# Brinkmann Smoke N Pit low temps, too much charcoal



## roypw

I have the Brinkmann Smoke N Pit.  There seems to be more than one model with this name or just confusion over the name, so mine is horizontal with a fire box on the left and a cooking chamber 38 inches long both shaped like small oil drums.  

Right out of the box burnt 15 lbs of briquette charcoal trying to cure it.  Manual says 250 f for 2 hrs then 400 f for 1 hour.  No way can I get close to 400 f, 300 was next to impossible.

Tried cooking ribs and chicken.  Not enough heat, holding above 200 on the built in thermometer was almost impossible.

Raised the charcoal grate.  Now I could hit 225 to 250 but burned 20 lbs of charcoal and after 4 hrs or so put meat in the oven to finish.

Brisket.  7 hrs over 20 lbs of charcoal. Still had to go to the oven to finish. But it was good.  From what I have now learned it might take this long for brisket but something like 30 lbs of charcoal???

Spent many hrs on this forum and others.  I should have done my research FIRST!!! Bad choice of smokers, but I made the mods that seemed to be reasonable.  Sealed cooking chamber door on 3 sides with stove rope,  added deflector and baffels to distribute heat more evenly, build a charcoal basket out of 3/4 extended steel, added fire bricks to help hold heat.

Tried to do cure. It was difficult to hold 250 for 2 hrs like the manual says.  Air inlet and chimney both wide open.  I could close the chimney some but as soon as I closed the air inlet like 1/4 or even 1/8 the temp dropped.    Now the charcoal basket is full, it's 10x12x10 as big as would fit in the fire box.  Getting to 400 to finish the cure, a joke.  Got close to 300 maybe a little over once.

I had 2 digital meat thermometers, one at each end of the cooking grill.  By adjusting the baffels (or tuning plates as some call them) I got the temps pretty even left to right.  However I burnt 20 lbs of Kingston Competition briquette . I kept the ashes from the bottom of the fire box, shook the charcoal box a couple times.

Sorry this is so long but I am trying to answer as many questions as possible so I don't waste your time.    I AM FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED.

From what I have read I should smoke at about 225f. Is that right?

20lbs of charcoal to do ribs?  Is that reasonable?

I started this issue on another thread and have dad some good input, like use chunk charcoal instead of briquettes.  They are not at the usual stores here so I haven't been able to pick them up yet. I tried cowboy charcoal but wasn't impressed.

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.  ONLY HAD THIS SMOKE N PIT 2 WEEKS, AND I AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN BRINKMANN ( I did call them, not helpful at all). I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME GOOD FOOD WITH LESS CHARCOAL

ROY


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## roypw

I guess the basic question I should have asked in my post above is HAS ANYONE BEEN ABLE TO GET GOOD SMOKED MEAT OUT OF THIS EXACT BRINKMANN SMOKE N PIT WITH A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF CHARCOAL?

I don't think it's possible.

Roy


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## bomftdrum

You came to the right place as someone on here will be able to help you.  I have the cheapest ecb and I do decent.  I don't know about yours though just don't give up. It just takes sometime to learn your smoker.


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## roypw

Thanks for the encouragement but here I sit at 160 f on the built in ,140 left side 150 right side (added 2thermomoters) after putting one chimney fully lit in 2 hours ago and the second fully lit chimney about 140 minutes ago.  Also added some wood chunks in basket.  Since then I added a couple hands full of wood chunks and have my third chimney fully lit ready to add.  8.8 lbs of charcoal in two hours still not decent temps for smoking below 160 need 225. 

THIS IS FRIGING CRAZY.  EACH TRY I JUSTCONVINCE MYSELF THIS THING DOES NOT WORK.

HOPE SOMEONE CAN HELP.

I took some pictures of my mods that I will try to post, but it didn't work out of the Box, all my mods did was even the temps left to right. I really thought sealing the lid would help, almost no effect​
Roy


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## bomftdrum

Definitely put some pictures up.  Also try using the search feature.  Someone might have had the same issues and asked before.


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## roypw

Thanks to clif carter on another thread I had ask build up in my charcoal basket. I guess I am dumping so much charcoal in the basket it is plugging up with ash. Fourth chimney plus wood chunks in 2hours

 I shook the basket HARD then cleaned out the bottom of the fire box and temps are now up to 200 f BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO COOK MY CHICKEN.  IT'S NOW AT 146 inside after 2.5 hours!!!​
AGAIN HAS ANYONE GOT THIS EXACT MODEL TO WORK WITH OR WITHOUT MODS.

roy


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## JckDanls 07

Pictures sure would help...  from all angles... vents, hole from firebox to chamber... charcoal basket sitting in firebox... did ya calibrate therms ?


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## roypw

I calibrated my thermsbyputting them in boiling water, both digital less than 2 deg f.  Meat therms.  The 2 I added read 210 on the dial but hard to read 1 or 2 degrees.

I will try some pix.
I can't do it from my iPad ,I guess.  It keeps asking for the image URL???

Maybe I don't understand how to do it but will try from my computer later


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## smokinrun

People that have temp probs must live somewhere cold. Brinkmanns have very thin bodies making them hard to hold temps. They also have alot of gaps where heat easily escapes.  Remember heat rises and oxygen makes fires hotter.  Minimize heat loss and aim for good air flow through the smoker. You might need more holes to draw air into your firebox. Make sure your ash doesn't smother your coals, lump coal burns alot slower then briquettes. Also lower your vent down to your cooking surface to retain more heat.


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## roypw

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Here are some pix. The 2 temp gages on the front I added.  The pix of the charcoal box was just before I started a cook.  I tried stacking a little charcoal and wood chunks around the edges then dumped the chimney of hot coal in the middle.  The deflector and baffles are 1/4 steel plate.  Still working on the right spacing for the baffles.  This arrangement made the right side a little hotter than the left by 20 deg or less stable but maybe 50 deg during reheat after opening the lid. I didn't get a good picture of the stove rope that I used to seal the door but you can see it in the last pix on the left edge of the cooking area. Did back and both sides.  Tried high temp silicon on the fire box door but made a mess, hard to work with, but sealed pretty good.  In the second pix the thing under the last baffle to the right is a fire brick.  Still experimenting with them also.

Did get some GOOD ribs today and a decent chicken but it took right around 15lbs of charcoal and I had to put the chicken in the oven for 30 min or so to get the internal temp up from 170 to the 180 recommended poultry temp.


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## roypw

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I submitted 4 pix but they didn't show up in the forum.  This is a test to try to find out what went wrong.

Roy


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## cliffcarter

Here's what I recommend-

I have thought of something else, is there an adjustable vent between the firebox and the cooking chamber or is there a large opening? IMHO you should remove the fire brick if you haven't already.

I have just seen your pics, I think you may have too many tuning plates or the gaps between them are too small. Try spreading them out a bit more evenly, if that doesn't help try removing one and then spreading them out. 1/4 inch steel will also retain a lot of heat. I also think you should add more charcoal to the basket before you add the chimney of lit. If what I have just suggested does not work then take out the deflector and baffles. Next light 2 chimneys of charcoal, when all the charcoal is fully lit pour it into your charcoal basket and close the door, leave the air intake and exhaust vent wide open and close the lid on the cooking chamber. Do not touch anything for 1 hour and see how hot the pit temp gets.Lets see if this gets you higher temps.


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## smokinrun

Yea I think you need more air going into your fire box. I read some ppl had success with drilling a few holes in the bottom.


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## roypw

Cliff

Nothing between the fire box and cooking chamber, just a big hole. You are right about the gaps between the bakkles.  I mentioned this in the post with the pictures, I think.  I am still experimenting with them but as they are in the picture got pretty even heat left to right.  I have already moved them all to the right creating more gaps toward the left and center.

I only have 2 fire bricks one vertical at the right end wall and one flat just below the stack.  My idea was to deflect the hot air some instead of coming out from under the baffle and straight up the stack.

My extension for the smoke stack didn't work out.  I can't get the 3 inch dryer hose into the stack far enough for it to stay in.  I am going to try thin sheet steel rolled into a tube and stuck in the stack.

I didn't get to try the 2 chimney and let it alone you suggest.  I think you are trying to establish a base line of what it will do in an unmodified state then put some stuff back in and see how it compares?  Am I correct?

Yesterday when I did ribs and a chicken (boy is it good) I found that if I raised the charcoal basket so that the bottom was up in the middle of the air inlet the temps went up.  Prior to the basket I couldn't get decent temps but after raising the grate level with the top of the air inlet I got decent temps.  I modified my basket today and the bottom is now at the top of the air inlet.  I would like to try a cook before I do your trial run with the raised basket and the chimney extended to the cooking grate.  Maybe tomorrow or Wed.

Like your idea of more charcoal in the basket before I add the lit coals.  I think I need something like a coffee can to sit in the middle of the basket, stack the charcoal and wood around it put in the lit then pull the can out.  Then the charcoal can burn out from the center instead of on top of the charcoal that falls into the center of basket.

Thanks a lot for your help.  We seem to be making some progress.

Roy


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## cliffcarter

Good to hear that things are working out.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






.

I really don't think you need the fire bricks and I never have thought much of the dryer vent mod.

You are correct about establishing a baseline of how it works unmodded, it sounds like you are on the right track, you will not need to do it. I remember a couple years ago on another site there was a guy who was cooking on a CharGriller who was having similar problems, his gaps between baffles were almost nonexistent, he ended up with one on each end and that worked fine for him.

Keep working on it, I'm sure you'll succeed.


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## speedway73

Good gawd....!!

And I thought I was the only 1 with serious issues with this POS Brinkmann Smoke N Pit. I'm in the exact same boat as you are. The main cooking chamber lid is a joke. Huge gap at the back tappering down to a tighter fit at the front yet it has big overhang on each side. The cheezy paper thin side access door on the firebox is crap.

I too could never get the temps up even close to where Brinkmann wanted them for a proper cure. I've yet to build a charcoal basket....or modify the cooking chamber lid for a proper seal. I had bought the real nice Brinkmann cover for it and it's sitting covered up on the back deck ever since.

Here's a thought. Could this thing be converted into a reverese flow?? Has it been done??

What about covering the unit in welding blanket material...cut to fit the chambers and doors...and secured with fire caulk adhesive?? I'd think it's got to help with heat retention.

What about a layer of play sand along the cooking chamber bottom to help retain/reflect heat??


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## cliffcarter

Speedway73 said:


> Good gawd....!!
> 
> And I thought I was the only 1 with serious issues with this POS Brinkmann Smoke N Pit. I'm in the exact same boat as you are. The main cooking chamber lid is a joke. Huge gap at the back tappering down to a tighter fit at the front yet it has big overhang on each side. The cheezy paper thin side access door on the firebox is crap.
> 
> I too could never get the temps up even close to where Brinkmann wanted them for a proper cure. I've yet to build a charcoal basket....or modify the cooking chamber lid for a proper seal. I had bought the real nice Brinkmann cover for it and it's sitting covered up on the back deck ever since.
> 
> Here's a thought. Could this thing be converted into a reverese flow?? Has it been done??
> 
> What about covering the unit in welding blanket material...cut to fit the chambers and doors...and secured with fire caulk adhesive?? I'd think it's got to help with heat retention.
> 
> What about a layer of play sand along the cooking chamber bottom to help retain/reflect heat??


 So tell us, what have you done? Have you made any modifications? Can you post pictures of the pit? How much charcoal and what kind/brand did you use? What method did you use to start the fire?


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## roypw

Thanks, Speedway for confirming my experience. I just can't understand how a brand name like BRINKMANN can put a product on the market and as far as i can determine it just simply doesn't work!!!  Home Depot did say they would take mine back

Just been reading a little about food safety, and this scares me, with these low cooking temps it looks like it could be real easy to get some bad food,  i not sure the 40/140/4 rule could be achieved in an unmodified Smoke N Pit?.

Reverse flow.  My deflector and baffles attempt to do the same thing.  I think I need to move the smoke stack to the left but right now I don't want to take on drilling a 3 in hole and patching the other one.    If I have some luck with the raised fire basket and extended smoke stack I may try it.

The welding blanket I think is my next mod. I thought just covering the top with cut outs for stack and temps just layed across the top would be sufficient.  You might have to remove it when you opened the door all the way.  I had fire brick in the bottom under the baffles and the outside bottom stayed pretty cool but I think they restricted air flow a little. I think your sand idea is worth lookin into. Could be shaped better to not restrict air flow

I asked the question twice here, HAS ANYONE GOT THIS MODEL TO WORK, UNMODIFIED, WITHOUT USING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF CHARCOAL.


Roy


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## speedway73

cliffcarter said:


> So tell us, what have you done? Have you made any modifications? Can you post pictures of the pit? How much charcoal and what kind/brand did you use? What method did you use to start the fire?


 As of right now...nothing. Haven't cooked a single thing with it. I've done many many hours of research on mods and it's pretty clear what the major issues are. I'ts a big giant air leak...and NOT the type that will increase temps. The Brinkmann Smoke N Pit is a cheaper knock off of the Char Broil Silver Smoker....which had a far superior cooking chamber lid and firebox access door. It was also made out of heavier gauge steel.

But that's not gonna help us here. I'm thinking of remounting the cooking chamber lid at the rear so the lid sits parallel to the bottom of the chamber. The overhang could be remedied by bolting small angle iron around both the top and bottom of the chambers and then attaching fireplace rope gasket to either the top or bottom of said angle iron...creating (hopefully) an airtight seal. Next would be reproducing the firebox side access door out of heavier steel and a stronger hinge system...again using the fireplace rope gasket as a seal.

Once that's done...I can concentrate on heat control. First steps are to get it airtight. Other wise...all the tunning plates...fire bricks/sand/deflectors are moot point....too many variables overlapping each other on a leaky unit.

I do think the expanded steel basket is the way to go. Forget that cheesy little tin grate that came with it. Ditch the warming wire rack in the cooking chamber too....along with the adjustable charcoal pan/ash pan.

I'm off to the Atlanta NASCAR race this weekend so I wont have much time to mess with it until next weekend.

Oh yeah...I'm a big fan of blue bag Kingsford charcoal and lump charcoal. I usually did a 50/50 mix of the 2 with good results on a previous (now retired....god rest her soul) Brinkmann 2 door verticle. I can get really good deals on the big 20lb bags of Cowboy Lump (ducks the thrown stones...LOL). I know alot of guys poo poo it but I've had good luck with it. Not much else available around my area.


