Brisket on a Brinkmann


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
The details of my upcoming medium-sized party smoke are coming together. I'll be doing 10 racks of loin back ribs on my 18" WSM and I was given a Brinkmann Smoke 'n Grill by a friends, and on this I will attempt to do a full packer brisket.

My first question is this: Is there any way to perform temperature control on that Brinkmann? There are no air vents; air just comes in around the bottom of the charcoal pan, which has about a 1" gap all around. Does anybody know what temp this cooker normally runs at with such a configuration? If there's no way to regulate the temp, what should I plan to cook this brisky at? Low/slow or HH or somewhere in between?

Call me confused here -- and wishing I had a second WSM!
 
If time allows, I would start the brisket on the WSM and finish foiled in the oven or a grill and start the ribs on the WSM. I have had several bad issues on products with the Brinkmann name on them trying to help out a friend or borrowing one from someone for capacity.
 
My experience with the Brinkman cam in the late 90's, but I still have nightmares. When used in the out-of-the-box configuration, temperature is very low due to lack of air flow through the coals. There are some modifications that can be done to make these things function - do a search and you'll find them.

(by the way, I started my response before JSMcDowell, but I didn't finish until about 30 minutes ater I started -- great minds think alike, I guess)

Can you start the brisket in the WSM or kettle to get the smoke taste and then move it to the oven to finish. Really, you could start it in the Brinkman and then move it to the oven after you get disgusted with the Brinkman performance. Good luck.
 
to really make a brinkmann(ecb) work, you need to do some mods.
http://www.randyq.addr.com/ecb/ecbmods.html
yes they will work but not the best. at minimum you need to raise the charcoal grate several inches otherwise the ash will kill the coals. some have said they do ok. the gap around the lid and body is the vent. you can control that flow with foil crammed into the space as needed.
 
Wow Peter - that's a tall order - a whole packer on a Brinkmann. My first suggestion would be to cook the brisket on the WSM, starting in time to get the brisket off the smoker, foiled and in a cooler, then cook the ribs. I think that is your best bet.

As for the Brinkmann - I found a cheap "Go-Anywhere" Style gas grill on Ebay and pirated the gas burner from the grill and mounted it in the bottom of the Smoke n Grill on a 16" flat round piece of steel I got from the outdoor section at Academy for a couple of dollars. I had an adaptor that let me use a 20 lb propane tank instead of the 1 lb bottles. With the heat shield from the grill on top of the burner and a smoker box on top of the heat shield, it's a fairly serviceable propane smoker. There even is a site that sells propane conversion kits for the Brinkmann.

Unless you have the time or inclination to make a conversion, I still think that doing the brisket then the ribs on the WSM is your best bet.

Pat
 
Many years ago, I smoked a few briskets on a Brinkman and thought they were great. It was before I knew about lump and ash from K choked the fire in the later stages of the cook. I didn't use a thermometer at all but the temp seemed low to me. If I was forced to use a Brinkman, I'd go with lump, expect a fairly low n'slow cook and suspect it would turn out alright.
 
No access to anything other than a propane gasser, the WSM and the Brinkmann for this event in about 10 days from how. I will try to do the mods to the Brinkmann beforehand.

I'd really like to be able to use both and have everything ready to eat at roughly the same time, to be honest. I've never used the Brinkmann before and only done one less-than-ideal brisket flat on the WSM, so I know this is an uphill battle. I guess I could finish the brisky in the oven but that takes the element of showmanship out of the equation. We do our party once a year (and, in fact, this is the only time I ever cook for more than 2 or 3 people). Maybe I could do the brisky on the lower level of the WSM, 5 racks on the top level and 5 more in total on the Brinkmann. Fire control for 4 to 5 hours on that are probably not as critical for baby backs as it would be for a long brisket cook.
 
I suggest cooking something on it before the party. I wouldn't want to be learning my eqipment in front of while entertaining guests. Just to get to know it I'd do a smaller pork shoulder asap. Then u can see how hot it cooks. And worst case scenario pork shoulders are way cheaper than a brisket. Then you'll know if a brisket is within your limits on it and get a better idea of temps and times. But I'm sure it'll get the job done. Keep us updated!
 
*I DID NOT WRITE THIS ARTICLE*

This is something I found on the web.

I cannot take credit for the article. This article was written by a retired person who had alot of time on his hand. I can only definite from his talents.

Rob T
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rob T:
*I DID NOT WRITE THIS ARTICLE*

This is something I found on the web.

I cannot take credit for the article. This article was written by a retired person who had alot of time on his hand. I can only definite from his talents.

Rob T </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Great job with a Brinkmann. Imagine if he had a WSM all the mods he would do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top