At the risk of everyone telling me to Google the last 40 years of data
in this newsgroup for this information...

I have a Brinkmann Smoke'N Grill that I got second hand, and after
several uses, have seen numerous shortcomings even after some of the
recommended mods. I'd like to generate more heat (225+ consistently
would be nice), have a larger grill surface, and have something that
would give me a nice hot quick fire for steaks and burgers while being
able to cook low and slow all day and produce good pork butt, brisket
and ribs.

In my limited understanding on the subject, the Char-Broil Silver
Smoker and the Char-Griller Smokin Pro with side box both appeal to me
design-wise because they profess to accommodate a wide variety of
cooking styles, and seem to do so with relative ease. How do these (or
other grills) work well as multi-taskers like that? Since this will be
pretty much my main grill (my gas grill died this year, my weber grill
is too small, and I've already mentioned the problems with the
Brinkmann). I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 55 gallon drum
and making one myself, but I suspect I'd have a better grill if I
purchased one.

Opinions?

Thanks,
--Jeff

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:52:07 -0600, "frohe" wrote:

JeffH wrote:
I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 55 gallon drum
and making one myself, but I suspect I'd have a better grill if I
purchased one.

Tain't nothing wrong with a 55 gallon drum for a cooker. I've had one
almost all my life and find it to be quite versatile at grilling and
smoking. Capacity is great and it didn't cost damn near as much as most
other cookers.

There are several designs for 55 gallon cookers on the net but my favorite
is at
http://home.maine.rr.com/smokyhollow/BBQ3.html

-frohe

you can purchase the barrel kits for those here too. or prob a few other places as well.
i have a halfassed one made vertically that will cook whole hams like a dream.

http://tinyurl.com/5qoxbe


---------------------------------------------------
Scooter

Scootz wrote:
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:52:07 -0600, "frohe"
wrote:

JeffH wrote:
I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 55 gallon drum
and making one myself, but I suspect I'd have a better grill if I
purchased one.

Tain't nothing wrong with a 55 gallon drum for a cooker. I've had
one almost all my life and find it to be quite versatile at grilling
and smoking. Capacity is great and it didn't cost damn near as much
as most other cookers.

There are several designs for 55 gallon cookers on the net but my
favorite is at
http://home.maine.rr.com/smokyhollow/BBQ3.html

-frohe

you can purchase the barrel kits for those here too. or prob a few
other places as well. i have a halfassed one made vertically that
will cook whole hams like a dream.

http://tinyurl.com/5qoxbe

The Grand Champion of the Kansas City Royal last year cooked in vertical
55gal drums.

MartyB in KC

"JeffH" wrote in message
...
At the risk of everyone telling me to Google the last 40 years of data
in this newsgroup for this information...

I have a Brinkmann Smoke'N Grill that I got second hand, and after
several uses, have seen numerous shortcomings even after some of the
recommended mods. I'd like to generate more heat (225+ consistently
would be nice), have a larger grill surface, and have something that
would give me a nice hot quick fire for steaks and burgers while being
able to cook low and slow all day and produce good pork butt, brisket
and ribs.

In my limited understanding on the subject, the Char-Broil Silver
Smoker and the Char-Griller Smokin Pro with side box both appeal to me
design-wise because they profess to accommodate a wide variety of
cooking styles, and seem to do so with relative ease. How do these (or
other grills) work well as multi-taskers like that? Since this will be
pretty much my main grill (my gas grill died this year, my weber grill
is too small, and I've already mentioned the problems with the
Brinkmann). I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 55 gallon drum
and making one myself, but I suspect I'd have a better grill if I
purchased one.

Opinions?

Not a seasoned pro at this but I do have a Brinkman Gourmet Smoker and
just purchased the Char Griller Duo with a side fire box. I must say I have
enjoyed them both. I am now infatuated with my CG Duo though. I have
smoked on it a half dozen times now and have used the grills on both the gas
and charcoal sides a few times too. I am very satisfied with it so far.

Joseph

--

http://www.geocities.com/jrpitzner/BBQ

Brinkman Charcoal Smoker
CharGriller Duo w/Side Fire Box



Thanks,
--Jeff

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:45:15 -0700 (PDT), JeffH
wrote:

At the risk of everyone telling me to Google the last 40 years of data
in this newsgroup for this information...