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## roypw

I have my cooking chamber sealed pretty good.  Did both sides by pop riveting a small aluminum (wanted steel but HD didn't have) angle just under the lid overhang and cementing stove rope to it.  On the back I cemented the stove rope right to the lid.  With the lid fully open the stove rope comes right up against the bottom half of the pit and is squeezed between the lid and the pit.  (This tends to break the cement and the rope comes off).  This is the stop for the open lid - when it hits the the bottom half of the pit.  I added a small chain to the side of the lid attached to the side of the pit bottom to be the stop so the lid does not travel to where it squeezes the stove rope.

The front of the lid seals pretty good with just the bare metal but I am thinking of adding stove rope either on the ridge just inside the bottom half of the pit or on the outside front of the bottom of the pit.

My charcoal basket is working out pretty good, however its bottom needs to be at least to the middle of the air inlet door.  If it sits down where the charcoal grate sits then I don't get enough heat in the cooking chamber.  I have raised my charcoal box so that its bottom is about half way up the air inlet door and got pretty good temps yesterday but I think either the basket needs raised more or as some have done drill holes in the bottom of the fire chamber or cut an air inlet with a damper right on the bottom of the fire chamber.  (There is a video on YouTube of this mod)

I did a chicken yesterday.  Beer can style, it took 6 1/2 hours and a full 18 lb bag of Kingston Competition plus maybe 3 lbs from another bag.  I used a meat therm and it took this to get the recommended 180 internal temp.  I probably could have got the 180 deg an hour or so sooner if I would have really added the charcoal to get a roaring fire.  I had both vents open all the time and at times I opened the fire box door completely.  I did have my new chimney extension installed down to the cooking grate.  I actually couldn't tell if it made much difference.

Anyway the chicken was really good, a little dry in the breast but not that bad. I did use a water pan in the cooking chamber.  Don't mind the time so much but I think thats way too much charcoal.

Roy


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## roypw

I bought some Royal Oak chunk charcoal.  This does make a difference. Not only hotter but I only used 10 lbs of charcoal for a 6 to 7 hour smoke instead of the 20 plus pounds with brickets.  However only once did I close the damper on the fire box, only part way and only for about 10 minutes.  Otherwise both stack and air inlet full open and a lot of times I opened the firebox door to keep temps up.  

So to get this poorly designed piece of crap to work I have:

Added deflector and baffels
Built a charcoal box
Raised the firebox above the air inlet door
Extended the chimney to grate level
Sealed back and both sides of the cooking chamber with stove rope
Sealent around the fire box door
Added fire bricks in the cooking chamber
Burn chunk charcoal only, not brickets, 

Still the temps are marginal.  I can hold 225 pretty well but to hold 250 takes work and anything over is not practical . (from what I have learned thus far I probably won't need over 250)

I did salmon and 3-2-1 ribs Sunday, both were excellent!!!

Some great stuff on this site for smoking a lot of good food!  It's been a lot of work and extra money to get this BRINKMANN Smoke N Pit to work but the salmon and ribs kind of made me forget how frustrating it was.

STILL NO ONE HAS SAID THEY GOT THIS MODEL TO WORK OUT OF THE BOX.  i am really enjoying smoking but I would not recommend a Brinkmann for anyone looking for a smoker, at least not this model.

Roy


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## haydenfox

Interesting experience. I cant keep the temps down in my SnP w/ simple , cheap mods. Cookie sheet baffle and such. Good luck...


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## dtcunni

I had the same exact model you have. burnt through tons of charcoal and ultimately gave up. Sold it for $50 and called it a loss.


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## roypw

Haydenfox, having trouble understanding your post - you said you CAN'T keep your temps down?  Or you can't keep them up.  Please clarify and can you provide more details on mods and your experience
.
Roy​


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## haydenfox

Roypw said:


> Haydenfox, having trouble understanding your post - you said you CAN'T keep your temps down? Or you can't keep them up. Please clarify and can you provide more details on mods and your experience
> .
> Roy


I struggle to keep the temps down in my SnP to the point I have posted here asking for advice on the problem. I have the issue with or without the mods I make. As far as the mods go, I use the poor/lazy man methods usually done with disposable aluminum cookis sheets and oven liners. I follow the SnP mod thread dave made. Its the first one to pop up if you search SnP mods using the search function. You've probably seen it. All my modifications are the same as his including measurements only I double or triple the afformentioned cheap, disposable devices. The only thing I dont have is a basket. Recently I started using 4 brick pavers, 2 on each side stacked flat with the charcoal grate sitting on that. It has helped keep the temps down significantly and I get about 3 hrs out of 10 lbs of charcoal using the minion method, and split oak. Thats 3 hrs before adding more unlit charcoal during long smokes.The air control on the fire box is open about 1/4 to 1/2 inch throughout cooking. Before raising the grate w/ bricks my smoker aught as well been an oven with temps well above 300 deg. BTW, I use 3 oven therms inside the smoke chamber, 2 on each side and one on the top rack in the middle. Highest temp. on the exhaust end has been about 340 and far beyond that by the fire box.


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## JckDanls 07

HAYDENFOX said:


> I struggle to keep the temps down in my SnP to the point I have posted here asking for advice on the problem. I have the issue with or without the mods I make. As far as the mods go, I use the poor/lazy man methods usually done with disposable aluminum cookis sheets and oven liners. I follow the SnP mod thread dave made. Its the first one to pop up if you search SnP mods using the search function. You've probably seen it. All my modifications are the same as his including measurements only I double or triple the afformentioned cheap, disposable devices. The only thing I dont have is a basket. Recently I started using 4 brick pavers, 2 on each side stacked flat with the charcoal grate sitting on that. It has helped keep the temps down significantly and I get about 3 hrs out of 10 lbs of charcoal using the minion method, and split oak. Thats 3 hrs before adding more unlit charcoal during long smokes.*The air control on the fire box is open about 1/4 to 1/2 inch throughout cooking. *Before raising the grate w/ bricks my smoker aught as well been an oven with temps well above 300 deg. BTW, I use 3 oven therms inside the smoke chamber, 2 on each side and one on the top rack in the middle. Highest temp. on the exhaust end has been about 340 and far beyond that by the fire box.



Sounds like you need to close your intake vent ALL THE WAY and wait about 30 minutes and see what your temps are doing then..  if still high then you have air leaks...  If it falls down to low then open intake just a little at a time (1/8", 1'4". 3/8") wait 2o minutes or so before making each adjustment...


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## roypw

[RIGHTi dont mean to doubt what you say but this is impossible!!  I have worked with this unit a lot for the past couple months and there is NO WAY TO GET TEMPS much over 300 even with both air vents wide open.    Most of the time my fire box door, not the vent the, entire door, has to be wide open to even hold 225 with lump charcoal.  

You must be doing something different or there is something different in our units.

You mention split oak, are you burning wood? If not what type charcoal are you using?  I find lump gives me higher temps.  In fact I can't get high enough temps to even cook anything with most briquette charcoal without a lot of constant work tending the fire

Are you sure we have the exact same model?  Did you see the pictures I posted of my mods? They don't give a real good view of the unit but I am sure you can tell if yousr is the same.

You didn't mention a stoker so I assume you don't have one? I am going to look into one because even a little wind in the wrong direction makes it impossible to get temps high enough to cook anything.  I had to use a fan set up on a chair blowing on high into the fire box door 2 weekends ago to cook my ribs.

Man I am really struggling here to think what might cause this difference because I am dead serious there is no way my unit will do what yours does.  Your experience with this unit is so drastically different from mine and others that have posted here that there is something different that i would really like to uncover. 

Can you post some pictures of your unit?  

Roy
 [/RIGHT]


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## roypw

Haydenfox, one other thing I forgot to mention.  You raised your fire grat and that lowered your temps? Raising the fire grate raises your temps since more air flows across the charcoal.  I raised mine before I built the basket and it raised my temps significantly.  My basket bottom now has to be raised almost to the top of the door opening to get high enough temps[. In your case you seem to have gotten  the opposite effect? Possibly the pavers are blocking some of the air?  If so why use them at all, raising the grate is a mod to increase temps.

Sorry to keep going on with this but I would love to get my unit to work acceptably.  Even with all the mods I have made its a struggle to get temps acceptable for cooking.

Ro

 /RIGHT]​


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## sqwib

Roy I have read through this and would like to make a few suggestions.

Sorry If this has been tried already or posted already..

can you lift the fire basket so its completely above the air inlet?

Is the brick under the basket if so remove it, this may be hindering the airflow, you can use unglazed tile instead, this may help, you want at least 2" of air space underneath the basket

other options,

place a fan or install a computer fan at the firebox air intake
Use Lump only
Use wood splits.
Convert to propane using a turkey fryer burner


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## brdprey

so far these guys are onto somthing. the one pic of your basket seems to sit to low. i raised mine with old ubolts from my old suspension now i have to get the baffles made cause it will burn anything with in 6 inches of the opening. measure the dist from the bottom of your basket and get it lifted.

im curious as to why, since you have done all the mods are still having issues. we all do agree the SnP isnt the crowning champ in the world of smoking but we use what we have or can afford. soon when you figure it out we will be linking your solution to the next round of up coming smokers.


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## roypw

Thanks for the suggestions.  I am considering the computer fan it's called  a stoker I think.

I do burn lump and it helps a lot but haven't tried splits.  My concern is they burn with flame I think and can burn the meat. Also the smoke of burning wood is stronger and doesn't it have harmful carcinogen ?

No bricks in the fire chamber and the fire basket is basically above the door and well above the air inlet.  More than 2 in under grate maybe 6 in  Does help a lot.

Boy I hate to go to propane.  That is why I bought a smoker not a gas grill.

Roy


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## sqwib

We need pics as soon as you can get them.

Look at the photo on post #76

I actually get less smoke flavor on my pit than when using my GOSM.

Wood should be fine, just keep a small contained fire that you can feed often, you can alternate the wood with Lump.

Propane does not = Gas Grill

Many folks use Propane and Electric smokers.

I use propane and love it, love my stickburner too, each has it's own job to do.

I say add a propane burner as a last resort only!

Stoker discussion for SNP

*OTHER LAST RESORT OPTIONS*

Use this option if you start banging your head against a wall

Sell the SNP take the money YOU saved by not purchasing the stoker and invest in something for long term.

If you are sold on using charcoal ask around, many folks love the webers, if you have extra money floating around look into a Big Green Egg or similar. The ceramic smokers will save you a ton of money in charcoal over time, however I have no experience with these smokers

Hopefully we can help you out with this problem but I have no real world experience with this model smoker.

If you like the idea of an offset, do as you are and mod it like crazy, DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY WOOD.

*SNP MODS*

.


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## haydenfox

Its the same model as the one you have in your pic. As some of the other post have suggested to help increase your temps, I did the opposite to decrease mine. Example, my brick pavers sit in front of the intake, slowing down the air flow and preventing Haites in my fire box. The grate is also high enough that it acts like a convection.


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## roypw

Haydenfox, do you burn wood if not what charcoal?  I can find no other explanation as to why you get such higher temps than me and the others that have responded to my post.

I mean unmoved this model just plain and simple will not cook meat(225f) with briquette charcoal and is marginal even with lump charcoal.  I would really like to find out how you are doing it.  With what you have told me thus far it's IMPOSSIBLE to get the temps you claim out of our units. Please help us understand what you are doing different​


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## haydenfox

Roypw said:


> Haydenfox, do you burn wood if not what charcoal? I can find no other explanation as to why you get such higher temps than me and the others that have responded to my post.
> I mean unmoved this model just plain and simple will not cook meat(225f) with briquette charcoal and is marginal even with lump charcoal. I would really like to find out how you are doing it. With what you have told me thus far it's IMPOSSIBLE to get the temps you claim out of our units. Please help us understand what you are doing different


First, I am not doing anything intentionally. In fact, as far as Im concerned I just plain suck at the whole fire/temp deal. I would never get my smoker that hot intentionally. It just happens, I guess. I wish there was no way for the temps to go that high and stayed as low as you claim with your unit, especially if its not taking any effort. The fuel doesnt matter, but yes I cook with charcoal and wood at the same time. I normally use Kingsford but will and have used any brand. Always the same experience until recently. I got the smoker last year as an xmas gift and it has taken me to this point (almost 3 weeks ago) to figure out how to keep the temps down. I have been a foilin' fool during that time. It doesnt seem to be an uncommon experience and have read plenty of post where high temperatures have been a problem in this model.


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## pcjack

I'm very glad I found this post, I have the same Brinkmann SnP that you're having issues with, and I'm experiencing the same issues with low temp.

Let me start by saying I've had a Brinkmann electric smoker for almost 10 years and was completely stuck on buying a Brinkmann unit when I went

hunting the local Criagslist ads for an offset smoker to play with.  If fact, I used the electric one last weekend for chicken because it's too darn easy

to use and it's almost impossible to screw up chicken in it (unless you fall asleep cause you drank too much beer)  LOL  Anyway,  it has only been

recently that I figured out how to get ribs to turn out the way I want them, and it was on a friend's charcoal smoker that I made the connection between

rubber ribs and awesome ribs.  This is what led me to buy the SnP and I'll be darned if I'm going to give up the hunt to learn to make the best darn

ribs I've ever had.

Before I start rambling, I want to state that I'm not hijacking this post by any stretch.  I'm simply letting you know what I have and where I'm at, so we can

relate and compare notes.  I once got accused of being a hijack because I rambled a little bit, so I'm playing it cautious.  (Haden, we're practically neighbors!

I live in Orlando)

Roy,  here's what I've tried so far:

1) chimney extender - bought a thin piece of 4" x 24" aluminum (found in the dryer vent section) from Home Depot for $3 and extended the chimney down to the grate.

     I rolled it to the same size as the chimney (typical corn or green bean can size), shoved it up inside the chimney and use a screw to hold it in place, then trimmed it.

2) steel plate across the firebox to main cooking area openinguntil some holes to allow some heatto pass through and the rest to deflect to the right side of the cooking chamber.

3) a charcoal basket, about 4 inches to 5 inches raised off the bottom of the fire box.  I plan to replace this with a better designed one because the one I'm using was
     a cheapo built by the previous smoker's owner and it looks seriously cheap.

One very important thing I found, is that after several hours of cooking, the charcoal ash builds up on the bottom and restricts airflow to the charcoal.

I was able to cook at approximately 250° for about five hours with two chimneys full of charcoal.  I was using a handful of Kingsford briquettes on the bottom

of my chimney and the rest of the chimney was filled with "Cowboy Charcoal 8.8 lb. Lump Charcoal" from Home Depot.  Once I reached five hours of cooking

time, for some reason my cooking temps crashed to the upper 170s and lower 180s, and no matter what I did I could never get it to come back up above 200. 

