# New Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker



## waywardswede

So, after looking around for a couple of months and reading through hundreds of threads here and other places I decided on a vertical trailmaster from Brinkmann.  I wanted to stay to a pretty slim budget, and seriously considered the small WSM, but I really wanted a stick burner.  I'm not going to be cooking for parties, it's just my family (and my wife is convinced that anytime I make anything in the smoker she'll need to eat out) so the small cooking footprint of this smoker is a benefit.

I told my wife that I wanted the smoker for my birthday, and even though she wants nothing to do with it this is what I found in the garage when I came home from work yesterday:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 1, 2013


















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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 1, 2013






I'm psyched!  I pulled everything out to see just how bad it was going to be (some of the feedback on the Brinkmann trailmasters show that they can be a little sloppy) and I have to say it's not as bad as I expected.  A couple of minor dings and dents (some screws worked out in shipping and the packing leaves a lot to be desired) but no deal breakers and everything seems to fit together pretty well.

I've already sent emails to Justin at BBQ Gaskets (I can't leave a link but you can google it) and I'll be picking up one of their gasket kits and some door latches from them.  Great customer service there, BTW, they don't see many of the verticals but he is completely flexible, willing to help and has great advice.  I would definitely recommend them.

I'll be making an expanded steel burning bin for the firebox (already checked out the 3/4" expanded steel sheets at Home Depot), and I'm considering putting in an upper air inlet with a damper on the SFB for better air / smoke control, found these air controls on line













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 1, 2013






I'm not a welder, but I'm pretty handy and I'm sure I can get one of these in without too much trouble.  Any opinions from the crew here?

I'll be putting it together over the next couple of weeks, my weekends out going to be tied up for awhile so I won't get much time on it right away, but I'm planning on posting my progress as I get her together.  Stay tuned!


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## waywardswede

I received the gasket and door clamp kit from BBQGaskets, and the air damper from BBQ Bonanza.  Tonight I was able to get the upper air damper installed on the fire box, I'm hoping it will give me better control of the air flow through the SFB.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 8, 2013






It was pretty simple to install, just found the centerline of the the upper section of the FB then estimated the height I wanted it at, traced the openings with a pencil, drilled some pilot holes, cut it out with a metal blade in the jigsaw and smoothed the edges with the dremel.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 8, 2013






While I had the cooking chamber upside down I drilled out the screw holes for the bottom door clamp.  The flat clamp used on the horizontal Trailmaster won't fit on the bottom of the vertical, because the handle is too close to the firebox.  I sent this image to Justin to confirm the clearance problem, and we agreed that I should try the side latch for the bottom of the door:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 8, 2013






I marked out the screw holes for the latch and drilled them out, but I didn't attach the latch yet, as I'll need to touch up the paint on the smoker.  I'll install the latch after I repaint.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 8, 2013






That's it for tonight.  I'll be tied up tomorrow night, but hopefully I'll be able to get the fiberglass gaskets on the SFB halves and the crossover, and maybe get the SFB installed to the CC.  More updates then.


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## waywardswede

OK, I finished the mods to the SFB last weekend, I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures.  After getting the upper air vent put into the firebox I started with getting the gaskets on to seal it tight.  Again, with the help from Justin at BBQ Gaskets I ordered flat fiberglass gaskets (two 7' rolls) for the lid, the firebox crossover, and to install between the two halves of the firebox.  For the firebox lid Justin did not recommend either the red RTV (too hot there for that), or the black Rutland (will get brittle and flake off over time).  He said the best way to hold the gasket on there was to use rivets, so that's what I did.  I had purchased a box of small washers, as I was worried that the small heads of the rivets would push through the flat gasket, but when I tried them they actually held the head of the rivets high enough that the lid hit against them, defeating the purpose of the gasket.













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__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ Oct 18, 2013






Now I wanted to make sure that the crossover was sealed tight to the firebox, so I used the flat gasket there, too.  I used the red RTV to hold the gasket in place.  I know it's going to be too hot here for the RTV, but I only want it to hold the gasket on while I assemble it, so I hope it will be OK.













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__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ Oct 18, 2013


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## waywardswede

OK, next step is to assemble the firebox.  The first thing I noticed is that there are 6 screws holding the top and bottom halves together (3 each front and back), but nothing on the sides.  That is about 12" of flange without and support or clamping.  So I drilled a hole in the middle of each side through both flanges to put another nut and bolt for additional clamping.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






However, before I can put the two halves together I have to work out the charcoal basket.  I wanted to do something different here, which worries me, because there are a lot of people here that are better than I am at this and I don't see where anyone else has done this.  But I wanted to be able to get as much burn time as possible in the FB, and the charcoal baskets that I've seen only take up the middle section of the FB.  I assume this is mainly because you want to be able to pull the basket out to refill and to clean out, but I'm wondering if that is really necessary.  I think it might be better to make the basket so that it takes up the entire area:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






Now I know this is going to be more difficult to clean out, and that I lose some of the height, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.  I'll just have to post an update down the road if it turns into an epic failure and I need to pull everything apart to remove it and start over.

Now that I have the basket set I can assemble the FB.  I use the red RTV here again, just to hold the flat gasket in place while I'm putting it together:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






I didn't mention before, I thought I would have to cut the flat gasket at the corners, but when you cut the stuff it kind of unravels and flares up, like a nylon rope.  You can melt the end of the rope to get the strands to hold together, but that didn't work for this stuff.  As it turns out it's very easy to just make the turns, and it will lay flat even on the very tight radius that I had to work with.  It was actually very easy to work with.

OK, with the FB assembled it's time to attach to the CC.  It was a little tricky getting the bottom bracket that supports the FB to the leg assembly in place with my full size charcoal basket in the way, but the basket had enough play in it that I was able to move it around enough get my hand in there to back up the nuts.  I didn't get a good picture of that, but it wasn't that big of a deal.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






You can also see where I used the red RTV where the crossover goes into the CC.  I'm worried about this, because I know that's going to be a very hot spot and I'm not sure if it will hold up.  In the image it looks like there is a lot of RTV there, but it was a pretty tight fit and there really isn't that much, I wiped almost all of it off of the inside with a paper towel.  Whatever is going to burn off should happen during the burn in period, and from there I'm thinking the grease and oils will fill in what little gap there is left.


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## waywardswede

OK, time to get the CC set.  For this Justin had recommended a self-adhesive flat gasket, it is part of the standard Brinkmann kit he has put together.  Just clean the area where it is going to be attached really well with alcohol, peel the back off and stick it on.  Can't get any easier than that.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013


















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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






This stuff would not bend around the curve, so it had to be cut.  But it didn't unravel like the fiberglass flat gasket, so it wasn't a problem.  There is an access panel on the back of the CC to refill the water pan, so I sealed that off, too.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






View from the inside with the access panel door closed:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






OK, almost done.  I need to make an opening for my temperature probes, so I picked up some rubber grommets at Home Depot and drilled a hole.  I'm not sure how this will hold up in the heat, but I'll be burning it really hot during the break in, if there's going to be a problem I should be able to see it there.  I'll deal with that if it happens.  I put the hole by the handle, I may have to come up with something to protect the sending unit from the weather later on.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






OK, the last thing I want to change is the exhaust vent at the top of the unit.  I plan on using this year round, in the open, and I can envision a torrential downpour ruining my plans.  I'm not sure why they made it like this, seems to be very little thought about what happens if it rains.  You certainly can't just close the damper:













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






So I removed the damper and the screw, and bought a 4" aluminum vent cap at HD.  I also picked up a damper to put in the cap, and the whole assembly fit very nicely into the little smoke stack.  I just had to make a small cut in the cap pipe to fit around the screw brace and jammed the vent cap into the chimney with a little RTV.  We'll see if the wind can pull it out, but I don't think so, it was a nice tight fit.  I realize I didn't take a picture of that while I was doing it, but this is what it looks like completed.













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__ waywardswede
__ Oct 18, 2013






I also didn't show drilling the holes for the top door clamp, or installing both the top flat clamp and the bottom side clamp.  You can see the top clamp here, and the bottom clamp, while quite a bit larger, looks basically the same.


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## waywardswede

I also realize now that I didn't take a full picture of the unit completed, so I'll have to do that over the weekend and post it.  I fired it up last Sunday for the burn in, and had no problem holding the 225 - 250 for a couple of hours, or getting it to the 400 for an hour that they recommended.  I wiped vegetable oil on the interior of the CC, and sprayed on some of the grilling Pam before firing it up.  After the break in I cooked a pound of bacon first, as I had seen that recommended somewhere here in the forum.  I then made some chicken wings late in the day (sorry, no pictures of those, it was the end of a long day) and they actually turned out pretty good.

I'm ready to start figuring out how to manage the TBS now, can't wait to start smoking!


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## buttburner

good deal

looks like you are going about it the right way

what did you do about the rivets on the firebox gasket?


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## waywardswede

Thanks, it seems like it sealed really tight.  I don't get any smoke coming out anywhere except the top vent, and it seems like I can get really good control of the fire temps.  I'll need some more experience with it before I really know what I'm doing.

I used just the rivets on the flat gasket, without the washer, placed one about every 2 1/2".  If I pulled hard on the gasket I could probably work it around the head of the rivet, as the fabric of the gasket isn't a really tight weave.  But when I tried using the washer under the head of the rivet it made it stick up high enough where the lid hit the head of the rivet, so there would have been an air gap between the lid and the gasket.  As the whole reason I was using the gasket was to get rid of any gaps that seemed self defeating.

I think it will be fine, it seems pretty secure and I shouldn't be disturbing it too much.  Time will tell.


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## dj54

Hey Swede, how did the mods turn out ? Just ordered me a Briinkman vertical, will be here tomorrow. Ordered the gasket kit from Justin also. Any pointers you can give me ?


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## waywardswede

So far it's working great. I put a couple of plates in the charcoal basket so that I can burn in an 'S' pattern, I'm thinking that will increase my burn time. I'll take a couple pictures this weekend so people can see what I did. 

I smoked some cheese last weekend using the AMNPS, you'll want one of those for cold smoking, they work great. 

Post a comment or PM me if you have any problems when you get started. I'm lovin' it, am having a blast.


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## blowinsmoke843

I am new to the Forum which I stumbled upon looking for info about this smoker. I am very interested in it but saw a number of reviews and youtube videos saying things about door fitment. Did you have that issue? Also, could you post a list of everything you purchased with prices from BBQgaskets? Thanks!


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## dj54

Personally, I ordered mine from home depot and was disappointed in mine. It came with numerous dents and dings, I guess I should have sent it back. After assembly the cooking chamber door would not shut properly. The gasket set worked fine and they knew what to send me for that smoker. If I had to do it over I would not spend my money on this, I would look round for a little better vertical smoker.


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## waywardswede

Blowinsmoke843 said:


> I am new to the Forum which I stumbled upon looking for info about this smoker. I am very interested in it but saw a number of reviews and youtube videos saying things about door fitment. Did you have that issue? Also, could you post a list of everything you purchased with prices from BBQgaskets? Thanks!


Looks like I was one of the lucky ones, my doors fit pretty well.  I picked up the door latches from BBQgaskets, but the door seals pretty well without them.  Here's what I picked up from them, except I ordered another roll of flat fiberglass gasket for between the FB halves:


DescriptionUnit priceQtyAmount    Flat mount toggle$6.001$6.00    side mount toggle$8.001$8.00    3/4" x 1/8" wool self stick.$15.001$15.00    1/8" x 5/8" flat fiberglass for firebox$8.501$8.50    one tube rtv red.$7.501$7.50    


Subtotal$45.00    *Total*$45.00 USD 




dj54 said:


> Personally, I ordered mine from home depot and was disappointed in mine. It came with numerous dents and dings, I guess I should have sent it back. After assembly the cooking chamber door would not shut properly. The gasket set worked fine and they knew what to send me for that smoker. If I had to do it over I would not spend my money on this, I would look round for a little better vertical smoker.


dj54, I'm sorry to hear that.  Have you been able to get it to work at all?


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## dj54

Oh yeah swede, smoked a stuffed pork loin saturday and it did pretty good. It was a little hard to control the temp but I figured that will come in time and more use. I guess I was expecting something like my oklahoma joe offset as far as quality and thickness of metal and was a little let down.


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## blowinsmoke843

Thanks Swede! I have been trying to get an entry-level smoker and have been eyeing the Oklahoma Joe's smoker from Lowes but its almost twice what the Brinkman costs. I was also wondering if the Brinkman was built as sturdy as the Oklahoma Joes but I guess dj54 answered that question.


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## smokin sooner

I've been looking at getting the Trailmaster Vertical Smoker, but been procrastinating because some of the issues that the reviewers have been having. It looks like you modified it to fix all of the problems that people were having. Thank you for taking the time to share all of this great information.


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## lionel47

Thanks for the great write up of your mods. My wife got me the vertical smoker for my birthday last month and I just got done putting it together last week.

I am really interested in the gaskets for the firebox and cooking chamber. I looked at the invoice you posted and I am trying to understand whether I need the kit with the latches or whether I can get by with just the gaskets.

Amazing work you did there.  Love it.


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## smokering90

lionel, 

I have the gasket kit and latches, after a little while the gaskets kinda form to the lid and get kinda smaller, and they dont fit as tight, with the latches they keep it a good tight fit so i would reccomend getting the latches to get the most out of your smoker


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## lionel47

Thanks, Smokering. I'll be ordering the kit this week.

Just as an aside, I cured the unit on New Year's Eve with some pecan wood, apple wood and bacon fat mixed with applewood BBQ sauce spread on some of the pecan wood. After letting it sit overnight, I can tell you it was a pleasure opening the door and smelling the smoker the next morning. Once I get the gaskets, I'll smoke a shoulder and maybe some ribs.


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## smokering90

if you talk to justin they have a kit made up specifically for this smoker but it doesn't come with enough of the rope gasket in order to seal the firebox door. i thought i would need it but i went ahead without it. the door is pretty heavy and i havn't had a problem with leaking out of the door, so its your decision weather or not you want to seal the firebox door


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## lionel47

I probably will not use the gaskets on the firebox door. I looked at it while I was curing a couple of days ago and I think it's OK. It's the cooking chamber and water doors that I want to seal.


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## lionel47

Finally got a chance to do the gaskets today. i am ready to smoke.

Just a quick question: I don't want to leave my smoker out in the rain. My wife thinks I am over-protective. I am having a covered patio built for it but it won't be done for a few weeks. Right now the smoker's in my garage. Does anybody leave theirs outside in the rain? I can't even find a cover for it on the Web or at Home Depot.


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## smokering90

All I did was get a big tarp and cover it and use bungee cords, I wish they made a fitted cover for it


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## kiingspade

I sent you a pm. Thinking of getting this smoker but any other tips or any updates since youve been smoking on this, still recommend this


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## country73

Smokering90, any update on the smoker? How's it working out for you?


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## smokering90

I love the smoker it works great for me, it uses a bit more fuel than I expected but that's ok. I'm thinking about investing in the pitmaster IQ120. I've done a few racks of ribs that turned out perfect, a few pork butts and a brisket and they all turned out great. The only issue that I have is taking it to higher temps above 275, which isn't a huge deal cause I do everything low and slow. But the gasket system and the door latches sealed it up wonderfully, haven't had any problems with leaks or anything


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## kiingspade

smokering90 said:


> I love the smoker it works great for me, it uses a bit more fuel than I expected but that's ok. I'm thinking about investing in the pitmaster IQ120. I've done a few racks of ribs that turned out perfect, a few pork butts and a brisket and they all turned out great. The only issue that I have is taking it to higher temps above 275, which isn't a huge deal cause I do everything low and slow. But the gasket system and the door latches sealed it up wonderfully, haven't had any problems with leaks or anything



Do you think there is a way to get above 275? Do not really do anything hot and fast though so it may be ok


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## smokering90

if you open the firebox door it climbs up pretty good, im doing research now on one of the pitmaster IQ110-120, im thinking with something designed to control temperature maybe it could get it up there. guess we will just have to wait and find out


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## smokering90

and by the fire box door i dont mean the lid i mean the cleanout door


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## lionel47

smokering90 said:


> if you open the firebox door it climbs up pretty good, im doing research now on one of the pitmaster IQ110-120, im thinking with something designed to control temperature maybe it could get it up there. guess we will just have to wait and find out


When I was curing mine, I got it up to ~500F by fully opening both vents and opening the the firebox lid. I left both vents open and only opened the firebox lid for about a minute at a time.  But it shot up there out of the box with no gaskets or modifications.  Hope this helps.


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## smokering90

What about holding a higher temp?


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## kiingspade

smokering90 said:


> and by the fire box door i dont mean the lid i mean the cleanout door


LOL I am glad to see you posted this cause I was reading your post and was like ummm I may have only been smoking for about two years but that sounds like it would defeat the purpose of smoking


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## txsledgehammer

Awesome thread guys!!!  I plan on getting this smoker this weekend and ordering the gaskets/mods.  Question I have is, what do you recommend using to make a basket for the coals/wood for the fire box.  Materials, their size, and basket's dimensions and where to purchase.  Thanks in advance!


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## smokering90

I went to Home Depot and bought a 24x24 sheet of expanded metal it was like 18 bucks. You can search on here or go to youtube and search "charcoal basket no welding" and a pretty good video comes up


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## lionel47

smokering90 said:


> I went to Home Depot and bought a 24x24 sheet of expanded metal it was like 18 bucks. You can search on here or go to youtube and search "charcoal basket no welding" and a pretty good video comes up


So, now I'm wondering what the benefits of this modification are. Is the purpose to hold the coals/wood higher in the firebox so more air can get in?


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## smokering90

It helps to get longer burn times because your coals are together so it's a little more controlled. It's makes it easier in my opinion to do a minion method because the coals stay in your basket once they burn down they are still all together where if there was no basket they could potentially fall around. I would build one, use it see if you like it, if not oh well you wasted 20 bucks.


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## captainblack

I'm going to show a little ignorance here.....but what is TBS?


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## show me smoke

Thin blue smoke


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## bama70

The cover is IN STOCK on Home Depots website as of 3/28/14. Ordered mine today.


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## lionel47

Can you post a review once you get it and try it out? I am curious as to how well it fits and the material. I'll probably get one regardless.


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## bama70

I sure will, it is supposed to deliver on Tuesday. I will try and post some pics as well.


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## bama70

I bought this smoker last spring after using the cheap Brinkman vertical for a couple years. My door did not close tight, but I filled the gap with some metal putty and then some hi temp black RTV silicone, and worked great. I also sealed all of the joints when assembling it as well. I made the expanded metal charcoal box and it really worked out great. This year I am adding a digital thermometer to monitor temps as the one on the door seems way off. Other than that, I ablsolutely love this smoker. It is exactly what I had been looking for. I use it a couple times a week, and if you need any advice or just want to share experiences with it, just let me know.


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## mekiosan

I've had this pit for over a year now, and can finally tell you how to get the temp above 250/275.  Toss the charcoal and use wood only.  The firebox will glow, but I've gotten the internal temp to around 350 in this way.  The charcoal just doesn't produce the heat that using straight wood will.  The cost of fuel goes up, but the end result is great.  I typically use pecan apple and sometimes oak since they are easy to get in Houston, particularly pecan!


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## lionel47

MekioSan said:


> Toss the charcoal and use wood only.


I will second that sentiment. I had a friend who is very experienced stop by on my first smoke with this rig and he advised me to just use charcoal to start and then wood for the rest of the cook.

My second smoke came out with a better flavor and just more of the taste and smell that says BBQ.

Oh, and I will say that I have since compared a pecan smoke to a hickory smoke. I lean toward the hickory now. The pecan tastes great with my brisket. But the hickory has been really awesome with the pork butts.


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## bootsnpearls

Waywardswede, how do you like the full sized charcoal basket? has it benefited you, or would you recommend sticking with a smaller size? Also- _  "I put a couple of plates in the charcoal basket so that I can burn in an 'S' pattern, I'm thinking that will increase my burn time. I'll take a couple pictures this weekend so people can see what I did."  _I never saw you come back to this- Can you show us what you did here? I don't quite understand. 

Smokering90- you have an opinion on the size of the charcoal basket? how big did you make yours?


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## smokering90

i got a 24 in square piece of expended steel at home depot and made it a square with 6 in high sides, so its measurements are 12x12x6. i have had very succesful long smokes with it so far no issues


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## bootsnpearls

Thanks! Does this size allow you to remove it for clean-up?


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## smokering90

yeah i can slide it in and out as i please, it sits about 4 inches off the bottom so there is plenty of room for the ash to fall and still plenty of airflow


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## firemedic5586

thanks for this post... I pulled the trigger on a Brinkmann today, and will be using these mods to get it spun up to speed...


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## smokering90

So how's everyone's smoker treating them


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## firemedic5586

Well, When I ordered the Brinkman vertical, it was on back order,,, Its in the mail and should be here the 23rd..

 The Brinkman Trailmaster Vertical Gasket & Latch Mod Kit, and a Fire Box Charcoal Wood Basket, 12 x 10 x 6 should be here on  the 24th..

I also ordered a CyberQ WiFi running a K25-003, 1 Pit Bull- 1 Bulkhead and 10ft probes. and also some fancy Food Handling Gloves PVC        and that will be here on the 27th.

From there its finding time to put it all together... Then I'll be cooking...


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## smokering90

Definitely keep us posted on the buildup and the first cook and everything that follows


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## firemedic5586

I got the Smoker cover yesterday.

today the UPS guy, dropped off the Brinkmann vertical smoker.... I sure miss the UPS gal, she sure made brown look good, not to mention she would divert stuff from home delivery to me at work when she saw I was working,,,,The Joys of a small town.. I opened the box and did a quick VI, no dents or dings noted... 

Fedex also dropped off the expanded steel firebox, about 15 minutes before UPS showed up. So I'm waiting on the gasket seals (USPS says tomorrow)  and the CyberQ WiFi.... Sense I'm working tomorrow I'm hopping I can get the build in on Sunday...


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## smokering90

nice, again just keep us posted, im excited to see how the guru works with this smoker


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## firemedic5586

smokering90 said:


> nice, again just keep us posted, im excited to see how the guru works with this smoker


I have a darned good feeling that the 1st smoke I do with this will be fish... I have about 10 suckers I got today, and am going out with the kids Sunday morning to try and get a but load more...


