Brinkmann Square Vetical Smoker

[nyc q]

Well I still think I want to try sand out. I want to smoke pork butts and brisket and the fat does not melt as much with steam. I seem to have the very common problem of my smoker temps dropping below 200 after the first hour and my meats not being able to cross 160. I have a brisket I am going to smoke this weekend and I will let everyone know how it works out with my newest changes.

I figure I will drill some 5/8 holes (my biggest metal bit) and get some wire lathe for a charcoal rack.

Earl thanks for the welcome. What do you use as an ash pan? I tried my local dollar store for aluminum pans but no luck finding the proper size.

 

[soflaquer]

NYC,

My bad..............Welcome to the Forum! I am trying to get with Jeff (Tuscon) and set up an intro thread. We need to hear from ALL of you and get an idea of your backgrounds and experience.

Other than that, when your done with the Sand Box, come back and let's talk Barbeque! There is a plethora of Mods to do to an ECB that will help immensely, but I've yet to see a Competitor with a bag of sand next to their Pit. Think about it.

Everyone here is a Brother and all questions and inquiries are taken seriously. If you think Sand will help..........give it a shot!

If their anything we can assist you with, just ask!

Jeff

 

[Dutch]

NYC, my fire pan sits inside of a base pan. The other mod that I made was to add a "shaker handle" that allows me to shake my ashes down into the base pan (the handle needs to be replaced as the handle was broken off when some kids stole my ECB)

 

[soflaquer]

Earl,

If you research the threads, there are plenty of Mods that can help NYC.

Jeff

 

[bob-bqn]

NYC the reason you temperature drops after the first hour is, as the charcoal burns ash forms. This ash needs to drop away so oxygen can get to the charcoal so it can continue to burn. Because your charcoal is sitting in the bottom of the fire pan, ash is building up around the charcoal and choking it. What I would recommend is drilling the holes in the fire pan to allow air to the fire and getting a small round grate that will fit in the pan an inch or two above the bottom. This will allow the ash to fall through the grate and away from the coals. You will also need something to catch the hot embers that fall through the holes you drilled. They make grill mats to protect decks, or you can get a huge metal automotive tray and set under the smoker. I picked up a couple of these drip pans from Pep Boys for about $10 each. They also catch fat drippings if your smoker leaks.

 

[Dutch]

NYC, follow SoFlaQuer and read the threads. Alot of the mods I made to my ECB I made before joining this forum. BUt I would deffenatly get a rack to place in your fire pan for the charcoal and wood chunks.

 

[soflaquer]

Good advise Bob and Earl! I know we had a member not too long ago that we had assisted with ECB Mods. If NYC will go through some of the earlier threads, I know there was a huge amount of info myself and others covered on this subject.

Jeff

 

[willowcreekjim]

hi guys, i have one, i have more problems with temp. regulation than any thing, my local wally world had it, MT, and also.......hi and thanks for this cool site. sorry i havent been arround much but my busy times are hard to avoid. i enjoy the newsletter and am going to try the turkey. i am a chef in montana. i own a charcole smoker. we use alder a lot. i also like apple and cherry. and have also played with chip blends, and have hickory smoked salt. if you havent smoked salt yet give it a try, pour some kosher in cheese-cloth,and hang from a rack.again i would like to thank everyone, and will try to be around more often. willowcreekjim, wccs. wally world had it, MT, and also.......

 

[Dutch]

Hi, willowcreekjim and welcome to the greatest forum in the would.
What kind of smoker do you have? If we had an idea, we would know what kind of modifications you would need to make.

I think it's awesome that you have experimented with mixing different types of woods for your smoking. Let us know what you have tried and what the hits and misses were. I know a lot of use would be interested in what you have done.

 

[monty]

Dutch, I think Willowcreekjim has the smoker I originally started this topic string inquiring about. If I remember correctly there is a post indicating that the unit was flimsy and that the door did not seal properly. In all other aspects, aside from its square cabinet shape and full length door it is basically an ECB.
Willowcreekjim, in more recent model smokers there is a tendency to "err on the side of safety". In other words the government and the insurance companies are dictating the style and design of the things we buy, smokers notwithstanding!
I am sure that someone has come up with some temp mods, it is just a mater of finding them. If I see something I will holler but as far as I can see there is little known about that particular model.
Monty

 

[bob-bqn]

Welcome aboard willowcreekjim.

 

[Dutch]

Remember that Camp Chef "Smoke Vault" that we talked about earlier? Well I saw another one at our NEW Cabella's Store and after poking and proding and doing everyting but taking it apart I've decided that it's as sturdy as my GOSM. I talked to a friend of mine that sells Camp Chef items and he stated that the unit I saw was the proto type for the production models. He said that they were aware of the flimsy door and that it needed to be beefed up. So if anyone is looking for a square vertical smoker I'd go with the "Smoke Vault".

 

[sgt. pepper]

Hello all, I'm sure this topic has come up before. I have the La Bandera Smoker from New Braunfels. I was hoping there is a clever way to convert it to a propane smoker so that I have a fuel option when doing brisket, pork butt or other cuts that take a long time. Pictures would be awesome if anyone has them.
Thanks
SP