I realized afterwards, but I never removed any of the ash from the burnt charcoal, next time I'll know to remove it.  I even went as far as building a fan box to help

shove oxygen into the fire box, which proved to be a useless attempt to get oxygen to my charcoal, which was being choked out.  I used a large metal coffee can

with a hole cut in it, and a typical PC CPU cooler fan, that I had plugged into 12 V battery that I obtained from work from an old UPS, in hopes that it would help with

my temperature problem.  Because I was cooking this meat for a family function, I resorted to sticking the meat into the oven to make sure it was completed on time

for the family function.  The ribs turned out awesome (3-2-1 method) and was the first thing to go, the pork butt was a bit of a disappointment, but I can't complain too much considering

that it was my first stab at pulled pork. I can post pics of my simple fan box if anyone would like to see it.

Another important thing I found is that Cowboy charcoal did not get as hot as the charcoal I used on my friends smoker.  Believe it or not, I used Winn-Dixie lump charcoal

because it was on sale (2 for 1) which reduced my cost to smoke by almost $10.  This brand seems to get hotter and stay hot for a lot longer time than the Cowboy stuff

sold at Home Depot.  I have also heard the Royal Oak brand lump is much better than using briquettes, so that will be my next thing to try as well. 

In all honesty, I've only done one burn solo with no meat just to see how well it holds temperature on a Thursday, then fired the unit up on Saturday and started cooking

for my family function and feel that I did reasonably well considering I've only cooked on an offset smoker with charcoal only once before buying this one.  Let's begin

a great collaboration together and get these issues worked out.  I've also been pretty fortunate because my smoker doesn't leak that much, unlike the complaints

but I have found from everyone else on the forums.  I guess the previous owner treated quite a bit, even though there is no signs of oven seals or silicone anywhere.

I will try and post some videos and pictures this week, so that anyone wanting to see what I came up with can benefit from it.

Hoping this info sharing is a benefit to all of us......

Happy smoking,

James

"PCJack"


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## pcjack

One thing I forgot to mention is that I use wood in my fire box.  Some people use large chunks of dry wood, but to be honest I soak my water

for at least an hour before putting it in my firebox.  I do not throw them directly on top of the coals, I put them around the outside of my basket

so the water does not put out or degrade the heat from my coals. 

:o)

PCJack


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## firelock

Roypw said:


> Hey Roypw That looks great! I just picked up  a Smoke n pit And can't wait to set it up...Good luck with yours
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> Here are some pix. The 2 temp gages on the front I added.  The pix of the charcoal box was just before I started a cook.  I tried stacking a little charcoal and wood chunks around the edges then dumped the chimney of hot coal in the middle.  The deflector and baffles are 1/4 steel plate.  Still working on the right spacing for the baffles.  This arrangement made the right side a little hotter than the left by 20 deg or less stable but maybe 50 deg during reheat after opening the lid. I didn't get a good picture of the stove rope that I used to seal the door but you can see it in the last pix on the left edge of the cooking area. Did back and both sides.  Tried high temp silicon on the fire box door but made a mess, hard to work with, but sealed pretty good.  In the second pix the thing under the last baffle to the right is a fire brick.  Still experimenting with them also.
> 
> Did get some GOOD ribs today and a decent chicken but it took right around 15lbs of charcoal and I had to put the chicken in the oven for 30 min or so to get the internal temp up from 170 to the 180 recommended poultry temp.


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## firelock

Thanks PCJack, Would love to see some pic's. I got to get my SNP build so I can start experimenting. thanks for the wright up. O and Roy hang in there. you'll get it...


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## pcjack

Sorry for the long delay, but here's a couple pics of my charcoal rig.  I put in a steel plate, hoping to force some of the heat to the opposite side.

I didn't want to cover the whole thing with extra metal that I either didn't need or desire to clean every time I used it, so I only put in the shiny plate first.

On my first run, I found that the shiny wasn't working like I wanted, so I used the existing aluminum pan they give you with the smoker if you wanted to

load the bottom with charcoal and use it as a grill, so I cut it down a little, flipped it upside down and slid it under the first plate.  That helped a lot!

The neat thing about this bottom pan was when I flipped it upside down, it lined up exactly at the center of the firebox opening, and I think this played

a big part of the reason my heat was balanced.  Lots of people complain about 30, 40, sometimes 50 degrees difference between the firebox and the

opposite side.  These two plates, combined with my tube extension, narrowed the temp delta to about 15 degrees difference.

I'm also including a pic of my home made stoker.  It's not heat regulated, but it did the trick.  The fan is a basic PC case fan, screwed to a large green

bean or baked bean can I cut down so it wasn't so darn big.  The frame I used was one of the handles from the charcoal pan used for the heat plate.

My rig:

View media item 171185
After charcoal pan cut & flip:

View media item 171186
Tube extension:













Flashing tube.jpg



__ pcjack
__ Dec 1, 2012






Home brew stoker for firebox:













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__ Dec 1, 2012
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Two slabs of ribs and a pork butt, almost ready for the hungry guests:













IMG_3102.JPG



__ pcjack
__ Dec 1, 2012






Keep cookin!

PCJack


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## goinforbroke

I have a SnP, and while it's not a Mercedes when it comes to cruising down BBQ lane... here's a few tips that I've found to help cook my food.

a)  burn actual wood.. ya know, like, make a fire.

b) throw a couple of old bath towels that the old lady won't miss..  over the top of it.  

c) adjust the vents accordingly. half way on the box.. wide open to 3/4 on the chamber.

signed, 

full camper.


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## firelock

Hi all, Did 2 smokes with the SNP. and am able to get 250 degrees on the firebox side and 225 on the right side. Did all the Mods; exhaust
extension., Charcoal basket, Baffle and tuning plates. firebox vent open all the way, and Stack open all the way. Did ribs and Pork shoulder. Both came good but went in to the oven. Still have a lot of learning to do with this unit. I like it though...


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## themidniteryder

I just found this thread and thought I would chime in here. I received this same Brinkman as a gift almost a year ago to replace my Chargriller that was involved in a horrible accident. Now I haven't allowed so much as a briquett of charoal within 40 feet of it, strictly a stick burner, so my results will be different than yours. The only "mod" I have done is flip the charcoal pan for the cook chamber upside down and butt it as close to the fire box side as I can as a sort of tuning plate. The second I got the last bolt in putting it together I shook my head in disappointment. The fire box door sagged and left a gap, not to mention all the gaps around the cook chamber lid. I have done several cook on it this year with fantastic results. Out of the box it was hard to control temp, either too hot or too cold, lots of baby sitting. I burn nothing but orange wood, and have been using small "logs" about a foot long and about the size of a coke can. After much trial and error I learned when to add wood, when to adjust the box vent to keep everything happy, but still monitored every 10 minutes.

Recently I borrowed a small electric log splitter and made a bunch of splits still a foot long, but about the size of a quarter to 50 cent piece. I have been able to keep a temp of 210 or 400 or anything in between with the small splits. Still got to check on it, but only every 1/2 hour or so. Mid month I did a rack of ribs, small pork shoulder and some chicken quarters, took about 1 and 1/2 wheelbarrow loads of wood for a 7 hour smoke using the bigger stuff. Christmas I did my first Turkey and used less than 1/2 wheelbarrow of the small splits maintaining 260 for 5 hours. Bottom line, I have learned it is a combonation of how much how much wood (with the turkey after building the original coal bed with several sticks I usually only had 1 or 2 sticks going to maintain temp) and knowing when to put it on. One other trick I have always used, both with the Brinkman and my old Chargriller: If I need a little more heat I use a set of tongs to prop the firebox lid open. Gives about a 16th, maybe a 1/4 inch gap at the most, but that little extra airflow helps a lot, especially right after throwing on a new stick that needs to catch flame. Don't wait untill it is on the cool side to add fuel, and don't wait until it is too hot to shut the fire box air vent. Learn to anticipate what it is going to do, and react before it does it.

Out of the box, acceptable results though a little disappointed. After nearly a year of trial and error, great results and happy with it. Until I hit the lottery and can buy a Jambo, or custom build my own.


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## firelock

Hey thanks

themidniteryder; Great info there. The last smoke i did with charcoal I was able to keep 200-250 degrees for about 8 hours, and that was with almost 2 bags of charcoal and some lump. I'm going to have to try some wood down the road a bit, but I have to find a good source of Oak or some fruit wood.


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## mds4752

Roy --- did you have any luck getting your smoker dialed in?

Full disclosure:  I have never owned a smoker until now...just grills.  However, I just picked up a used (very well used) Brinkman Smoke N Pit.  All I've done so far is clean it up and repaint the outside and re-did the deck.  Tested it out last night and it does leak from all around the cooking chamber lid, so I know I need to address this.  The smoke stack is a mess (big hole near the bottom where it attaches to the lid).  Previous owner added a 4-5' extension on the chimney, which I guess will keep the smoke away from me, but I'm not sure if it's more of a hindrance or not.  I don't have access to any metal working tools, so the deflector / tuning plates are going to be an issue if it really needs them. 

Anyway, I'd be interested to learn more about your experience with yours.

MDS


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## roypw

*no I never got it to work.  As far as I am concerned this is a POS.  I had a few people tell me they had trouble keeping the temps DOWN but I just plain don't believe them.  I put almost $200 in mods to this unit and it still didn't work.  I did just about every mod I could find on the web except a stoker and I still couldn't get decent temps and I burned 20 to 30 pounds of charcoal to do the 3-2-1 ribs (6 hrs). We got to the point that we put my household fan on a stand in front of the FULLY OPEN fire box door on high speed to get over 200 degrees.

I got sick and tired of fighting that thing and reading on the web and trying the next mod and bought a Weber (I thinK it's called Smoky Mountain, it's the one that looks like R2d2, a vertical barrel with dome top and bottom). WOW what a great unit.  Start a chimney full of charcoal on the fire grate with some charcoal around it, dump it when its burning,put the barrel on the bottom unit,fill the water pan put put in your meat and you are smoking.  Three bottom vents that I tweek a little and I am good for about 5 hours with steady temps between 200 and 270 depending on where I set the vents. About half a 20 pound bag of charcoal for 6 hours.  Smoking has gone from a dam nightmare with that Brinkmann piece of junk to a real pleasure with the Weber.  I even can leave the house for up to 2 hours and don't worry about the temps.  

I did keep the Brinkmann to use as a charcoal grill, it is good for that.  I haven't done it yet but I am going to remove the fire box, I already removed all my mods, what a waste.  I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER BRINKMANN PRODUCT AGAIN.  THEY SUCKED ME IN ONCE, not again even if they do make some good stuff.

I would keep the chimney extension. It helps draw the heat out of the fire box up across the smoking area.  I only added a foot or so and it seemed to help.

I didn't read all the back posts but I think the mods I did were covered.  Most mods helped a little but THIS BRINKMANN IS NOT A SMOKER *

Just noticed the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker like I have and love is advertised at the bottom of these posts.

Good luck

Roy


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## cpfitness

Roypw said:


> *no I never got it to work. As far as I am concerned this is a POS. I had a few people tell me they had trouble keeping the temps DOWN but I just plain don't believe them. I put almost $200 in mods to this unit and it still didn't work. I did just about every mod I could find on the web except a stoker and I still couldn't get decent temps and I burned 20 to 30 pounds of charcoal to do the 3-2-1 ribs (6 hrs). We got to the point that we put my household fan on a stand in front of the FULLY OPEN fire box door on high speed to get over 200 degrees.
> 
> I got sick and tired of fighting that thing and reading on the web and trying the next mod and bought a Weber (I thinK it's called Smoky Mountain, it's the one that looks like R2d2, a vertical barrel with dome top and bottom). WOW what a great unit. Start a chimney full of charcoal on the fire grate with some charcoal around it, dump it when its burning,put the barrel on the bottom unit,fill the water pan put put in your meat and you are smoking. Three bottom vents that I tweek a little and I am good for about 5 hours with steady temps between 200 and 270 depending on where I set the vents. About half a 20 pound bag of charcoal for 6 hours. Smoking has gone from a dam nightmare with that Brinkmann piece of junk to a real pleasure with the Weber. I even can leave the house for up to 2 hours and don't worry about the temps.
> 
> I did keep the Brinkmann to use as a charcoal grill, it is good for that. I haven't done it yet but I am going to remove the fire box, I already removed all my mods, what a waste. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER BRINKMANN PRODUCT AGAIN. THEY SUCKED ME IN ONCE, not again even if they do make some good stuff.
> 
> I would keep the chimney extension. It helps draw the heat out of the fire box up across the smoking area. I only added a foot or so and it seemed to help.
> 
> I didn't read all the back posts but I think the mods I did were covered. Most mods helped a little but THIS BRINKMANN IS NOT A SMOKER *
> 
> Just noticed the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker like I have and love is advertised at the bottom of these posts.
> 
> Good luck
> 
> Roy


As far as i'm concerned you are a buffoon.  I acquired mine used at my new apt and have it working just fine.  Yes, it takes a lot of attention.  but it's a conversation piece.  The boys come over and hang out and drink beers and we smoke.  no big deal being a bit attentive.  Does it take more fuel than other smokers?  yes, but home depot sells 2-20lb bags of kingsford for $12  Yes I will use one full 20lb bag but that will get me my temps all day long 12-15 hours.  I check on it every 30-60 mins and either add new unlit briquettes or a partial chimney of lit briquettes. As for mods, I read very little on this smoker beforore trying it out.  I had a hard time keeping temps DOWN.  I created a baffle by bending the charcoal holder in the cooking area, I didn't think to simply flip it upside down.  Since mine was used and the previous owners looked like they used it more as a gril than a smoker, that holder was a bit beat up and it bent up easily.  it definately seemed to help even out my temps from side to side.

There is one last major thing I noticed.  Outside weather conditions.  First few times I used it were hot summer days in july and august of last year.  The smoker sits in full on sunlight and it's black, it's probably well over 100 degrees inside the cooking chamber to begin with.  Those were the times I was having trouble keeping temps down.  Then come october/november and I was using it when temps were in 40s and 50s and it was overcast I was having a tougher time getting temps up.   

Bottom line, within home depot alone there are smokers ranging in price from $179 -$600  a little common sense should tell you that you bought the lowest end model and you shouldn't expect to be a pitmaster overnight with it.  