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## smokering90

i have yet to smoke fish yet, im not a huge fish guy so its not a normal thing for me, who knows maybe one day ill get the itch to do it


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## mulletman

Got my brinkmann vertical today. Upon looking up reviews I stumbled upon this thread and I intend to do some mods mentioned here. I'll keep you guys posted as I go!


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## smokering90

Alright welcome, you will find pretty much anything you need to know about smoking on this forum, why don't you head over to roll call and introduce yourself to everyone


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## lionel47

Just thought I'd share a pic of the smoker in action. My friends call it "The Boss".

This past Sunday we smoked 9 racks of ribs and a pork butt.













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__ lionel47
__ May 27, 2014






Started the fire with some hickory and then did cherry for the first three hours. Removed and wrapped the ribs and put them back in for two hours with more cherry.

Finally, unwrapped them and finished them off with apple wood.

The 5 pound butt went through the who thing and stayed in an hour longer than the ribs. Pulled it at 175 and had a nice bark to it and very juicy and tender.

Will try to get pics of the finished product from my friends. My phone had been playing music all day through a bluetooth speaker and was dead by the time we pulled them out.

All told, we fed about 25 people with sides and still had leftovers.

This is my third smoke with this rig and I am loving it.  Just for comparison, here is a pic from the second smoke earlier this spring.













IMG_20140308_122316.jpg



__ lionel47
__ May 27, 2014


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## white

Just got the brinkmann trailmaster vertical in the mail last weekend. Put it together and had a lot of trouble getting the door to shut. Kicked the hell out of it, jumped on it and finally got the latch the catch and get the thing to shut (although sometimes I do have to basically bear hug the cooking chamber to get it to shut. the hinges are way off). Other than that, seems like it will be great for the price. This is my first smoker and I have no idea what I'm doing, but excited to start using this. I did a quick test run and was able to get the temps briefly to around 350 with no mods (measured using a redi check digital thermometer sitting on the top rack. the built in thermometer came broken). I was burning charcoal and some wood chips that I already had just to see where the smoke leaked out... and leak out it did. Basically everywhere, especially around the CC door and water pan access door.

I came across a few things online talking about mods for this and purchased some grey nomex self stick and the red RTV from bbq gaskets. I wont be able to work on it for another week or two, but I'll post an update once I get going. 

I noticed that most of the previous posted pictures put the gasket for the CC door on the cooking chamber, not the door itself. But for the water pan door, put the gasket on the door. Any reason for the difference? Does it matter? Same question for the firebox door. 

I don't have a charcoal basket and the HomeDepot and Lowes around where I live (Boston) don't seem to cary the heavier gauge expanded metal so I'll probably have to order that too to make one. I would have liked to see it before ordering it though. Can I make a decent basket without having to weld it? Is it easy enough to work with? Any particular tools needed?


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## jhmassey

A couple question for Swede or anyone else who has made the modifications.

I did not see were you stated the size of the damper you installed in the SFB. 

Could you let us know if it was 4,5,6, or 7"? 

After using your smoker, would you change the size you did install?

If yes, to what?

Also, it looks like it comes with a temp probe (I'm waiting for mine to get delivered).

Did you install an additional temp probe?

Or did you install a better unit?


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## Shady

Questions for those who have these units. How does it work with smoking a whole Packer Brisket? Would a good size brisket fit on a rack or no? Are the metal hooks strong enough to make hang a full packer?


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## smokering90

The hooks are definitely strong enough yes, as far as the whole packer it just depends on the size, I personally have only done flats, but I have had 2 10 pound butts on one rack so there's a little size comparison for you


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## kwkk

Bama70 said:


> I bought this smoker last spring after using the cheap Brinkman vertical for a couple years. My door did not close tight, but I filled the gap with some metal putty and then some hi temp black RTV silicone, and worked great. I also sealed all of the joints when assembling it as well. I made the expanded metal charcoal box and it really worked out great. This year I am adding a digital thermometer to monitor temps as the one on the door seems way off. Other than that, I ablsolutely love this smoker. It is exactly what I had been looking for. I use it a couple times a week, and if you need any advice or just want to share experiences with it, just let me know.


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## kwkk

.just ordered the tr. Vert. From cabelas.also the gasket kit.one question, is having a usda label necessary for the rtv?


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## kwkk

Sorry about that mess....new to the site.we purchased this inexpensive smoker because we are retiring to Tn. in a few years where we, ll put together something closer to competition grade.but no excuse to eat bad bbq for the meantime.should I place another order with justin and get more gasket material for the firebox halves? Anyone have a preference on the brand of rtv. Thanx.


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## Shady

smokering90 said:


> The hooks are definitely strong enough yes, as far as the whole packer it just depends on the size, I personally have only done flats, but I have had 2 10 pound butts on one rack so there's a little size comparison for you


I would say 12lb's would be the largest brisket i would want to do. If i needed more meat i would just do more briskets at that point. Generally speaking i would say 8-10lb's. I know a 10lb brisket will fit very nicely on an 18.5 WSM, just not sure what size the grates are for this smoker.


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## smokering90

I don't remember exactly the length but I'm pretty sure the grates at 17inches long, and there's probably 12 inches between the grates


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## dan mancuso

How did the RTV between the FB and CC hold up?  Would you suggest a gasket there?  Also, would you suggest a gasket for the vertical door or extra latches or both?  Just ordered mine last night.  Thanks.


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## smokering90

The rtv between the firebox and cc holds up pretty well, you have to put a good amount on it though, for the vertcal door I'm assuming you're talking about the cc door , I have the gasket and latches and they work great


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## firemedic5586

Alright, all of it is put together... Just waiting on my welder to finish up my Fire Box Charcoal Wood Basket dividers..

Any place I can, I'm putting in gaskets, and or Hi-Temp RTV.. I'm trying to use the RTV as little as possible.... 

Assembly was easy without any missing parts.. 

Dents, no extra charge..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






The door Is not "Quite strait"













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






Doors with the gasket installed..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






Bent and dicked up rack rail..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






I had some "Left over" Hi temp exhaust wrap just laying around in the garage and put it to use..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






Although The pic does not show, I used a couple self tap screws to help pull the fire box together on each short side...













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






The Cyber Q adapter installed..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 1, 2014






If all goes well I hope to season it on Monday... I just need to get my Fire Box Charcoal Wood Basket  back from my welder..

1) I didn't do a fancy write up, as it didn't make any sense to reinvent the wheel..

2) I'm running on 2 hrs of sleep in over 48 hrs

3) I just got back from camping with my WEBLO II den... for the weekend of non-stop rain..

4) I'm drinking whiskey and watching "The Outlaw Josies Wales"


----------



## harrynvegas

Can you get a full rack of St Louis spares on these grates?


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## smokering90

Yes a whole rack fits easily, you can fit 2 racks if you trim a little


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## kwkk

Firemedic, that is some seriously messed up steel out of the box.I ordered mine through cabelas and have yet to recieve it.I am praying I do not have those issues.how did you deal with the bent rack holder and the gap in the crooked cc chamber? I recieved the gasket and latch kit yesterday.I forgot to order rtv .any suggestions for a buy at depot or lowes? Any kind over 500 degrees? Thanks much.


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## kwkk

....oh yea one more thing.I saw swede installed a new vent on the FB .is the factory flow vent crap or just to small?


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## white

firemedic, with the door that screwed up out of the box, how did you get it to shut at all? I've had a lot of trouble getting the latch to pull the door shut consistently without having to slam the door as hard as I can. Then after adding the nomex gasket it wouldn't come close to shutting. I'm thinking of getting the pull toggle latch (or two) and use that instead of the handle that comes with it.


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## mister piggy

I got one of these in just before Memorial Day weekend.  Justin at BBQ Gaskets dot com sent me a couple of expanded steel fireboxes and a gasket kit.  I just got the gaskets on this week.  I had to go to the machine shop and have my buddy add an 1/8" on to the length of the CC door latch to get it to close and seal with the wool gasket added on to the door. I sealed up the firebox halves with RTV Ultra Copper and the crossover and screw holes as well.  I'm gonna do a couple more dry runs and look into a fan and some probes.  I've had trouble getting the temp up to 225 and it was pretty damn tight right out of the box.  I should have cooked Memorial Day on my Outlaw as I know how to stoke that rig and get it done.  Oh well live and learn, I guess.


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## firemedic5586




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## mister piggy

This is the inside of mine.  I don't know about you guys, but I don't find the idea of eating Chinese paint too appetizing.  After the seasoning and subsequent cook the paint on the inside was blistered and peeling.  I took a pressure washer and blasted it out.  













image.jpg



__ mister piggy
__ Jun 7, 2014


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## kwkk

Did you and /or  you planning on a repaint.we are picking ours up tomorrow.the build / mods starts monday.good call on the chinese paint.those people dont care.look at all the dog food recalls as a prime example.we are a foolish people at times.


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## kwkk

FM , thanx for the reply.im guessing no sense in a return cuz you will getthe same dents....different places.


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## mister piggy

kwkk said:


> Did you and /or  you planning on a repaint.we are picking ours up tomorrow.the build / mods starts monday.good call on the chinese paint.those people dont care.look at all the dog food recalls as a prime example.we are a foolish people at times.



Not in the near future, anyway.  The paint inside of the CC and FB is pointless.  The paint on the outside is holding up as I expected, so no worries there.  I didn't apply the gaskets at first, so I was able to bake the crappy paint off after a couple of runs and had clean metal to apply to.  I'd be worried sticking that high dollar material onto cheap paint that's not going to last.  Maybe next year I'll repaint the outside, I figure it'll be ready for it by then.


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## mulletman

Hey guys,

I did my first smoke this weekend! I cured my brinkmann vertical on Monday and then did my first smoke on Saturday.

I picked up my smoker at Home Depot and then upon reading the reviews on various sites and also this website I seen that I would most definitely need a gasket kit of some sort. So I ordered the same kits that that was recommended on this thread.

I waited until the kit came in to put it all together. Sorry I didn't take pics, I'm in Houston..the skeeters and humidity had my patience running thin
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.

I didn't make charcoal box out of the expanded sheet metal, I just picked up an $8 square grilling wok and 4 large nuts and bolts, to raise it off the bottom and for airflow.. and it works perfect!

I hadn't installed the toggle clamps yet, because I didn't think I'd need them and I was right. I've read some horror stories about the smoke chamber door not aligning properly, but I was fortunate enough to get one that fit perfect. But after I got it all together I did the cure. It wasn't hard at all to get it up to temperature. The gasket kit and seals that i put worked really well. It held temps like I wanted and I also played around with the vents and smokestack to see how it reacted to what I did. Here is a pic of doing the cure. I noticed that the thermometer that came with it is about 25 degrees off, depending on the temp. If its over 300 it's not accurate at all, but anything under 300 it reads about 25 degrees off. So i just stuck a long thermometer down into the smoke stack for temporary until I can get a nice one to put on the door. I put a pic of it down below.













10418848_10203329196503436_1704488350793985530_n.j



__ mulletman
__ Jun 9, 2014






So after the cure was done I just wheeled it back into the garage and waited for this Saturday.

For Saturday I had a Boston butt and a brisket to smoke, along with some bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed jalapenos. Which I don't have a pic of. I did about 40-50 and as soon as I took them off, went over to set them down they were gone within 10mins. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I woke up a 4 to fire it up and get it up to temp.













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__ mulletman
__ Jun 9, 2014






Didn't take long at all. I thought it'd take an hr or so, but it only took about 30 mins. So once it was holding at 250, I went in and grabbed the brisket and butt. I had to cut the brisket in half to get it to fit. I thought maybe I'd squeeze it in, but it was just too large. I used Mesquite and some apple towards the end (not too familiar with what woods to use with what meats, I just remember what my grandfather used to use..any recommendations are welcome). Here is a pic about 5 hrs into the smoke. Butt is on top and two halfs of brisket are below.













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__ mulletman
__ Jun 9, 2014


















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__ mulletman
__ Jun 9, 2014






It was cooked unwrapped for about 7hrs then used the "texas crutch" wrapping them up in foil. I read about how it reduces cooking time and also tenderizes. I was worried about the meat drying out, while it wasnt wrapped in foil, but that wasnt a problem. I pulled everything off after about a total of 10 hrs cooking time. Everything had great flavor, right amount of smoke, just wasn't as tender as I wanted it. It wasn't tough by any means, just needed about another hr, maybe hr and a half and it would've been perfect. People were waiting and getting hungry, pregnant wife kept asking when it'd be ready lol. So i just took it off a bit early.


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## waywardswede

Hello all, it's good to see that this thread has had some legs.  Been away from this for awhile due to personal issues, but I've been looking out my kitchen window longingly at the lonely smoker out back, just waiting to get back at it.

Got the cover off and scrubbed down the CC on Saturday, just used a nylon bristle brush and very hot water.  Re-seasoned with cooking oil and some baking Pam, loaded up with lump charcoal, started a full chimney and had her up to 350 in no time.  Kept it there for an hour then closed the FB vents and kept it steady at 220 for about 4 more hours.

I had some fish (one largemouth bass and a pickeral) in the freezer from last year, was going to just toss them but thought I would throw them on the smoker just for fun.  Didn't brine or rub, just thawed them out and threw them on Sunday about noon.  Got the smoker up to 220 (lower vent on FB door closed, upper vent that I installed open about 1/3), smoked to 145 internal temp.  Really mild flavor, not much fish flavor at all, really, but I used a recipe I found here (http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131620/todays-menu-smoked-fish/20) and it turned out awesome (eating for lunch right now).  Sorry, no Qview, will get the camera out for the next one.

I see a couple of questions posted here, not sure if the posters are still looking but I'll answer anyway:

jhmassey, I used the 4" vent on the upper part of the FB, and it works fine.  I don't even look at the thermometer that came with it, I use a Maverick 732, got it from Todd Johnson when I ordered my a-maze-n smoker, couldn't live without it.

There were a couple of questions about the charcoal basket.  I use just lump charcoal now, seemed to get a chemical flavor from the briquettes and couldn’t get clean TBS consistently with wood.  The basket works great, and has held up surprisingly well given the temps it sees.  I did place a couple of pieces of sheet steel in the basket, thinking that the charcoal would burn in an ‘S’ pattern, but it really didn’t make any difference, I’ll probably just pull them out when I get a chance, but this is what it looks like from the top:













charcoal_basket.png



__ waywardswede
__ Jun 9, 2014






Ryan asked about the hooks on the top, I actually broke one of the hooks hanging a 6lb ham on it, snapped clean off.  I tied some string between two other hooks, then hung the ham from the string to disperse the weight to finish it up.  Haven’t hung anything since, but I would make sure you have a grate set up under anything that’s hanging so it doesn’t crash all the way to the bottom, I don’t really trust them now.

Kwkk asked about the upper vent I put in the firebox, my idea was to give better air flow through the top of the FB.  I can adjust both vents to better control temperature and smoke going into the CC.  At least I think it works better, I put it in before I fired it up so I don’t know how it works without the upper vent, but the setup seems to work really well for me.

I’m really disappointed to hear about all of the shipping damage you have all had, looks like I got really lucky with mine.  Also, it looks like they’re having trouble with paint now, too.  The inside of my CC looks great, checked it over good before firing it back up, no chips or bubbles or paint peeling anywhere.  Seasoned up again, it looks like a well-cured cast iron pot.  If mine peeled I wouldn't paint the inside either, just leave it bare and keep it seasoned, shouldn't be a problem.

Overall, I’m still really happy I got this unit, been working out really well, but it kind of looks like it’s a crapshoot now on what you’re going to receive if you order one.


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## twobuckchuck

I just got a small packer 11.5 pounds it fits across the racks in the cryo bag so not much trimming I think.


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## twobuckchuck

So far I love this thing. I've done the metal basket. flat woven gaskets,and RTV sealant and other than a couple of spots I missed with the sealant its working like a charm. I've only done 1 smoke so far (just some chicken legs and thighs) but I read something about the heat being uneven it the chamber. I'm only temping with the door thermometer and a internal oven thermometer,so haven't found where the hot spots are. A bbq team in California used this smoker and won a competition with it. They said along with the regular mods they put a baffle in to keep the temps even. Anybody heard of this? I'm toying with the idea of ditching the water pan and putting a Korean stove top BBQ plate in that frame as a baffle, and cutting a circle in an old pizza pan to cover the outer ring. Any thoughts?


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## waywardswede

TwoBuckChuck said:


> So far I love this thing. I've done the metal basket. flat woven gaskets,and RTV sealant and other than a couple of spots I missed with the sealant its working like a charm. I've only done 1 smoke so far (just some chicken legs and thighs) but I read something about the heat being uneven it the chamber. I'm only temping with the door thermometer and a internal oven thermometer,so haven't found where the hot spots are. A bbq team in California used this smoker and won a competition with it. They said along with the regular mods they put a baffle in to keep the temps even. Anybody heard of this? I'm toying with the idea of ditching the water pan and putting a Korean stove top BBQ plate in that frame as a baffle, and cutting a circle in an old pizza pan to cover the outer ring. Any thoughts?


Hey Chuck

Glad to hear it's working good for you.  Can't really visualize the baffle setup, and have no idea what a Korean stove top BBQ plate looks like, so don't think I can help you there.  I did temperature tests when I first set mine up, and it does seem to run a bit hotter on the top and at the edges, but there really hasn't been enough difference to matter.  I haven't had mine completely loaded up like the pictures from lionel47, but with 2 grates full I move the temperature sensor from one to the other and really can't see a difference.


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## percysbbq

010.jpeg



__ percysbbq
__ Jun 6, 2014






You will be supprised  how well she cooks I did the same basic mods except the latches

cooked on it several months then bought a Lang and passed this one on to a friend he loves it


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## firemedic5586

Fired it up again yesterday... The learning curve is still pretty steep..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 11, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 11, 2014


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## stevenb

I've smoked mine 3 times since I got it 3 weeks ago. The door doesn't line up to good on mine, but I've got the gasket kit so it doesn't leak any smoke. 
But I'm just having a hard time keeping good heat for long period time right now, I'm use to my propane.  I built a charcoal box & it helped out, I just wish theirs was a way to dump the ash while cooking.  I'm going to use more wood on my next smoke.
I also extended the smoke stack, to much smoke in my face at start up. 













image.jpg



__ stevenb
__ Jun 15, 2014


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## kwkk

Swede, great info.I got lucky I ordered mine cabelas.1 small dent on the cc.doors all fit well.but I took your advice on the gaskets and rtv.did the cure yesterday morning.could not get it over 275.burned it anyway with spray pam for 3 hours.ran it without the clamp kit to check for leaks.minimal.but I think the gaskets will shrink and the steel will settle and will require clamps eventually.ran a half rack of ribs and some kielbasa later....not bad.again thanks for the pics.justin sent me the charcoal basket as well, excellent quality.going to try RO lump later this week and a brisket.all I need now is a good thermometer the maverick looks like a good starter thermo.any reason you did a second cure?


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## waywardswede

kwkk said:


> Swede, great info.I got lucky I ordered mine cabelas.1 small dent on the cc.doors all fit well.but I took your advice on the gaskets and rtv.did the cure yesterday morning.could not get it over 275.burned it anyway with spray pam for 3 hours.ran it without the clamp kit to check for leaks.minimal.but I think the gaskets will shrink and the steel will settle and will require clamps eventually.ran a half rack of ribs and some kielbasa later....not bad.again thanks for the pics.justin sent me the charcoal basket as well, excellent quality.going to try RO lump later this week and a brisket.all I need now is a good thermometer the maverick looks like a good starter thermo.any reason you did a second cure?


Were you using the basket when you had trouble getting it over 275?  What was your heat source?  It seems the more I use mine the better it heats, I think the gaps fill in and the pieces settle together a bit over time.  If I have a full basket that's really glowing I can get mine over 300 without too much trouble, but what you really want is to be able to hold 225-250 steady.

I did a second cure because I scrubbed the interior of the CC pretty hard.  There are lots of opinions on cleaning your smoker.  For my part I scrub the grates every time, I always want the food on clean grates.  But I'm going to let the interior of the CC go for a year, clean it out good in the spring every year.


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## dwgsmoke

I'm new to the Forum but viewed it and other websites for a couple months before purchasing the vertical at my local Home Depot.  Ordered the gasket kit (this kit does NOT have all of the gaskets pictured earlier, so be sure to see WaywardSwede's parts list in this thread).  For now, I don't need the door latches after the Nomex.  Also, the FB lid doesn't leak much but will watch it.  Used the flat gasket for the FB and the crossover.  I also added an expanded metal fire basket- 10X12X6.  Maybe the extra FB vent allows for 300?  I cured mine 2 days ago and had no problem running at 225 for 2 hours.  Had to add a charcoal chimney to CC to hit 400 for another hour.  Very easy to maintain 225-250 consistently! 

Yesterday, I smoked a trimmed brisket (flat) using the pan method in Jeff's book.  At 5.25 pounds I expected it to be done in 7-8 hours. I used 3/4 lump and 1/2 briquettes and occasionally added Mesquite.  I inserted remote meat thermometer at 3.5 hours and flipped the meat.  After 7 hours, CC was still running at 235-250 but the meat was only 151 (plateaued for almost 2 hours) so due to time constraints placed it on my old Brinkman Horizontal to finish.  Paid the price for doing this as the meat was tough.  Anyone have any thoughts on the meat temp plateau?


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## kwkk

Thanks again.yes I did use the basket for the cure.all I had on hand was kingsford briqs.they seemed to smother after 2 hrs.at 275.instructions call for 400 the last hour, only reason I mentioned the temp issue. I will need a good thermo. Any links to where you got yours.howd those grommets for the probe in the cc hold up?


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## twobuckchuck

I've heard that called the stall. To get threw it just keep even temps and wait it out. For me I usually hit the 150 range then wrap in foil,butcher paper, or aluminum pan with foil over the top and put it back in the smoker. check after another 2 hours and with even temp you'll find you pushed past the stall and should be close to the magic numbers your looking for. For me its usually between 190-200 degrees when ever a fork or meat thermometer goes into the meat easy, but not mushy. That's the real trick hitting the mark and not going over. then rest rest rest about 1 1/2 hours.


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## waywardswede

Hey DWG

Yeah, you definitely hit a stall, very common when smoking larger pieces meat.  Do a search here for 'brisket stall' at the top of the page here and you'll see a ton of entries and recommendations.  You want to keep you temperature steady and just muscle through it, sometimes it takes hours.  For my part, I foil when I start getting to that range (150-160), then finish it in the oven.  I know that makes a lot of the purists cringe, but once you've got the meat wrapped in foil it doesn't really care where the heat's coming from.  As for being tough, I haven't done many briskets but it seems that some of them are just destined to be tougher that others.  Do the toothpick test once you get to 185 (toothpick should be very easy to insert into meat), could be finished anywhere from 185 - 200.  If you get to 205 or so it's going to start falling apart when you try to slice it, but should still taste good!


