter and leaves less ash and is easier to start when adding to an existing coals.  Check us out at WWW.KickAssbbqsouth.com

 

[whiskeyboyz]

You can get the same results, internal temps, smoke rings, smoke flavor, by cooking hot and fast as you can low and slow. I can do a 10 lb butt and have it up to 205-207 in 4 hours using our techniques, any longer than that and I would be too full of beer to care.

 

[nickm62388]

Whiskey boys I agree I cured my smoke n pit yesterday and temperature was steady for at least 3 hours. Where could I find tips and techniques for the smoke n pit smoker you talk about ?

 

[femurphy77]

So after how many thousands of hours and hundreds of students have you gone through in your classes.  How many hundreds or thousands of pounds of meat have you cooked.  You stated you've never had to make any mods then throw in a sales pitch for your "patented" baffle.  Probably gladly sell us one to, guaranteed to cure what ails you I bet.

I've been lurking this forum for awhile now and never really felt compelled to reply but somehow your post came across rather condescending.  I'm sure I'm reading it wrong though.  Most if not all the people on this forum enjoy cooking almost as much as they enjoy the hunt to find the perfect combination to the units they have on hand.  Unless you have a purpose built smoker then you are compromising.  What you teach on the various units you use are probably the compromises that work on that particular unit.  My own "smoker" is a char-griller that required a few of the typical char-griller mods to get it to "work".  Can you smoke on it straight out of the box?  Sure you can but with compromises.  By modifying and improving you're reducing the compromises and increasing your pleasure in the product, the journey and the smoker you have.

Probably should have just kept my mouth shut but something about your post really came across wrong.

Almost forgot, I developed the same type of baffle on my own several years ago, long before I came across your product a few months ago.  Like you said, works like a charm.

 

[whiskeyboyz]

Mister Baffler 4.JPG

• whiskeyboyz
• Oct 6, 2014

Hardwood lump charcoal burns hotter and produces less ash. Raise that charcoal grid up and inch or so. I love my Brinkmann Smoke and pit. First smoker I ever bought. I can maintain 300 degrees all day using my Mister Baffler baffle and lump charcoal. I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook, also using some smoking wood.

WWW.KickAssBBQsouth.com

 

[whiskeyboyz]

I didn't mean to come across that way. I am just saying that we have never sealed any of our smokers with rope seals, caulking or any of that. yes we have did simple things like rasing the fire grates up . Rance and I both smoked for years before starting classes in 2009. We have taught approx 240 students in the 12 classes. We prepare approx 120 lbs of meat each class., all hands on,  prepped by the students, we assign them smokers to maintain, but while instructing, I have a volunteer "pit Bitch" (usually a former student which volunteers) to man the fire boxes. We started using aluminum pie pans to cover the hole from the fire box which we could bend up and down to reduce the heat, then the Baffle came to mind. And to be honest, I have sold/given as gifts over a 150 of them. My Patent was published on Feb 12, 2015, after 1/1/2 years of working on it with the patent office and around $1000.00.  and yes, They are the cure for any smoker right out of the box. Most recent sales have been for the new Brinkmann Limited Editions, which 2 of my friends have bought and are proven to work great. I have shipped these to PA, NY, NC,SC, GA,TN,AL,WI, MN, WA, TX, CA, and one yesterday to Billings MT.

When I am not teaching classes, I normally smoke every other weekend. What I use now is a 48" deluxe LANG reverse flow trailer mounted Smoker/Cooker wood burner. I have been known to pull out a Charbroiler or my little Brinkmann smoke and pit for ribs now and again too, or the Weber Kettle Grill. When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it.

And that is how I started out just like you, meat not done, chasing the thermometer all day. adding charcoal every 30-40 minutes, finding that sweet spot with the vents  - been there - done that and it wasn't a fun beginning. but now, my brisket is to die for and my pulled pork has been used for welcome home vets' parties, wedding receptions, reunions, 4th of July parties.

 

[sqwib]

 
You know folks, I read all of these "remedies" and "mods" to offset smokers and I laugh out loud.

we use is our patented Mister Baffler in the smoke chamber.  Raise the fire grate an inch or so, use Hardwood lump charcoal which burns hotter and leaves less ash and is easier to start when adding to an existing coals.  Check us out at WWW.KickAssbbqsouth.com

 
I've been lurking this forum for awhile now and never really felt compelled to reply but somehow your post came across rather condescending.  I'm sure I'm reading it wrong though.  Most if not all the people on this forum enjoy cooking almost as much as they enjoy the hunt to find the perfect combination to the units they have on hand. 

Almost forgot, I developed the same type of baffle on my own several years ago, long before I came across your product a few months ago.  Like you said, works like a charm.

I can see this as insulting to some, especially those who have tweaked their pits to perform how they like. I wasn't going to reply to this because I'm not up for an argument but wanted to make a few points/observations;

1) First I'm not sure if this breaks forum Policy because it looks like advertisement (I think it's OK if you are a paid sponsor), not sure if you are.

2) Many folks may think this is a cure all for their pits from that post.

Many pits will need mods and tweaks to operate more efficiently and this will vary from pit to pit of the same make.