The one pic you show of the amount of fuel you have in it doesn't appear to be very much.  I was advised to try the Minion Method since I'm considering doing an overnight smoke with this and want to try to "set it and forget it" instead of tending coals every hour.  you should probably try the same method of lighting your coals.


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## roypw

*you think I am a buffoon!!!  Thanks but how about you!  You went on to verify what I said about how bad this thing is.  All that charcoal and you have to baby sit it. I agree smoking is a lot about the experience, having a beer and hanging out but when it's cool out you can't even get the food cooked?  You are right about the unit working better in direct sun on 90 plus days but even then I didn't have trouble with high temps.  And you forgot to mention the wind, if its in the wrong direction or changing direction you can't hold temps..  If this was a car there would be a recall, probably a government mandated recall.

I made a mistake and didn't do my research before I bought. After the fact I found that most posts were the same problem I was experiencing. Why do you think there are so many mods out there. The ones that claim high or even acceptable temps I don't believe and think they are posted by Brinkmann employees.  I was hoping to find someone in my area that claimed decent temps so I could see them do it.  It's just not possible unless there are ideal conditions like sun and outside temp, burning a lot of charcoal or doing things like burning charcoal in the smoking chamber etc.

*


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## cpfitness

You keep insisting that it doesn't work at all which is false.  When faced with having uncooked/contaminated food and using more fuel  most would simply add fuel


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## remmy700p

Easy fellas... it's just BBQ.

Roy, I can understand your frustration, but it doesn't help to let it get the better of you, throw up your hands and broadly excoriate the manufacturer for a single product. The SnP was cheap. You HAD to know that you weren't investing in a competition class smoker. (Yugos sold like hotcakes, but I can guarantee that there weren't any return buyers.)

Like you, I'm dealing with temp issues, but, for me, that's part of the fun. I want to master this thing... not have it master me. Just like hitting the bar scene, they used to say "It isn't any fun if they just fall over with their legs in the air."

I say keep at it. It's just a hunk of bent metal. With two opposable thumbs, you've got a distinct advantage.


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## cpfitness

Okay, so yesterday I added silicone around the firebox door and crafted a very cheapo charcoal basket.  I attempted to put silicone around the cooking chamber and discovered it works great on the front lip but I put it in the wrong location for the sides.  I ran out before I could do the rear but I definately see the location to put it and will do that in the future.  I flipped my ashpan upside to use as a baffle and made a very cheapo chimney extension out of a cut up 24oz bud can.  This chimney extension is probably doing nothing because it's not fitting up in there very snug but I'll build a proper one in there in advance of my next smoke.  I loaded up the firebox as seen in the pic below.  The charcoal is up to about the height of the pass thru to the cooking chamber and that is approximately the size of a coffee can in the middle.  I lit 1/4 chimney of charcoal and dropped it in at 6:15 this morning.  I spend an hour and a half just tinkering around checking temps and checking on my silicone mods to see how they were doing, etc.  I also played with the vents and settled on closing the firebox vent all the way and closing the chimney vent halfway.  @745 I put my pork shoulder on with a left side temp reading of 262 and a right side temp of 201.   Obviously that is still a pretty big dispersion of temps but for a cheapo smoker with minimal mods it is useable.  What I'm most happy about is the minion method seems to have the briquettes burning nicely.  I'm paying close to zero attention to this thing and the temps are staying consistent.  I'm sort of banking on that giving me a temp of 230 in the middle position.  In a couple of hours I have 2 small briskets that will be going on.  My plan is to put them on the right side closer to 200* or maybe try to bump my overall temps up a bit.  In my opinon the pork shoulder with the fat side down should be okay if it getsup a smidgen on the hot side.













1000138_10151738613121323_117702333_n.jpg



__ cpfitness
__ Jul 4, 2013


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## roypw

Remmy you must not have seen my earlier post but I gave up and bought the Weber Smokey Mountain and it has turned smoking into a real pleasure instead of the nightmare with that BRINKMANN.  I hear what you and others are saying but why put up with a piece of junk like the BRINKMANN when you can have a much more enjoyable experience and its not that much more money. SEE THE ADVERT AT THE END OF THESE POSTS.

By the way CP I was in Lowes last night and those 2ea 20lbs bags are 19.95.  Home Depot is always the same price here since they are just a couple miles apart.  I don't know how much you smoke but for 9 to 10 months I am smoking at least once a week or about 5 to 6 times a month.  I get 2 smokes out of 20lbs. Like I did with the BRINKMANN you use almost both bags in one smoke. So 50 smokes a year you are spending like $800!!!!  Wow did I do my math right???  I am spending about one fourth that so get the Weber or another good smoker for a little more money and if you use it 2to3 times a month it pays for itself in the first year.  I guess if you only smoke 5 or 10 times a year, or if you burn your own wood, it doesn't matter.

Also the only way I could get close to acceptable temps was to burn lump charcoal and that is even more expensive.  Briquettes just wouldn't cut it.  There were several posts about this that I found.

Bottom line I am lovin smoking now with the Weber, did stuffed salmon last Saturday, 3-2-1 ribs last Sunday, going out shortly to put on the pork shoulder and have some chicken I will probably add.  I have done briskets, Cornish game hens stuffed, different kinds of sausage, beer can chicken and more.  Man is meatloaf great in the smoker.  Don't fight it with that marginal BRINKMANN guys.  Too hot on the left too cold on the right a little wind a little rain low outside temp and you got a battle.   Hey and try Jeff's rub, it's great I use it on almost everything and his recipes are usually great that he puts in his news letter. I don't have any association with him except that I took his course and I don't have any association with Webber either, they are just one company that makes a smoker that works like a smoker should.


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## roypw

CP I just read your post you did this morning (#51) and boy does it bring back memories.  I must admit I had a lot of fun doing mods and trying to get the Brinkmann to work.  I am retired but have a technical/engineering background so this was my summer project last year.  However in the long run I concluded that unless I add a stoker that it can't be made into an acceptable smoker for me and even if I added the stoker the large amounts of charcoal that you have to use makes it less expensive to get a unit like the Weber.  I just took all my mods out and am using the Brinkmann as a charcoal grill.  I don't know if you live close but I have a great steel deflector and 6 baffles that you can have along with some fire bricks and a charcoal basket.  My chimney extensions were cheap aluminum flashing so they are gone.  The left over stove rope and silicon sealant I want to keep.  

Good luck but be sure to use a digital thermometer with a probe in the meat and be sure it gets to the right temp to be safe to eat.  That was one of my worries that with the different temps left to right and unstable temps with the Brinkmann that we were going to get food poison.  

Its getting late so i Better get my pork shoulder coated with Jeff's rub and start up the Webber with about 8 lbs of charcoal for a 6 or so hour smoke. I think I will use mesquite wood for smoke today.


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## remmy700p

I'm smoking right now, with Kingsford Blue and Ozark Oak in the minion basket as a base heat sink and citrus chunks laid in the side as the heat adjuster. It's a balancing act, but it's working great! I can keep temps where I want them just by adjustments to the intake grate. Here are some pics:













2013-07-04_12-03-50_658.jpg



__ remmy700p
__ Jul 4, 2013


















2013-07-04_12-04-05_287.jpg



__ remmy700p
__ Jul 4, 2013






Those are bakes beans in the aluminum tub:













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__ remmy700p
__ Jul 4, 2013


















2013-07-04_12-05-12_251.jpg



__ remmy700p
__ Jul 4, 2013


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## roypw

Wait a minute that is not the unit I ave?  My fire pit is on the left and what is that silver or luminous round thing on the end of the fire box?  My smoke stack is only 8 to 10 inches not a several feet like yours.  What you have is not what Home Depot still sells as the smoke n pit?  No wonder yours works enter. Is it a Brinkmann.

My shoulder is about done and the chicken breasts are a little behind but getting close also.


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## roypw

Oh I just recalled you said the previous owner extended the smoke stack


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## remmy700p

No... you're right. My offset is the TMLE. I was just noting what I was doing with the fuel setup in the firebox. The princiaples are the same.


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## gone4nc

I havea snp . I have the fire grate raised with some rebar. I also took an adjustabile elbow and extended my chimney.  I have a cheap 20g baffle at the smoke chamber opening.  
My temps work out very nicely.  I range 200-325 depending on my adjustments. 
I was using a large amout of Kingsford blue, but now I use oak splits and persimmon chunks. I was able to smoke all winter. Here in Maryland I would start my smokes at 4:00am at about 24-29 degrees, temps were tough but the meat was tender.


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## lexscsmoker

I too should have done my homework before purchasing my Brinkmann smoke n pit.  I've been using a GOSM for @ 3yrs and love it except that i have to keep adding wood to keep the smoke flavor.  I wanted something somewhat affordable that uses charcoal and wood throughout the cooking process.  After a lame attempt at curing, I tried smoking CSRs.  The ones closest to the firebox charred and the ones furthest away didn't get done.  Had to throw them in the oven to finish.  Roypw mentioned "stove rope".  What's that and is that what is needed to seal the cooking chamber?  also if I wanted to get some stove rope where would I go?   I couldn't get my temps above 200.  I did plan on making a reverse flow mod.  I will need to seal the chamber, raise the firebox grate and add a better temp gauge first.  A friend has a chargrill horizontal offset and he has more of a problem keeping the temps down than getting them to go up.  He says to use Cowboy charcoal if you want higher temps.  I reckon I'll try that too.


----------



## remmy700p

I suggest you avoid Cowboy Lump. Sucks.

I highly recommend Ozark Oak. Great stuff. Clean burning, steady temps, a very light smoke flavor, and low ash. I got four 10lb bags from BBQGUYS.COM for $46.72 shipped to Southern California. That's $9.95/bag and $6.92 to ship all four.


----------



## cliffcarter

Remmy700P said:


> I suggest you avoid Cowboy Lump. Sucks.
> 
> I highly recommend Ozark Oak. Great stuff. Clean burning, steady temps, a very light smoke flavor, and low ash. I got four 10lb bags from BBQGUYS.COM for $46.72 shipped to Southern California. That's $9.95/bag and $6.92 to ship all four.


Reports indicate that Cowboy is much improved this year, many users think it OK.


----------



## timsnewatsmokin

if you have a fan try using that on your intake.. any fan will do I use one on my bbq pro and it really gets the temp up..Hope that helps


----------



## roypw

Stove Rope!  It's silicon fabric I think but didn't relly research it.  It's made mainly or wood stoves to seal the door.  If you have a Tractor Supply store near you they carry it.  I also found it a Lowes but only in the winter season ( could have been Home Depot). I also got some online but don't recall the name, just search on "stove rope" and you should find several sources.  Biggest problem was the back of the cooking chamber lid.  Opening lid forced it against back of chamber and the glue keeps coming loose.

However sealing the cracks all around didn't do it.  The next thing I was going to try was welding blankets or some other way to insulate the cooking chamber.  The only thing I could figure was the light gauge steel was allowing too much heat to go right through it.  I was burning massive amounts of charcoal very hot but the cooking chamber was impossible to keep in the 225 degree range

Lump charcoal did help.  Wegmans sells a lump charcoal under their name , 

My suggestion still is get rid of that Brinkmann and like I did get something that works like the Weber Somkey Mountain.

There are those that say they get good temps but like gone4nc in post above he is burning wood not charcoal.  Only problem with that is the left side burns black worse than your situation.  I think you definitely need a deflector and baffels or full reverse flow mod if you burn wood.  GUYS IT'S NOT WORTH IT WITH THE BRINKMANN, GIVE UP ON THEM AND GET ONE THAT WORKS


----------



## timsnewatsmokin

Roypw said:


> Stove Rope! It's silicon fabric I think but didn't relly research it. It's made mainly or wood stoves to seal the door. If you have a Tractor Supply store near you they carry it. I also found it a Lowes but only in the winter season ( could have been Home Depot). I also got some online but don't recall the name, just search on "stove rope" and you should find several sources. Biggest problem was the back of the cooking chamber lid. Opening lid forced it against back of chamber and the glue keeps coming loose.
> 
> However sealing the cracks all around didn't do it. The next thing I was going to try was welding blankets or some other way to insulate the cooking chamber. The only thing I could figure was the light gauge steel was allowing too much heat to go right through it. I was burning massive amounts of charcoal very hot but the cooking chamber was impossible to keep in the 225 degree range
> 
> Lump charcoal did help. Wegmans sells a lump charcoal under their name ,
> 
> My suggestion still is get rid of that Brinkmann and like I did get something that works like the Weber Somkey Mountain.
> 
> There are those that say they get good temps but like gone4nc in post above he is loburning wood not charcoal. Only problem with that is the left side burns black worse than your situation. I think you definitely need a deflector and baffels or full reverse flow mod if you burn wood. GUYS IT'S NOT WORTH IT WITH THE BRINKMANN, GIVE UP ON THEM AND GET ONE THAT WORKS


sorry man just read u got another smoker..got ahead of myself..LOL


----------



## remmy700p

cliffcarter said:


> Reports indicate that Cowboy is much improved this year, many users think it OK.


My guess is the major problem is in the handling of the bags. The Home Depot folks are pretty quick to toss stuff around. That's gonna turn a good bag of medium/large lump into slivers/dust in a hurry.


----------



## lexscsmoker

Thanks Remmy.  I'll look into Ozark.


----------



## donger22

My apologies if this has been mentioned ( I haven't read thru all the replies) Have you tried reaching your high temps before making modifications? I have a Brinkman Trailmaster Limited Edition. I did my curing fire w/o any mods and had no problem getting up to 400 degrees. Then I made som mods including tuning plates, baffles on both stack side and firebox side. I had to remove the baffle I made on the firebox side because it was restricting my air flow. I also had a similar problem with excessive charcoal use. 

I've only had my smoker a couple months now and am still learning it, but I've made some good progress. Don't give up. It very well could be your mods working against you. 

Just a thought anyways

Mike


----------



## cliffcarter

donger22 said:


> My apologies if this has been mentioned ( I haven't read thru all the replies) Have you tried reaching your high temps before making modifications? I have a Brinkman Trailmaster Limited Edition. I did my curing fire w/o any mods and had no problem getting up to 400 degrees. Then I made som mods including tuning plates, baffles on both stack side and firebox side. I had to remove the baffle I made on the firebox side because it was restricting my air flow. I also had a similar problem with excessive charcoal use.
> 
> I've only had my smoker a couple months now and am still learning it, but I've made some good progress. Don't give up. It very well could be your mods working against you.
> 
> Just a thought anyways
> 
> Mike


Those suggestions have been made in previous posts, the OP chose not to follow them.


