The new Brinkman models come with a modified charcoal pan with air vents, so no modifying is needed. I guess Brinkman heard the complaints and made a simple yet much needed modification.
Dj, the glue comes with the door gasket in a kit, it is a special black hi temp glue. I have heard of the mods for a sealed bottom pan but I have been unsucessful in locating the correct size pan to do so. You should put up a vid on it as people are always asking about that specific mod and I have no info to give them. Thanks for watching!
Dean, I got the temp gauge from amazon, just search "taylor bbq thermometer". They are a bit pricey but hold up very well, the two I installed both look brand new still and are still recording very accurate temps. Thanks for watching!
Really? I just bought a new one because my roomate let my last one get stolen while I was away for 3 months. Anyways mine didn't have air vents in it so maybe I'll buy a grate to put in there or look for a replacement pan.
the woodburner gasket comes in a kit with the heat resistant adhesive, follow the directions on the box, just make sure you remove the paint from the smoker lid where the seal will be glued to get a good stick, i used the uni bit to drill the vent holes also, a grate to hold the coals off the bottom is a sure bet. the holes in the charcoal pan will help too, i would suggest starting with a few small holes and adjust them accordingly. feel free to ask any questions you may have!!!
roadking, thanks for watching! i do use a grate in the bottom of the charcoal pan, i have had this smoker hold 225 degrees on a 14 degree day with no insulating blankets used. (see my vid "modified brinkmann ecb smoke n grill in action"), the duration of the burn depends mostly on the fuel type and weather, lump charcoal burns the longest in all 3 of my brinkmann's but i prefer to use stubbs all natural charcoal briquettes as the taste in the final product is superior with the stubbs imo.
the price is the best thing about it!! if you do these mods your smoker will get up to temp much faster on minimal fuel usage. there is no issue getting this smoker up to temp and maintaining that temp in any weather condition (see my other vid 14 degrees out and steady at 225f), if you use the rope gasket and vent the lid you can control the airflow and internal temp of the smoker with ease. i am working on a mod now that allows the drafty bottom to be sealed off similar to the wsm, stay tuned
i used a uni-bit drill bit from harbor freight, just drill one step at a time until it fits in the hole. the temp gauge has a nut that threads on the backside and holds it into place. all of these mods were done with a drill and basic hand tools. Thanks for watching!
roadking, a good tip imo is to keep a record of your smokes: times, temps, rubs used, fuel and woods used, weather, etc etc. that way when something works you can repeat it and if something doesnt you can avoid it in future smokes, this will save you a lot of time and money in the long run!
thanks for watching! the gasket rope i used was made by rutland and is 1/2" in diameter, they make a 5/8" diameter that would work also, it comes in a kit with 7 foot of rope and the glue and is avail @ ace harware, the vent holes are right around an inch in diameter
well I watched some of your other vidoes and it look like these things can work real nice for the price,plus some mods! 225f in 16f weather without an insulating blanket is pretty sweet! but any other tips you mayh have for me would be cool.
When applying the wood burner door gasket, what kind of glue or adhesive did you use? I'm Looking to mod my Brinkmann the same way except I decided to use the bottom of a Smokey Joe BBQ instead of drilling holes.
Thanks for the quick response man! I have a few more questions, what did you use to put the woodburner gasket on there? Also, how did you get the holes large enough for the air vents on top? And did the holes in the charcoal pan help? I was considering a few holes as well as putting a small grate in there so I have 1/2 inch for my ash to settle instead of moving the legs to the outside. Feel free to message me if thats easier. You seem like you know more about this than I do!
Thats a pretty cool setup I bought a brinkmann placement temp gauge but its a little too big for the existing hole as i wanted to replace the other one but your setup have two gauges seems more efficient where did you buy the temperature gauge on top from?
i got the same big 3" thermometer you put on your brinkmann. what tools did you use to add them on to your smoker. any advice would be much apprieciated.
Did you glue the door gasket on the lid itself? And where did you buy it at? Had a brinkman given to me never been used and am making all the mods to it I can. Thanks for the video.
Hey ryanh! I just bought same smoker and studying/reading alot about mods I wanna make before I start using it, thanks for the great video! wondering if you use any type of grate in the charcoal pan to get coals up off the bottom of pan? and overall with the mods you have done,how do you like it? and what kinda temps are you able to get,and how long are you holding em for? Thanks ~!!!!
hey whats up man? I just got my brinkman and your mods seemed to have worked the best to hold a steady temp. How big is the gasket rope that you used? I see that you made your air vent yourself with a piece of metal. How big are your vent holes?
IMO I would not suggest drilling 12 1/2" holes in your charcoal pan especially if you are planning on venting your lid. you will have to buy a new pan as the smoker will operate way too hot and the charcoal will burn very fast due to the extra airflow. my suggestion is drilling a few small holes first and then fine tuning. The 6 1/4" holes i drilled worked great in colder weather but was overkill once it got warm. No offense meant coolride just my 2 cents. Thanks for watching!
seriously?? are you 7 years old or are you just a dumbass? mental note to self: if i am ever in idaho dont drink the water, it obviously causes stupidity......
