New Smoker - first timer

[nofishfisherman]

So a buddy of mine bought me a Brinkmann Charcoal Smoke N' Grill for my birthday. I've wanted a smoker for awhile so I'm excited to give it a try.

Anyone use of the these smokers and have some tips for me. I'll be setting it up this weekend and will hopefully give it a shot shortly after.

I've never smoked anything before so I am wondering if there is something relatively easy to start with. I have a pack of good pork ribs in the freezer that I got from a butcher shop in SE wisonsin that I could try or I could get something from the store that might be better to practice on.

Any tips on this particular smoker or general tips for a newbie would be welcomed.

[alleyes]

Wow, nice gift! You might as well do those ribs, pretty easy with lots of tips in the library of links. I'm guessing you'll want to make something else right away, in which case I'd do a pork shoulder. I got a lot of help on this, check the link for "1st pork shoulder", enjoy!

[Walleyehooker]

Lots of good tips on here for ribs etc. It may take a little bit to get used to a new grill and how it heats and cooks but after that it will be pretty easy. Might want to start out with a basic or favorite seasoning and then you can experiment after that. Half the fun is trying different things and you will learn things as you go.

[Walleyehooker]

This was online the other day and some looked pretty good.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/02/barbecue-ribs-recipes_n_1635696.html?

[Leaky]

nofish - Be very careful! This stuff is addicting!

I have no experience using a charcoal smoker, so I can't be of much help. Temp control will be your most important task and I'm sure there will be some trial and error. Those ribs would be a fine way to start, or save them and run fast to target for some $1.97 St louis Cuts. For a nice $6.00 rack, it's a pretty inexpensive 1st time experiment. Do the 3-2-1 method described in these forums and you can't go wrong.

I know the search function on this site leaves much to be desired, so if you need an explination of 3-2-1, just ask.

[flipper]

I have had one of those for about 20 years or so. Mainly I have used mine for smoke/cooking turkeys. My main complaint has been that you have to add the charcoal quite often to keep the temp up where I want it. Cleaning up the water pan can be pretty time consuming as well.

Overall I give it a thumbs up, we have had some really good chow off ours.

[pike79]

If you use the water pan put hot or better yet boiling water in the pan,it will help get the temp. where you need it.A buddy of mine boils the ribs in beer and pours that in the pan and smokes the ribs.

[alleyes]

I've always foil-wrapped my water pan, easy cleanup!

[Jim Almquist]

When I use my charcoal smoker I fill up one of the Weber charcoal holders and that is what I start with as far as charcoal. After it burns for a 1-1 1/2 hours I will add more charcoal. I wrap the chips up in tin foil and add when they quit smoking. I like the charcoal/smoke flavor my pork butts and ribs get when using it. Apple with a little hickory is one of my favorite blend to smoke with right now.

[nofishfisherman]

I've been reading as much as I can about this particular smoker and it sounds like a great little smoker for the money. There are a few very simple modifications that can be done for almost no money that makes air flow and temp control a lot easier. Better temp control should also reduce the amount of charcoal I need to use.

I think I'll keep my eye out for something rather inexpensive to use for a trial run before I put those ribs on. The ribs were a gift from the owner of the butcher shop and they are not cheap so I think I should do a trial run on something else first.

I'm looking forward to hunting season even more now. I have big plans for some venison. Number one on the list is the venison bacon I remember being posted a few months back.

[birdswacker]

Nofish, do the mods I drilled some holes in the charcoal pan and found a grate for the pan also otherwise it fills up with ash and smothers the charcoal out. You'll use some charcoal but it works good. As someone already mentioned if using the water pan hot or boiling water or it won't get to the temp you want.

[nofishfisherman]

I will for sure do the mods to the charcoal tray. I was also planning to add a better thermometer to the top and also add some adjustable ventilation to the dome lid.

[nofishfisherman]

Well I did some of the modifications this weekend and also seasoned it by getting it up to temp for 2-3 hours.

The mods are pretty simple and most of them are to the charcoal pan. I found a 10 1/2 inch charcoal grate that I put in the bottom of the pan to give the charcoal a little lift over the ash. I may look to see if I can figure out a way to lift it just a little more yet as well. I also drilled holes in the bottom and side of the pan to increase air flow. I may end up drilling a few more in the bottom to give the ash more places to go as the charcoal burns.

I still plan to add a few air holes and attached an adjustable vent to the dome lid to help control air flow. I also plan to install a normal grill thermometer since the one included only reads "warm - ideal - hot". Other than that it should be good to go.

Looks like I can keep the temp up in the "ideal" range for about 1 1/2 hours on one load of coal. Looking forward to getting some meat it soon.

[reinhard1]

by adding that grate to keep the charcoal up from the ash should help out a lot. outside of a good vent on top i'd be carefull how many holes to drill in the smoker for air flow. for example my Charr-Griller barrel type smoker/grill has only one vent on top and one on the lower part on the end. however when i put the fire box on it, that side vent is now used for heat to enter the barrel. the fire box itself has a vent on the side for air flow. so one vent on top and one on the side. i guess it would be nice if you could put a small vent near the bottom of the smokker that would be adjustable instead of holes. i'm no expert at how a smoker is built, just thinking out loud. good luck.