----------



## idfancher

I don't know if you were able to figure this out yet or not but two things that come to mind as possible solutions. 1.) I have watched countless videos of people utilizing a smoker just like yours or similar and they always do better using wood or hard wood lump charcoal.  I even found that using hardwood charcoal in my vertical cylinder style masterbuilt smoker that it works better, burns longer, hotter, and more consistent especially if I use the water pan.  Also, using wood or hardwood charcoal will cut down on the ash production significantly. 2.) I have never done this personally but a lot of people use those lava rocks or whatever they are called to help hold the heat more consistently for a longer period of time.    

These are just some ideas to consider.  I hope you get things worked out soon.


----------



## danbono

Hi All I picked up an used SnP for the stack to grate there was ony a some rolled up light metal.Would tis work, in the SnP. The OD is 3" looks aliitle too big for the smoke stack??

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-F...Adjustable-Elbow-B90E3/100112500#.UefXa7DD_rc

Thanks Dan


----------



## cliffcarter

idfancher said:


> I don't know if you were able to figure this out yet or not but two things that come to mind as possible solutions. 1.) I have watched countless videos of people utilizing a smoker just like yours or similar and they always do better using wood or hard wood lump charcoal.  I even found that using hardwood charcoal in my vertical cylinder style masterbuilt smoker that it works better, burns longer, hotter, and more consistent especially if I use the water pan.  Also, using wood or hardwood charcoal will cut down on the ash production significantly. 2.) I have never done this personally but a lot of people use those lava rocks or whatever they are called to help hold the heat more consistently for a longer period of time.
> 
> These are just some ideas to consider.  I hope you get things worked out soon.


Sounds like you figured it out rather quickly, the OP gave up.


----------



## rangerdave4

I had that smoker, what I did was on the left where the hole is to let in the heat , I took a section of black flue pipe 6" left open (not snapped together} drill 1/2 holes starting on the left with set of 6 in a 6" sq. then more as you go to the right and leave the end open, then put it over the oval hole , there is a lip to screw it to. I used cowboy charcoal  I was abel to maintain even temp of 225


----------



## danbono

Hi All On my SnP I made a charcoal basket out of expanded metal. Where should the basket sit in refernce to opening of the cooking pit.
1.Below the opening?
2.Level with opening?
3.Right side but the vent?
4.Left side by the pit opening?

Thanks Dan


----------



## mike65

I just did a 8lb Turkey on my ECB. Put it on at 9am and was hoping it would have reached 160 degrees by noon. Well 1:30 rolled around and the temp was stuck at 140. Added more charcoal and temp still didn't go up for the turkey. The inside of the smoker was holding at 250 degrees. So a friend gave me and idea. Place tinfoil in the gap that was around the lid/smoker body. That worked wonders. The internal temp got up over 160  for the Turkey. Finally!!  I will contine to make mods on the ECB for future cooking.


----------



## old sarge

I have an older SnP Pro.  I have never had a problem getting the temperature up to 300 degrees, and maintaining it.  As soon at the temp would hit 275, I would add more lump charcoal, typically mesquite, and a handful of damp wood chips for smoke. I did notice that the temperature was higher/hotter near the fire box as opposed to the far end where the  built in temperature guage was located. Consequently, I found myself periodically opening the smoker to rearrange the meat, and quite quickly the temperature would drop quite dramatically. Over time, I realized that I needed to have the charcoal and wood chips right next to the smoker for replenishing the fire box each time i Opened the smoker.  Also, I would have to fiddle wit the fire box damper and flue damper to get the proper mix of air for good combustion, good heat and good smoke.  A lot of fun in my younger days. More of a pain as I aged.  But the results were very gratifying.  

I now use a Cookshack smoker.  Less hassle yet less fun as well.  But I do enjoy the results.


----------



## danbono

HI All So where is the best place to put charcoal basket that I made? Post # 73
Also any one use this elbow?Looks like the opening in stack is not big enough?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-F...Adjustable-Elbow-B90E3/100112500#.UefXa7DD_rc
Thanks Dan


----------



## old sarge

The fire box sits low on the side of the pit, as per your photo (and mine is similar). There are brackets to hold the rack at the appropriate level and the damper on the side of the fire box opens below the rack. I would set the tray on the brackets, as originally designed.  As for the additional stack, mine has a damper of sorts on the top, and there is a damper on the side of the fire box. Fiddle with it till you get the results you are after.


----------



## JckDanls 07

Dan..  you want to raise your charcoal basket up off the bottom to give ya about 2 inches of clearance for the ashes to have a place to fall and not suffocate your fire.... I don't think it really matters as far as side to side...  I would just center it ... hope those are the answers your looking for


----------



## danbono

Hi All Yes those were the answers I was looking for.Now I can sleep at night.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			





Thanks Dan


----------



## gone4nc

I took my snp to a party this past weekend.  Started my smoke at 4:30am 1 butt , 3 pork loins and a beef roasts . Total time was 9hours , I used 15# Kingsford blue and 8 small oak splits. Temps hovered 230*-280*, I did have a spike of 385*for just a few unattended moments.  I tryst these temps, my new Maverick is true. I am a private detective and do not work for Brinkmann as others have stated.


----------



## smokeandsalt

I have had troubles like this before.  I have a vertical Brinkman smoker.  Cheap thing, but it works.  I found that when I need extra heat I go and grab my air mattress pump and force some good O2 into the embers.  THey will get nice and hot for ya.


----------



## guinjames

I feel your pain.  I had a New Braunfels stick burner and it went through lots of wood. That's why I went to a ceramic kamado. With 20 lbs. of lump charcoal I can do 5 or 6 low and slow cooks at a constant temp with no checking and no adding wood chips. They are IMHO the finest all round cookers available. Able to do low and slow or maintain 650 degrees for steaks or pizza and any temp in between.


----------



## comosmoker

Hi all!  Just read through this entire thread and it sounds very similar to the related threads for the Briinkman TMLE.  Just my 2 cents out there...I have the TMLE and absolutely love it!!  Made all the similar mods everyone here is taking about, except the blower.  I, too, was having trouble keeping temps up above 200*.  I converted to 90% stick burning and removed one of my tuning plates.  I also have lava rock covering the bottom of the chamber.  Now, I don't have much of a problem keeping temps where they should be.  I am still tinkering a bit and still learning a lot, but I wouldn't say to scrap all Brinkman smokers.  No, it's not a competition smoker....but, it is one I could afford and it feeds the family and neighbors well. Keep smoking everyone!!!


----------



## russg

For curing it and reaching the 400 degrees you may have to also burn coals using the main chamber.n another note I think your tuning plates my be a little close together.  Try separating them more.I had a brinkman smoke and pit professional and now have a Chargriller.   I turn to my MES 40 for smoking.I don't have to luxury of hanging around the pit, but someday I hope to be able to relax and do just that!Hang in there, I know a lot of guys who smoke some fine food on those pits.TBS to youSailor george


----------



## tandreen

After reviewing all of the posts, my comments were duplicate.


----------



## lazy nate

I am going to bump this, even though the OP gave up on it long ago. I just purchased this and will assemble tomorrow, and will report back with results. But several faults, a few pointed out, a few not when it comes to this set up and smoking in general. This is a "Texas Offset", which means unless you are "grilling" a few kabobs in the "smoke box" ... it's made for more wood or lump charcoal. 

but ok, until I prove otherwise, here are a few things I see wrong with the OP and a few other people's posts on this:

1. Mods right away. We all want to have our own "I did it my way" rig. But out of the box this particular model is flimsy, design is lost to give it more sq inches of grilling/smoking space. On top of that it is a flimsy metal design. For $120 more today I could have got the Trailmaster, which is a heavy duty design you want, but for that much more you lose 100 sq inches, plus the "above rack". Which to me, in a "hybrid" grill/smoker, is a necessity. So it IS a lower end model. Learn your rig, what it's faults and strengths are, then mod accordingly/ to your liking. 

2. Smoking is an imperfect science, if you want a "Set it and forget it" rig, get a pellet smoker. Those are true Ronco style Set it and Forget it rigs. So why are you using 3 charcoal chimney's worth of fire? If you are using Charcoal only, briquettes, chimney should only be used on the initial starting of the fire, OR in unattended emergency situations to beef the fire back up. Otherwise you are LOSING not only the SMOKE you are wanting, but the burning time per briquette. After using the Brinkman Smoke'n'Grill for a year now, the R2D2 looking unit, my biggest problem with that is that the stock thermometer does not read exact temps and  overall it's too small, especially the door to keep putting in wood chips and charcoal, otherwise that little thing cooks up some good food. And if the OP is still paying attention, did you add any type of water box? The water absorbs the smoke flavor and heat to even the temp out through the smoker. 

3. Patience is key in smoking and "mastering your rig" ... Yes before I bought this rig, I knew it's faults. Grill like top, offset smoke box, flimsier than I would like metal. Will I make mods? Maybe, but the point of this rig is to be a Grill And Smoker! The OP and another poster said they hit the dreaded 140 dg mark and stalled out, Did you all wrap your ribs or shoulders in aluminum foil?  The general consensus on how much smoke a meat can absorb is between 2 to 3 hrs worth, then it's keeping a steady temp to help break down the soft tissues. 140 is the point where you wrap it, ribs, butts, shoulders, etc. Chicken in my own account, and this is my Own account, does not do well with an R2D2 style smoker, for the simple fact it will "leather" versus crisp the skins.  But I might not have left it on long enough to crisp. Once again Patience.

4. Other than shoulders, which sometimes can use this, you still have to put fire to your ribs, you have to, to set the sauce, to set the rub, or whatever. even if its just a minute or two. Offset smoking will not char your ribs alone. Smoke ring and tenderness, check, a little char and "cooked" look, set it to the flame for a few minutes, and bammo. 

That's my 2 cents for now, will report back after I set it up and see how it goes.


----------



## smoke hog

Get yourself a big welder blanket  at a hardware store. I use one here in New York when temps are in teens and it really helps get the heat up and hold it there. I use spring clamps to connect the ends of the blanket around the smoker and firebox. I don't have your smoker but use it on my traeger and WSM. It saves fuel and gets temps quite a bit hotter. Good luck,


----------



## bbq freak

i got a couple smokers that are similar and get awesome results with them but what i do is i start off with charcoal in my basket  and then switch over to only wood . then you can get you smoker as hot as you want by adding different size chunks of wood . i did a whole chicken last week and it held steady 325 degrees the whole cook but i also use a adjustable head fan sometimes to blow on the fire box when temps fall , it is kinda a redneck bbq guru . also you haft to move it back and forth to fine tune it because it spiked up to 450 degrees when i had it blowing to hard on it , lol .













DSCF1688.jpg



__ bbq freak
__ May 22, 2014


----------



## lazy nate

I'm new to this forum and actually stumbled upon it because I bought this particular Brinkmann Smoke'n'Pit. I actually bought it because for the price, it seems like the size rig I want/need right now, not too big, not too small. 

I actually put it together tonight and will cure it tomorrow evening for this weekends cooking. I must say it's not as flimsy as I thought. Putting a little elbow grease in on some of it did the trick. Now, is the outside shelf of hard corp material? Naw. So set nothing over 15 lbs I would say, especially at a corner. 

In my 2 years of paying attention to what I am doing and wanting to grill smoke even more than the normal person, I have learned a Lot, but I know I am still a "novice" .... 

So all that said, I will look into the welders blanket. 

I am looking into doing the same as far as starting off with charcoal, using it as my base fire, then throwing in wood, but I don't have a Lot of access to different chunks of wood without paying excess prices, so I am going mainly with lump charcoal for now though. A friend of mine is cutting down a hickory tree and he promised me a good amount of the wood. So we'll see then too.

Now, as far as this model smoker, any tips on how to maybe seal the seam on the outside of the firebox to the actual pit? Like Brand Names/chemical names, epoxy or something like that? I figure JB weld wouldn't be food friendly 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .... 

Oh and as far as curing it, it says to use both the firebox And the pit. I don't agree with the lbs of charcoal in each place to achieve the desired 2 step temps, maybe to keep them over the 2 hrs and 1 hr, yes, otherwise it can possibly be a charcoal eating process, but it will be worth it when those shoulders come off Sunday! 

I'll try and post tomorrow night about how it goes. Especially if I will even need the "sealant" other than a welders blanket for the cold months.


----------



## chicagolanddan

I've managed to get this to work well with only the stove rope modification on three sides. The trick has been simply to add a few chimney starter-lit coals to the cooking chamber grate, in addition to the full load in the fire box. As few as 10 to 15 coals spread along along the bottom with a normal load in the fire box allows me to maintain 225 to 245 for 7-8 hours,  using about 8 lbs of Kingsford Original and 3 lbs of Hickory chunks. (in the winter in Chicago I've had to increase that by 50 percent and use 20 to 30 coals in the cooking chamber). 

Other posters have commented that there is no way to achieve the 400 degree cure temp... From the fire box that is certainly true. The directions say to use 4 lbs of briquettes in the fire box AND 8 lbs in the cooking chamber, adding wood if needed. With all vents open this is no problem so long as as all that fuel is in in the main chamber.


----------



## schmitzmoke

I gave up on my Brinkman Off-Set,,,, it was a POS! YARD SALE fodder!

All I did was tend to a fire that was hard to get up to temp and near impossible to keep steady. I bought a Masterbuilt 40" gasser. I light it, pre heat it on full blast, lower and set the temp to 225-230 F, toss in meat and wood chunks, walk away. 

I would much rather spend my time cooking up some kick a$$ sides to my perfectly smoked meat instead of tending a firebox that impossible to maintain heat in. or even kicking back and have a beer or two or three. That's what the weekends are for


----------



## slider n copa

I cannot imagin using that much charcoal for that short of time,, It would seem that you are not getting the heat to flow into the smoke chamber,,, either the plates you have are restricting the glow or you are losing too much out the fire box or the smoke chamber,,, light it up throw some blocks of wood in it  and if you can get us some pics of it smokin. Also where and how big is the intake vent on the fire box?


----------



## mtnwalker

Judging from the pictures....your problem is that baffle that is forcing the heat/smoke to go beneath the tuning plates in the grill/cooking chamber. That baffle is basically snuffing the fire just by forcing the heat/smoke....DOWN. I tried once to set a firebrick partly blocking the upper part of the smoke passage......not totally block at all.....and it even degraded performance....

2nd thing....Your smoke-n-pit is newer than mine...mine is from mid-90s...the older ones were designed better and made from thicker steel than the newer ones...... make sure you don't have air leaks around the lid seals...as much as possible you want all air coming in the intake and going out the exhaust......(when I am using my remote probe meat thermometers the wire does make a smallgap where the wire comes out of the cooking chamber....but not enough to hurt things....