 
I didn't mean to come across that way. I am just saying that we have never sealed any of our smokers with rope seals, caulking or any of that. yes we have did simple things like rasing the fire grates up . Rance and I both smoked for years before starting classes in 2009. We have taught approx 240 students in the 12 classes. We prepare approx 120 lbs of meat each class., all hands on,  prepped by the students, we assign them smokers to maintain, but while instructing, I have a volunteer "pit Bitch" (usually a former student which volunteers) to man the fire boxes. We started using aluminum pie pans to cover the hole from the fire box which we could bend up and down to reduce the heat, then the Baffle came to mind. And to be honest, I have sold/given as gifts over a 150 of them. My Patent was published on Feb 12, 2015, after 1/1/2 years of working on it with the patent office and around $1000.00.  and yes, They are the cure for any smoker right out of the box. Most recent sales have been for the new Brinkmann Limited Editions, which 2 of my friends have bought and are proven to work great. I have shipped these to PA, NY, NC,SC, GA,TN,AL,WI, MN, WA, TX, CA, and one yesterday to Billings MT.

When I am not teaching classes, I normally smoke every other weekend. What I use now is a 48" deluxe LANG reverse flow trailer mounted Smoker/Cooker wood burner. I have been known to pull out a Charbroiler or my little Brinkmann smoke and pit for ribs now and again too, or the Weber Kettle Grill. When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it.

And that is how I started out just like you, meat not done, chasing the thermometer all day. adding charcoal every 30-40 minutes, finding that sweet spot with the vents  - been there - done that and it wasn't a fun beginning. but now, my brisket is to die for and my pulled pork has been used for welcome home vets' parties, wedding receptions, reunions, 4th of July parties.

That's a Remedy/Mod.

BTW, I love that pic on your site of the pits all going at once.

 

[sqwib]

 
Hardwood lump charcoal burns hotter and produces less ash. Raise that charcoal grid up and inch or so. I love my Brinkmann Smoke and pit. First smoker I ever bought. I can maintain 300 degrees all day using my Mister Baffler baffle and lump charcoal. I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook, also using some smoking wood.

I think many folks would benefit from you giving some tips on an all day cook at 300° using 8lbs of lump on an offset, I sure would appreciate it, although I'm a stickburner.

 

[gary s]

I agree with SQWIB   Mods aren't a magic fix all for smoking, just helps your smoker perform a little more efficiently . You can smoke on any type of smoker

Gary

 

[whiskeyboyz]

not an all day cook, just until the ribs are done. we beleive that lump is the answer along with a few pieces of wood

 

[sqwib]

not an all day cook, just until the ribs are done. we beleive that lump is the answer along with a few pieces of wood

Gotcha, so maybe under 6 hours. I read the following posts and got excited thinking you were getting exceptionally long burn times at 300 degrees,

When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it.

I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook

I run my pit at 275 for butts and average 60+ minutes a pound and the butts I get are usually 7 - 9 pounds but that's usually foiled to get through the stall.

I can definitely see an all day burn from 8lbs on an egg, wish I could get a whole cook 9-10 hours on an 8lb bag of lump on my stickburner.

You have to factor in some fuel loss for the initial startup before even tossing on the meat. I wonder if any Weber users are getting long burns at 300?

Have you ever tried using hardwood coals (preburn)?

 

[femurphy77]

Sorry about coming off like a dick WB, (Hope the censor blocks that but if not

) crap day at work and all.  Although I have no where near the experience of you or most of the other people on this board I've found that trying to seal every nook and cranny of the cook chamber really isn't necessary as long as you're not losing heat or having a hard time maintaining temps.  I would be concerned if you had no smoke coming out of your 'stack but as long as you have enough to bathe the meat in that delicious smoke, who cares?  That IS a great pic of all those smokers going at the same time.

We attended a bbq bootcamp in Sellersburg a while back and are wanting to do it again but may join your group just to see a different take on it.  After all the one thing that I've found that works EVERY time is watching other peoples techniques and then adapt them to my own to improve the flavor, fun and pleasure of seeing to it that the little piggy that went to market didn't die in vain!

 

[nickm62388]

I sealed all the leaks around the smoker with fire resistant caulk....It wont effect taste or anything using caulk to seal it up right???

IMG_1103.JPG

• nickm62388
• Mar 11, 2015

 Everyone says to buy/make charcoal basket for the firebox.....why cant instead of putting it on the bottom grate of firebox, since i wont ever be cooking in firebox throw charcoal right on the top grate inside firebox which is right near the entrance to the cooking chamber?

IMG_1104.JPG

• nickm62388
• Mar 11, 2015

I turned the drip pan upside down, and have the highest part sitting on the lip of the firebox entrance into cooking chamber, and have it angled down towards opposite end for heat distrubution like everyone says???? Look and sound good?

 

[tropics]

 
I sealed all the leaks around the smoker with fire resistant caulk....It wont effect taste or anything using caulk to seal it up right???

IMG_1103.JPG

• nickm62388
• Mar 11, 2015

 Everyone says to buy/make charcoal basket for the firebox.....why cant instead of putting it on the bottom grate of firebox, since i wont ever be cooking in firebox throw charcoal right on the top grate inside firebox which is right near the entrance to the cooking chamber?

IMG_1104.JPG

• nickm62388
• Mar 11, 2015

I turned the drip pan upside down, and have the highest part sitting on the lip of the firebox entrance into cooking chamber, and have it angled down towards opposite end for heat distrubution like everyone says???? Look and sound good?

Even though I do not have my stick burner, a charcoal basket will keep the coal burning better, saving fuel and easier to control temp.