# ECB El Cheapo Brinkman MODS



## tennessee pork smoker (Jan 5, 2008)

I just finished the five day course and I'm taking my "final exam" as I type. I made a different mod than explained in the course. I already had a smoke stack on the cheapo bullet smoker. 

In the charcoal bowl I drilled larger holes in the bottom of the bowl, then one of the Char-Broil smoker tents over the holes, then the charcoal.

I had troubel keeping the temp in the smoker up to 220, so hopefully this will help.....I'll let you know......


----------



## walking dude (Jan 5, 2008)

have you read this link?

http://www.randyq.addr.com/ecb/ecbmods.html


----------



## walking dude (Jan 5, 2008)

also..........whats a smoker tent?


----------



## tennessee pork smoker (Jan 5, 2008)

I don't know what the smoke tents are actually used for.  They come three to a pack, and look to be a spacific replacement for something else, anyway,...it's a square piece of stainless steel that's stamped out with vents.  It actually looks like a cover for something you might put woodchips in.  Anyway, I just sat it over the holes I drilled.   BTY, I'll be drilling more holes, and rigging up something to regulate the airflow......still not quite enough heat in the ECB yet


----------



## flash (Jan 5, 2008)

I am not sure what you fire pan set up is? I've drilled holes in the bottom of my pan also, plus removed the legs and set the unit on concrete blocks so I can just lift the unit off and access fire pan easily. This has increase air flow quite a bit. Now I can see 300 tops and it will settle at 250 to 275º



I also found my supplied gauge was off by -65º. Once I did those mods and then went to sand in the water pan instead of water. I reached the temps above. I have actually been able to cut back to 1/4 pan of charcoal now and made air vents in the lid to disperse heat more.


----------



## ds7662 (Jan 5, 2008)

Tennesse, its sounds like you are on your way there. 
Are you using charcoal briquettes or Lump charwood?
The Lump will burn much hotter and might help you.


----------



## tennessee pork smoker (Jan 6, 2008)

I've been mixing briquette and lump charcoal.  Not a lot of room to try and put burning lump charcoal in the bowl. Small door and the water bowl prevent me from having burning charcoal ready to put in.  I have drilled even more holes in the bowl however, and will drill some more. I believe the holes will make all the difference in my temperature issues.  I need to check my thermometer too, my ribs cooked to 172 in less than 4.5 hours and were really dry.  

Still working this thing out.  Only cooked twice on this, but can already see what I need to do to get better


----------



## walking dude (Jan 6, 2008)

pork smoker.......if you would check out that link......it shows yuou how to turn your ecb into summing you can easily add charchol too....by lifting the unit off of the charchol pan..........like the way the ecb gourmet is set up...........MUCH easier to add charchol and smoking woods


----------

