Excuse me if this has been discussed before. The Brinkmann Gourmet charcoal smoker is in my opinion, almost useless because you can't control the airflow. I have a Komodo Kamado so I don't really care about this much anymore but... I have been trying to modify the Brink. I took out the thermometer and converted that 2" hole to an adjustable top vent. The problem is getting the lid to be an airtight fit to the body. I tried adding a Rutland stove gasket, but it did not result in a tight fit. My next thought was to simply tape the lid to the body with aluminum duct tape for each cook, and just leave the lid on til the meat is done. Have any of you worked on this? The fit of the charcoal pan to the body is airtight so no problem there. And the bottom vent is a 1 7/8" hole that can be easily fit with a Guru or a Stoker or an adjustable vent, so that's no issue. There's no real reason to fool with this since you can just get a WSM or a ceramic cooker, I'm just playing around. So, anybody successfully modded a Brink?
Brinkmann
- Thread starter m guerra
- Start date
John Furdyn
TVWBB Pro
Michael
I have a brinkmann gourmet charcoal smoker that I modified pretty sucessfully.
Although I haven't used it since I got my WSM cooker.
As far as your lid sealing problem. I cut vent holes in the lid, installed vent covers, and sealed the lid to the middle section (each time I used it), using round "Rope" type stove gasket, I don't remember if it was 1/2 or 5/8 in diameter.
And it made a pretty air tight seal.
Good luck and happy smoking!!!
I have a brinkmann gourmet charcoal smoker that I modified pretty sucessfully.
Although I haven't used it since I got my WSM cooker.
As far as your lid sealing problem. I cut vent holes in the lid, installed vent covers, and sealed the lid to the middle section (each time I used it), using round "Rope" type stove gasket, I don't remember if it was 1/2 or 5/8 in diameter.
And it made a pretty air tight seal.
Good luck and happy smoking!!!
Russell Y
TVWBB All-Star
I modified my ECB Smoke N Grill to be a gas smoker. Used a metal "charcoal grate" from Academy and a small gas burner from a cheap Weber Go Anywhere - type gas grill. It actually works pretty darn well. No WSM mind you, but it does pretty good on a chicken or pork tenderloin or other smaller cooks when I just don't want to fire up the WSM.
Pat
Pat
Larry D.
TVWBB Emerald Member
When I modified my Brinkmann Gourmet several years ago, I just put an adjustable sliding cover over the bottom vent to control airflow, and I left the top alone. That gap around the lid acts as a top vent, and does not need to be made air-tight. When I cook with the WSM, I always have the top vent wide open, and control the temperature only with the bottom vents. The Gourmet worked the same way. When I was finished cooking, I'd remove the middle section and set the lid directly onto the bottom section (which has to be done carefully, but it can be done) and shut the bottom vent; the fire would then go out in a short time. My advice is to leave the lid alone, and not to try to seal the gap at all.