I have no problem maintaining temps as desired in mine..........my main suggestion to you is get rid of that baffle.........

Good luck!


----------



## cliffcarter

Lazy Nate said:


> I am going to bump this, even though the OP gave up on it long ago. I just purchased this and will assemble tomorrow, and will report back with results. But several faults, a few pointed out, a few not when it comes to this set up and smoking in general. This is a "Texas Offset", which means unless you are "grilling" a few kabobs in the "smoke box" ... it's made for more wood or lump charcoal.
> 
> but ok, until I prove otherwise, here are a few things I see wrong with the OP and a few other people's posts on this:
> 
> 1. Mods right away. We all want to have our own "I did it my way" rig. But out of the box this particular model is flimsy, design is lost to give it more sq inches of grilling/smoking space. On top of that it is a flimsy metal design. For $120 more today I could have got the Trailmaster, which is a heavy duty design you want, but for that much more you lose 100 sq inches, plus the "above rack". Which to me, in a "hybrid" grill/smoker, is a necessity. So it IS a lower end model. Learn your rig, what it's faults and strengths are, then mod accordingly/ to your liking.
> 
> 2. Smoking is an imperfect science, if you want a "Set it and forget it" rig, get a pellet smoker. Those are true Ronco style Set it and Forget it rigs. So why are you using 3 charcoal chimney's worth of fire? If you are using Charcoal only, briquettes, chimney should only be used on the initial starting of the fire, OR in unattended emergency situations to beef the fire back up. Otherwise you are LOSING not only the SMOKE you are wanting, but the burning time per briquette. After using the Brinkman Smoke'n'Grill for a year now, the R2D2 looking unit, my biggest problem with that is that the stock thermometer does not read exact temps and  overall it's too small, especially the door to keep putting in wood chips and charcoal, otherwise that little thing cooks up some good food. And if the OP is still paying attention, did you add any type of water box? The water absorbs the smoke flavor and heat to even the temp out through the smoker.
> 
> 3. Patience is key in smoking and "mastering your rig" ... Yes before I bought this rig, I knew it's faults. Grill like top, offset smoke box, flimsier than I would like metal. Will I make mods? Maybe, but the point of this rig is to be a Grill And Smoker! The OP and another poster said they hit the dreaded 140 dg mark and stalled out, Did you all wrap your ribs or shoulders in aluminum foil?  The general consensus on how much smoke a meat can absorb is between 2 to 3 hrs worth, then it's keeping a steady temp to help break down the soft tissues. 140 is the point where you wrap it, ribs, butts, shoulders, etc. Chicken in my own account, and this is my Own account, does not do well with an R2D2 style smoker, for the simple fact it will "leather" versus crisp the skins.  But I might not have left it on long enough to crisp. Once again Patience.
> 
> 4. Other than shoulders, which sometimes can use this, you still have to put fire to your ribs, you have to, to set the sauce, to set the rub, or whatever. even if its just a minute or two. Offset smoking will not char your ribs alone. Smoke ring and tenderness, check, a little char and "cooked" look, set it to the flame for a few minutes, and bammo.
> 
> That's my 2 cents for now, will report back after I set it up and see how it goes.


You make good points, too bad the OP had such a thick skull because he could have made it work.

Please put your results in a thread of its own, this one is a mess and deserves to die.


----------



## stokinsmokebbq

Im in the midst of modding mine. I used high heat silicone and glued an oven seal around the lip. Im having a hard time with the baffle. I took the charcoal tray flipped it and place in ontop of two bricks. Works ok but just curious what others are made of. Ive seen tuning plates what are they made of? Also i have a weber grilling wok i use as a charcoal basket is this good.  It has alotta holes all around but i dunno if they get clogged from ash and im constantly feeding every 20 min it seems with coal and wood i perfer wood but sometimes seems like i need to add coal bc the wood burns quick. Any input b appreciated


----------



## stevenlee

FWIW I have a Brinkmann Trailmaster.  Same set-up, but firebox is on the right. I've made no mods to it.  I start with a chimney full of charcoal that I burn for about 15-20 before dumping in the firebox.  On top of the hot coals I add 2 or 3 pieces of split cherry or apple.   I leave the firebox open for another 10-15 minutes to get the wood going.  Once the wood is burning well I close the firebox, open the side damper and chimney damper fully, and I'll get the smoker up to ~400 or so.  I'll leave it at 400 for 15 mins to kill anything that might have been in the cooking area, then damp everything down and I can run @ 225-250.  It looks like maybe your deflector and baffles are transporting the heat right along the bottom of the smoke chamber and out the chimney.  Try reverting back to as close to factory as you can get and see where you get.  Good luck.


----------



## smoky jim

I've been using my Brinkman SnP for several years and have no problems getting whatever temp I desire. It takes a lot of tending, but the results with brisket, butts, and ribs is A-OK.  I've got a deflector plate coming out of the firebox, a raised charcoal/wood grate in the firebox, and several cement bricks in the bottom of the cook chamber.   I use Kingsford, lump, and oak for fires. Not sure what all the fuss is about. As with any cooker, you need to get to know how it works and plan and cook accordingly.  That said, I do prefer my WSM over the SnP, as it allows me to focus on the cooking rather than the fire!


----------



## stokinsmokebbq

What kind of material is a deflector plate/tuning plate made of or do can u just buy one


----------



## jmb6420

Just an idea, but with what you are spending on charcoal, you could pay for another smoker in a very short time if you plan on doing a lot of smoking.


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## whiskeyboyz

My very first Smoker purchase was a Brinkmann Smoke and PIt just like yours. I have had it for 5 years - replaced the fire box once since then. the only mod I have ever done was to make a wider charcoal grid to raise up the fire an inch or so. I use lump charcoal (Royal Oak brand from Walmart) and apple wood for smoke. I open up the vent fully open and leave the stack open all the way. I make and sell Baffles for offswet smokers and I added one to mine, it just helps to even the temps in the smoke chamber. I can get 350- 400 degrees easily and always have been able to. With my baffle, heat and smoke still get over the top to the cooking grid and thru the bottom. I can slide the grid with the baffle laying on it back and forth , side to side and regulate the temp in the chamber. With my baffle an inch away from the firebox opening, Mine will maintain right at 300 degrees for perfect ribs. I think you are using too many tuning plates and the heat is not being disipated into the cooking chamber. Using Lump charcoal I start off with  chinmney fully lit in the firebox, spread it out and add another chimney around the edges of that and a little apple wood on the side to smolder. I add  more charcoal about every 30-40 minutes using a little garden shovel I bought at lowes. drink a few beers and wait. Pic of Mister Baffler (U.S. Patent Pending). Mr. Baffler in  a CharBroiler  in action.

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Mister Baffler 4.JPG



__ whiskeyboyz
__ Oct 6, 2014


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## sparkie1952

Remmy700P said:


> I'm smoking right now, with Kingsford Blue and Ozark Oak in the minion basket as a base heat sink and citrus chunks laid in the side as the heat adjuster. It's a balancing act, but it's working great! I can keep temps where I want them just by adjustments to the intake grate. Here are some pics:
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I just found this thread and got caught up. I have a smoker like the one in these pictures. I used to have a Brinkman Smokin Pit for years. I will post pictures of mine next. But htiese units are much more substantial than the SnP. I gt this one at Lowes about three years ago on a clearance sale for $279. They have one there now for $459 that is called an Oklahoma Joe I think but it is not of the quality of mine.

Glad to be aboard here. Watch out for my ideas.

Steve


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## sparkie1952

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Here's my Royal Oak smoker. I am using regular bricks ($.49 at Lowes) as a baffle when smoking to keep the smoke box temp right where I want it. I will try removing the foil that is stuffed in the upper corners next time and let my temp come up a bit more. I also keep a large foil pan of water on the smoke side under the meat. This thing is so nicely seasoned that it smell great just sitting there. Makes me want to smoke something.

Steve


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## banjoe

Sorry to hear that Brinkman has let you guys down so badly. I've been learning the game on a Weber and can almost turn out great stuff after one season of trial & error. 

Once I get this baby unit mastered and am ready to move on, my next step certainly won't be to a Brinkman unit.


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## roypw

I like the looks of that brick idea across the opening to the meat chamber.  That's one I didn't try.  Tried everything else in the book (Internet) and still couldn't get that Brinkmann POS to work.  

Using the Weber Smokey Mountian for the last couple years and IT IS GREAT!!  My neighbor has it today to smoke a brisket for a family party.  I just used the last piece of smoked pork shoulder so I can't wait to do some smoked meatloaf or ribs.  


Love this Weber. It's so easy and dependable.

Roy


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## cman55

I own a Oklahoma Joe but I might have a solution for you to try. Think about forcing air into your firebox via a small fan. They're cheap enough. Maybe a couple of bucks. I'd also consider using a mix of briquettes and lump charcoal topped off with sticks. I find Mesquite burns really hot. It does appear that air flow is your problem and that can be fixed with your baffle plates. 

I placed a small 4" desktop fan on top of a 5gallon bucket perhaps 1' from the vent opening on the smoke box. In the beginning, I light the lump with the smokebox door wide open. I turn on the fan and force air into the box to make it burn hotter quicker. Once I get to my desired temp, I close the door but open the vent in the door and keep the fan running. You're gonna burn thru some fuel but your temps will stay high enough to be useable. 

The Joe has thicker skin on it but I live in a colder climate (PA). I usually break out the Masterbuilt electric when temps get below 50 as it takes too much fuel to keep temps steady in the 225-250 range. 

Hope this help!


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## roypw

Thanks for the feedback.  However I have tried the fan, a 3 speed pretty powerful one. It made it hot but did it burn the charcoal and made one end hot with the fan on and the other hot with it off.  Too many variables to do a reasonable job of cooking anything.  Also used lump charcoal and it helped but not enough to smoke properly.  Believe me, the difference between that Brinkmann POS and the Weber I now use is so drastic that I wish every new purchaser of a smoker could experience it before they buy.  Brinkmann would never sell another one of those things.  Hopefully these posts will help them.


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## cman55

Yeah, I haven't heard anything good about the Brinkmans yet but there's always hope. My next smoker, after I retire and wifey lets me buy one will be a gravity fed smoker that's insulated so I can grill all year round. They're pricey, but in the end, I think more worth the investment than say, a Yoder or a Horizon offset. Don't give up on that Brinkmans. Just use it as a griller as it does have a large cooking bay you could use for steaks and such.


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## roypw

You are right, the only thing it's good for is a grill!  However I am not big on grillen.  I would rather just fire up the Weber smoker and do ribs, smoked stuffed burgers, etc.


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## gary s

Smoke on mine every once in a while


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## stokinsmokebbq

I have the same problem...i bought a roll of galvenized alluminum flashing. Can i rivet that to the inside of the lid to better insulate? And possibly the bottom or even use them as a baffle or sumthing i planned on the top and as an extension of smoke stack is wat i have planned doable with galvanized alluminum?


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## stokinsmokebbq

Whats a good method of cleaning ash build up on the bottom of the firebox while cooking without losing to much heat that i have going? I use a small weber wok with more holes drilled out on bottom to increase air flow on bottom it does an ok job but until i build a basket its wat i got to deal with.


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## jammopar61

I noticed in your pics that you have bricks at the open end. Is that helping you and are those your tuning plates? I'm looking for ideas on what to use to make mine for next season.


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## sparkie1952

Have a look at the "Horizontal Smoker Page" I have several post there. Short answer is yes that's how I'm tuning. It's not a Brinkman though. I did have a Brinkman for many years. It finally rusted out. I didn't use bricks in it.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/75110/horizonal-offset-smoker-mods/100

I am using a crab trap for a basket.

Sparkie


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## magslam

CPFitness said:


> As far as i'm concerned you are a buffoon.  I acquired mine used at my new apt and have it working just fine.  Yes, it takes a lot of attention.  but it's a conversation piece.  The boys come over and hang out and drink beers and we smoke.  no big deal being a bit attentive.  Does it take more fuel than other smokers?  yes, but home depot sells 2-20lb bags of kingsford for $12  Yes I will use one full 20lb bag but that will get me my temps all day long 12-15 hours.  I check on it every 30-60 mins and either add new unlit briquettes or a partial chimney of lit briquettes. As for mods, I read very little on this smoker beforore trying it out.  I had a hard time keeping temps DOWN.  I created a baffle by bending the charcoal holder in the cooking area, I didn't think to simply flip it upside down.  Since mine was used and the previous owners looked like they used it more as a gril than a smoker, that holder was a bit beat up and it bent up easily.  it definately seemed to help even out my temps from side to side.
> 
> There is one last major thing I noticed.  Outside weather conditions.  First few times I used it were hot summer days in july and august of last year.  The smoker sits in full on sunlight and it's black, it's probably well over 100 degrees inside the cooking chamber to begin with.  Those were the times I was having trouble keeping temps down.  Then come october/november and I was using it when temps were in 40s and 50s and it was overcast I was having a tougher time getting temps up.
> 
> Bottom line, within home depot alone there are smokers ranging in price from $179 -$600  a little common sense should tell you that you bought the lowest end model and you shouldn't expect to be a pitmaster overnight with it.
> 
> The one pic you show of the amount of fuel you have in it doesn't appear to be very much.  I was advised to try the Minion Method since I'm considering doing an overnight smoke with this and want to try to "set it and forget it" instead of tending coals every hour.  you should probably try the same method of lighting your coals.


I don't like calling any one names; the same device could be trash to some treasure to some others. Something no one can deny is this: WSM kick a......!!


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## boxmaster

This is what i bought/use just strictly for ribs.  Paid $72 dollars for it years ago, vents wide open, any fuel never over 250°F! It will melt the firebox before it will go higher in temp! Quite inefficient but not as bad as a Brinkmann apparently!













Char Broil American Gourmet Deluxe Offset Smoker G



__ boxmaster
__ Oct 30, 2014


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## sparkie1952

lizziejoy said:


> Smoke Daddy sells pellet hoppers that can be attached to different smokers to turn it to a pellet smoker.  Set it and forget it for those that don't like to have to babysit their cooks. It's not for everybody, some people like to more attentive when grilling.  Just an option for you guys/gals that prefer low and slow cooking.  There are some real interesting pictures of different ideas for these on their website.  http://www.smokedaddyinc.com.


OK, lemme get this right. You want me to buy a $320 hopper for my $279 smoker so I can use $55 40 lb pound bags of pellets instead of coals and wood chunks?

