Brinkmann Smoker Modifications

Weekend of Protein (Part 2.5 of 3)

By: frequent contributor Jason

Before finishing our exciting meat trilogy I wanted to first detail the setup I used to cook this installment. Click for Part 1 and Part 2 of Weekend of Protein!

Many years ago, in a land far away...

Well about 6 years actually and when I lived in Harrisburg, I was given an old Brinkmann charcoal smoker by a neighbor who was moving away. The first time I removed the cover I was met with many dozens of stink bugs who had made their home between the plastic cover and the metal smoker. Disgusted and, well...lazy I let it sit outside over the next 5 years. During that time I moved 2 times and just couldn't let the dirty little thing go.

The first time I finally used it was at a BBQ competition (after a thorough cleaning and de-bugging) and while I was able to produce some tasty pulled pork on it, it was clear that it had many deficiencies. The following year I participated in the same competition and, along with my partner Eric, actually won Best Pork and got our names on the trophy!

Still the smoker was holding me back and Mrs. HordAholic agreed it was time for me to get a new smoker so I kicked the old one to the curb:

I did a bunch of research on which one I wanted to buy next and finally decided to get...basically the exact same thing! This time though I loosely followed the suggested modifications on this page:

www.smoking-meat.com/modify-brinkmann-ecb-smoker

Air dampner from a weber grill installed and holes drilled in lid to better control air flow.

Added 8 holes in charcoal pan and added a small grate to allow the ash to fall from the charcoals.

Replaced the warm/ideal/hot factory gauge with a proper temp gauge. I couldn’t find a washer big enough at home so I took apart an unused door hinge and flattened it out which worked perfectly.

Lastly I installed the legs on the outside and set the charcoal pan on top of pavers so I can access the charcoal while cooking without having to remove the meat.