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## waywardswede

kwkk said:


> Thanks again.yes I did use the basket for the cure.all I had on hand was kingsford briqs.they seemed to smother after 2 hrs.at 275.instructions call for 400 the last hour, only reason I mentioned the temp issue. I will need a good thermo. Any links to where you got yours.howd those grommets for the probe in the cc hold up?


I picked mine up from Todd at A-Maze-N products.  I also got one of his pellet smokers, which works awesome in this thing for cold smoking.  I use it for cheese, and also to give ham and Canadian bacon some extra smoke before I put heat to them.  Todd's a sponsor here, and is posting and commenting frequently, and has great customer service.  Do a google search for 'amazen pellet smoker', when you get to his site look under accessories and you'll see the ET-732 remote thermometer, looks like he has a great price on them right now.

The grommets I put in the CC to feed the thermometer probes into are holding up really well, no melting or any deformation that makes it look like they're getting too hot.


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## waywardswede

DWGSmoke, kwkk and TwoBuckChuck, you guys should head over to Roll Call and introduce yourselves, there are lots of very friendly folks here that will be glad to make your acquaintance and welcome you on board.  There is an unbelievable amount of experience here on this board, and everyone is really helpful.


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## dwgsmoke

Thanks again for starting this thread and the reply.  Next time I'll grab another cold something and be patient...


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## matt darsow

Hi guys, I am 90% sure I will be ordering this smoker. Id really like to check it out in person first, does anyone know of any place that has floor models of these?

Another question I had... has anyone noticed a temperature difference from bottom racks and top racks? If so, how big of a difference?


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## waywardswede

Hi Matt

I've never seen one displayed anywhere, it's just not that popular. It is hotter at the top,but not much,maybe 10 degrees.

I'm still really glad I got it, did ribs and a pizza fatty today,best I've made so far.


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## turkeyhunter

I received Trail master Vertical smoker for fathers day. I put it together sealed everything I could find that would leak and sealed all the doors with lavalock and built a metal basket for the charcoal/wood. I also purchased the IQ120  with the standard adapter and received it Friday morning. I cured the smoker yesterday and had a little problem keeping the cooking chambers temp but was able to get the cure done. I should mention this is the first time that I've used an offset smoker.

Today, I started smoking a pork shoulder went on around 9:30 this morning, I put the ribs on around 2:30 this afternoon. After I put the ribs on, about 30 minutes later my problems started. I could only maintain 210 degrees in the cooking chamber. I went and purchased a 1" valve, drilled a hole in the center of the dampener and attached the valve, hooked everything back up and my temp started climbing. I was happy and thought I had cured the problem, twenty minutes later the temp dropped to 190 degrees and I was unable to get it back up to 225 degrees.

can someone help me with this?


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## firemedic5586

Turkeyhunter said:


> I received Trail master Vertical smoker for fathers day. I put it together sealed everything I could find that would leak and sealed all the doors with lavalock and built a metal basket for the charcoal/wood. I also purchased the IQ120  with the standard adapter and received it Friday morning. I cured the smoker yesterday and had a little problem keeping the cooking chambers temp but was able to get the cure done. I should mention this is the first time that I've used an offset smoker.
> 
> Today, I started smoking a pork shoulder went on around 9:30 this morning, I put the ribs on around 2:30 this afternoon. After I put the ribs on, about 30 minutes later my problems started. I could only maintain 210 degrees in the cooking chamber. I went and purchased a 1" valve, drilled a hole in the center of the dampener and attached the valve, hooked everything back up and my temp started climbing. I was happy and thought I had cured the problem, twenty minutes later the temp dropped to 190 degrees and I was unable to get it back up to 225 degrees.
> 
> can someone help me with this?


Did you have the chimney open all the way?

My *CyberQ with the chimney open, will keep it at 250 all day.. The only time I open the stock vents is if I have had the cooking chamber door open for awhile. Once the temp is back up, I run off the fan again..*

*We had a big family get together today... *

*10# brisket.*

*3 nice big chickens that were left over from "last years crop"*

*​some venison sausage..*













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 21, 2014


















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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 21, 2014






A little breakfast to go with the smoke..













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__ firemedic5586
__ Jun 21, 2014


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## firemedic5586

FWIW, I found using an old heating element from a portable propane grill works great to preheat the smoker instead of using coal/wood... Heats up a lot faster...


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## turkeyhunter

I did have it open all the way.  Could it be that my charcoal basket doesn't have enough clearance, right now my charcoal basket is setting on top of my charcoal grate that came with the smoker.


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## firemedic5586

My basket sits on the grate also.... How big are the holes in the basket you made? Could your charcoal have been bad?


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## turkeyhunter

the holes in my basket is 3/4". The charcoal was new.


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## firemedic5586

I would try some different charcoal, and see how it runs..


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## kwkk

So far so good.definitely having temp. Issues on days when theres no breeze
Trying a small fan about two ft. From the FB vent.might help.thinking about swedes mod with a second vent on the top half of the FB.













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__ kwkk
__ Jun 29, 2014


















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__ kwkk
__ Jun 29, 2014


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## kwkk

Did a bit of looking around on the site  and a wood (cherry and oak) and lump combo work best.doing a corned brisket now for pastrami.the temp. flucuation issues are now rising to the high side of all things.having trouble getting it below 265...but a brisket can handle occasional spikes for 15 /30 minutes unlike other cuts of meat. Will post the pics later.....much later.did not get it (3.25 lbs.) on till 10 am.never did pastrami dones dozens of briskets ....fingers crossed.


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## turkeyhunter

I found that starting it with charcoal then going to straight wood, I can get the temp up. with the wood I had to move my basket back down. smoked a shoulder this weekend and it turned out great.

Thanks to all for the help.


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## gtme2

Hey, all I can say Is, thank you. I seen this smoker in Home depot and thought, man I sure like that one. Your hard work, just made my home work a breeze. I'm Ordering the Mod kit today and next week I'm going to Home depot and pick up my smoker. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks a million.

Glenn


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## kwkk

Pastrami came out great.10 hrs. at 225/ 250 on the smoker and a hour in the oven on steam.


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## kwkk

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__ kwkk
__ Jul 4, 2014





 ....my neighbor hates me when the wind blows out of the north.condo,s....what was I thinking? Happy 4th to y, all.


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## dan mancuso

Has anyone used a BBQ Guru DigiQ CyberQ or other similar product with a Brinkmann Vertical smoker?  I'm wondering what size fan I should get.  10CFM or 25 CFM?  I never really fill the smoker with food at one time.  Usually 1-2 racks at a time.


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## waywardswede

Dan Mancuso said:


> Has anyone used a BBQ Guru DigiQ CyberQ or other similar product with a Brinkmann Vertical smoker?  I'm wondering what size fan I should get.  10CFM or 25 CFM?  I never really fill the smoker with food at one time.  Usually 1-2 racks at a time.


Hi Dan

I actually looked at these a couple of days ago, but they're a bit out of my budget right now.  From what I could see I think the 10CFM would be plenty big enough.  They rate the 25 for "those wood fires in BIG BBQ Pits such as large offsets, whole hog cookers, oil drum pits and more", I think that would be too much for this size smoker.

Be sure to let us know if you get one installed, I would be very interested to see how you did it and how it works.

Thanks,

David


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## leelee1269

Hello to all ....I just got my "New Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker" about a week ago and been doing a lot of work on it...... Will do my 1st smoke this weekend....Pictures coming soon.


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## leelee1269

Yes Dan I would like to know also!!!! I have been thinking about getting one but they are HHHHIIIIGGGGHHHH


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## waywardswede

Leelee1269 said:


> Hello to all ....I just got my "New Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker" about a week ago and been doing a lot of work on it...... Will do my 1st smoke this weekend....Pictures coming soon.


Hey LeeLee, welcome aboard, can't wait to see the pictures.  You should stop by and post over at Roll Call, so that you can get a proper SMF welcome!


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## kwkk

I found the great cheap / temporary fix for air flow issues....a hair dryer on a block next  to the fire box vent,  multi speed, you can move it closer if need be.on days with no wind.....worked incredibly well .try it then you will have a good idea how much air flow you need for a permanent fix.


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## samuraijack

I found this forum a week or so ago and have been getting caught up on this and the Brinkmann TMLE.. I think I've decided to go with this over the TMLE..  Has anyone done a thermometer swap on tis?  Is it needed?

I'm thinking of painting the whole thing with the 2000 degree engine paint.  Do i want to throw additional coats on the inside before seasoning it, or should I mainly worry about the outside?  Looking forward to firing this up after vacation in a couple weeks.


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## kwkk

My 2 cents .....NO. burn it  cure it first. After a few runs you will see where touch ups are needed. I recomend the krylon high temp paint .made for grills.interior is a waste of time.steel brush the rust / burn areas on the exterior and give it 24 hours.
.

.


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## dan mancuso

Well I went ahead and ordered the DigiQ with a 10 CFM fan.  I'll post a report next weekend.


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## waywardswede

Dan, make sure you post some pictures, I'm really interested to see how it installs.

Thanks!


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## waywardswede

SamuraiJack said:


> I found this forum a week or so ago and have been getting caught up on this and the Brinkmann TMLE.. I think I've decided to go with this over the TMLE..  Has anyone done a thermometer swap on tis?  Is it needed?
> 
> I'm thinking of painting the whole thing with the 2000 degree engine paint.  Do i want to throw additional coats on the inside before seasoning it, or should I mainly worry about the outside?  Looking forward to firing this up after vacation in a couple weeks.



Hey Jack
I don't look at the thermometer much, I use a remote thermometer, but the one that comes with the unit is within about 20° of the remote. As for painting, if it was me I definitely would not paint the inside. Even on the outside I just sand mine down after it cools down and rub on some peanut oil,seems to work pretty well for keeping the rust in control.


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## leelee1269

Leelee1269 said:


> Hello to all ....I just got my "New Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker" about a week ago and been doing a lot of work on it...... Will do my 1st smoke this weekend....Pictures coming soon.


 Good evening to all the vertical smokers. .... well I did my 1st smoke on the vertical last weekend. ... still need to do a few modifications. ... I must get a party Q  or the IQ120. I really need to review the 2.... Do any one have a good information on them?..... The coals I used was trash. .... kingford original way way to much ash!!!!!!!!! Here are some pictures. ... PorkButt, Beer chicken,  Deer/pork sausage,  alligator sausage,  pork chops ..... let me know what you all think? ???













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__ leelee1269
__ Jul 15, 2014


















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__ Jul 15, 2014


















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__ leelee1269
__ Jul 15, 2014


















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__ leelee1269
__ Jul 15, 2014


















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__ leelee1269
__ Jul 15, 2014


















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__ leelee1269
__ Jul 15, 2014


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## dan mancuso

Here are my thoughts on the BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2 used with the Brinkmann Trailblazer Vertical.  Get one. It works. Well.

The install went as planned.  My first debate was which size fan to get.  There isn't a specific mod on the BBG Guru site for this smoker so I asked around on their site for some help.  Most people came back with the same answer.  Get the 25 CFM fan and you can always damper it down.  Well, I'm finished with my first "test" cook and it worked well but I'm not totally sure the 25 CFM is needed.  I also don't think it hurts.  It did turn on and off a lot though.  I'll move on to the install and deal with the fan as I get some more info. Yard and Pool dot com sell it and if you're a first time customer you can get 5% off.  All Things BBQ also has it. Both are cheaper than buying from BBG Guru. Be sure to buy the kit with the Bulkhead Inducer Mounting Tube.  That's what I used and the most likely of what was offered to with with this smoker.  The DigiQ does need electricity.  It's not battery operated.

View media item 328500
View media item 328501
The fan inducer mounting tube needs to be installed just below the fire box grate but well above the bottom to be clear of accumulating ash.  That's a challenge on this smoker as there isn't much room because of the damper so I decided to drill right thru the damper.  Once installed the damper should always be closed anyway.  If somehow I screwed up I could always buy a new fire box door and start again.  Using the damper also allowed the fan to be placed in the center.

View media item 328503
View media item 328504
View media item 328502
One of the things I did not have was a proper 1 3/8 metal hole saw.  DO NOT SCREW AROUND ON THIS PART.  Borrow or buy a 1 3/8 metal hole saw. Do not try and do it with a straight saw or a slightly smaller or larger hole saw.  Only use a metal hole saw.  Any other type will be eaten up for sure.

View media item 328506
View media item 328507
Take the door off the smoker and work on a bench of possible. I secured the door to the bench by putting a screw in the latch hole and putting screws above and below the latches.  This way the door wouldn't move when being drilled.  This is important because you'll only have one shot at getting this right because there's only an 1/8 inch of clearance left before you won't have any room around the hole to screw the enduser in.

Once you've got the center of the damper driller out you should have a thin section of it left around the whole to put the inducer tube thru as seen below.  Next you need to attach the damper in the closed position and drill out the center of it.  This needs to be done because there can be no holes on the door except for the inducer tube. Before drilling out the center you need to screws the damper handle to the door.  I did this with by hammering down the damper handle/tab and screwing it to the door with a self tapping metal screw (seen below).  BE SURE TO DO IT WITH THE DAMPER CLOSED. See below.

View media item 328508
View media item 328505
View media item 328509
Then drill out the center just like you drilled out the door.

View media item 328510
Next attach the inducer tube to the outside of the door as seen below.  The hardest part is moving the retaining ring if you don't have a pair of retaining ring pliers.  I had to buy a pair.  It must be moved right up against the door.

View media item 328511
Here's a look at the inside.

View media item 328512
I don't suggest having too much of the tube sticking inside the firebox.  Here are some finished product pictures.

View media item 328513
View media item 328514
I'd be happy to answer any questions.  I'll post some more info later about the operation of the unit.


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## kwkk

Dude...that is  a great tutorial .well done.now we need to hear about how the cook time and temp control goes.increase in fuel burn time. ?


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## waywardswede

LeeLee, that's some great looking grub, thanks for sharing!


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## waywardswede

Dan, awesome tutorial.  They make a 10 CFM fan unit, too, don't they?  Do you think that would be big enough?  How's it work maintaining the temperatures?


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## kwkk

I take it the piece of plate steel inside the fire box around the inducer comes with the kit?


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## kwkk

.....also what is the piece with all the notches and slots ( Iin your unpacking pic.)purpose?


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## dan mancuso

The DigiQ maintained temp amazingly well.  Better than I have ever been able to do.  I usually start off with a full chimney of charcoal and a split log of hickory.  With the DigiQ I definetely used more wood than usual, but of course I had no temperature dips either.  The key is to let it do it's thing in the beginning and not micro manage it.  I did a test cook of a dozen loose pork ribs and it worked perfectly.  

They do make a 10 CFM model fan, but BBQ Guru thought it might not be enough, especially when the cooking chamber is full of food.  I rarely cook more than 2 racks of food at a time but went with the bigger fan anyway.  It goes on and off a lot so I wonder if the 10 CFM would have been fine, but it still maintained temp perfectly.

The square plate on the inside of the fire box door came with the kit.  That and the retaining ring on the outside keep the inducer tube attached.  It's not the most secure fit in the world because of where the inside piece hits the screw I used to secure the damper door.  It's no big deal if you're not rough with it.

The slotted flat piece is a stand for the control unit.  It can be bent and screwed to most any kind of setup you make for it.


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## kwkk

.....all questions answered .can a rheostat be installed to slow it down?  Probably a question for the manufacture.well.done.you covered all the bases.you have skills that would make the swede jealous. I just ran 3 racks of baby backs and everyone loved them but me.hickory...not good.apple / or / cherry way milder.....to much smoke for to long.overpowered ...my 2 cents.


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## dan mancuso

Happy to be of service.  No need for a rheostat.  The DigiQ handles that.  I smoke the ribs for 2.5-3 hours before either wrapping or using just charcoal and no more wood.


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## kwkk

Thanks.


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## rob sicc

Sorry for my ignorance.  What is RTV?  I haven't picked up all of the abbreviations yet.

Thanks.


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## waywardswede

Can't remember what the initials stand for, but it's basically caulk.  The stuff used on smokers is high temperature and food rated.  Not everyone bothers with the food rated stuff, and to be honest once it cures and you've done a seasoning burn it probably doesn't matter.  If it's on the cooking chamber (CC) it should be 500° rated.  If it's on the side fire box (SFB) it supposed be 2000° rated.  Now, to be honest, I used some of the 500° stuff in my SFB and after almost a year of very hard use it's still there.  I don't really measure the temp in the SFB, but I get my CC above 350° on a regular basis (not always on purpose).


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## rob sicc

Davie,

Thanks for the lesson in BBQ Smoker abbreviations!  LOL

It does help.  The gasket I bought is rated up to 800 degrees so it sounds like I am good with the chamber.  I found the web site for BBQGASKETS and was going to contact them about suggestions.  I will pick up something with a higher rating for the SFB.

Thanks again for your patience.


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## dan mancuso

When you've got a brisket that's too big to lay down in this smoker I suggest hanging it.












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__ dan mancuso
__ Jul 26, 2014


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## kwkk

I have never seen a brisket hung.I am born raised texas and that,albeit practical, is wrong on so many levels.lol .my advice would be to buy two smaller ones.that fat has to render down horizontally.but if it flew ....god bless .


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## dan mancuso

My guests just finished raving that it was as good as every brisket I ever made.  I prefer the large briskets so I hung this one.  It only hangs for a about 4 hours while smoking and then I wrap it and move to a gas grill anyway.

The DigiQ worked beautufully.  Becuase of the the constant temp, I'm seeing that I don't need to cook at as high a temp as before. This brisket reached 150 degrees internal in 4 hours cooking at a very constant 225 degrees.


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## mrshep70

Just purchased a Brinkmann Verticle Trailmaster Smoker. I've got it all sealed up thanks to BBQ Gaskets. My PitmasterIQ 120 is on the way. Can't wait to build my charcoal basket and do my first cook on it. I think i'm going to give a brisket a try, then later this month I'm going to attempt to do a couple of pork butts for a family reunion. Thank you all for this thread. I've enjoyed reading about this smoker and getting some really good tips. Has anyone tried the PitmasterIQ? It looks simple and costs less than a BBQ Guru. Any info would be great. Thanks.


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## waywardswede

Congrats on your new smoker, and welcome to the forum.  You should stop by at Roll Call and introduce yourself, to get the official SMF welcome.

Jumping right in, feet first with a brisket, eh?  That's awesome, can't wait to see the pictures!  Sorry, can't help you with the PitmasterIQ, but we all would sure appreciate it if you could let us know how it is to get hooked up, and how it works for you.

Welcome aboard!


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## leelee1269

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   OOOOOk  guy's and/or gal's ...... What you all think ....The.... IQ120 BBQ Temperature Regulator Kit with Standard Pit Adapter or BBQ Guru PartyQ Digital Controller?????? The BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2 Digital Controller cost to much for me right now........ I like the Guru PartyQ Digital Controller because of the use  batteries and more mobile.  But I also like the IQ120   power and design....But you must use 110 power for it. I stay in Houston Texas and we get Hurricanes here ...That means we lose power... While smoking some meat I would like to be able to use the Controller. Or can I get some kind of battery pack that I can plug the BBQ Guru PartyQ Digital Controller into?????? Please give me you all opinions...... I'm looking to order one in the next couple days.... Thanks for the help in advance. View media item 328360


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## smoking steve

I recently purchased a Brinkmann vertical trailmaster. I've don't the gasket modifications including the extra door latches. I've also added the IQ blower to the firebox. When I did my initial burnout the thermostat barely reached 125 degrees. Is there some trick I'm missing


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## leelee1269

.. IQ120 BBQ Temperature Regulator Kit with Standard Pit Adapter or BBQ Guru PartyQ Digital Controller?????

For 1...... please do the gasket modifications including the extra door latches!!!!!!!! It will  help the IQ blower for sure!!!! Which one did you you get???? Model#... Im looking 2 get 1 in a day or so!!!!


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## smoking steve

Gasket modifications were done and it's the IQ120 (that works well). I'm using hard mesquite coal and had my fire in the bottom of the fire box. There doesn't appear to be any heat loss and I'm getting both smoke and some heat out the top of the stack. I did find some smoke loss both at the top and bottom of the smoking chamber where the factory had welded the body and round ends together. Intend to fix those with sealer from BBQ Gaskets. I'm also having a problem with the factory latch 













New Smoker.JPG



__ smoking steve
__ Aug 3, 2014






closing. Don't know why I've reset it a number of times and it doesn't seem to want to completely latch however the top and bottom latches are working great. I'm going to fire it up again today but build it closer towards the smoking chamber (it was in the center yesterday) and see if that makes a difference. I switched from briquettes to hard charcoal about 2-3 years ago should I combine the two or switch back ( really don't want to)?


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## waywardswede

Hi Steve

I think you said that you built the fire in the bottom of the firebox?  You need to make sure you're getting air in UNDER the charcoal, so either build the fire on top of the coal grate that came with the unit or go get some expanded steel and make a charcoal basket.


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## smoking steve

Excellent thank you I'll let you know how it works out. I did have the coals on the bottom grate but I guess that wasn't enough  I'll put them on the top ones this time it. That doesn't  leave much room between the grate and the fire box door.


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## dan mancuso

The BBQ Guru can be hooked up to a DC power source.  I've really enjoyed using it.


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## leelee1269

So Dan do this mean I can hook it up to some type of battery pack and run it????? Please tell me what you mean by "can be hooked up to a DC power source"  ..... If so all of them should be able to do that also right??? Looking to order one of them this week.


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## mrshep70

Leelee, both Pitmaster IQ models have car adapters available. Also, go to their website and the guy show you how to make a battery pack for it using D cell batteries and parts from Radio Shack. I think you click on the projects link on the site. It looked really cool. You might be interested in the waterproof box they built for them too. That is why he made the battery array. Check it out and let us know.


