ECB mod question

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denny74

Fire Starter
Original poster
Oct 31, 2011
37
10
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Question...I assembled my charcoal ECB tonight. I have done some research on the common mods to this smoker. I added a new thermostat to the lid and I swiped the lid vent from an old smokey Joe I had in the garage. It isn't very big and only has three holes in it. Will this be enough for proper operation, or should I add another one? Also the charcoal pan already has holes all the way around it, plus has baffles punched up in the bottom. I was thinking about not drilling holes in it and go from there. I am going to put the grate from the smokey Joe in the charcoal pan to keep the coals off the bottom. Any input would be appreciated.

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STOP!!!

Before you start drilling holes, get a baseline. It's been my experience and that of others here that the only REALLY necessary mod on an ECB is adding the grate to the coal pan. It sounds like Brinkmann has addressed this with the holes and baffles, so maybe try a dry run with a good probe thermo at grate level to see how it performs. These little smokers are kinda like the AK-47 of the smoker world. They're cheap and reliable due to the fact that they're built in such a way that their apparent weaknesses are their biggest strengths. The loose fitting lid, the jakey door and the weird coal pan/water pan arrangement all come together to allow just the right amount of intake/exhaust flow to provide nearly ideal smoke temperatures and burn times.

Once you get your baseline and see what you might wanna change, have at it.

By the way, I'm assuming you're referring to the round ECB.
 
Yes I have the round ECB. So far the only thing I did was add a thermometer to the lid. Other than that I was going to wait and get some input from people such as yourself. That and throw some fire in it and see how she goes. I appreciate you advice. Thank you. I will post my findings when I light er up.
 
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