Got my smoker back... now what?

[70 Steed]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

Hey Tony, how'd your brisket turn out?

[CityHick]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

It was good! Let it rest in a cooler for nearly two hours after it hit 190. Came out juicy and tender... could not lift a slice without it breaking. Tons of leftovers, sandwiches and tacos so far... and a bunch of it is frozen.

[70 Steed]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

Looks great. You got a nice smoke ring on it.

[CityHick]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

Thanks. I was having a really hard time keeping the cooking temperature below 300. It was running north of 350 at times.
Seems that a small enough fire to achieve the lower temp range will burn out too quickly. Adding more fuel increases temperature but also increases duration so I am adding fuel less often. I remember this problem from cooking Thanksgiving turkeys as well, could never keep it in the 200-250 zone reliably. Probably a factor of a cheap smoker more than anything.

The link I referenced before addresses some of this, with adding new vents and dampers top and bottom. I question how much effort is actually worth putting into this thing versus buying something nicer eventually. A friend has a Primo grill which operates a lot like a smoker - they are nice but they are pricey. Then there's the Traeger... the ultimate "set it and forget it" cooker.

I think I need to get my back yard in better shape before I go adding more outdoor cooking apparatus to it.

[70 Steed]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

Probably the reason it was running hot is because you had too much air flow which is the problem with an El Cheapo Brinkman. Also if the smoker is in the sun it will have a tendency to run hot. You would probably be better off in the long run to buy a better smoker than try to modify the Brinkman.

Check out the Weber Smokey Mountain aka Weber Bullet.

[CityHick]

Re: Got my smoker back... now what?

I agree, too much airflow. The link that I was referring to addresses that concern in several ways... sealing gaps, etc. I like the Weber units and have looked at them before, that may well be what I upgrade to eventually. Right now the El Cheapo will suffice - the food comes out good its just not as nice as the Weber.