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## mrshep70

Smoking Steve, I made a charcoal basket for mine this week, and I am going to try it this weekend. Google "charcoal basket no weld" and check out the video on how to make one. Definitely worth it. A piece of 24" x 24" expanded metal from Home Depot built a nice 12" x 12" x 6" basket that just fits in my SFB. This will be my first attempt at the minion method of charcoal layout. I'm going to use bricks to lay it out. I've heard many good things about my Pitmaster IQ 120. I'm keeping my finger crossed that it all goes well. People are counting on brisket and ribs. I will try to remember to take pics and post them next week. By the way, the top racks are for grilling, not for charcoal. The heat will probably burn off the coating on those racks, so I would try to avoid that.


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## leelee1269

Ok Mrshep70 thank you I will check the site out to day!!!!!! Also heard a lot of good things about the IQ 120 ..... I think that will be the 1 I order tomorrow...... Also Let us know how long of a burn you get out of your basket????? I made one  12"w x 12"w x 10"h....... I only have gotten about 4 hour burn out of it before reloading!!!!!! And if I may ask what kind and name brand of charcoal are you all using????? When I put my wood on top of the coals... The wood only smokes for about 15 minutes then just burns with fire and no smoke.... Why is that?  Thanks for everybody's help .... I really like this Thread .


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## leelee1269

Mrshep70 Could not find the projects video's for the IQ120 .... If you can leave me the link....Thanks


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## rob sicc

Smoking Steve said:


> Gasket modifications were done and it's the IQ120 (that works well). I'm using hard mesquite coal and had my fire in the bottom of the fire box. There doesn't appear to be any heat loss and I'm getting both smoke and some heat out the top of the stack. I did find some smoke loss both at the top and bottom of the smoking chamber where the factory had welded the body and round ends together. Intend to fix those with sealer from BBQ Gaskets. I'm also having a problem with the factory latch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> New Smoker.JPG
> 
> 
> 
> __ smoking steve
> __ Aug 3, 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> closing. Don't know why I've reset it a number of times and it doesn't seem to want to completely latch however the top and bottom latches are working great. I'm going to fire it up again today but build it closer towards the smoking chamber (it was in the center yesterday) and see if that makes a difference. I switched from briquettes to hard charcoal about 2-3 years ago should I combine the two or switch back ( really don't want to)?


Do you have your smoker on a piece of plywood?

I want to get something for under my smoker.  My smoker's FB has a side door so I have to pull it out to load it with wood or coals.  The only thing I rdon't like about my smoker (Dyna-Glo DGO1176BDC-D Charcoal Offset Smoker).     I thought plywood might not be the best solution since when I load it hot ambers fall on he floor below.

Do you think it will be a problem?


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## mrshep70

Leelee, here is the link. It is actually under support and custom modifications. http://pitmasteriq.com/custom-modifications. I love the waterproof box idea too.

As far as burn time, I keep seeing something called "the minion method". If you just dump a lit chimney of coals in the box it will burn out sooner. Here is a video I found that describes it.   

My plan is to use a couple of bricks to make the "snake" effect and light the first few coals with a paraffin wax charcoal starter like this: 
I hope my idea works. I will also place foil wrapped, water soaked, hickory and apple wood chips along the way. I will poke holes in the foil to allow the smoke magic to happen. Any other suggestions from the group would be greatly appreciated as well. After all, I am the "newbie".


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## leelee1269

Thanks Mr. Shep70 .... I just ordered the IQ120 last night.... I seen the link and I will be making a box this weekend.... I also will make the battery box for it.... But last night I did go to Wal-Mart and pick up the Schumacher Electric 6-in-1 Jump Starter........ I can use it for the battery power as long as it's not raining or I may just make a cover for it also!!!!  And yes I use  "the minion method"       I still only get about 4 hour's out of it ....... I don't know.... I have seen people talking about they get 6 to 8 hour's!!!!!! How????? Maybe they box is bigger!!! Maybe I should add another Tee plate??? What coals are you all using???

....













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__ leelee1269
__ Aug 8, 2014


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## traegernator

Tractor Supply has these on clearance sale  for $199.00. I am very tempted to grab one but I think my wife will really lose it if I bring home another smoker. Lol.....


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## leelee1269

Get it Traegernator and live a little!!!! She won't be mad for long!!!!


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## traegernator

Wanna bet? I have at least 7 or eight different cookers. Lol..... Living ain't a problem here it's more about space.

This would work great for smoking sausage though.


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## mrshep70

Leelee, I haven't tried anything yet, but I'm going to attempt ribs, brisket and a fatty this weekend. I'll let you know how much burn time I get. I am going to try Royal Oak charcoal this time. I used to use Kingsford, but I keep hearing that Royal Oak is better. Hopefully I can post some Qview next week. If you guys don't hear from me, things went horrbly wrong. :biggrin:


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## campsmoke1955

Greetings all!  I have been lurking on this site for weeks and used this particular thread to make my decision to buy a Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker.  I have been wanting to get into smoking food and it was a tossup between the Weber SM and the Brinkmann.  The Brinkmann was bigger, less expensive and had a true offset firebox which can use wood.  Decision made easy.

It has arrived and is partially assembled, waiting on my BBQ gasket kit.  I got it from a nearby Tractor Supply on clearance.  I could not pick it up till the next day (Sat) because it wouldn't fit in the wife's Mazda.  The sales guy said if I came buy and paid for it that day (Fri) he could knock off another 25% with a coupon he would give me.  No brainer... go pay for it.  I was concerned about dents and door fitment, but I was pleasantly surprised when the unit was undamaged with a CC door that appears to fit well.  Always better to be lucky.

Once I get my gasket kit installed and the assembly complete, I will do the seasoning burn.  Question: how long do I need to hold that high temp?


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## evil brew

WaywardSwede, your step by step is phenomenal.

 Thanks for the pics with every step.

 I bought my Brinkmann and started the assembly using your directions instead of the factory directions (first mistake).

 I ordered a 4" damper at your suggestion without first realizing that the Brinkmann now comes with an air damper and side feed door.

 The gaskets from BBQsmokerMods dot com are wonderful, but when I put the felt gaskets on the cooking chamber door, I couldn't get the door closed. After much consideration, I pulled the CC door gasket off, put a flashlight in the CC, closed the door and NO light escaped.

 Pretty impressive factory fit.

 I am currently letting the paint dry on the logo I painted on my smoker. Will post pics soon.

 Even though I assumed too much, this post and Justin at BBQsmokerMods dot com were a wonderful help.


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## mrshep70

Campsmoke, I think the seasoning directions are in the manual. However, if I remember correctly, 3 to 4hrs at 225 and 1hr at 400. This is after coating the entire CC with vegetable oil. I was able to get the 225, but I could only hold 400 for around 30 minutes or so. Good luck with it, and be sure to post some pics of your finished products. I hope to have some up this week.


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## campsmoke1955

Thanx *Mrshep70*.  I plan to get some nicely seasoned oak from my in-laws to add to the charcoal during the seasoning.  Read somewhere that adding wood might help keep the temps up.  Maybe some pecan, too.

My gasket kit arrived Thursday.  I completed the assembly yesterday.  The firebox gasket was long enough to seal the pass-through piece to the the firebox as well as the seam between the upper and lower firebox sections.  My CC door looks to seal really well.  I may not need the door gasket or the clamps.  I will test that theory during the seasoning burn.


----------



## mrshep70

Hello Everyone, I did my first cook on my smoker, and I have to say... I am very pleased. I used the Pitmaster IQ120 to keep the temps  in check and a Maverick ET-732 to remotely monitor the pit temp and the meat temp. I wanted to do a test burn just to see how long my fuel would last with a full charcoal basket, so I decided to throw a fatty on there just to try it out. Wow was it good.

I stuffed it with capicola, ham, provolone, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and spinach. Here it is just before I put the spinach on and rolled it.













IMG_20140809_121103_754.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






I also put a bacon weave on it because, it's bacon.













IMG_20140809_134847_086.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






Here it is after about a 2 hour smoke. Perfectly done IMHO.













IMG_20140809_161613_177.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






Here is the finished product after a rest in a warm cooler for about 1.5 hours. That way the cheese wouldn't run out when i cut into it. Boy is it hard to be patient while waiting for meat to rest... 













IMG_20140809_180936_425.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






I was so happy with the results that couldn't wait to do my brisket.

I cooked the brisket for a total of around 12 hours at 225. I smoked it till it reached 160, pulled it wrapped it in foil, and placed back on the pit till it reached 190-195. I pulled it, wrapped it in a towel, and placed in a cooler on top of a heating pad and let it rest for 2 hours. It was the best brisket I've ever had, and I'm trying to be modest. Everyone who tried it raved about it, so I am a little proud. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  

Here is the result of my labor of love.













IMG_20140810_165801_792.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






Tender, moist, sooooo flavorful. Not bad for my first brisket.

I also smoked some baby backs just so people had a choice of meat. I was happy with these too, I was just happier with the brisket.













IMG_20140810_170029_471.jpg



__ mrshep70
__ Aug 12, 2014






I hope you all enjoyed my ramblings. Any questions, comments, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mr. Shep


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## rob sicc

Mrshep70 said:


> Hello Everyone, I did my first cook on my smoker, and I have to say... I am very pleased. I used the Pitmaster IQ120 to keep the temps  in check and a Maverick ET-732 to remotely monitor the pit temp and the meat temp. I wanted to do a test burn just to see how long my fuel would last with a full charcoal basket, so I decided to throw a fatty on there just to try it out. Wow was it good.
> 
> I stuffed it with capicola, ham, provolone, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and spinach. Here it is just before I put the spinach on and rolled it.
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> __ Aug 12, 2014
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> Here is the finished product after a rest in a warm cooler for about 1.5 hours. That way the cheese wouldn't run out when i cut into it. Boy is it hard to be patient while waiting for meat to rest...
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> __ Aug 12, 2014
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> 
> I was so happy with the results that couldn't wait to do my brisket.
> 
> I cooked the brisket for a total of around 12 hours at 225. I smoked it till it reached 160, pulled it wrapped it in foil, and placed back on the pit till it reached 190-195. I pulled it, wrapped it in a towel, and placed in a cooler on top of a heating pad and let it rest for 2 hours. It was the best brisket I've ever had, and I'm trying to be modest. Everyone who tried it raved about it, so I am a little proud.
> 
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> 
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> __ Aug 12, 2014
> 
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> 
> Tender, moist, sooooo flavorful. Not bad for my first brisket.
> 
> I also smoked some baby backs just so people had a choice of meat. I was happy with these too, I was just happier with the brisket.
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> I hope you all enjoyed my ramblings. Any questions, comments, or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mr. Shep


Mr Seho,

I don't know much about Fatties but after seeing a fee threads / pictures of them I feel I really should know.  lol

Did you use ground beef for your base for the fatty?  is that typical of how they are made?  The entire smoke looks great.  Makes me hungry everythime I read through this thread.  lol

Nice job.


----------



## mrshep70

Rob Sicc said:


> Mr Seho,
> 
> I don't know much about Fatties but after seeing a fee threads / pictures of them I feel I really should know.  lol
> 
> Did you use ground beef for your base for the fatty?  is that typical of how they are made?  The entire smoke looks great.  Makes me hungry everythime I read through this thread.  lol
> 
> Nice job.


I used a 1 pound chub of Bob Evans breakfast sausage, but you can use any kind of ground meat I suppose. I saw one thread where the guy ground his own corned beef and made a Reuben fatty with sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese.

Here is a great thread on this forum on how to shape, stuff, and roll a fatty. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/87031/rollin-a-fatty-my-version  a lot of good posts and ideas in this thread.

Thank you for your kind words...


----------



## remmy700p

RTV = "room-temperature vulcanization".


----------



## leelee1269

So how long did your basket last?????


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## mrshep70

Leelee1269 said:


> So how long did your basket last?????


I had the same problem you described. I ended up taking the minion plates out and just refilling it when the pit temp dropped. I probably got around 3-4 hours on average. However disappointing that was, my Pitmaster IQ120 made up for it. Talk about incredible. CC held 225 almost spot on for 12 hours, except for opening the lid to add charcoal, but it recovered almost immediately. I was greatly impressed. Having the Pitmaster and a Maverick ET-732 thermometer to monitor all my temps made all the difference in the world.


----------



## leelee1269

That's GREAT Mrshep70....I have a Maverick ET-732 thermometer.... Just got my IQ120 in last night!!!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .. But I don't know when I will be able to use it 7 days a week 12 hour's a day!!!! I may just take off Sunday and play around with it.....  I need to find some low ash burning  coals....If anyone know of some good ones please let me know?????


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## remmy700p

I use the Kingsford Blue in the chimney to start my fuel bed of Ozark Oak Lump and whatever wood I'm using. Good stuff.


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## mrshep70

Leelee1269 said:


> That's GREAT Mrshep70....I have a Maverick ET-732 thermometer.... Just got my IQ120 in last night!!!! :yahoo:  .. But I don't know when I will be able to use it 7 days a week 12 hour's a day!!!! I may just take off Sunday and play around with it.....  I need to find some low ash burning  coals....If anyone know of some good ones please let me know?????



Royal Oak hardwood lump charcoal is what I used. Good heat, longish burn time, and not a lot of ash. I got two18 lb bags of it at Home Depot for around $12 each. Well worth it. I filled my charcoal basket and my chimney starter with it. Lit the chimney, put the basket all the way to the left side of the FB, and threw the whole load of lit charcoal on the right side. This allowed the CC to get up to temp quicker and it lit the side of the basket and allowed for a relatively slow burn. The Pitmaster kept the temp @ 225 almost perfectly. Good luck, and let us know how you make out. Post some pics if you remember.


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## dtj16

Smoldering has it nailed- the burn times and control w/ the charcoal box are amazing.  1 piece of the 24x24 expanded metal and a pair of aviation or Tin snips and about 30-45 min and your done.


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## dtj16

I just got the TMLE horizontal w/ off set firebox- I converted from a vertical trailmaster pellet smoker.  I love my TMLE! Only had it 2 months- did the mods w/ gasket, Rutland sealant in every seam/ nut and bolt firebox assembly, charcoal basket and it works great.  Did my first hot fast brisket 2 wks ago- in 5 hrs (rest included) we were eating.  Before this- I hadn't done one in less than 8 hrs.


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## dtj16

Sorry- not smoldering, I meant Smokering


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## dtj16

Qview finished TMLE, only smokin at the stack...












image.jpg



__ dtj16
__ Aug 13, 2014


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## campsmoke1955

Test fired the smoker this afternoon using a couple of chimneys loaded with Kingsford charcoal. While the chimneys heated up, I coated the CC with veggie oil.  Once the chimneys were going well, I dumped them onto the lower grate, closed the lid and opened both the firebox draft and the CC chimney wide.

It took about 30 minutes for the factory thermometer (the only one I have right now) to get to 200 degrees.  The picture below shows the escaping smoke.













IMAG0041.jpg



__ campsmoke1955
__ Aug 16, 2014






Closer view of escaping smoke













IMAG0042.jpg



__ campsmoke1955
__ Aug 16, 2014






The only smoke (other than what I believe to be burn-off on the outside of the firebox) is coming from the chimney and the upper section of the CC door.

I guess I will use the gasket kit to seal the CC door.

After another 30 minutes, the thermometer was holding steady at 250.  Very little smoke showing.  So I got out the bag of apple wood chips I had and made a foil pack with about 3 handfuls.  Put the foil pack on the upper grate section closest to the pass-thru with a few knife holes poked in it.  I added a handful of chips to the farthest end of the pile of charcoal (closest to the draft door) and closed the lid.  15 minutes later, I have 300 degrees and TBS!!













IMAG0043.jpg



__ campsmoke1955
__ Aug 16, 2014






I have plenty of Kingsford to keep it going.  So far, so good.

- Dave


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## mrshep70

Looking good. I know you probably already know this, but you will definitely want a different thermometer. My built in thermo was always 15-25 degrees off. I love my Maverick ET-732. Worth every penny. It keeps track of my pit temp and my food temp. You can set a low temp and a high temp warning for the pit and a done temp for the food. Also, depending on how much you want to spend, I highly recommend the Pitmaster IQ 110 or 120 pit monitor. I have the 120 because I wanted to take advantage of the available programming, but I'm sure the 110 does the job at a lower price. 

Give us some Q-view when you get some smokin done. We are always looking for inspiration and food. 

Mr. Shep


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## rob sicc

That's a beautiful piece of smoking equipment.  Good luck with it.  Can't wait to see pic's from your first real smoke.

Good luck and have fun.


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## campsmoke1955

Mr Shep, you are correct. I am going to need a better thermometer.

This one apparently reads LOW.  I overcooked the pork (it was better in the thicker sections) and the chicken, although the chicken seemed to fair better.  Maybe because I marinated the chicken for 45 minutes or so before putting it in the smoker.  Oh well... lesson one out of the way.

I have looked at the reviews on this site for meat thermometers.  Most of you REALLY like the Maverick ET 732.  Reasonable price with remote readout.  I also want one of those digital (almost) instant-read pocket thermometers.

So I will order a Maverick from Amazon today.  I'll install it and we'll do this again.


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## leelee1269

campsmoke1955 said:


> Mr Shep, you are correct. I am going to need a better thermometer.
> 
> This one apparently reads LOW.  I overcooked the pork (it was better in the thicker sections) and the chicken, although the chicken seemed to fair better.  Maybe because I marinated the chicken for 45 minutes or so before putting it in the smoker.  Oh well... lesson one out of the way.
> 
> I have looked at the reviews on this site for meat thermometers.  Most of you REALLY like the Maverick ET 732.  Reasonable price with remote readout.  I also want one of those digital (almost) instant-read pocket thermometers.
> 
> So I will order a Maverick from Amazon today.  I'll install it and we'll do this again.


I have the Maverick ET732 and love it and I got  this one  http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/


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## campsmoke1955

I received my new Maverick ET732 yesterday in the mail.  Armed with this, I will fire up the smoker again this weekend... either baby backs or the country style ribs again.  I will marinate the meat this time and use a rub, too.  The only wood chips I have are apple.  They ought to be fine.

I plan to get a fast-read digital thermometer, too.  I am thinking one of the Thermoworks Thermopops (TX-3100-xx).  They do have a sale on the Thermapens right now... expires Sept 1st.  But even that is more than I think I need to spend on this.  The Thermopop should work just fine.


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## yraen

Just wanted to drop in and say thanks for the tip.

It was a slow day at work the other day and I started searching around the web.  I had 4 smokers: 1 large stick burner, 1 large and 1 medium propane and 1 small electric.  The stick burner is horizontal offset, heavily modified.  The propane are vertical, slightly modified.  The electric purchased for when I just wanted to cook a small portion instead of for the week/month/season. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I started looking at vertical smokers as I like the design, they come closest to a rotisserie without having a rotisserie as you can get.  I wanted to get away from gas though.  Wood chips or pellets are nice, but not my cup of tea.  I wanted to get back to a stick burner.  I saw several that I really liked but they came with sticker shock.  I've nothing against expensive ones, I paid a small fortune many years ago for my large smoker, but I like my money in my wallet anymore.  I stumbled across this thread and started reading.

From the beginning I liked the look and layout.  I liked that the OP of the thread thought ahead and looked at what was needed to make this smoker reach the next level.  After reading I don't remember how many pages, doing other searches on this smoker and finding out the price I decided to pick this one up and make it smoker #5.

Now, due to requirements beyond my control, my work computer is stuck with IE 8 and having a 37" monitor at home, I cannot surf the internet on a phone.  This meant that while all the other places online clearly showed they were out of stock, Tractor Supply was stuck on Alabama, but they did have a chance to have some stock.  The closest TS to me was about 20 minutes out of my way home, but I swung by there anyway thinking I could get them to order me one.  They didn't have one in stock, I didn't expect them to, but they did look up stock elsewhere and found some in Purcell (about 1 hour the opposite direction).  Needless to say, a little over 2 hours later I'm pulling up at the house with a smoker.  That I got it at clearance price is a bonus.  (For anyone else interested in OK, they had 1 left there as of Sept 2)

I know the horror stories about dented smokers and what, but the box on this one looks pristine.  I couldn't see anywhere it looked to have been dropped or dinged.  It's currently in the garage awaiting the gasket kit to come in.

I'll document the assembly, the seasoning and the first cook as they take place and post back here.  I plan on moving my Stoker from the horizontal to the vertical.  I'll try to chart the temps on each rack on the seasoning over the entire time, and at least two racks on the first cook.

Thanks for the tip on this smoker.  It looks to be a keeper.


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## campsmoke1955

You are welcome, Yraen.  My purchase was from Tractor Supply, too and it was also dent-free and no missing parts... and you gotta love Clearance Prices!  The savings paid for the Maverick, the Weber digital stick thermometer AND the gasket set I bought.

I have noticed some discoloration (white) on the lower half of the firebox, opposite the draft door, on the side facing the CC.  My guess is HEAT.  I am planning to purchase some fire brick and fit them in the firebox to protect that side of the firebox.  Any thoughts?


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## mrshep70

Campsmoke. I use almost every inch of my firebox for long cooks. I used to use bricks in my charcoal basket, but they took up to much valuable fuel space. Let us know how you make out though, because I noticed the same thing. I was just going to touch it up with high temp paint when it got too bad. I gotta admit. I love this smoker. I've done one large brisket, three racks of baby backs, and four butts and they have all come out splendidly. Got a few complaints, but for the price they are not worth mentioning. 

Yraen. Good luck and make sure to post some Q-View when you can. This thread has been very helpful with this cooker. All of the mods are definitely worth it. Get a Pitmaster IQ 110 or 120 and you will only use this smoker.


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## campsmoke1955

Since I do not have a charcoal basket, my firebox is very open.  I am going to try these fire bricks...













6f76284e-c218-4948-b524-318a7b423508_400.jpg



__ campsmoke1955
__ Sep 5, 2014






They are 1.25 inches thick and 4.5 inches wide and 9 inches long.  They can be cut/trimmed with masonry tools like any other concrete, using the appropriate precautions.  A single thickness of the brick blocking the fire/heat from the firebox endwall should be enough.  I figure the thickness of the fire brick is equal to maybe one charcoal briquet, so I would lose maybe a dozen or less coals.

I will report back after making this mod.

- Dave


----------



## kiingspade

I need to buy this smoker. What mods do I need?


----------



## chabu

Just pt mine together today. Used gasket kit and the rtv to seal. I bought an et732 and have another thermo for the stack. No dings on it but the door has a slight opening at the top and left side - even with gasket. The latch on the door is a little finicky to close and I imagine when its smoking with be tougher to manage (even with welding gloves). It looks like I'll need a latch for the top, at very least. Where are they purchased?

Thanks

PS I'll post pics later - just got a little too dark.


