Anyone use a Brinkmann Smoker/BBQ

[CAL]

I would like to expand my bbq capability and try some slow roast / smoked recipes but for this I'll need a smoker. I've seen the Brinkmann Gourmet advertised widely at a reasonable price but wondered if anyone has one and if it's any good. My main concern that whilst it's not exactly cheap it's much cheaper than it's competition so does that mean it's not worth it. I like the idea of having a charcoal BBQ with the versatility to both smoke and grill so this seems ideal.

Thanks,

Craig.

 

[Robson Valley]

I've run through 17 differrent gassers, 3 of which are smoker BBQ (eg dry rub, 3 hrs, apple wood smoke, 275F)
If that's what you would like to try, 5 minutes with bolt cutters and you can re-rig the guts.
You and yours will absolutely love the tenderized ribs/shanks/chickens/etc.

Might be a plan to cruise the yard sales, looking for a middle aged 2-burner gasser. My $20 is about your 10BPS, I'm guessing.
Try the flame control knobs, if they turn easily, that means that the valve block is in good shape.
If the knobs are _really_ stiff, keep looking. The block is hooped and the repair cost isn't worth it.

I got a gigantic 3-burner rig with an outboard sauce heater, no less. FREE. The regulator went, all hoses were crimped
together, so I tossed it all but the racks. Cut a hole near one end for my lobster pot burner, rigged a small rack
for the pan of apple wood, extra bolt-through thermometer at the food end.
How about 2 chickens, 2 racks of side ribs, 6 potatoes, 6 cobs of corn in one load?

If I ever decipher the Photobucket instructions, I'll show you. Even if I have to dig
away some of the 60" snow this winter to get the lid open.

 

[santaman2000]

Gas rigs ain't BBQ.

 

[Robson Valley]

Come on, Santaman! Let the boy get his rubs together! He's gotta get a feel for the food, first.
Took us both a spell to figure out what was a home run (a "six" in cricket). Yes?
Keep it simple. Then. We get into woods. He won't have mesquite or hickory outside his back door.
But, apple ought to be in reasonable supply. Man, that is #1 for everyone I cook for.
I can run charcoal until the cows come in. But, confidence trumps fuel when you are starting out.

 

[mountainm]

Do you mean the bbq's that look like R2D2? If so, a mate has one. Uses it for hot and cold smoking. He's done some lovely stuff in it. For cold smoking you need to buy the special burner too.

Plenty of cheap 3-in-1s (£30) on ebay if you wanted to experiment first.

 

[CAL]

Yes, it looks like R2D2 and is charcoal bbq. I definitely want to do hot smoking, cold smoking I may get into at a later date. I saw the three in ones and was considering them two its just there's some good offers on the brinkmann at the moment.

 

[lannyman8]

Gas rigs ain't BBQ.

Amen brother...

 

[Robson Valley]

I agree completely, my Dad always had a preference for lump mesquite.
I needed to get the food done in an appealing manner.
THEN, the switch to charcoal was quite straight forward.

 

[CAL]

Well, my plans changed at the last minute when I found a cracking deal on a Weber Smokey Mountain. Just need to have a go now.

 

[muffinski]

Researched smokers in extensively and decided on a pro qexcel 20 and have been really happy with. It was either that or a Webber Smokeymountain. I can add another layer to the pro q. There are hooks in the lid fora suckling pig, fish etc. One thing you need to consider in the cost is a digitalthermometer, about another £50ish. The key to smoking is not cooking times but regulatingthe temp of the smoker and checking the temp of the meat. I cannot comment onthe model your thinking about, however, when I came across it I ruled it outbased on the fact that the two aforementioned models have a huge following and solidreputation for being good and thought the extra money was worth it. In addition,I can use it as a standard bbq.

 

[CAL]

Thats why I finally went for the weber, I got a really good deal and in the end it was only £50 more than the Brinkman once you had taken into account the accesories that came with it and that I would need to buy anyway. The buidl quality on the Weber is fantastic - I just need to use it now. What do you recomend for a digital thermometer?

Thanks,

Craig.

 

[muffinski]

Maverick ET-732 Dual Remote BBQ Thermometer, it's widely used in the american bbq scene, enjoy the smoker, a lot of it is trial and error and that's half the fun!

 

[Robson Valley]

OK, well, spend 5k on a smoker BBQ. Burn all the meat you want. What have you got for rubs? Huh?
What have you got for smoke wood that everybody likes?
Those will make or break your dinners, no matter what your heat source was.

Where I live in the mountains is a jumping-off-point in many directions. I expect a houseful of company.
The really smart ones ask about what meat they can bring for BBQ. Been here before.

My most expensive smoker BBQ cost me $20.00