I'll have to think about that.


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## stokinsmokebbq

I may have done it.  I recently modded my SnP and holy cow i reached temps from 350 (firebox side) to a steadt 250 center to far left. Heres what i did
Built charcoal basket out of expanded metal 

Screwed four holes (2 front 2 back ) on the firebox to raise grate in firebox so its roughly to the top of vent door.used screws with nuts and have an expanded metal grate i made just sitting on top of it.

RIVETED angled aluminum pieces to top and bottom lip of barrell just in the front 

RIVETED stove rope and oven door gasket to those pieces of angled aluminum to create some sort of seal because there was just way to much smoke escaping

Used rolled aluminum and shoved it in smoke stack to extwnd it to the grate

I used a piece of aluminum and bent it by hand and riveted right above the hole from which the firebox enters cooking chamber and angled it down so that heat and smoke will be directed to bottom and across sort of evenly.

Used pieces of steel to create tuning plates i guess if u wanna call them that. I need to get 1 more i think 

I have been having trouble with this thing since i first cooked on it.  I could never get the temp to even get up to 225 for longer then 5 minutes...the firebox side is now getting temps of 350 so i might place a pan of water on that side and mainly use the center and far left side because they were a steady 250 for 1 hour .. to me that incredible. 
To me these mods worked .. far from perfect but milluon times better then before hopefully this weekend will be a nice cook time will tell. I have alotta pictures of this i will post.


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## stokinsmokebbq

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## stokinsmokebbq

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## stokinsmokebbq

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## stokinsmokebbq

Messed up loading pics. Will load better ones when i get home


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## droach53

I always start with charcoal but use fire wood logs to finish , by doing this I am able to keep the temp up


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## sqwib

StokinSmokeBBQ said:


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Looking good!


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## sparkie1952

I promise I'm not switching!!!

I just got a real good deal on a 30 inch MES and seasoned it today. I still prefer my wood/charcoal side by side but I am getting old!

Gonna do two turkeys (11 lbs each) tomorrow, It will sure be nice to sit in my chair and watch the remote!

Sparkie


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## nickm62388

After reading through all 7 pages of this...... Im shocked becuz i cured my Brinkmann Smoke N Pit for first time today and it held temps great 400 degrees for a good 3 hours....Now i did have charcoal in both firebox and cooking chamber which was a huge reason, and i had to close both dampers on the firebox and chimney because it said not to exceed 450 degrees in cooking chamber......

Now i know it will be different when i just start putting charcoal in firebox only..... But im going to try dry run first with no mods at all and see how it does. I may use high temp caulk and seal all the little crevices and holes (around crap stock thermometer,and around chimney port on outside of lid) I already ordered the MAverick 2 probe digital thermometers so see how they do so I have good temp reading at grate level on both ends of barrel.

Then from everyones input....

1. Add chimney tube inside cooking chamber down to grate

2. flip the cooking tray upside down and raise high end on firebox side and angle down to opposite end

3. Def want a charcoal basket either way because i def dont like the set up it has out of the box

4. and depending on varying temps....im going to use oven gasket rope or whatever and put it around entire lid so its a better seal around lid to bottom of barrel.

Sound good???


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## sparkie1952

droach53 said:


> I always start with charcoal but use fire wood logs to finish , by doing this I am able to keep the temp up


Keep the temp up?

I have always had the trouble with keeping the temp down! Now I use a small Weber tabletop grill just to keep some fresh hot coals ready. I only put in a few at a time to get the temp to stabilize at 225-250 and it's a delicate balance. I also use the wood chunks in the minion basket and add hot coals to the unlit chunks when I first put the meat in the smoker. I feel the smoke must be added for the first part of the process. If your going to do a Pork Butt for instance and it's going to take 10+ hours to get to the 205 deg temp for pulled pork I will run smoke for at least the first half of the process and sometimes even throughout the process. The point is to keep the temp below 250 for smoking.

If you look back you will see the brick wall I built in my smoker to help control the temp on the smoker side. I have it pretty much "tuned" now. It took a long time for me to get the idea of just adding a few coals at a time to maintain the desired temp in the smoker.

Now I can also build a charcoal/wood fire on both sides and get the temp up to 450 deg with a large pizza stone on the grill to do some amazing pizzas!

Sparkie


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## whiskeyboyz

You know folks, I read all of these "remedies" and "mods" to offset smokers and I laugh out loud. We at KickAss BBQ South have been teaching Back yard BBQ Classes for 4 years using Offset Smokers, 1 Brinkmann Smoke and Pit, 1 Older Brinkmann Pitmaster, 2 New Brumsfelds, and 3 CharBroilers. We teach hot and fast on a Saturday. Starting at 9:00 am we smoke 1 brisket, 2 chickens, 8-10 racks of ribs, a pork loin and a big piece of salmon/steelhead Trout, a pork butt and appetizers. All is off the smokers by #;30-4:00 pm and done, taste tested and the students take it all home in to-go boxes. We have never done ANY mods to these smokers, Sealing the lids, Caulking or any of that. All of our smokers reach and maintain temps from 300 to 375 all day. The only View media item 316471                













Mister Baffler 4.JPG



__ whiskeyboyz
__ Oct 6, 2014






we use is our patented Mister Baffler in the smoke chamber.  Raise the fire grate an inch or so, use Hardwood lump charcoal which burns hotter and leaves less ash and is easier to start when adding to an existing coals.  Check us out at WWW.KickAssbbqsouth.com


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## whiskeyboyz

You can get the same results, internal temps, smoke rings, smoke flavor, by cooking hot and fast as you can low and slow. I can do a 10 lb butt and have it up to 205-207 in 4 hours using our techniques, any longer than that and I would be too full of beer to care.


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## nickm62388

Whiskey boys I agree I cured my smoke n pit yesterday and temperature was steady for at least 3 hours. Where could I find tips and techniques for the smoke n pit smoker you talk about ?


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## femurphy77

So after how many thousands of hours and hundreds of students have you gone through in your classes.  How many hundreds or thousands of pounds of meat have you cooked.  You stated you've never had to make any mods then throw in a sales pitch for your "patented" baffle.  Probably gladly sell us one to, guaranteed to cure what ails you I bet.

I've been lurking this forum for awhile now and never really felt compelled to reply but somehow your post came across rather condescending.  I'm sure I'm reading it wrong though.  Most if not all the people on this forum enjoy cooking almost as much as they enjoy the hunt to find the perfect combination to the units they have on hand.  Unless you have a purpose built smoker then you are compromising.  What you teach on the various units you use are probably the compromises that work on that particular unit.  My own "smoker" is a char-griller that required a few of the typical char-griller mods to get it to "work".  Can you smoke on it straight out of the box?  Sure you can but with compromises.  By modifying and improving you're reducing the compromises and increasing your pleasure in the product, the journey and the smoker you have.

Probably should have just kept my mouth shut but something about your post really came across wrong.

Almost forgot, I developed the same type of baffle on my own several years ago, long before I came across your product a few months ago.  Like you said, works like a charm.


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## whiskeyboyz

Mister Baffler 4.JPG



__ whiskeyboyz
__ Oct 6, 2014






Hardwood lump charcoal burns hotter and produces less ash. Raise that charcoal grid up and inch or so. I love my Brinkmann Smoke and pit. First smoker I ever bought. I can maintain 300 degrees all day using my Mister Baffler baffle and lump charcoal. I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook, also using some smoking wood.

WWW.KickAssBBQsouth.com


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## whiskeyboyz

I didn't mean to come across that way. I am just saying that we have never sealed any of our smokers with rope seals, caulking or any of that. yes we have did simple things like rasing the fire grates up . Rance and I both smoked for years before starting classes in 2009. We have taught approx 240 students in the 12 classes. We prepare approx 120 lbs of meat each class., all hands on,  prepped by the students, we assign them smokers to maintain, but while instructing, I have a volunteer "pit Bitch" (usually a former student which volunteers) to man the fire boxes. We started using aluminum pie pans to cover the hole from the fire box which we could bend up and down to reduce the heat, then the Baffle came to mind. And to be honest, I have sold/given as gifts over a 150 of them. My Patent was published on Feb 12, 2015, after 1/1/2 years of working on it with the patent office and around $1000.00.  and yes, They are the cure for any smoker right out of the box. Most recent sales have been for the new Brinkmann Limited Editions, which 2 of my friends have bought and are proven to work great. I have shipped these to PA, NY, NC,SC, GA,TN,AL,WI, MN, WA, TX, CA, and one yesterday to Billings MT.

When I am not teaching classes, I normally smoke every other weekend. What I use now is a 48" deluxe LANG reverse flow trailer mounted Smoker/Cooker wood burner. I have been known to pull out a Charbroiler or my little Brinkmann smoke and pit for ribs now and again too, or the Weber Kettle Grill. When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it.

And that is how I started out just like you, meat not done, chasing the thermometer all day. adding charcoal every 30-40 minutes, finding that sweet spot with the vents  - been there - done that and it wasn't a fun beginning. but now, my brisket is to die for and my pulled pork has been used for welcome home vets' parties, wedding receptions, reunions, 4th of July parties.


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## sqwib

WhiskeyBoyz said:


> You know folks, I read all of these "remedies" and "mods" to offset smokers and I laugh out loud.
> 
> we use is our patented Mister Baffler in the smoke chamber.  Raise the fire grate an inch or so, use Hardwood lump charcoal which burns hotter and leaves less ash and is easier to start when adding to an existing coals.  Check us out at WWW.KickAssbbqsouth.com





femurphy77 said:


> I've been lurking this forum for awhile now and never really felt compelled to reply but somehow your post came across rather condescending.  I'm sure I'm reading it wrong though.  Most if not all the people on this forum enjoy cooking almost as much as they enjoy the hunt to find the perfect combination to the units they have on hand.
> 
> Almost forgot, I developed the same type of baffle on my own several years ago, long before I came across your product a few months ago.  Like you said, works like a charm.


I can see this as insulting to some, especially those who have tweaked their pits to perform how they like. I wasn't going to reply to this because I'm not up for an argument but wanted to make a few points/observations;

1) First I'm not sure if this breaks forum Policy because it looks like advertisement (I think it's OK if you are a paid sponsor), not sure if you are.

2) Many folks may think this is a cure all for their pits from that post.

Many pits will need mods and tweaks to operate more efficiently and this will vary from pit to pit of the same make.


WhiskeyBoyz said:


> I didn't mean to come across that way. I am just saying that we have never sealed any of our smokers with rope seals, caulking or any of that. yes we have did simple things like *rasing the fire grates up* . Rance and I both smoked for years before starting classes in 2009. We have taught approx 240 students in the 12 classes. We prepare approx 120 lbs of meat each class., all hands on,  prepped by the students, we assign them smokers to maintain, but while instructing, I have a volunteer "pit Bitch" (usually a former student which volunteers) to man the fire boxes. We started using aluminum pie pans to cover the hole from the fire box which we could bend up and down to reduce the heat, then the Baffle came to mind. And to be honest, I have sold/given as gifts over a 150 of them. My Patent was published on Feb 12, 2015, after 1/1/2 years of working on it with the patent office and around $1000.00.  and yes, They are the cure for any smoker right out of the box. Most recent sales have been for the new Brinkmann Limited Editions, which 2 of my friends have bought and are proven to work great. I have shipped these to PA, NY, NC,SC, GA,TN,AL,WI, MN, WA, TX, CA, and one yesterday to Billings MT.
> 
> When I am not teaching classes, I normally smoke every other weekend. What I use now is a 48" deluxe LANG reverse flow trailer mounted Smoker/Cooker wood burner. I have been known to pull out a Charbroiler or my little Brinkmann smoke and pit for ribs now and again too, or the Weber Kettle Grill. When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it.
> 
> And that is how I started out just like you, meat not done, chasing the thermometer all day. adding charcoal every 30-40 minutes, finding that sweet spot with the vents  - been there - done that and it wasn't a fun beginning. but now, my brisket is to die for and my pulled pork has been used for welcome home vets' parties, wedding receptions, reunions, 4th of July parties.


That's a Remedy/Mod.

BTW, I love that pic on your site of the pits all going at once.


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## sqwib

WhiskeyBoyz said:


> Hardwood lump charcoal burns hotter and produces less ash. Raise that charcoal grid up and inch or so. I love my Brinkmann Smoke and pit. First smoker I ever bought. I can maintain 300 degrees all day using my Mister Baffler baffle and lump charcoal. I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook, also using some smoking wood.


I think many folks would benefit from you giving some tips on an all day cook at 300° using 8lbs of lump on an offset, I sure would appreciate it, although I'm a stickburner.


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## gary s

I agree with SQWIB   Mods aren't a magic fix all for smoking, just helps your smoker perform a little more efficiently . You can smoke on any type of smoker

Gary


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## whiskeyboyz

not an all day cook, just until the ribs are done. we beleive that lump is the answer along with a few pieces of wood


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## sqwib

WhiskeyBoyz said:


> not an all day cook, just until the ribs are done. we beleive that lump is the answer along with a few pieces of wood


Gotcha, so maybe under 6 hours. I read the following posts and got excited thinking you were getting exceptionally long burn times at 300 degrees, 

_When I smoke I usually do 4-5 butts, a brisket and some Salmon, which I vacuum seal and freeze. I make my own rubs and sauce, So I guess I am into smoking a little and may know just a little bit about it._

_I don't know of any cook where I have used more than an 8 lb bag of lump. I don't think I have ever used an entire bag on a cook_

I run my pit at 275 for butts and average 60+ minutes a pound and the butts I get are usually 7 - 9 pounds but that's usually foiled to get through the stall.

I can definitely see an all day burn from 8lbs on an egg, wish I could get a whole cook 9-10 hours on an 8lb bag of lump on my stickburner.

You have to factor in some fuel loss for the initial startup before even tossing on the meat. I wonder if any Weber users are getting long burns at 300?

Have you ever tried using hardwood coals (preburn)?


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## femurphy77

Sorry about coming off like a dick WB, (Hope the censor blocks that but if not
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






) crap day at work and all.  Although I have no where near the experience of you or most of the other people on this board I've found that trying to seal every nook and cranny of the cook chamber really isn't necessary as long as you're not losing heat or having a hard time maintaining temps.  I would be concerned if you had no smoke coming out of your 'stack but as long as you have enough to bathe the meat in that delicious smoke, who cares?  That IS a great pic of all those smokers going at the same time.

We attended a bbq bootcamp in Sellersburg a while back and are wanting to do it again but may join your group just to see a different take on it.  After all the one thing that I've found that works EVERY time is watching other peoples techniques and then adapt them to my own to improve the flavor, fun and pleasure of seeing to it that the little piggy that went to market didn't die in vain!