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## samuraijack

Finally having time to put mine together.  It looks like shipping left it mostly unscathed.  It's bent a bit by the upper left part of the door frame so that the door doesn't overlap the edge.  Going to try and take a mallet to it and get it back into shape.  

While putting it together, it appears that one of the holes for the smoker box transfer isn't threaded correctly.  the screw will not go more than half way in.  Thinking about getting a slightly smaller but longer bolt to go through the hole with it's own nut.

Now if I could just figure out where the wingnut for the thermometer is..


----------



## mrshep70

kiingspade said:


> I need to buy this smoker. What mods do I need?



Check out the beginning of this thread. WaywardSwede gives some good tips. You might not need all of them, but it does make a difference.


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## mrshep70

Chabu said:


> Just pt mine together today. Used gasket kit and the rtv to seal. I bought an et732 and have another thermo for the stack. No dings on it but the door has a slight opening at the top and left side - even with gasket. The latch on the door is a little finicky to close and I imagine when its smoking with be tougher to manage (even with welding gloves). It looks like I'll need a latch for the top, at very least. Where are they purchased?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> PS I'll post pics later - just got a little too dark.


Here is the link to a place to buy the latches. http://bbqgaskets.com/catalog_5.html


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## samuraijack

Ok.. I have a fairly large gap on one side of the the transfer box/CC joint, and it looks like the door is too tight of a curve so it doesn't match up with the curve of the opening..I'm not sure the gasket is going to be enough to fill the gaps at the top and bottom so I need to flatten out the door some.  Not sure how the stress bracket on the bottom is going to feel about that.


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## dtj16

Camp- Ace has great Rutland gasket for about $8-10, you'll need 2.  I used it in my BTM Horizontal and it's air tight. The latches I was told here that Harbor Freight has them for 7 bucks each.  Still have to get mine. Here's a pic of my setup now,  had it a little over 2 months and love it. 












image.jpg



__ dtj16
__ Sep 9, 2014


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## dtj16

Here's another with the lid open so you can see the gasket. 












image.jpg



__ dtj16
__ Sep 9, 2014


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## dtj16

My 2 mods left are the 2 latches for the lid and a new therm.


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## mrshep70

SamuraiJack said:


> Ok.. I have a fairly large gap on one side of the the transfer box/CC joint, and it looks like the door is too tight of a curve so it doesn't match up with the curve of the opening..I'm not sure the gasket is going to be enough to fill the gaps at the top and bottom so I need to flatten out the door some.  Not sure how the stress bracket on the bottom is going to feel about that.


I filled the gap around my transfer box with high temp, food safe RTV sealant that I got from BBQGaskets.com. I ran a bead of sealant on the inside and just smoothed it out with my finger to make it look pretty. Mine still has a little gap at the top and bottom of the door. The curve of the door doesn't quite match the curve of the CC. I have a gasket on the door, but I think I'm going to put another gasket on the CC to double up and seal it. My door is a little finicky anyway. I need to lift it up about 1/2-3/4 of an inch so it will shut tight and latch.

There is one thing I noticed that still needs to be fixed. The bottom and top of the CC is only tack welded on. The CC leaks around both of them. I want to run a bead of sealant around the inside of them, I just need to do it. That RTV sealant has been a great help. I was worried that the heat of the FB would be too much, but it seems to be holding up. That is what I used to seal the FB halves together.


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## samuraijack

Well I'm glad it's not just me.  I have RTV and the fiberglass gasket between the halves of my FB.  the gaps were too big for just RTV so I added the gasket.  My door actually closes to the edge of the other side of the CC, so there's no overlap on part of it.  I'll see if lifting helps with the door not latching.  That might give me some overlap.  the bracket that holds the FB on the wheel bracket also doesn't seem to be angled properly to attach to both.  Going to work on fixing that tonight.


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## mrshep70

Yeah. I had to "modify" my bracket as well. I had to back the screws out of the hinges to allow the door to be lifted. I want to put some washers in there so I don't have to lift it every time I shut the door. Again, quality isn't quite up to snuff, but for the price it is a great smoker.


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## samuraijack

Well once I attached the bracket to the FB first then to the leg bracket it worked fine.  I ended up taking the FB back apart and using the rope gasket between the pieces.  Even with the RTV it had way too many big gaps and the FB door doesn't seem like it's going to be that big of an issue for smoke leakage.  I got the gasket on the water door as well.  

I have to RTV the gap at the exchange box in the CC and the bolt hole in the exchanger that wont actually accept a bolt then deal with the CC door so hopefully I can season it on Sunday.


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## samuraijack

Does anyone else feel the latch on the CC should actually go the other way versus the instructions which show it facing towards the door?  it seems to slide into the groove in the locking bracket with the end tab pointing into the CC


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## samuraijack

Haven't installed my latches yet, but I was able to maintain a decent 250 for a couple hours without a charcoal basket.. temporarily solved the door problem by running a bungie cord from the handle to one of the FB support braces on the back side.  I was getting smoke that seemed to be leaking from the bottom of the FB.. most likely the seam closest to the CC


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## mrshep70

Yeah. I am a little annoyed at how poorly the door seals on my smoker too. I was going to do a few more mods to help it, but I got lazy. Plus I've smoked four 10lb butts, six racks of ribs, a fatty, and a 14lb brisket (all at separate times) with no problem, so it seems to be working even with the poor seal around the door. My biggest complaint is that I have to lift the door about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch to latch it. That really gets old when you have 10lbs of pork butt in one hand and are trying to shut the door with the other. I want to add some washers to the hinge to see if I can shim it up a little bit. I also want to add a hole to run all of my probes through. I'm currently running them through the water pan door. Let me know how those latches work for you Samurai. Post some pics of where and how you mounted them. I am thinking about getting a set for mine as well.


----------



## docasherman

Where can you buy food safe RTV gasket sealant?  And is it too late to modify the smoker with RTV and gaskets if I've smoked already?:icon_eek:


----------



## mrshep70

Doc, You can buy food safe RTV here: http://bbqgaskets.com/

It's never too late. You just have to clean any area you want to seal. That will allow the RTV or peel and stick gaskets to stick to the metal. Talk to the guys at BBQGaskets. I'm sure they would be happy to help. They will even make recommendations on what gaskets and sealant to get depending on the smoker you have. 

Hope this helps...


----------



## yraen

I finally got around to assembling this smoker, putting the gaskets in it and everything.  It's still a leaky sucker.  My door actually has a gap of up to 1/16" on the lower 1/3.  It just does not close.  I've ordered some latches that should solve that problem and some more sealant to seal every screw hole and the top and bottom.

I've got the stoker running the curing smoke on it right now.  I'll put pictures up, probably in a new thread, once it's done and I start a cook in it.  Right now I've got it running a test to see how long 5lbs of charcoal will last.  Between bottom rack to top rack there is a difference of 16 degrees on an empty smoker.  The hottest empty rack appears to be the next to lowest, possibly because of the water pan forcing the heat to the outside and I am taking my readings from the center of the racks.


----------



## yraen

WaywardSwede said:


> So I removed the damper and the screw, and bought a 4" aluminum vent cap at HD.  I also picked up a damper to put in the cap, and the whole assembly fit very nicely into the little smoke stack.  I just had to make a small cut in the cap pipe to fit around the screw brace and jammed the vent cap into the chimney with a little RTV.  We'll see if the wind can pull it out, but I don't think so, it was a nice tight fit.  I realize I didn't take a picture of that while I was doing it, but this is what it looks like completed.



WaywardSwede or anyone else,

Where did you get the damper to fit into the cap you found at HD?  I've been looking for a damper but can't find anything small enough to work in a 4" cap.

Thanks


----------



## mrshep70

Yraen said:


> WaywardSwede said:
> 
> 
> 
> So I removed the damper and the screw, and bought a 4" aluminum vent cap at HD.  I also picked up a damper to put in the cap, and the whole assembly fit very nicely into the little smoke stack.  I just had to make a small cut in the cap pipe to fit around the screw brace and jammed the vent cap into the chimney with a little RTV.  We'll see if the wind can pull it out, but I don't think so, it was a nice tight fit.  I realize I didn't take a picture of that while I was doing it, but this is what it looks like completed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> WaywardSwede or anyone else,
> 
> Where did you get the damper to fit into the cap you found at HD?  I've been looking for a damper but can't find anything small enough to work in a 4" cap.
> 
> Thanks
Click to expand...


I think he means over the stack. He had to cut a notch in it to slide over the bump out for the screw for the original damper. Find a stack that fits over a 4" pipe and you should be golden. I haven't looked for one, but I would like to get one.


----------



## elchicano

I purchased this smoker a couple months ago. I finally had time to assemble it this past weekend. I seem to have lucked out.  Found no dents, dings etc. Door closed and lined up perfectly. I had already ordered the gasket kit. I applied the RTV and the included gaskets seals. I also replaced the thermometer with a 3" river country gage. I will season the smoker this friday. I will apply a coat of paint after the season burn to where ever its needed. I will also paint some graphics to the CC door using a stencil I made . I will use some high temp paint. Im Planning to smoke some ribs and turkey breast this weekend. 














This will be painted onto the CC door with white high temp paint.


----------



## dtj16

Sweet logo ElChic- I have a horizontal TML and love it. How did you make ur stencil?


----------



## elchicano

dtj16 said:


> Sweet logo ElChic- I have a horizontal TML and love it. How did you make ur stencil?



Thank you . I run a small vynil decal buisness from home. I'm able to make just about anything.


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## smokerjoe32

Good morning all, I may have a simple question but I'm unsure of myself. I am buying a Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker, I'm going to cure it and the owners manual says maintain 250 for two hours and then increase to 400 for 2 more hours. I understand that the damper is to regulate tempature but how do I do this. I've had an offset before and did ok with it, biggest issue was it got too hot and took too long to cool back down to desired temp. I've also had where I couldn't even get the temp in the right ball field, wanted to smoke a turkey at 250 and ended up smoking it at 350. So if anyone is willing to break this down barny style that would be awesome. Thanks in advance.


----------



## campsmoke1955

Hello Smokerjoe...  when I seasoned mine, I started 2 chimneys of charcoal.  While that was heating up, I coated the entire interior of the cooking chamber with veggie oil. Once the charcoal was well engaged, I poured them both into the firebox and closed the lid.  I had the rig sitting in the warm sun all this time so it was not all that cold once started.

I left the upper damper wide open.

I opened the draft vent in the firebox wide open.

It did not take long to get up to 250 degrees according to the factory thermometer.

When the thermo read about 300, I began to adjust the firebox draft, closing it until the temp stabilized where I wanted it.

While this was happening, I took a couple of short chunks of oak wood and placed them atop the firebox, pre-warming them.

After two hours, I added another chimney of charcoal and a chunk of wood.

The temp in the CC rose fairly quickly to about 450 degrees.  I had to damp down the firebox draft.

I used the wood to add heat until the seasoning was dun.

I did cheat a little by adding some apple wood chips to the firebox while this was going on.  Figured it wood not hurt to add some tasty smoke...


----------



## pratherq

Wow, great article! I'm on my second cook on mine, and I would definitely like more air flow control! That small vent just doesn't seem to get it. My temps either spike really high, or drop really low. I'm still getting to know this smoker. I did use gaskets on the doors and the sealer on the leaks.

I think it's a pretty cool smoker...I just need to get more time with it. You know, wine & dine it and whisper sweet nothings! lol


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## elchicano

Seasoned the smoker this weekend. Had minimal to no smoke leaking. Gasket and RTV Sealent worked great. Sunday evening I did my first smoke. I picked up 2 boneless turkey breast. About 3.5lbs a piece.  Turned out awseome. I had to play around with the dampners for a bit to maintain the right temp. Overall I'm happy with how it worked.. And even happier how the turkey came out.


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## yraen

Nice turkey.

I finally got around to finishing my mods today, am actually waiting on the sealant to cure so I can paint it.  The early pics from the assembly and initial mods:

Adding holes to pass my pit and meat probes through to the cooking chamber.













IMG_20140928_124735_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






Getting ready to fire it for the first time.  I wanted to record temperatures from the bottom to the top to give myself and idea of where the ideal spot for the pit probe might be.













IMG_20140928_124748_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






You can't see it too well, but there is a nice gap here when the door is fully closed.  Even placing extra gasket here didn't stop the leaking completely.  I would have installed the door latches that came with the kit from bbqsmokermods but those push latches would have just made this gap worse.













IMG_20140928_132425_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






Curing done, time to load her up and test her out.  This was on a Sunday afternoon and since I was off Monday, I decided to do a big cook at about 5pm.  We have 2 15lb briskets cut in half, 3 slabs of baby backs and a log of Blue & Gold sausage.













IMG_20140928_164214_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20140928_164217_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20140928_164221_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






I'm not a foil person, I'm not a mop person and I'm not a baste person.  I'm a leave it alone and let it cook person.  And let me tell you, those ribs sitting under those briskets soaking up the drippings were wonderful.













IMG_20140928_213544_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






Someone decided to stand guard all night while the briskets cooked.













IMG_20140928_214734.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






Right over 20 hours after they went on, the briskets hit 195 internal temperature.  The stall time on this cook is probably one of the longest I have even seen.  This is right before being pulled, wrapped and placed in an ice chest to rest.













IMG_20140929_074936.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20140929_074951.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






I don't seem to have any pictures of the brisket after I sliced it, but it was wonderful.

I didn't like that the smoker leaked like crazy at the top and the bottom because it was just spot welded.  And that drip pan is so small it fills up very fast when filling the smoker up with meat.  So I ordered a few more things and hope to have the smoker working the way I want it to.


----------



## yraen

I didn't mention in the previous post that my Stoker had no trouble keeping the cooking chamber at temperature.  Because of the leaks I burned more fuel than I liked, but I think I will have that down now.

Okay, so all my parts came in for the second round and I've got everything where I want it.  The firebox on this thing is small IMO.  I decided that building a box to put inside it would make the box too small for long cooks and opted to go this route.  I picked up 3 ft of angle iron and 2 12'x24" sections of expanded metal from Lowes.  I cut the angle iron into 1 ft pieces and made supports for my expanded metal.  The expanded metal I cut 6 1/2 inches off of each piece and bent 6 inches 90 degrees.  These bends form the walls at the ends of the firebox.  I took the two 6 1/2 inch pieces and bent them into V shapes. these will be the channels for my S curve.  The bottom of the grate is now at the top of the air inlet where my fan will go.  This will push the air up through the fire into the cooking chamber.













IMG_20141008_180559_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20141008_180605_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20141008_180611_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






I found the damper I was looking for on Amazon.  It's a 4" cast iron damper.  I didn't think to get a picture of it before I installed it into the vent cover.  And the vent cover wasn't all beat up the way it is now until I installed it yesterday and placed the cover on it last night.













IMG_20141008_183445_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014


















IMG_20141008_183502_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






I found the latches I wanted and picked up three of them to ensure I had enough to pull my door straight.













IMG_20141008_183517_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






As you can see here that gap is now gone.













IMG_20141008_183527_hdr.jpg



__ yraen
__ Oct 8, 2014






And as you may have noticed throughout the pics, everywhere I leaked got covered in sealant.

So, tomorrow once the sealant has cured I'll fire it up again and see how she looks.  I am expecting much better fuel consumption and much less leaking.  I'll probably cook a couple of fatties since it is against the law to fire up a smoker and not cook anything.


----------



## remmy700p

> Originally Posted by *Yraen*
> 
> Someone decided to stand guard all night while the briskets cooked.
> 
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> IMG_20140928_214734.jpg
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> __ yraen
> __ Oct 8, 2014


Jeez... I thought that was the sausage you were talking about!!!! I was going to ask why there was a face on it!


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## uscg husker

Received this smoker this week. Curing it now. Sure am glad I finally drank this kool-aid. One of the lucky few that had no OOB issues. However did anyone else have a fit issue with the firebox going together?  Picked up a cheapo vent cap from the local hardware store for about $7. Cook chamber gasket was installed and I may not even use my toggles. Definately looking into an aftermarket temp guage. Any suggestions? Will probably RTV tonight after the alate of college football today. Glad I finally joined. Cheers!


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## remmy700p

For a thermo, I'd suggets the River Country RC-T34FC. 3" dial, 4" probe length. Accurate. Adjustable. $18.50 w/ free shipping.


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## smokerjoe32

Well I did my first smoke the other day, everything turned out great and can't wait to smoke something again. I have a few questions though. First one, my tarp blew off the smoker so it had a little bit of rain water at the bottom of the smoker. I thought nothing of it and left it be. I'm curious if that would have caused my temperature to stay at 190 for the first hour? My second question is, how in the world do I hold one temperature, I was all over the map.


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## uscg husker

I dont think rainwater should be an issue. At least if Its not much. To control your temps, experiment with your fire damper and smoke stack damper


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## smokerjoe32

I used the fire box damper and left the smoke stack damper wide open. I just couldn't get it to settle at one temp.


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## jharper03

Where did you purchase those type of latches from?

Thanks


----------



## jharper03

When you all purchased the gasket set for BBQgaskets.....did you all get the white gaskets for $44 or the black gaskets with RTV for $54. I contacted them and they said there is not much difference. I am in the process of purchasing this smoker this week...just want to make sure I have everything I need :)


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## smokerjoe32

http://www.bbqsmokermods.com

They have a complete set of gaskets and rtv for our smoker. I would highly recommend it. I purchased it and it sealed up my great.


----------



## yraen

Quote:


Smokerjoe32 said:


> Well I did my first smoke the other day, everything turned out great and can't wait to smoke something again. I have a few questions though. First one, my tarp blew off the smoker so it had a little bit of rain water at the bottom of the smoker. I thought nothing of it and left it be. I'm curious if that would have caused my temperature to stay at 190 for the first hour? My second question is, how in the world do I hold one temperature, I was all over the map.


Unless you plugged the drainage hole (which I am going to do next) you couldn't hold enough water in there to matter, the water pan would probably hold more water.  I would look more to airflow and leaking. 


Smokerjoe32 said:


> I used the fire box damper and left the smoke stack damper wide open. I just couldn't get it to settle at one temp.


Do you have a lot of leaks or was the smoker sealed up good?  Did you use the stock rack for the fire, the grill racks or something else?  I found the stock rack did not have enough space under it to allow adequate air flow under the fire.


jharper03 said:


> Where did you purchase those type of latches from?
> 
> Thanks


I got the latches here:


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## smokerjoe32

I have a charcoal basket that I use but it is setting upon the factory grate in the firebox. I noticed that after I was done cooking that the ash pile was up to the bottom of the grate, do you all have any suggestions? The firebox and the cooking chamber are both sealed up the best that I can. The only false chimney that I've seen is a hole by the upper hinge that I was using to feed my wires through for my maverick thermometer.


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## yraen

I picked up a three foot piece of angle iron and cut it into three one foot sections.  These are the perfect height to hold my "basket" as it were with the bottom being at the top of the air inlet.  You could do something similar based on where you want the bottom of your basket to be.  In the pics below you can see where the bottom of my "basket" is compared to the joining line on the firebox halves.  The sides of the "basket" are six inches tall and so are the V shaped dividers.


Yraen said:


> IMG_20141008_180559_hdr.jpg
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> __ Oct 8, 2014
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> __ Oct 8, 2014


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## uscg husker

Quick recap..what are the appropriate dimensions for an expaned steel charcoal basket?  Yrean's is a little fancier than what im looking at. I just want a simple box. Is it better to weld? Or to cut it how you want and bend it. I have access to a metal working shop, just looking for ease of maintenance.


----------



## smokerjoe32

USCG, I have a welded basket that is a 12x10x6. It is a good basket and I've got about a 4 hour burn on it. I would recommend what Yrean says about elevating the charcoal basket. As it says in the above conversation, after I smoked my brisket and chickens the ash pile was to the bottom of the charcoal basket and interfered with the airflow of the coals.


----------



## uscg husker

20141016_121926.jpg



__ uscg husker
__ Oct 16, 2014







Finished product for now. Im happy with it. Already cured, all ready for a butt, brisket,  and chicken thighs for football saturday


----------



## buttburner

USCG Husker said:


> 20141016_121926.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> __ uscg husker
> __ Oct 16, 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finished product for now. Im happy with it. Already cured, all ready for a butt, brisket, and chicken thighs for football saturday


looks great.

I would put at least one test fire through it before loading all that meat on it

it will need to be seasoned, perfect time to do that

it will also give you a chance to learn your pit

what fuel are you using?


----------



## uscg husker

Oh yeah. Cured it last Saturday, wasnt happy and recured it on Sunday, so she's ready to go. Picked up some hickory from the local hardware store. I usually use western bbq logs and split them myself. Except driving the hour to bass pro takes up a lot of my day. Miss living in the south, academy sports was next door and they undercut bass pro


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## smokerjoe32

So, today I did a dry run after I raised up my grate so I can get better airflow. It was too much I think, I had to close up my airflow to a small crack, and it was still to hot for my desired temp. After I would say a good hour n half I finally got it down to temp. That brings up my next point. I set up two temp probes in my smoker, one two slots above the water pan, and the second on the top hooks. I got a 15 degree separation between the two. Do I adjust off the lower of the two temps? I figure a low and slow you would want the lower of the temps. So basically my questions are these, what temp do I go for and do I put the hot coals on and close off the airflow to almost nothing to help not get a runaway? 

Test on my probes:

Water Boiling temp: 211

Probe 1: 210

Probe 2: 212


----------



## buttburner

I see when you say "cured" I think of curing of the sealant. We usually refer to the smoker as "seasoning"

I would go crazy if I had to buy wood that way. I live in Michigan and we have trees everywhere.

I got this from an Amish sawmill near my cabin, it is $15 per truckload, all oak.













photo1.jpg



__ buttburner
__ Oct 17, 2014


----------



## buttburner

Smokerjoe32 said:


> So, today I did a dry run after I raised up my grate so I can get better airflow. It was too much I think, I had to close up my airflow to a small crack, and it was still to hot for my desired temp. After I would say a good hour n half I finally got it down to temp. That brings up my next point. I set up two temp probes in my smoker, one two slots above the water pan, and the second on the top hooks. I got a 15 degree separation between the two. Do I adjust off the lower of the two temps? I figure a low and slow you would want the lower of the temps. So basically my questions are these, what temp do I go for and do I put the hot coals on and close off the airflow to almost nothing to help not get a runaway?
> 
> Test on my probes:
> 
> Water Boiling temp: 211
> 
> Probe 1: 210
> 
> Probe 2: 212


15 degrees separation is nothing, don't worry about it. When the meat goes on it may be more than that. Just shoot for an average temp.