I have a Brinkmann Smoke'N Grill that I got second hand, and after
several uses, have seen numerous shortcomings even after some of the
recommended mods. I'd like to generate more heat (225+ consistently
would be nice), have a larger grill surface, and have something that
would give me a nice hot quick fire for steaks and burgers while being
able to cook low and slow all day and produce good pork butt, brisket
and ribs.

In my limited understanding on the subject, the Char-Broil Silver
Smoker and the Char-Griller Smokin Pro with side box both appeal to me
design-wise because they profess to accommodate a wide variety of
cooking styles, and seem to do so with relative ease. How do these (or
other grills) work well as multi-taskers like that? Since this will be
pretty much my main grill (my gas grill died this year, my weber grill
is too small, and I've already mentioned the problems with the
Brinkmann). I'm also toying with the idea of getting a 55 gallon drum
and making one myself, but I suspect I'd have a better grill if I
purchased one.

I'd note that aside from its being damn near the #1 charcoal smoker
around (and certainly the #1 for under $500 or so), one can definitely
grill on the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM).

I suspect that the absolute best multitaskers are the kamado-type
units such as the Big Green Eggs, the Komodo Kamados, etc.
(not the units from Kamado--see elsethread for info on that
no-longer-reputable company)

My general view is that grills are good for grilling, smokers are good
for smoking, and either of them may do a moderate-to-poor job of the
other task. But I'm not an expert--just replying cos nobody else has,
save on the 55 gallon drum subtopic.

"Every single religion that has a monotheistic god
winds up persecuting someone else."
-Philip Pullman
--
-denny-
(not as curmudgeonly as I useta be)

I'm, really happy with my CG SP and with a few easy mods it will do a
really nice job with barbecue. With the warming shelf, it will do six
full racks of spares, with a little bit of room left over depending on
the size of the racks.

If you want to build a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) go to

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com

and find the SEARCH button in the top third of the screen and use
"drum smoker" as you search parameters. There are several there that
build them and you can get great tips on vent sizes, materials, and
design notes. They are posting some pretty amazing stories of their
results, and some of the units are really easy on the eyes, too.

Robert

On Apr 28, 10:23 pm, Denny Wheeler
wrote:

I'd note that aside from its being damn near the #1 charcoal smoker
around (and certainly the #1 for under $500 or so), one can definitely
grill on the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM).

I agree with that. And you can actually do some nice grilling on the
WSM. I have a couple of problems with it, though. The first is that
if you are going to grill using the WSM, in the grill config you only
use the bottom section. That means you must grill on your knees, or
put it up on a table like a table top grill.

Also, you can balance the lid on the lower section, but you cannot
seat it. It will slide off. When I grill, I don't always do it
hibachi style by just cooking over a bed of coals. I like to put the
top on to keep some of the smoke in, and on breezy days help keep
control of the fire. I have remedied that problem by installing some
guides on the sides, so I fixed that annoyance.

My general view is that grills are good for grilling, smokers are good
for smoking, and either of them may do a moderate-to-poor job of the
other task. But I'm not an expert--just replying cos nobody else has,
save on the 55 gallon drum subtopic.

I think you are right on that thought as well. That is why I bought a
new grill/smoker (Chargriller SP w SFB) and the smoker/grill (WSM).

I couldn't fit six racks of spares in the WSM on a bet. But then I
couldn't go to bed at night and leave the CGSP unattended with a large
brisket in it either. Both pieces have their strong suits, and both
have a permanent place on the deck. It is not unusual for me to have
a brisket in the WSM for 16 - 18 hours, and before it is finished,
fire up the Chargriller to cook some ribs, sausage and chicken for the
last 6 - 7 hours of the remaining time on the brisket.

I am like you, I don't know of one piece of equipment that does it all
well, but with $350 for both pieces of equipment, I gave up the search
and bought both and haven't regretted on second of it.