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## nickm62388

I sealed all the leaks around the smoker with fire resistant caulk....It wont effect taste or anything using caulk to seal it up right???













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__ nickm62388
__ Mar 11, 2015





  Everyone says to buy/make charcoal basket for the firebox.....why cant instead of putting it on the bottom grate of firebox, since i wont ever be cooking in firebox throw charcoal right on the top grate inside firebox which is right near the entrance to the cooking chamber?













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__ nickm62388
__ Mar 11, 2015






I turned the drip pan upside down, and have the highest part sitting on the lip of the firebox entrance into cooking chamber, and have it angled down towards opposite end for heat distrubution like everyone says???? Look and sound good?


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## tropics

nickm62388 said:


> I sealed all the leaks around the smoker with fire resistant caulk....It wont effect taste or anything using caulk to seal it up right???
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> __ nickm62388
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> Everyone says to buy/make charcoal basket for the firebox.....why cant instead of putting it on the bottom grate of firebox, since i wont ever be cooking in firebox throw charcoal right on the top grate inside firebox which is right near the entrance to the cooking chamber?
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> I turned the drip pan upside down, and have the highest part sitting on the lip of the firebox entrance into cooking chamber, and have it angled down towards opposite end for heat distrubution like everyone says???? Look and sound good?


Even though I do not have my stick burner, a charcoal basket will keep the coal burning better, saving fuel and easier to control temp.


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## nickm62388

With charcoal basket am I putting that on bottom rack in firebox or the top grate in the firebox next to the opening to the cooking chamber ?


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## nickm62388

I am selling this POS Smoke N Pit.....After reading and trying to do every mod that everyone has said it still keeps no heat, takes forever to get heat up. Selling this on craigslist and buying a Weber Smokey Mountain like I should have done in first place. This smoker is cheaply made, and mechanically just a bad concept the way it was built. I have to save up another $150 for the smokey mountain, but for the mods and aggravation this piece of junk caused me I dont care.


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## sparkie1952

I have a similar Royal Oak horizontal smoker. I had a Brinkmann before that. I wore the Brinlman out and gave it away to a friend that repaired it (new bottom on firebox) and still uses it. My Royal Oak is a much more substantial smoker/grill. Much heavier metal and all of the grates are porcilian coated. I just gave it to my son-in-law this past wekend. It is still on my dexk however. I am getting old and I recently bough a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. It's the bomb. The charcoal smokers use a lot of fuel and require a lot of attention. The MES has a remote control that displays cooker and meat temps and I add only about a half a cup of wood chips every 45 mins for the first few hours or so. I made two turkeys and have done a boston butt and a few "fatties" so far but it is really nice. The basic models are not very expensive at all. I found mine on EBay.

Oh yea I  tried all of the baffles, baskets, gaskets and did a dance around the damn thing (after enough whiskey)but wound up in a more or less stock configuration with a few bricks making an adjustable wall between the firebox and the smoker box. Some of these guys selling $30 baffles just baffle me.

Sparkie


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## sparkie1952

Here are my first two turkeys from the MES.

Sparkie













2014-11-26 16 20 49.jpg



__ sparkie1952
__ Mar 23, 2015


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## cman55

nickm62388 said:


> I am selling this POS Smoke N Pit.....After reading and trying to do every mod that everyone has said it still keeps no heat, takes forever to get heat up. Selling this on craigslist and buying a Weber Smokey Mountain like I should have done in first place. This smoker is cheaply made, and mechanically just a bad concept the way it was built. I have to save up another $150 for the smokey mountain, but for the mods and aggravation this piece of junk caused me I dont care.


You might want to contact the manufacturer and let them know exactly what you think of their product. You might get something out of it if you layout exactly what your experience was. Make sure you get to customer service and talk to a boss as I'm sure they have a phone #. Follow up with an email too.

Companies just might comp you for the bs you've had to put up with. Might amount to something small, but you'll walk away with something. 

JMHO..


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## sparkie1952

Cman55 said:


> You might want to contact the manufacturer and let them know exactly what you think of their product. You might get something out of it if you layout exactly what your experience was. Make sure you get to customer service and talk to a boss as I'm sure they have a phone #. Follow up with an email too.
> 
> Companies just might comp you for the bs you've had to put up with. Might amount to something small, but you'll walk away with something.
> 
> JMHO..


Try to find some fluent in Mandarin Chinese before you call!

Sparkie


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## sparkie1952

Sparkie1952 said:


> Try to find someone fluent in Mandarin Chinese before you call!
> 
> Sparkie


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## cman55

I had thought Brinkmann would have had an American based presence and they do..


> [h3]Mail[/h3]
> The Brinkmann Corporation
> Attn: Customer Service
> 4215 McEwen Road
> Dallas, TX 75244
> [h3]Phone[/h3][h4](800) 468-5252[/h4]
> Local: (972) 716-4262


They're based out of Texas so you may need to get someone that's fluent in Texan..


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## nickm62388

YA so just called brinkmann corporate and that was a useless call. They didn't do anything as I expected, and not sure why I even bothered calling. I told them they would probably go on with their day after giving them a complaint and telling them how awful their product was


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## cman55

nickm62388 said:


> YA so just called brinkmann corporate and that was a useless call. They didn't do anything as I expected, and not sure why I even bothered calling. I told them they would probably go on with their day after giving them a complaint and telling them how awful their product was


then I would piss on their product every chance I got everywhere I saw any reference to it. In public, if you see someone looking at it in a big box store, talk them out of the purchase. Other than that, go on and get the WSM. 

If Brinkmann was a legitmate manufacturer, they would have offered to address your complaint. Evidently, they're in it for the cash. I'll make sure to share your experience anytime I read anyone even thinking about buying any smoker with a brinkmann badge on it. 

If you can't beat them, fk them every chance you get.


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## timberjet

If only Weber would make a stick burner. Wouldn't that be something? You can't go wrong with the WSM man, or you could build one of these for a hundred bucks or less.













my uds.jpg



__ timberjet
__ Nov 16, 2013






Best smoker for the money in the way of charcoal bar none.


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## nickm62388

So I changed my mind before I try to return it. I'm
Determined to make this hunk of junk work. I just built and made a charcoal basket for the firebox. Now first question why can't I put charcoal on top grate inside firebox? To close to opening into cooking chamber? And also I'm going to try to put some kind of material between temp gauge and barrel and same with chimney barrel so the leaks are sealed(stick something in middle and then screw the stuff down so it's sealed, because all the fire resistant caulk I use peeled and fell off. I bought a piece of metal tube from home depot for chimney extender but the pos fell apart and came undone so gotta try to find something different for chimney extender. As for the leaks on entire barrel Lid, I see people put oven liner rope around the edge of entire barrel so it's sealed when closed. I'm determined to get this pos smoker to work and maintain heat. I'm not doing any brick plates or tiles in cooking chamber. I'm going to try to find some kind of sheet to put over entrance of firebox vent facing down towards opposite end to distribute heat evenly.


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## cman55

I admire your grit. I would start with buying the gasket material used around Large BGE's. Use weather strip glue around the cooking chamber opening (follow the directions) and not the door. The temp in the smoking chamber should never get so high as to melt the glue so you should be good to go. You may have to cut the gasket felt in half the long way to get it to fit good around the opening. If you're gonna use that charcoal basket, it will be too high to use in tandem with your firebox grate. Solution, just don't use it when you want to grill in your firebox. I got 3in elbow joint aluminum from Ace Hardware to extend the chimney to the grate at the far end. Please keep in mind all of these suggestions worked on my OKJ so they should work on your offset stickburner too.

If you're planning to use a heat baffle plate, you can get one form http://www.horizonbbqsmokers.com and cut to size with an angle grinder if its too big. You definitely would want to get one as they do even out the temps from the hot end of the offset to the far end.


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## nickm62388

I will never be cooking in my firebox. How exactly did  get your chimney elbow to stay up, did you just jam it up from the inside til it got stuck up in the chimney?


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## sparkie1952

nickm62388 said:


> I will never be cooking in my firebox. How exactly did get your chimney elbow to stay up, did you just jam it up from the inside til it got stuck up in the chimney?


Ok, two things

1.. The smoke stack on the brinkman just goes straight up from the cooking chamber. On the Oklahoma Joe and on my Royal Oak (both the same I think) the smoke stack comes out the side of the cooking chamber and then turns up to vertical. I will try to find pictures of mine. Ok the picture does not show the latches installed.

2.  Get some latches and latch the cooking chamber lid down. I found this to work well without any gaskets at all. I took the gasket off to do this mod.

Sparkie













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__ sparkie1952
__ Mar 26, 2015


















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__ sparkie1952
__ Mar 26, 2015


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## nickm62388

Ya I think a latch wouldn't matter it's hard to explain, but the gap between cooking chamber and bottom the gap is offset I guess they don't sit right on top of each other it's more of offset lids I will try to take a picture of how to explain it


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## cman55

Yeah, Sparkie is right. My stack comes out the side just like in the picture he showed. You could always try getting it to stay by using friction. That is, buy the sleeve just a bit larger than the diameter of your smoke stack. Since they're aluminum, you should be able to crunch one end of your aluminum sleeve and simply screw it into the stack from under the cooking dome of course. There's no force on the sleeve so once its in, it stays unless you take it out for some reason. 

BTW, I have grilled on my firebox and it produce some wonderful Delmonicos. I didn't use the charcoal box but simply filled with the right amount of briquettes to get the job done. I just don't grill very often but when I do, I use my propane. Just quicker and easier clean up.


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## gary s

Nice Job  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gary


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## sparkie1952

Cman55 said:


> Yeah, Sparkie is right. My stack comes out the side just like in the picture he showed. You could always try getting it to stay by using friction. That is, buy the sleeve just a bit larger than the diameter of your smoke stack. Since they're aluminum, you should be able to crunch one end of your aluminum sleeve and simply screw it into the stack from under the cooking dome of course. There's no force on the sleeve so once its in, it stays unless you take it out for some reason.
> 
> BTW, I have grilled on my firebox and it produce some wonderful Delmonicos. I didn't use the charcoal box but simply filled with the right amount of briquettes to get the job done. I just don't grill very often but when I do, I use my propane. Just quicker and easier clean up.


I forgot to mention that I took the elbow that I had off and threw it away. It made no significant difference. I use a couple of digital thermometers to monitor the ends of the smoke chamber. I also take the basket out when grilling but I also have a 14 inch weber that sits on the table if I I'm just doing steaks. The little weber also comes in handy for getting some replacement coals ready for basket. When using your basket put some unlit coals and wood chunks on the bottom and put your hot coals on top not many or it will get away from you (it's called the "Minion Method"). That's where the little weber or any small cheap table top grill comes in handy. And don't forget the fireplace shovel for handling hot coals. And you can see my little garden rake in the picture. It's great for snatching hot grills off the smoker or just sliding them around and stirring coals too.

Yea I know, like the guy that sells the high dollar baffles sez...I'm full of it!!!

Sparkie


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## mountainman5741

I have two Brinkman box smokers and am having terrible trouble keeping my temp. up one holds a barley 200 and the other holds around 200 on  temp gauge.  I have tried to adjust the dampers to raise the temp and I am UN-ABLE to raise the Temp. I tried adding more charcoal even added large chucks of smoking wood DRY!!! Can you give me any cures to this problem.  I feel that the both doors dont seal and the heat is coming out of the doors but I may be wrong.  Can anyone provide a CURE!! Thanks


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## slider n copa

mountainman5741 said:


> I have two Brinkman box smokers and am having terrible trouble keeping my temp. up one holds a barley 200 and the other holds around 200 on  temp gauge.  I have tried to adjust the dampers to raise the temp and I am UN-ABLE to raise the Temp. I tried adding more charcoal even added large chucks of smoking wood DRY!!! Can you give me any cures to this problem.  I feel that the both doors dont seal and the heat is coming out of the doors but I may be wrong.  Can anyone provide a CURE!! Thanks


I started on a Brinkmen box smoker, first thing I did was get a tube of high temp silicon, clean the surface of the door seal with a wire brush, i layed it on it's back I used. 2 1/8 drill bits on the sealing surface closed the door and adjusted the latch to hold the solid, open it back up and put tape around the outside of the box for easy clean up later. Coat the door with a heavy coat of bacon grease and on the box sealing surface put a heavy bead of high temp silicon and close the door and latch it the leave it alone long enough for it to cure, stand it back up and open it, you should have a very nice door seal now, remove the nails as the can be used for temp probe wires now, if it leaks at all now just tighten the latch a little and it shouldn't leak anymore, mine didnt


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## slider n copa

Sparkie1952 said:


> I forgot to mention that I took the elbow that I had off and threw it away. It made no significant difference. I use a couple of digital thermometers to monitor the ends of the smoke chamber. I also take the basket out when grilling but I also have a 14 inch weber that sits on the table if I I'm just doing steaks. The little weber also comes in handy for getting some replacement coals ready for basket. When using your basket put some unlit coals and wood chunks on the bottom and put your hot coals on top not many or it will get away from you (it's called the "Minion Method"). That's where the little weber or any small cheap table top grill comes in handy. And don't forget the fireplace shovel for handling hot coals. And you can see my little garden rake in the picture. It's great for snatching hot grills off the smoker or just sliding them around and stirring coals too.
> 
> 
> 
> Yea I know, like the guy that sells the high dollar baffles sez...I'm full of it!!!
> 
> Sparkie


There is a picture in one of these posts where a guy used 1/4 in steal to make a diverter plate for the fire end, I did that as well then I got 1/4 x 2 x 14.5 in bars to line the bottom rail, then I took a cookie sheet and cut it to fit the diameter of the exhaust end all the way to the grill, it makes a big difference if your door is sealed the heat has to go under the bottom of the baffle I made on the exhaust side and being the full width I don't have a cold spot, still messin with the spacing of the steel. Bars but I love it so far and less than 50$ in material


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## smoky jim

I've been using my Brinkman SnP for several years and have no problems getting proper temps; both in stock mode or after I installed several mods (firebox baffle, pavers in the bottom of cook chamber, raising the firebox grate, multiple thermos).  I usually need to close the firebox vent down to about 1/4 open (with stack wide open) to keep temps down in the cook chamber. I use Kingsford blue and some small chunks of oak or hickory for fuel.  When new, I was able to season at high temp with no problem.  Not sure why others in this thread cannot get higher temps????  Artic zip codes maybe?? :-)


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