What are you using for fuel?

I don't have one of these pits, but have run 2 wood burners and some charcoal ones so I know the general fire management principles


----------



## yraen

Like ButtBurner said, 15 degrees is nothing.  Myself, I put my pit probe on the lowest rack with food as this will be the hottest rack in my smoker based on my tests.  I tend to put my longer cooks higher in the smoker to drip on the shorter cooks.  It's worked out fine so far, with the lowest rack getting done before the higher racks and moving the probe up to the next rack as needed.


----------



## uscg husker

Believe me if I had the means I would love to pick up wood like that.


----------



## buttburner

USCG Husker said:


> Believe me if I had the means I would love to pick up wood like that.


sorry

had to brag a little lol

I saw piles of it everywhere at places around my cabin. I went into an Amish vegetable market on day and saw it posted on their bulletin board, that's how I came across it


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## uscg husker

No offense taken, Sir! Once I get this Q-view going, I got a 9lb butt going now, with a 7 lb brisket. Go Big Red!


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## smokerjoe32

Question good smoke or bad smoke?


----------



## smokerjoe32

So I had awesome cook yesterday, I started a 10 lbs pork shoulder at 7 and got done at 10. I've done some marathon events but to be honest waking up at 530 and monitoring the smoker and a house with 10 teenagers was crazy. I was praying for the temp to it 190. The smoke ring was awesome, wish I'd taken a pic of it but I was exhausted.


----------



## trickyputt

20141019_124246.jpg



__ trickyputt
__ Oct 21, 2014





These are my verticals heating hickory before I lock them down to make charcoal. I had to tweak them, but they have no door gaskets yet. The machines dont have to be airtight in the cc, just a low enough oxygen level in the firebox to make low grade charcoal out of whatever wood I put in there, and they will then burn long and make TBS that doesnt overpower any meat. Its that hint of hickory I like. This pic is the first time I cooked on a trailmaster vert.












20140529_141037.jpg



__ trickyputt
__ Oct 21, 2014


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## ericf517

Have you guys had luck with using this during the winter months?


----------



## campsmoke1955

Eric,

I live in S Georgia so the weather rarely gets too cold.  But I suspect even the 40's and 50's while cooking will affect the smoker's ability to hit and hold target temperatures.  Since I was able to increase the heat in my smoker by adding wood to the charcoal, I would think the same would help if the outside temps were lower.

Wind would probably affect the performance too.

I am planning to take a page from one of the members on this site and build a lean-to roofover in the backyard for my smoker.  It will have some wind protection as well as protection from the elements.  An outdoor man-cave...


----------



## ericf517

Camp, 40's & 50's LOL I was thinking of smoking in the winter time too when it is down in the -10 to 25 degree range.  You Southern guys that think 40's are cold LOL.  

This is why I am thinking a insulated smokehouse would work better for me.  Still haven't gotten any feedback from anyone about building a wood smokehouse to use charcoal and wood with..


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## trickyputt

Grandpa built his smokehouse on the ground. He cured his hams and hung them in the smokehouse, the fire was right on the ground. A cooker that size would be a different story and the temps would be a problem for wood heat.you can use a jacket on the trailmaster.


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## wlfletcher

Hello all!  Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.  Got my BTVS and gasket kit from BBQgaskets.

I have a question about about applying the black, rope-type gasket between the two halves of the fire box.

How did you guys deal with the 6 bolt holes that join the two halves?  Did you put holes in the rope gasket?  Or, did you just move the gasket to one side or the other of the bolts?

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me!


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## ericf517

Trickyputt said:


> Grandpa built his smokehouse on the ground. He cured his hams and hung them in the smokehouse, the fire was right on the ground. A cooker that size would be a different story and the temps would be a problem for wood heat.you can use a jacket on the trailmaster.


Tricky, you know where to find a jacket for one that will keep the temps stable in the middle of winter?


----------



## smokerjoe32

For me wlfletcher, I poked holes in the rope gasket and used rtv to help seal it up. I have zero issues with it leaking


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## wlfletcher

Thanks!  Was leaning that way.  Just needed affirmation.


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## trickyputt

Water heater jackets work if they are not a flammable like cotton. Keep clear around the firebox plenum. It can get hot quick with thin gauge metal, especially without water in the pan.

I used stove sealant caulk on the firebox seal. I unbolted it, caulked it and bolted it back. Its brittle after its fired, but in a screwed together joint that gets that hot its great so far.

A popular material to use is 3/8" fiber tech insulation with a reflective aluminum face. Some home improvement stores sell hot water heater jackets made of this material, or it can be ordered by the roll as "heat shield insulation" or "fiber tech padding" from automotive suppliers like J.C. Whitney. Some folks use a single layer of material wrapped around the cooker, while others put two pieces of insulation together with the aluminum sides facing out, sealing the edges with aluminum foil tape.

Also metalized bubble wrap.

I like things that arent so fiberous. The fibers can get loose an messy. 

Wind is the main thing.


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## campsmoke1955

40 degrees is chilly but I agree... not COLD.  Merely pointing out that temps even in the 40's would begin to affect our ability to maintain temps in the cooking chamber.  Weather like you are talking about would be even MORE of an issue.

I also agree with Trickyputt about wind being the main thing.  I like his suggestion about the insulating jacket idea for the CC.

I am planning a lean-to shelter for my outdoor cooking stuff (most of it anyway).

The obvious roof protection is my 1st concern, but I am thinking about adding partial walls to block wind.

Walls on 3 sides, leaving the top 18 inches and the bottom 18 inches open.

That would allow smoke out and still block direct wind from hitting the smoker.


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## trickyputt

Run cable and leave a place for a tv while you are at it! I like the siding idea. I am gonna us fence board. Tin Roof of course.

I found this site. Good Reading.
http://fireproofblankets.com


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## yraen

Trickyputt said:


> Here is a foil jacket at home depot, a better idea than the plastic ones.
> 
> http://m.homedepot.com/p/UltraTouch...ot-Water-Heater-Blanket-60301-48752/202710039


I contacted that manufacturer and they told me "Our insulation cannot be used for that application" when asked about using it on a smoker.  I don't know if it's because of the material not being able to handle the temperatures or if it is just a CYA.


----------



## trickyputt

I think the welding blankets are the most practical. Really, if I cannot wash and clean and renew a cover, I wouldnt want it. I was looking at the foil skin water tank jacket thinking it was over fiberglass but the recycled cotton denim makes me say no. I missed that recycled insulation they are trying to use. Thank you for the catch. I deleted the link.


----------



## matt darsow

.


----------



## yraen

Trickyputt,

I've e-mailed TIllman about a blanket that sounds nice.  I'll post the response when I get it.

Matt,

I run a stoker on it and it works fine.  I don't have any experience with the two you had listed.


----------



## yraen

Unfortunately I got a response from Tillman saying that they do not have anything suitable for insulating a smoker.  I think I'm going to try to find either of these two local to look at them closer.

http://jtillman.com/products/blankets/extreme-duty/597/

http://jtillman.com/products/blankets/heavy-duty/596/

We're going to be decent on the night of the 26th so I don't need to rush to insulate the outside of this thing yet.


----------



## dmitch91950

How big is the fire box basket??

Thanks

Danny


----------



## smokerjoe32

Good evening all, I have a question that has kinda been posed but I'm gonna put my own twist on it. So the standing winter recommendations is get a blanket of some sort and bricks for the CC. Well today I found some concrete retaining wall bricks, was only able to get one in there, not able to get the blanket until tomorrow. So enough of the info and on to the problem. I have a huge temperature variation between the very bottom to mid CC. I'm looking at about a 30 degree variation. This wouldn't be an issue if the upper half got up to temperature. It only got to 195. Turkey day is coming soon and unless I plan on smoking the turkey where the water pan is I'm in trouble.


----------



## yraen

IMO the big killer on this one is the leaks.  If your cooking chamber is leaking it will be hard to regulate and maintain temperatures.  Another thing is the charcoal grate.  This sits too low and does not allow enough room for ash and airflow.  You will lose airflow below the fire too quickly.  If you don't have a basket or haven't raised the fire grate, use the grilling grates to build your fire.  This will allow adequate airflow under the coals.

You can also use sand or lava rocks (cover with foil for easy cleanup) in the water pan to help even out the temperatures and return to temperature quicker if the chamber has been opened.  I've found using this I don't need a brick in there.  Should you feel you need water in there also, use an aluminum pan on a cooking rack.

Over the next few days I would cook some fatties, ABTs, or something quick and easy to try different things to see what will help you achieve the temperatures you're looking for.  If you've got the capabilities, try to monitor the different grates to get to know the hotter areas of the cooker. This can be helpful down the road when you need to move food around to try and get a little more speed on a slow cooking item.

Once you've got it going, this cooker is pretty nice.  Wed night thru to Thurs morning mine will be cooking a ham, pork shoulder, brisket, baby backs, ABTs, and some mac & cheese.  I'm shooting for cooking it all in one smoker, but depending on the nature of smoking foods (it's done when it's done, not when the clock says it is), I might have to fire up a second smoker to ensure that everything is done on time.


----------



## trickyputt

Smokerjoe32 said:


> Good evening all, I have a question that has kinda been posed but I'm gonna put my own twist on it. So the standing winter recommendations is get a blanket of some sort and bricks for the CC. Well today I found some concrete retaining wall bricks, was only able to get one in there, not able to get the blanket until tomorrow. So enough of the info and on to the problem. I have a huge temperature variation between the very bottom to mid CC. I'm looking at about a 30 degree variation. This wouldn't be an issue if the upper half got up to temperature. It only got to 195. Turkey day is coming soon and unless I plan on smoking the turkey where the water pan is I'm in trouble.


 in the carnot cycle we use steam to transfer energy, not to food but to a turbine. Please replace the brick with a larger pot of water if you want more mass. By the way, Mass is measured in Kilograms. There are so many to a lb. Google it. Replace the weight of the brick block with the same amount of watter and you wont miss a trick, and the steamy air will carry one helluva lot more heat up to the meat.


----------



## trickyputt

Yraen said:


> IMO the big killer on this one is the leaks.  If your cooking chamber is leaking it will be hard to regulate and maintain temperatures.  Another thing is the charcoal grate.  This sits too low and does not allow enough room for ash and airflow.  You will lose airflow below the fire too quickly.  If you don't have a basket or haven't raised the fire grate, use the grilling grates to build your fire.  This will allow adequate airflow under the coals.
> 
> You can also use sand or lava rocks (cover with foil for easy cleanup) in the water pan to help even out the temperatures and return to temperature quicker if the chamber has been opened.  I've found using this I don't need a brick in there.  Should you feel you need water in there also, use an aluminum pan on a cooking rack.
> 
> Over the next few days I would cook some fatties, ABTs, or something quick and easy to try different things to see what will help you achieve the temperatures you're looking for.  If you've got the capabilities, try to monitor the different grates to get to know the hotter areas of the cooker. This can be helpful down the road when you need to move food around to try and get a little more speed on a slow cooking item.
> 
> Once you've got it going, this cooker is pretty nice.  Wed night thru to Thurs morning mine will be cooking a ham, pork shoulder, brisket, baby backs, ABTs, and some mac & cheese.  I'm shooting for cooking it all in one smoker, but depending on the nature of smoking foods (it's done when it's done, not when the clock says it is), I might have to fire up a second smoker to ensure that everything is done on time.


I wouldnt risk it, I was trying ribs and a Butt and there is just good reason out there for having more than one smoker. We saved the shoulder for later.


----------



## trickyputt

Real question is this 24 lb turkey I am gonna put in mine this weekend. Dont ask...I havent got that far.


----------



## uscg husker

I smoked up here in cape cod starting around 2am. It was ~25 degrees. Didnt have too much trouble


----------



## trickyputt

Crap. I dont know how I ended up with a turkey and nobody to eat it so I gave it away. They brought me some.I dont like old bird. I bailed. People are going everywhich way with the holidays I guess. My consolation prize was pork tenderloin. The mop with sesame oil! It looks like sammiches until the holiday.













20141123_161218.jpg



__ trickyputt
__ Nov 23, 2014


----------



## davidreynolds

Has anyone considered just going to an appliance store and buying self adhesive Nomex oven door gasket material? Love the idea of having the cover over the exhaust. Would like to see more details on how it is done


----------



## trickyputt

One interesting aspect of the vertical is that you dont have to use the firebox. A fire grate directly underneath the food in the cc works also for cooler or smaller or more efficient smokes, WSM style.


----------



## davidreynolds

A stove pipe cap will help. Will reduce the wind blowing cold air down the flue.


----------



## part time

Has anyone had issues with the paint on the inside peeling. I don't know if I seasoned it wrong or not. Followed their instructions but after my first use the paint has bubbled up. Just in the smoking chamber and it is on the left side top of door (open) around to the back. Guessing I have a bad thermometer and it was too hot. Any suggestions on redoing the inside would be helpful!













smoker.jpg



__ part time
__ Feb 7, 2015


















smoker2.jpg



__ part time
__ Feb 7, 2015


----------



## gary s

Wow, I never painted the inside   I would contact whoever you got it from

Gary


----------



## gavin16

Part time I experienced the same problem with mine, just received it over Christmas time.  Mine was not so extreme though, it just occurred on the very top inside the smoker, and I did not notice it until I packed up the smoker to take back to school with me.  My problem is I am not sure I seasoned the smoker properly.. I did the low heat for the couple hours, then did not have the time to crank it up to the 400 degrees that evening, so I let it cool.. and took it to over 400 the next day.  I don't know if that was the problem, or if it was the major temperature fluctuating as I struggled to keep it at 400 during that cold day.  

I don't have pics right now to show, but I am not sure if I will do anything about it... I have some high temp paint for the outside of it, maybe some day if it gets worse I'll break down the inside and repaint. Did you cure it in similar fashion to myself, or did you oil it down before you cured it?  Did you just use the door gauge to monitor your temp?  I have an igrill2 I put on the inside, and noticed there was a tremendous difference between my probe and the stock gauge, with the gauge reading at least 40-50 degrees lower, and then some.. My probe is fairly accurate, within a couple degrees.


----------



## otto1946

Gotta say thanks Swede for this awesome thread.

 I have been researching smokers the last week or so (ever since my wife told me she was buying me a smoker for Valentines Day, but I had to pick it out) and stumbled across this site while reviewing the Brinkmann Trailmaster Vertical Smoker. I decided I wanted the offset vertical setup (as I wanted a vertical, but I also wanted the option for wood) but I was originally a little turned off by the reviews of the smoker. 

After reading this topic beginning to end I came to the conclusion this was the smoker for me after all. I ordered it Sunday and placed an order threw BBQSmokerMods for 2 firebox gaskets, a 15 ft roll of FDA Gasket, and 2 flat mount pull type latches (I didn't order their kit because I didn't personally like the look of the push type latches). I am gonna pick up 2 sheets of expanded steel for a no weld firebox, the second sheet is for my Brinkmann Dual Function Gas/Charcoal Grill I have already owned for about 2 years and the charcoal basket it cam with got destroyed by the lump-wood charcoal heat. Until I saw this thread I really wasn't sure what options I had other than buy a replacement from Brinkmann for $27 which of course would just get destroyed again. 

I am going to be also installing a vent-cap and 4" cast iron damper like Swede did, but I am also thinking about installing a 2 ft extension pipe between the stack and the vent cap, I saw it on somebody's mod, not sure if it was under this topic or somewhere else, but they mentioned it working well to keep the smoke out of their face. 

The last mod I am considering is either the IQ120, BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2 I'm not sure which to go with. I know both have been mentioned in this thread, I'm kinda leaning towards the Guru. Anyone compare the 2? Any advice?

I saw BBQSmokerMods sells the Guru for this model, but I have seen it in other places on the internet for $20-$30 less, but I'm not sure what length leads to order (BBQSmokerMods doesn't mention what length their cables are). You have the option of 6', 8', or 10' leads. I was thinking I'd need longer than 6', but I was afraid 10' would be too long. I'd appreciate any advice from any who have experience with these. 

Also I have seen mentioned that many who bought the IQ120 also bought the Maverick ET-732 thermometer, I this needed with the Guru? Is it only purchased because of the Portability, or is it more accurate for internal temperature readings? 

Thanks in advance for your advice, I'm new to smoking, Getting pretty excited after seeing allot of your results, unfortunately my smoker won't be here for another 6-8 days.


----------



## thickmeat

Hello forum.  Thanks to all those that have posted and given us great info on this smoker, especially to rookies like me.  So just so I am clear, when curing, the directions say to put charcoal in both he firebox and cooking chamber.  In the cooking chamber am I supposed to use the water pan?  Thanks


----------



## campsmoke1955

Hey Thickmeat... when I cured mine, I only had coals and wood in the fire box.  I had no issue getting the heat up where it needed to be.  Please note this was in warmer weather, not the cold many of us are experiencing now.


----------



## thickmeat

Thanks Campsmoke.  I'll do it just like that then.  Cold weather won't be a problem.  I live in South Florida.  We've hit 80 degrees every day for the last two weeks.  i'm sure many on here are cursing me out as they read this.


----------



## carl smith

Bama70 said:


> The cover is IN STOCK on Home Depots website as of 3/28/14. Ordered mine today.


Would you have a number on that?  Can't find it online.


----------



## gavin16

Carl Smith said:


> Would you have a number on that?  Can't find it online.


Model # 812-6303-S

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkmann-Premium-Vertical-Smoker-Cover-812-6303-S/204704307

It appears they are currently out of stock online though.


----------



## carl smith

Thanks Gavin, I put that on watch.

I bought the trailmaster vert last week and read this whole thread and many others before assembly.  I did the mods along the way.

I got some Rutland black high heat RTV to keep the cosmetic appearance up and a roll of Grey Lavalock.  I let everything cure before seasoning and am about an hour into the initial burn now.  I seem to have it sealed up pretty well.  

The good thing about smoking in AZ is that if you just put your black box out in the sun, you will have a head start.  The gauge is over 100 on an 80 degree day and the coals are not ever lit!  













fire in the hole.jpg



__ carl smith
__ Apr 3, 2015






You will see that I inverted the door handle.  Just seems to work better that way.  Also built a 10x12 charcoal basket.


----------



## clint24

I am having trouble regulating my Temps on this unit. I've sealed it up and use a charcoal basket. Could someone be kind enough to walk me through a 250 degree cook from the beginning? How much lump coal to start with, when to add the wood chunks, vent positions, when to add more fuel, etc? I'm used to my old traeger but am wanting a little more smoke flavor so I bought this unit but may be in over my head...ha. Thanks in advance. Gonna try some ribs tomorrow so we will see how it goes.


----------



## trickyputt

clint24 said:


> I am having trouble regulating my Temps on this unit. I've sealed it up and use a charcoal basket. Could someone be kind enough to walk me through a 250 degree cook from the beginning? How much lump coal to start with, when to add the wood chunks, vent positions, when to add more fuel, etc? I'm used to my old traeger but am wanting a little more smoke flavor so I bought this unit but may be in over my head...ha. Thanks in advance. Gonna try some ribs tomorrow so we will see how it goes.



Did you seal it with stove sealant or just the door seals are you running the firebox as it came from the store? Oxygen makes it run hot of course and the split around the firebox, and the plenum alone can run it warm. Rather than ask, why dont you tell exactly what you did, have done, and are doing so that someone might understand better how to help you without being a mind reader. A foolproof slab of ribs right now on an unsealed smoker would be wrapped in airtight foil with your spices, cooked for at least an hour and then opened and smoked to the finish which means until you like the bark and water content/dryness of the meat. You can use the stove at 325 since the foiled meat wont know the difference while you break down the collagen. Are you trying to cook the ribs A-Z without foil or are you thinking the 1-2-3 method?


----------



## lionel47

clint24 said:


> I am having trouble regulating my Temps on this unit. I've sealed it up and use a charcoal basket. Could someone be kind enough to walk me through a 250 degree cook from the beginning? How much lump coal to start with, when to add the wood chunks, vent positions, when to add more fuel, etc? I'm used to my old traeger but am wanting a little more smoke flavor so I bought this unit but may be in over my head...ha. Thanks in advance. Gonna try some ribs tomorrow so we will see how it goes.


It took me over a year before I tried the minion method of arranging the coals and wood in mine. I will not go back. Doing this allows me to set it and forget it. Since I work from home, I have been able to do an all day butt and, more recently, smoked some salmon during business hours. The only modification I made was to buy a little grate to keep the coals and wood about 3 or four inches from the vent opening in the firebox. Oh, and I use a quart paint can in the center and just pour the coals around it and then set wood chunks on top. Then I fill a chimney of briquettes, wait for it to get white and then dump it in the middle.

I won't go back. Here are pictures of it unlit and then lit.In the picture, I am using apple wood and competition briquettes.













BBQ.jpg



__ lionel47
__ Apr 23, 2015


















minion_lit.jpg



__ lionel47
__ Apr 23, 2015


















minion_unlit.jpg



__ lionel47
__ Apr 23, 2015


----------



## clint24

Thanks lionel. That helps a lot. I have mine sealed with rtv and nomex tape really well so it's pretty efficient. I just have trouble keeping it at the same temperature without major flare ups. How do you have your vents positioned?


----------



## clint24

Will that setup usually last you 4 hours before you have to add more coals?


----------



## lionel47

clint24 said:


> Thanks lionel. That helps a lot. I have mine sealed with rtv and nomex tape really well so it's pretty efficient. I just have trouble keeping it at the same temperature without major flare ups. How do you have your vents positioned?


It depends on what temperature I want. For the salmon, I wanted to keep it low (around 160F) so I had the firebox vent completely closed and the chimney vent just barely open (less than a quarter inch). Even then, I was only able to keep it at 180F. But the salmon turned out great.

I did a bunch of chicken quarters and was targeting 325F. For that, I fooled around with the vents until I got it to that temperature and let it run. The chunks flare up once in a while but, in my experience, it comes back to around my target temperature. In fact, at one point, I ran out to make sure I didn't get too far away for my wireless thermometer to pick it up. I was at 328F for about 2 hours.

YMMV but this works for me. It is the least demanding way I have found to cook with this smoker.


----------



## lionel47

clint24 said:


> Will that setup usually last you 4 hours before you have to add more coals?


Yes...when I did a butt, I only had to add more coals only once for an 8 hour smoke. Very efficient.