Robert

On Apr 28, 3:45 pm, JeffH wrote:

Thanks for all the responses so far - I'm off to research some of the
links and information you've provided. My suspicion that I might need
2 units instead of an all in one is pretty much confirmed. Any further
opinions would also appreciated - I'll probably be another month
before I run out and start purchasing/fabricating anything.

That 2 drum unit looks pretty nice. Since it requires 3 drums to make,
I'd be tempted to make an open grill from the last piece strictly for
grilling. The WSM is very tempting. I don't like the height (I'm tall)
and capacity of the unit, but it is definitely a proven design. I
believe they sell (or you can fab) racks to hold the slabs of ribs
vertical in order to get more on the grill at once. Ribs would be the
only thing that I'd feel cramped on space for with that design.

The egg/kamando type grill is unfortunately out of my range, since I
have to use the check I get from George W to pay for my daughter's
braces. Sounds like a great style of grill though.

So at this moment I'm thinking maybe buy a CGSP + WSM if I don't go
the drum route. If I went with the drum, then I'd build the 2-drum
smoker along with a grill from the last piece of drum.

Thanks,
--Jeff

On Apr 29, 7:06 am, JeffH wrote:
The WSM is very tempting. I don't like the height (I'm tall)
and capacity of the unit, but it is definitely a proven design. I
believe they sell (or you can fab) racks to hold the slabs of ribs
vertical in order to get more on the grill at once. Ribs would be the
only thing that I'd feel cramped on space for with that design.

I am 6'2 in bare feet, so with my work boots on, I know what you are
talking about. But I helped solve the problems of height by putting
my WSM on cinder blocks for smoking. The extra 8" make it a lot more
comfortable.
To use it as a grill, I put it on a metal table I picked up at a
garage sale.

The rib racks go a long way towards fixing that problem. Still, I
can't get more than three full racks in mine, and they are cut to
fit. Not a problem, since that gets more of the brown stuff on the
ends since you have more ends.

To give you an idea of capacity, on the top rack you can get about a
12# brisket in the WSM if it has a good shape, not one of those
bizarre cuts where the point tapers down to nothing. I have cooked a
16# piece in it when I cut the brisket in two, minding that the point
section and flat were done at different times.

I can easily get a well shaped 18# chuck roll in it and have room on
the rack over the pan for ribs, sausage, etc.

I have cooked a 13# and 14# turkey in it and had the bottom shelf open
as above.

I am still trying to cut back the amount of meat I cook since there is
now only two of us to cook for. I enjoy the leftovers, but nothing is
the same as "off the cooker" barbecue to me.

But even with their limitations in mind, I can easily cook for 20
people on the WSM and CGSP and have plenty to eat and plenty of
leftovers. Think about it this way; what piece of affordable
equipment could you buy out there that could cook a hunk of meat for
20 hours on a half bag of charcoal and a little wood? Would it still
be large enough to hold several racks of ribs? Do you always need to
cook a lot of meat?

Personally, I like the flexibility of having both cookers to make that
decision. After marinating chicken breasts for a day, it is nice to
be able to fire up about a 3/4 full chimney of charcoal/wood, throw it
in the firebox of the CG and do a pile of them quickly. Pull out the
drawer, put in the coals, wait about 10 minutes, and start. Pretty
easy.

I am blessed to live in an area where there is a lot of free wood (cut
by me!) available at any time. So fuel isn't really a problem when I
cook. But for those that use charcoal from the store like I do with
my WSM, I can see where you wouldn't want to fire up the pit just to
cook a little chicken, grill some fish or burgers. Bigger pits mean
more fuel, no matter how efficient they are. My buddy that has a
really nice (small!) Lyfetime pit uses about 5 lbs of charcoal just to
get the pit really warm and ready to cook. After the first couple of
hours, he adds fuel every hour or so.

10 pounds of charcoal gives about 6-8 hrs cook time on a modified CG,
and as many as 12 on the WSM.

Things to consider....

Robert

wrote in message
The extra 8" make it a lot more
comfortable.

My wife said that to me too

On Apr 29, 9:02 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
wrote in message
The extra 8" make it a lot more
comfortable.

My wife said that to me too

Bada boom....*cymbal crash*

Hiyo!!

Are you here 'til the end of the week?

Robert

(chuckling..)