Fellas

[lexscsmoker]

Hey fellas. I live here in Lexington, SC. I have a Brinkman Grill 'n' Smoke. Bought it for $37 at Wal-Mart. I smoked a pork tenderloin first and was pleased. I couldn't get the temp up as high as I wanted but it did get done. I then tried a 8.5lb Boston butt on a day that was 55 degrees and raining. No matter how much charcoal I put in I couldn't get the temp to stay in the "ideal" range. I got very frustrated. I smoked the butt for 8 hrs then wrapped it in foil and placed it in the oven for 2 hrs and cranked up the heat to get the internal heat up. I'm excited about learning how to smoke different foods. Smoking tastes WAY better than grilling, especially with gas. I welcome your expertise and suggestions. A

 

[irishteabear]

Welcome to SMF. You'll learn a lot here. Read the posts and ask questions.

 

[richoso1]

Welcome to the SMF, and don't worry about asking questions around here. We have members who like to help and share the great knowledge base that is available for readers.

 

[BandCollector]

Welcome from Pittsburgh, PA

 

[cman95]

Welcome to SMF. Throw the temp gauge away that is on the smoker now. Replace with one that is more accurate. Before you mount the new gauge check it by placing the probe in boiling water. It should read 212 +/-.

 

[rejii]

ahhh SC sure miss that place sometimes . welcome to the site hope you can find all the info you need for smoking right here

 

[bassman]

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you aboard.

 

[rw willy]

Welcome. The help you will get here will have you the smoke king of your block in no time.

 

[cowgirl]

I'm not a fella, but welcome! lol

 

[got14u]

this is what makes this site great !!!
and welcome to smf

 

[vtanker]

Wecome. Try clicking on search. There is a wealth of knoledge here. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=108 try this link.

 

[grothe]

Welcome to SMF, glad ya joined us!

 

[roksmith]

Yea..that's why they are $37.

Metal is thin so they don't hold heat well and the gauges are crazy cheap and pretty much worthless.

I would definately replace the gauge..unfortunately the gauge may cost half the price of the cooker or more : (

On keeping the temp up, you can wait for a warm day with no wind...
You can attempt to place the cooker so that it's protected by some sort of wind break..
I have heard of some wrapping the cooker with a fireproof insulating blanket of some sort..although you can imagine all of the ways this could go wrong...and all of them bad.

 

[mharrison]

I think you'll be really please with this forum. I'm a newb here, but have REALLY enjoyed the wealth of knowledge available.

I started out with a smoker similar to yours, and while far from the "ideal" smoker, you can still get some GREAT results with them. So don't get discouraged!

 

[seenred]

Welcome to SMF! There are lots of helpful people here. You are among friends. Good luck with your new rig. Those cheaper Brinkmans can be a challenge in anything but perfect weather. I agree that a windbreak of some kind would help.

 

[carpetride]

Welcome to SMF! I'm not familiar with that smoker so I'll shant offer advice upon it. Look forward to seeing some of your success,

 

[chadpole]

Welcome to the SMF! I live in Augusta,Ga. and travel to Columbia,SC about twice a week doing my job. My son races at the I-20 Speedway in Batesburg with his Super Street race car. Good to have you aboard.

 

[gnubee]

You can get one of those oven thermometers that hang from the oven rack. They are usually less than $5.00 and are usually quite accurate. Compare two or three thermometers while you are in the store and pick one that seems to be in agreement with the others. Eschew any that read different than all the others do.

Place it beside the meat and you will have a much better idea of the temp than those uber cheap thermos that come with the brinkman. Better yet get a digital temperature probe or two. Use one stuck into the thickest part of the meat and the second one stuck through a cork or a potato then placed on the rack to check the ambient temperature of the smoker.

Welcome to SMF