----------



## gavin16

This is some great information, thanks guys for posting!  I'm still learning to control the fire and temps of my smoker.  I have the box sealed, but not the smoker side yet.  I also do not have a charcoal basket.  I did notice a rather large temperature difference between my racks.  After pulling my brisket out during a cook over Easter (I had it near the top of the chamber), the meat probe fell to about the middle... where it read 250ish... Struggled all day to get the topside of it over 210.  No more using the top racks for me unless I fill it up.  

About how much charcoal do you guys use to start off, and use on a regular cook?? The brisket I did over Easter went through the entire bag of kingsford, adding more coals every couple hours.. also went through a full bag of wood chunks I bought from Wal-Mart.

I may end up using the big smoker this weekend to do some ribs..


----------



## lionel47

Like everything else, you have to use your judgement. I always set my grill thermometer on the center rack and position things accordingly. For example, I always cook ribs on the top rack (or two if I am doing a lot) because I find that the cooler temperatures work fine with the 3-2-1 method. Putting ribs on the bottom rack is a no no (trust me, I did it). The butts always go on the center rack as do briskets. The bottom two racks are for sausages and chicken. Also, my son loves smoked okra and mac & cheese. I always do those on the bottom racks as well.

Basically, you have to be strategic about it.


----------



## clint24

Will a Pitmaster IQ110 work on this smoker? The fan is only 5-15cfm and bbq guru said it's not big enough. Not sure if they just want me to spend more money on a Digiq or what?


----------



## brick

Does anyone know the correct size of the charcoal box? I'll be having one made but sure don't want it to cover the whole box.


----------



## joe black

Yokeuo XXL Baskets has standard sizes for most brands of cookers, but if that size is not what you want you can give him your dimensions and he will make you what you need.  They are a very good quality product , a little high but for a good cause.


----------



## brick

Carl Smith said:


> Thanks Gavin, I put that on watch.
> 
> I bought the trailmaster vert last week and read this whole thread and many others before assembly.  I did the mods along the way.
> 
> I got some Rutland black high heat RTV to keep the cosmetic appearance up and a roll of Grey Lavalock.  I let everything cure before seasoning and am about an hour into the initial burn now.  I seem to have it sealed up pretty well.
> 
> The good thing about smoking in AZ is that if you just put your black box out in the sun, you will have a head start.  The gauge is over 100 on an 80 degree day and the coals are not ever lit!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> fire in the hole.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> __ carl smith
> __ Apr 3, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You will see that I inverted the door handle.  Just seems to work better that way.  Also built a 10x12 charcoal basket.


How tall is that basket?


----------



## carl smith

Brick said:


> How tall is that basket?


Right at 7".  It was made from the square sheet they stock at home depot and I left the sides higher to hold more, and also so i did not have to cut any off.   Bigger might be better for long smokes, but if you got much bigger you would not be able to remove it through the door.  As is, this one you can snake in empty and out with ash.  I fill it in place.

I intended that it would fit through the firebox lid sideways, but it ended up having an OD that is slightly too large for that ( because my crude bends are radius and not 90 degrees).  So I have to insert the narrow end in first and go back and to the side.  Using this technique, I think I could make it about 1 to 1.5 inches longer and it could still be removed. Also, the 10 x 12 was the ID of the basket when I made the bends.  The Outside dimensions ended up at 11 x 12 3/8.


----------



## clint24

So I have sealed my smoker with a gasket kit and RTV sealant so that there is only smoke coming out of the stack. I built a charcoal basket for the fire box to help keep room for air to flow through the fire box. I put lump charcoal in the basket this morning leaving a hole in the middle for the hot coals I dumped in from my chimney. My fire box vent was wide open and so was my stack. The temp got up to about 260 where I wanted it and I threw some wood chunks on to start the smoke. Then the temperature began to drop....only 2 hrs after I started. There was plenty of charcoal in the basket still but it wasn't staying lit. I ended up having to set up a box fan about 2 feet from the fire box to keep my temp up between 250-275. Has anyone else had this problem or is there something I'm doing wrong? My basket is small enough so that I have about 5" of space between it and the vent and 5" between it and the crossover to the CC.


----------



## lionel47

clint24 said:


> So I have sealed my smoker with a gasket kit and RTV sealant so that there is only smoke coming out of the stack. I built a charcoal basket for the fire box to help keep room for air to flow through the fire box. I put lump charcoal in the basket this morning leaving a hole in the middle for the hot coals I dumped in from my chimney. My fire box vent was wide open and so was my stack. The temp got up to about 260 where I wanted it and I threw some wood chunks on to start the smoke. Then the temperature began to drop....only 2 hrs after I started. There was plenty of charcoal in the basket still but it wasn't staying lit. I ended up having to set up a box fan about 2 feet from the fire box to keep my temp up between 250-275. Has anyone else had this problem or is there something I'm doing wrong? My basket is small enough so that I have about 5" of space between it and the vent and 5" between it and the crossover to the CC.


I would remove the gap between the basket and the intake into the vertical chamber. My guess is that a lot of your heat is being caught in the 5" space before it and that's why you need a fan to puish it through.

My second suggestion would be to do the charcoal circle but to either mix the wood chunks in or to lay them on top. You don't want to get up to temp and then throw the chunks on. You want to have the chunks incorporated into the whole thing so that they contribute in both temperature and smoke. If you really like the smoke flavor, you can always throw more wood on later as the temperature diminishes.

I have not experienced any trouble with keeping the heat up. Of course, 90% of my smoking is at 225F. I have done whole chickens at 325F but never had an issue with keeping it up there. Guess I've been lucky?


----------



## clint24

Thanks, I will try that. So far it's been extremely labor intensive for me to try and maintain temps. I have a competition this weekend and am hoping I can keep the traeger in the shed but we'll see.


----------



## brick

I was lucky. I bought the gasket kit but haven't used it yet. I have a short video showing it to be "smoke tight".


----------



## remmy700p

clint24 said:


> So I have sealed my smoker with a gasket kit and RTV sealant so that there is only smoke coming out of the stack. I built a charcoal basket for the fire box to help keep room for air to flow through the fire box. I put lump charcoal in the basket this morning leaving a hole in the middle for the hot coals I dumped in from my chimney. My fire box vent was wide open and so was my stack. The temp got up to about 260 where I wanted it and I threw some wood chunks on to start the smoke. Then the temperature began to drop....only 2 hrs after I started. There was plenty of charcoal in the basket still but it wasn't staying lit. I ended up having to set up a box fan about 2 feet from the fire box to keep my temp up between 250-275. Has anyone else had this problem or is there something I'm doing wrong? My basket is small enough so that I have about 5" of space between it and the vent and 5" between it and the crossover to the CC.


I would guess that, given your gap dimensions, your charcoal basket is just a bit too small for the volume of the cook chamber. A way around this is to 'cheat' the basket toward the intake side of the firebox and put your chunk wood (baseball sized or larger) _outside_ the basket and up against the firebox's outlet side. This works great to keep the temps up and stable. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about (this is in my BTMLE horizontal). The flames are coming from three good sized pieces of citrus chunk (~softball sized). Notice the flame being sucked into the CC:













IMG_20130804_113757_489.jpg



__ remmy700p
__ Aug 5, 2013


----------



## clint24

Remmy700P said:


> I would guess that, given your gap dimensions, your charcoal basket is just a bit too small for the volume of the cook chamber. A way around this is to 'cheat' the basket toward the intake side of the firebox and put your chunk wood (baseball sized or larger) _outside_ the basket and up against the firebox's outlet side. This works great to keep the temps up and stable. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about (this is in my BTMLE horizontal). The flames are coming from three good sized pieces of citrus chunk (~softball sized). Notice the flame being sucked into the CC:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_20130804_113757_489.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> __ remmy700p
> __ Aug 5, 2013


What do you use in your basket? I've been using lump charcoal but it's been burning so fast. Thanks.


----------



## remmy700p

clint24 said:


> What do you use in your basket? I've been using lump charcoal but it's been burning so fast. Thanks.


Ozark Oak lump started with Kingsford Blue in the minion basket (essentially just as a 'heat sink'). Most of the fuel after that is large chunk wood. I'll add a couple handfuls of lump every hour or so just to keep the heat sink stable.


----------



## clint24

Remmy700P said:


> Ozark Oak lump started with Kingsford Blue in the minion basket (essentially just as a 'heat sink'). Most of the fuel after that is large chunk wood. I'll add a couple handfuls of lump every hour or so just to keep the heat sink stable.



I will try that method tomorrow. I appreciate it Remmy!


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## remmy700p

clint24 said:


> I will try that method tomorrow. I appreciate it Remmy!


No problem! I think the Brinkmann TMLEs have such a large internal volume that lump/briquets just aren't enough fuel for them. They really want to be stick-burners. Here's a pic showing the typical size of the chunk I use (compared to a Kingsford briquet):













IMG_20150505_123418590.jpg



__ remmy700p
__ May 5, 2015






Note that when I have several of these chunks going in the FB, my intake grate is only open about 1/16"- 1/8" max at its widest spot (exhaust stack wide open -- always).


----------



## clint24

Remmy700P said:


> No problem! I think the Brinkmann TMLEs have such a large internal volume that lump/briquets just aren't enough fuel for them. They really want to be stick-burners. Here's a pic showing the typical size of the chunk I use (compared to a Kingsford briquet):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IMG_20150505_123418590.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> __ remmy700p
> __ May 5, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Note that when I have several of these chunks going in the FB, my intake grate is only open about 1/16"- 1/8" max at its widest spot (exhaust stack wide open -- always).



Yea I will try that. Do you always put the wood outside of your basket or do you ever put it on the coals?


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## remmy700p

clint24 said:


> Yea I will try that. Do you always put the wood outside of your basket or do you ever put it on the coals?


Depends on how they're burning. If they're real dry and catch well, I'll put them next to the basket. If they seem to not want to take off, I'll drop them right in the basket on the coals. I try to set them on top of the FB to warm them up before putting them in.


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## clint24

Remmy700P said:


> Depends on how they're burning. If they're real dry and catch well, I'll put them next to the basket. If they seem to not want to take off, I'll drop them right in the basket on the coals. I try to set them on top of the FB to warm them up before putting them in.



8 hours later I pull my pork butt and I finally have a nice bed of coals....hahaha. Go figure. Since I pulled it the smokers been holding about 250 for an hour and a half. Haha.


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## leelee1269

campsmoke1955 said:


> Since I do not have a charcoal basket, my firebox is very open.  I am going to try these fire bricks...
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 6f76284e-c218-4948-b524-318a7b423508_400.jpg
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> 
> __ campsmoke1955
> __ Sep 5, 2014
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> They are 1.25 inches thick and 4.5 inches wide and 9 inches long.  They can be cut/trimmed with masonry tools like any other concrete, using the appropriate precautions.  A single thickness of the brick blocking the fire/heat from the firebox endwall should be enough.  I figure the thickness of the fire brick is equal to maybe one charcoal briquet, so I would lose maybe a dozen or less coals.
> 
> I will report back after making this mod.
> 
> - Dave


I'm curious to know how did the fabrics work for you


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## 9ballpimp

Hello all.  New here, but not new to smoking.  I'm curious, has anyone else tried the firebricks in the firebox of their vertical?  I was just thinking about this earlier today, and saw it here, so it must be a sign, right?  lol


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## mrshep70

I tried bricks in mine and I ended up pulling them out. I have better luck with a full charcoal basket pushed all the way to the left. Then I drop a full chimney of lit coals on the right of the fire box (FB) close to the cooking chamber (CC). This creates enough heat to get the CC up to temp, and it ignites the charcoal in the basket an allows it to work its way across the basket. I usually get 4-6 hours of good cooking time before I have to add more charcoal to the basket. 

I also use a Pitmaster IQ 120 to keep my temps right where I like them 225-250. I have never had much luck using the minion method with this smoker. I've found that a full charcoal basket is the way to go for me. I know it's an added expense, but the Pitmaster is worth the investment. I had wildly fluctuating temps before I started using it. Now my pit runs at the temp I set for hours. 

Hope this helps. If you do decide to use the firebricks, let us know how it works for you. Also, if you want to try a basket her is the link to a video that will show you how to build one without welding. 

Good luck,

Matt


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## 9ballpimp

Yeah, I thought about making a basket...Lately, though, I've had good luck with starting with lump, and using oak throughout the cook, instead of burning through a whole bag of charcoal.  Keeps the ash down, so it doesn't choke itself out.  Gets a little tricky with long 12+ hour smokes, which is why I thought about the firebricks.  Stay tuned...


----------



## mrshep70

I use Royal Oak lump charcoal. I used to use Kingsford, but the ash was so bad that it would choke out the coals. I never have this issue with Royal Oak, and I have had brisket on for over 16 hours sometimes. It burns hot and clean.

On another note. When you use oak, how long has it been seasoned? I would love to use natural wood, but I'm always afraid it will be too green and not burn right.

I will be tuned in...


----------



## 94r2

I just joined the party on Saturday.

I was originally trying to be thrifty and just looking for a replacment water/char bowl for my ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann).  That led me originally to Home Despot (fail) but then to BassPro, which has replacement parts.  While browsing at Home Despot, I saw that vertical trailmaster for about 269 or so.  I refrained and went to BassPro.  There I had the bowl, was walking around, and saw a "Limited" version of the trailmaster.  It has heavier gauge doors for the CC and FB.  and the FB door also appeared to overlap the FB better.   It also has 2 toggle latches for the CC door, so the handle is just fixed, and doesnt rotate to secure the CC door.

It was onsale for 250, so I weakened.

I got it about 90% assembled, and the 2 lowest bolts securing a crossbrace above the axle to the bottom of the FB werent playing nice.  The next day I discovered this site, and the concept of some additional seals/gaskets to improve efficiency.  So things are on hold for a little bit.

Here is a shot showing the toggle bolts.













Limited CC toggles.jpg



__ 94r2
__ May 20, 2015






If it appears rotated, it is, I am not spending another millisecond fighting the forum software.

It closes perfectly and appears to seal very well.


----------



## drewed

I too have been looking really hard are the "limited Edition" version of these ( heavier gauge metal, extra toggles, etc) and weighing it against the WSM.  250 on sale at bass pro huh?

Bummer. Not listed online......


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## 94r2

Yeah, I found no evidence that this model existed, either at the BassPro or Brinkmann websites.

So its either pretty new, or maybe a truly limited edition only for BassPro.

I guess you have to call.  When I was at BassPro, I think there was a 10% off Memorial Day Sale going on, naturally starting early.

If you need a model number or other number from my box, let me know.  But it sounds like you can pop into a local BassPro yourself.


----------



## carl smith

You guys are talking about the Trailmaster LE horizontal, right?  Different animal from the vertical in this thread, although they share the trailmaster name.   Here on some threads that may be more helpful on the LE

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=trailmaster+LE


----------



## drewed

no, there is a Limited Edition VERTICAL smoker too.  Home Depot has them for order.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkman...Set-Firebox-855-6304-S/205567688?N=5yc1vZbx92

I found one locally.  It looks like they hung a heavier gauge door on the CC and the FB.  The rest of it is still the same thin metal.  They also added a couple of toggles to the CC door and a "limited edition" name plate to it.


----------



## grilldoctor

Drewed is correct about the vertical smoker with latches - it's model number is 855-6304 instead of 855-6303. Available from HD online. Note that HD website says they will pricematch if you find a better price. I ordered it online for $269 delivered to store, went to pick it up and brought along a flyer from OSH for the same unit at a special weekend sale price of $199.99. After some haggling, HD did match the price. Having had it delivered to the store at least gave me a chance to negotiate the price. Haven't even assembled it yet.


----------



## carl smith

Well dang, that is only $10 more than I paid for mine a couple months ago.  Not that I am at all unhappy with mine, and the door seems pretty beefy.

Now if they would get the covers back in stock.  

Did some ribs this weekend and they were awesome!













ribs.jpg



__ carl smith
__ May 25, 2015


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## gary s

Nice

Gary


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## 94r2

OK, I tried my curing, attempting to go cheap.  I was trying to use up some worthless briquets, and did about a 3lb chimneys worth, didnt get above 200 or so, and then added more.  I fiddled a little and think I should have made sure the coal box was all the way over, and/or not used the crap I was trying to get rid of.

I don't smoke/cook with briquets, I use Red Oak and Pecan/Hickory/other for flavoring.  Red Oak I discovered after researching a couple comparative articles and the results looked good for the ash count and heat.  Then its available at Walmart and some other places.

OTOH, I wasnt sure what I should have been using for the damper settings, FB and top of CC.  What are you guys using when doing your average smoke, or at least those without the blower fans?

As it is, I ordered the extra gaskets, which it looks like I need  mostly around the FB halves and transfer pipe.  I sprayed the inside and outside of everything with some vegetable oil spray (and used a soaked paper towel to apply oil to the inside/outside of CC.  The most escaping oil smoke was from the FB.  Obviously, when I get the gaskets installed and use wood for the proper cure, I will get some better indicators of what needs help.

I was surprised how much shallower the water bowl is then the one in my ECB.  I guess the distance from the heat source means it doesnt need to be so big.


----------



## rockusultimus

Anyone have any experience using IGS Mill-Pac Black to seal all gaps?  Looks like it's designed for wood-burning stoves and their website suggests it's safe. http://www.igsind.com/mill-pack-black/  

This is a great thread - thanks to all for the experiences and advice!


----------



## gotsmoke80

So here is a Noobie question, How does this smoke charcoal or wood?  or is it a little of both.  I am looking at buying a smoker I went and looked at the webber 22" not a fan of the design and the vertical smoker is definitely the route I want to go for my first one.


----------



## gavin16

GotSmoke80 said:


> So here is a Noobie question, How does this smoke charcoal or wood?  or is it a little of both.  I am looking at buying a smoker I went and looked at the webber 22" not a fan of the design and the vertical smoker is definitely the route I want to go for my first one.


GotSmoke it is a charcoal smoker but I'm sure you can use wood to.


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## gavin16

So, I while stopping by Cabela's in KC last week to look at fishing shirts and get some wood for my vertical smoker, I happened upon something that made my mouth drop... the Brinkmann Trailmaster Deluxe! It was priced at $399, but is currently on sale for $329

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home.../grills/_/N-1101315/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104201280

I don't know if this is a brand new model or not... but my jaw dropped, and I was immediately kicking myself for not finding this before (if it isn't new).  It is exactly what I want! Before I picked up my brinkmann vertical for Christmas, I couldn't decide between horizontal or vertical smoker.. this is the best of both worlds, on good wheels, with a small table piece and rack for wood/charcoal below... at a really nice price!! (currently like $60? more than an OK Joe highland or Vertical offset)  

It has better door latches on the vertical part.  The only thing I noticed when opening the lid - there is no way to "shut off" the vertical side from the horizontal, if you only want to use that side.  I guess that's ok though, because you need the exhaust from the vertical side anyways.. The downside is just losing the heat. Definitely on my want list though!! May have to sell my vertical now haha.


----------



## mrshep70

Gavin... I believe that this is a new model. I like the looks of it though. I've had my vertical for over a year and I love it, but I like the idea of having the best of both worlds. The only thing that would make it a little better is a firebox on the side of the horizontal for a more indirect heat on the that side too.


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## mrshep70

GotSmoke80 said:


> So here is a Noobie question, How does this smoke charcoal or wood?  or is it a little of both.  I am looking at buying a smoker I went and looked at the webber 22" not a fan of the design and the vertical smoker is definitely the route I want to go for my first one.


Got Smoke. It will burn both. I usually use charcoal for the primary heat source and throw wood chunks on there for flavor. I've never tried it just burning wood, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't be done that way. If you get one, let us know how you make out, and show us some Q-View of your cooks. I've had my for about a year and I love it.

Good Luck,

Matt


----------



## rifleman1775

I'm in the process of seasoning mine as I type. I've got the LE vertical. I've done the gasket mods and expanded metal basket. I used exhaust wrap for the FB halves and the stack flange, and Permatexrtv RTV red from the local auto parts store. The kit from bbqgaskets.com had items that I didn't need so I pieced my own kit together locally, but I did buy the flat nomex gasket from them. The temperature is tricky on this thing once I get it up to 250, shortly after I have to add fuel because it's all burned up. The damper on the FB doesn't seem to be big enough. Once I close the FB door, my temp drops out even though the stack is open. I gave up on the constant 250 for two hrs at the 1:45 mark. I poured charcoal and wood in trying to get up to 400 for an hour. It seems to really eat up the fuel. Looks like I might need to add the extra damper like Swede did. Trial and error......


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## pjvt52

I tried to use 1/2 x1/8 inch nomex tape as a gasket for the door on the cooking chamber and it created a huge gap on the bottom left corner. Also my latch wouldn't stay locked.  Has anyone else run into this problem or have any advice to create a better seal for the door on the cooking chamber?


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## carl smith

FYI

The cover is back in stock at Homedepot.com  SKU 204704307  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Brinkman...07?bvrrp=1999/reviews/product/2/204704307.htm

I had it shipped to a local store for pickup.


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## gotsmoke80

I ended up getting the ECB and did a bunch of mods , probably still need to add a vent on the top.  She cooks like a champ.


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## robplumm

So anyone burning wood in this exclusively? If so, need to be cleaned more often? last couple smokes I've had a black, almost soot like covering to the meat...despite having good smoke the whole time.

I've been doing two chimneys of RO and then a couple big logs (of the Western mini hickory logs) to start...then add smaller logs/splits (hatchet to the logs to cut down in size...) as the cook goes on.

Believe the pressure washer will be brought out to spray out the inside before the next session happens to see if that helps. Any other ideas of what might be causing it are welcome, though.


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## remmy700p

robplumm said:


> So anyone burning wood in this exclusively? If so, need to be cleaned more often? last couple smokes I've had a black, almost soot like covering to the meat...despite having good smoke the whole time.
> 
> I've been doing two chimneys of RO and then a couple big logs (of the Western mini hickory logs) to start...then add smaller logs/splits (hatchet to the logs to cut down in size...) as the cook goes on.
> 
> Believe the pressure washer will be brought out to spray out the inside before the next session happens to see if that helps. Any other ideas of what might be causing it are welcome, though.


Sooting and/or creosote buildup is usually caused by a lack of proper draft, i.e. running your smoker with the exhaust stack even partially closed. Also, if the wood/splits are still laden with moisture, combustion gets degraded, and you're more likely to suffer creosote buildup. Make sure to run the exhaust WIDE OPEN at all times, and control heat/temps via the firebox intake damper only.


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## joe black

I use RO for a coal bed also.  I think it works great.  Air flow is critical.  Make sure that the fire is not starving.  Also, I would use splits all the way.  The big log in the beginning can get everything started on the wrong foot.  Try to preheat your splits before adding them to the fire for quicker ignition.  Good luck,   Joe


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## robplumm

Remmy700P said:


> Sooting and/or creosote buildup is usually caused by a lack of proper draft, i.e. running your smoker with the exhaust stack even partially closed. Also, if the wood/splits are still laden with moisture, combustion gets degraded, and you're more likely to suffer creosote buildup. Make sure to run the exhaust WIDE OPEN at all times, and control heat/temps via the firebox intake damper only.


That's the thing...I always keep the top all open. I also have a tendency to use the door to the FB to control the air instead of just the vent on the door. Not unusual for me to run it with the door all the way open.

After I clean it out, I'll try to use the intake only...see if that helps. Got a few butts for $1.29/lb...might have to toss one in to see how it goes this weekend.

Am using an expaded metal box for the wood.

And for joe...will give splits only a shot. I had originally tried just using one of the splits that came in the bag (ie, before I took a hatchet to them...). Was getting 450+ heat from one :D (most of them are really big...think...1/4 log and 12-14in long)

One thing I have been noticing, though (before the recent sooting problem) is that overall temp hasn't been mattering much to butts (ribs...a little more so) as long as I took the butt temp to 200-205. They were coming out great despite the spikes to over 400 and letting the temp drop as the log burned down to below 180...tossing a log and spiking it up and repeating til the butt hit 200.

So goes the fun of using these, though. Most of my family doesn't understand the enjoyment of it...but they love the meat that appears after all the work.


----------



## joe black

Some folks have a hard time understanding the pleasure of playing with fire.  Good luck with your temps,  Joe.


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## mrshep70

RobPlumm,

I don't know if you want to spend the money, but I use a Pitmaster IQ 120 and the temps hold perfectly between 225-250. I use a full basket of RO lump charcoal and add wood chunks to the mix throughout the cook. That seems to work for me.

Good luck,

Matt


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## robplumm

Well...the black residue was definitely from needing to be cleaned. Pressure washed and then rubbed inside down with paper towels. Tons of little flakes and dust. Note to self: Scrape out inside of smoker more often.

Butt today came out well. Rub was just white sugar, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, mustard powder. Usually more brown sugar heavy...:) (I grew up in AL....)













IMG_20150718_174014301.jpg



__ robplumm
__ Jul 18, 2015


















IMG_20150718_174518098.jpg



__ robplumm
__ Jul 18, 2015


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## gotsmoke80

IF you change from white sugar to sugar in the raw or turbano or whatever its actually called , it wont be as black since sugar in the raw doesn't burn or melt until 350 where white sugar begins to burn at around 250.

All in all looks good to me add some finishing sauce ( I personally cook mine on a small pan and use a combo of the juices apple juice and my rub )


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## hooter186

Hey guys. New to forum. Read  and followed WaywardSwede's modifications about a year ago. Just added a smoke stack on the side last week, so I thought I would post. Getting more smoke flavor in my meat and much easier to control the temp. 













image.jpg



__ hooter186
__ Jul 29, 2015


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## thinmattsbbq

Hooter186 said:


> Hey guys. New to forum. Read  and followed WaywardSwede's modifications about a year ago. Just added a smoke stack on the side last week, so I thought I would post. Getting more smoke flavor in my meat and much easier to control the temp.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> image.jpg
> 
> 
> 
> __ hooter186
> __ Jul 29, 2015


I always thought this would be a great idea. Did you seal off the original stack? Or do you just close it? I would think this would help the temp normalize more across the chamber. Did you weld or use nut and bolt? I suspect it may be comming out the water access door. Be careful if that is galvanized pipe. At high temps it puts off nasty stuff. I am not sure if that is a big deal on the exhaust, as long as too much is not hanging out into the CC. Looks good.


----------



## rob sicc

@Hooter186, where did you get the smoke stack or did you build from scratch?


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## hooter186

Thin/Rob,
Bought water heater pipe from lowes. Drilled 3" hole, mounted with pipe straps, cut of flush inside smoker and sealed with RTV. Inside of double wall pipe is aluminum. Outside is galvanized which I painted with grill paint. No leaks as I put gasket  everywhere. I did not seal off the original vent, but I keep it closed unless I need to raise the temp quickly.


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## hooter186

By the way, thanks Swede. Great step by step. Great thread.


----------



## moec

Has the Vertical Trailmaster been altered?

I just ordered mine today from HD (can't wait!) and was looking at the gasket sets and door clamps that are available.

However, I just noticed that the photos on HD site show three (3) door latches. (See photos)

This is a long thread, but I didn't see mention of the new latches. Does anybody have a smoker with the latches? How do they work.

Up until recently I was a $99 offset horizontal Charbroil guy, so this is a big step up for me (based on Sq. In. of cook space, not price).













Brink1.jpg



__ moec
__ Sep 5, 2015


















Brink2.jpg



__ moec
__ Sep 5, 2015


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## thinmattsbbq

MoeC said:


> Has the Vertical Trailmaster been altered?
> I just ordered mine today from HD (can't wait!) and was looking at the gasket sets and door clamps that are available.
> However, I just noticed that the photos on HD site show three (3) door latches. (See photos)
> 
> This is a long thread, but I didn't see mention of the new latches. Does anybody have a smoker with the latches? How do they work.
> Up until recently I was a $99 offset horizontal Charbroil guy, so this is a big step up for me (based on Sq. In. of cook space, not price).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> Brink1.jpg
> 
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> __ moec
> __ Sep 5, 2015
> 
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> __ moec
> __ Sep 5, 2015


Yes the newer vert Trailmaster has 2 toggle latches.  The handle is stationary and does not latch. You will not need the toggles.


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## rob sicc

ThinMattsBBQ said:


> Yes the newer vert Trailmaster has 2 toggle latches. The handle is stationary and does not latch. You will not need the toggles.


Is the new version built better than the older version?


----------



## moec

I will let you know how it is. Mine should be here next week.

I orders the sealing kits just in case. But I didn't need the door latches.


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## thinmattsbbq

The doors are a thicker guage than the ild model. It shuts nicely but you will still need the sealing kit IMO. Get some extra fiberglass to seal the top and bottom of the firebox.


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## moec

Well I assembled my vertical Trailmaster today and did the cure. Here is a 9/11/15 review...

Assembly:

I was missing one part. The end cap/bolt for the smoke stack damper. The spring was on the threaded rod, but the end cap was not to be found. Not a big deal though.

I assembled the unit by myself in under 2 hours.  A 10mm wrench comes in handy.

It appeared solid with a nice fit for the doors. Somebody said the doors are thicker than past models, but I don't know what past models had.

Cure:

I did the cure and had a lot of trouble getting up to 250* The charcoal/wood combination wasn't doing it.

Experience told me that the chamber felt hotter than what the door thermometer was reading. I popped in a digital probe thermometer and sure enough, there was about a 45* difference.

Once I had an accurate reading I was able to get to 250* no problem. When it came time to get hot, I got it to 450* with no problem. 

Leaks, leaks, leaks.  I made the fire very smokey and unit was puffing smoke everywhere, even the grease hole.

All of the leaks are inexpensively correctable and I anticipated them, having read the boards and reviews.

I ordered a gasket kit and sealer (from an after-market company) when I ordered the unit. So I no I will be disassembling the unit soon. 

As mentioned a couple comments back, the new models come with 2 door latches. They are adjustable so they can torque down nicely.

Overall: I'm pleased with the finished product. I expected the leaks when I ordered the smoker.


----------



## rob sicc

MoeC said:


> Well I assembled my vertical Trailmaster today and did the cure. Here is a 9/11/15 review...
> 
> Assembly:
> 
> I was missing one part. The end cap/bolt for the smoke stack damper. The spring was on the threaded rod, but the end cap was not to be found. Not a big deal though.
> 
> I assembled the unit by myself in under 2 hours.  A 10mm wrench comes in handy.
> 
> It appeared solid with a nice fit for the doors. Somebody said the doors are thicker than past models, but I don't know what past models had.
> 
> Cure:
> 
> I did the cure and had a lot of trouble getting up to 250* The charcoal/wood combination wasn't doing it.
> 
> Experience told me that the chamber felt hotter than what the door thermometer was reading. I popped in a digital probe thermometer and sure enough, there was about a 45* difference.
> 
> Once I had an accurate reading I was able to get to 250* no problem. When it came time to get hot, I got it to 450* with no problem.
> 
> Leaks, leaks, leaks.  I made the fire very smokey and unit was puffing smoke everywhere, even the grease hole.
> 
> All of the leaks are inexpensively correctable and I anticipated them, having read the boards and reviews.
> 
> I ordered a gasket kit and sealer (from an after-market company) when I ordered the unit. So I no I will be disassembling the unit soon.
> 
> As mentioned a couple comments back, the new models come with 2 door latches. They are adjustable so they can torque down nicely.
> 
> Overall: I'm pleased with the finished product. I expected the leaks when I ordered the smoker.


Great review.  Thanks.


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## mattthebutcher

I have the Brinkmann vertical smoker, and usually use charcaol for the fuel. Do you use just plain wood, and if so, what's your method? Just building a fire in the offset box, and adding wood to it?


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## mattthebutcher

12002165_10205789526431205_1630210363211788942_n.j



__ mattthebutcher
__ Oct 15, 2015






I had a magnetic sign made for my smoker. I just peel it off when I'm smoking, as I'm not sure if it would hold up to the heat !


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## gavin16

That. Is. AWESOME!! 








Sadly I have not used my big smoker in a few months... Finally got my first job this fall and found a house.. Sadly the house smells so horrible from the person who use to live here that I can't bring myself to cook in it, let alone eat or sleep.. I am anxious to get smoking foods again.


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## moec

Looks great.

I'm thought about making a stencil for mine and using high heat spray paint.


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## gixxerfrk

Glad I found this thread when I did. My wife had just mentioned that we might have to put a new cooker on the list for next year as my current Char-Griller horizontal is starting to reach the end of its life. As luck would have it, I was looking through the weekly Bass Pro ad and saw this smoker on clearance for $220. In addition, I get an 8% discount on BPS gift cards so my total price ended up being right at $200 + tax. I have yet to assemble it but I did open it to inspect for damage and was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a LE, didn't know there was such a thing, with the upgraded latches and heavier duty material. Hope mine works out as well as most others have. Will start assembly when I receive gasket/RTV kit. I will be building a fire box as well. Hardest decision will probably be deciding which fan/heat control kit to buy. Wasn't really prepared for the price on those. Might have to keep that a secret from the wife. Not a big fan of that but what she doesn't know won't kill her especially if she has good food on her plate. That always makes her happy.


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## samuraijack

Congrats!  Make sure you inspect the way the door fits over the opening of the smoke chamber before you fully assemble it.  Mine didn't look damaged, but the front of my smoke chamber had been pushed down about 3/4" - 1" and the door doesn't close properly.  The smoke chamber isn't considered a 'replaceable part' by Brinkmann so a store return is the only option if it's damaged..


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## gixxerfrk

I will take a closer look when I get it all the way out of the box. Even if there is damage there won't be much to do about it as Brinkmann filed for Bankruptcy in October and stopped sales completely last Tuesday. Good thing I'm mechanically inclined and have you guys to help me figure it out if I get in a bind.


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## moec

Well, I guess bankruptcy killed any chance of ever getting a cover.  :(

If anybody finds a cover that works well, please post the information.


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## samuraijack

There are a lot of custom cover makers out there.. probably prohibitively expensive though..


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## gixxerfrk

I started my build today. Mine is the limited edition so I don't need latches. Since the gasket kit for the vertical trailmaster only comes with latches Justin at BBQ Gaskets recommended the kit for the OK Joe horizontal. Unfortunately I discovered that that kit only has enough of the black rope to seal the joint between the two halves of the firebox. I wanted to use it to seal the pass through but don't want to wait as I was planning to season it and complete the inaugural smoke next weekend. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 12, 2015


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## gixxerfrk

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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 12, 2015
__ 2





Firebox ready to go together.


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## gixxerfrk

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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 12, 2015





Didn't like the fact that there were no screws on the ends of the the fire box so I ran two self tapping screws on each end. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 12, 2015


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## gixxerfrk

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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 12, 2015





FB bolted up and sealed inside the CC. Time to call it a night. Hoping the RTV between the FB and the pass through holds up without the black rope gasket.


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## jim williams

Looks super!

Where did you get the flat gasket and what temp  is the  red RTV good for?

Thanks in advance


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## gixxerfrk

Got the gasket kit from BBQgaskets.com. The kit they recommended needed about 3 times the rope gasket to seal the SFB properly. I used the nomex gasket on the SFB door instead (see below). I would have had enough for the CC if I had had rope gasket for the SFB door but ran short on nomex as a result of using it on the SFB. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 13, 2015


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## gixxerfrk

Here is my charcoal bin. I was shooting for 7"Wx10"Lx8.5"H but wound up at 8"W.  Note to self: mark folds 1/2" narrower than intended width. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 13, 2015





I made my box to a different dimension than the normal 12"x12"x6" because I wanted a taller box and because I discovered that if I made the bin 7"x10"x8.5" I could get two bins in the SFB while still being able to remove them easily. May be a second bin coming soon.

Also, I will be posting more pics after I get more gaskets. Still have to seal the water door on the back of the CC and the side access door on the SFB. Both of them have very large gaps as a result of not having any gasket material for them.


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## gixxerfrk

I went ahead and put the flat nomex gasket I had left on three sides of the water pan access door for the time being. We'll see how it seals. Currently seasoning it and so far so good. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 17, 2015






I also discovered a great way to replace the factory thermometer with a digital. The hole is perfect for most corks. Drilled a hole in the center of the cork and I was in business. 













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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 17, 2015


















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__ gixxerfrk
__ Dec 17, 2015


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## carl smith

If you are like me, you see lots of cool recipes and see the Bradley rack  mentioned often.

I finally decided to order a set, only to find that the rectangular racks do not fit in the round vertical smoker.  Here is my solution:

The standard rack corner.  Notice where the smaller wires connect to the outer frame.













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__ carl smith
__ Feb 11, 2016






Put the corner in a vise with those small wires resting on the jaws, now push forward on the large outer wires to bend 90 degrees.













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__ carl smith
__ Feb 11, 2016






Do all 4 corners.  When done it will look like this.













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__ carl smith
__ Feb 11, 2016






Now it will fit into my Trailmaster vertical!  Only down side is they don't sit perfectly  flat on the counter once bent.  They are handy for moving small things in and out of the smoker.


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## johnyb

Im wonder if any one still checks this thread. So i'm thinking of adding a Pellet hopper assembly something like a pellet pro to the side of the vertical stack and keeping the fire box. Have anyone done this or heard of doing this? Reason i want to add the pellet hopper so that i can put the ribs on at lunch break and come back home to a ready dinner. Sometimes i want bbq but don't have the time to baby sit the fire. Any input is greatly appreciated.


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## reefinraider420

So I'm convinced that this model turned into the Smoke Canyon Vertical Smoker sold by Bass Pro I just picked it up yesterday. Bought the Rev sealer and lava lock gasket. Any thing else I need or recommendations?













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__ reefinraider420
__ Feb 1, 2017


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## johnyb

Reefing really? That's fantastic! I really like this smoker. Seal it up with silicone as you assemble. The thermostat on the door is junk replace it with ones suggested on here. Everything else is up to you. I never replaced mine as I use a digital one that I pull through the top. It uses a bit more fuel than what I would like but it's expected on an offset smoker. I like the versatility of this one being able to cold smoke and BBQ as desired. Having added a pellet hopper to mine I can do almost anything I want, just need more ideas. One question though, do you know if the steel is the Same? Does it seem flimsy or is it solid?


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## robplumm

Definitely appears to be.

With the new latching system...does it close securely? That was one of the other issues with the older model (which I have...).

If it does...just the gaskets will be fine. I used a high temp sealant on all the parts during assembly as well...

Homemade basket from expanded steel was the only other thing I did...works well and easy to bend in on itself to form a basket. I think it was 12x24 sheets. (2 of them)


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## reefinraider420

I haven't put mine together yet. Waiting on the rtv and gasket to come in today so I can get it going. I did see it on display at Bass Pro. It seems to be thicker on the doors as yall have mentioned in the thread. Now all I need to decide on is do I want Rf Or bt thermometer? I'm stuck between the et-733,et-735, and igrill2. I have android and heard it's not so good, but then again im sure there have been updates by now?


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## gr0uch0

It does look identical to Brinkmann's vert Trailmaster.  There's Trailmasters on Amazon:  $499.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






    HD didn't sell them for half that when they carried them less than 2 years ago. 

I've always liked this smoker:  very sharp looking to me....


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## n2 bbq

Hi Ya'll,

I was just gifted one of these smokers this weekend and had no clue Brinkman was out of business or what the model number was on this smoker.  I like the less expensive Dyna Glo listed for $322 on Amazon.

Dyna Glo

It looks the same with some enhanced refinements.  I really like the removable charcoal ash pan/tray.  Has any one modified their Brinkman Trailmaster with a removable ash pan like on the Dyna Glo version?  I'm really looking forward to cooking with this smoker.

Looks like they may make a cover for this as well.

Dyna Glo Smoker Cover


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## robplumm

n2 bbq said:


> Hi Ya'll,
> 
> I was just gifted one of these smokers this weekend and had no clue Brinkman was out of business or what the model number was on this smoker.  I like the cheaper Dyna Glo listed for $322 on Amazon.
> 
> Dyna Glo
> 
> It looks the same with some enhanced refinements.  I really like the removable charcoal ash pan/tray.  Has any one modified their Brinkman Trailmaster with a removable ash pan like on the Dyna Glo version?  I'm really looking forward to cooking with this cooker.
> 
> Looks like they may make a cover for this as well.
> 
> Dyna Glo Smoker Cover



Brinkmann went bankrupt...and I believe Dyna Glo took over some of their stuff. So this is the same smoker with some upgrades/changes. Look to be some good changes. 

Steel is still .10 inches, though...so...you get what you get there. Like the smoker and it produces some great bbq, just a bit of a wood split hog.


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## n2 bbq

I think I'll contact Dyna Glo and see if the removable ash pan fits the old Brinkman Trailmaster and see about buying one if the price is reasonable.

Edit:  I just found the Dyna Glo Signature Series DGSS1382VCS-D Heavy-Duty Charcoal Offset Vertical Smoker & Grill Owners manual with parts break down.  That should make it easier for ordering replacement parts.  The handle on the Firebox is all rusted so I want to clean and repaint or replace that as well.  Maybe there is some life left in these older Brinkman smokers through Dyna Glo replacement parts.

OK just got off the phone with them and the parts are available for sale.  The offset firbox removable ash pan is called an Offset Access pan.  (11 Offset access tray 70-01-533)  I did not place the order yet.  I am deciding if I want to get new handles for both doors.  The Springs are rusted.  The parts are a fair  price and shipping is very reasonable.  I am not sure if I want to replace the rusty spring handles on both doors or just clean the rust off with a wire wheel and paint them with the same high heat black paint to match the firebox when I repaint it.  Has any one else had issues with the chrome rusing on the springs and have you did any thing about it?  Do ya'll think the handle springs would look ok with high heat paint from a rattle can?  Or I could use some Rustolium Plastidip?

Here are the parts lists and the phone number listed above the part numbers.


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## n2 bbq

Ok it looks like the newer style ash pan is not a direct fit/replacement of the old brink man firebox door.  You can see in the image I got from HD that the sides are cut out to fit the width of the ash pan.  That makes sense, I was wonding how they would keep all the ashes from falling below the pan if it was the width of the brinkman opening.  I drew a yellow circle where the newer firebox is cut out to make room for the removable ash pan.


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## n2 bbq

Ok found another smoker almost identical to the Trailmaster with the updated removable ash pan.  It's called the Outdoor Gourmet Triton Vertical Charcoal Smoker sold at Academy for $249.99 plus you can get it shipped for $49 if you don't live near an Academy.  If you live local that would be the best price but Home Depot has them for $304 under the Dyna Glo badge.


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## Rings Я Us

Hmm.. that access tray doesn't look right to have wood or charcoal on it.
That thing looks like it would just be for ash. I think I would make a basket to go in there and take the grates both out.
You would want only ashes in that thing you pull out.


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## n2 bbq

I was looking at how it's built thinking it would warp with too much heat.  The other thing I was thinking is how does it slide in and out.  Only thing I could think of was having some rails on the sides that it slides on or maybe some round bar or something similar on the bottom of the firebox under that tray that it can slide in and out on and the tray could rest on to keep it sitting tight in the box.


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## Rings Я Us

n2 bbq said:


> I was looking at how it's built thinking it would warp with too much heat.  The other thing I was thinking is how does it slide in and out.  Only thing I could think of was having some rails on the sides that it slides on or maybe some round bar or something similar on the bottom of the firebox under that tray that it can slide in and out on and the tray could rest on to keep it sitting tight in the box.



You just need a couple bolts put in on each side of the fire box to rest a basket on just above that ash tray.  :p


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## gixxerfrk

n2 bbq said:


> Hi Ya'll,
> 
> I was just gifted one of these smokers this weekend and had no clue Brinkman was out of business or what the model number was on this smoker.  I like the less expensive Dyna Glo listed for $322 on Amazon.
> 
> Dyna Glo
> 
> It looks the same with some enhanced refinements.  I really like the removable charcoal ash pan/tray.  Has any one modified their Brinkman Trailmaster with a removable ash pan like on the Dyna Glo version?  I'm really looking forward to cooking with this smoker.
> 
> Looks like they may make a cover for this as well.
> 
> Dyna Glo Smoker Cover



So glad I came back to this thread! I have been looking for a cover for mine for a while. So far I have managed to keep it in the garage but just downsized from a 2-Car to a 1-Car garage and need to park in the garage so it might become a challenge plus dragging it around back to the patio every time I want to use it will suck a little as I’m in the middle of a townhome row now instead of a SFH.


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## Michael Birch

Anyone know if the bbq gasket kit for this smoker has enough firebox gasket to do the door and between the firebox halves?


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## gixxerfrk

It’s been a long time but seems to me I was a little short with my kit.


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## uncle eddie

Replying to be on a 6 year old thread.

The original build was really interesting though - you should take a look.


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