Brad Houser wrote:
> As mentioned in another post I have completed my first smoker meal. I have
> used the Weber grill for years, as well as the Weber Genesis gas grill for a
> while, when I had natural gas piped to my old house. I decided to go the
> smoker route after reading this NG and the BBQ FAQ. I didn't want to spend a
> lot, so I figured that since so many people say the El Cheapo Brinkmann can
> make "great Q" without modifications, I decided to give it a go and save the
> bucks for later (and ECB was on sale for $34.99 at OSH).
>
> I assembled the Smoke 'N Grill Brinkmann with the easiest non-invasive mod.
> I put the legs on the outside, and found some extra pieces of marble to hold
> the briquet pan, making tending the fire a simple task of lifting the entire
> unit. Since I was using mesquite charcoal, and it generally burns hotter
> than regular briquets, I wanted to just try it as-is without drilling more
> holes for air.
>
> After the 2 hour curing burn, I had the two 5 lb. chickens rubbed and ready
> to go. (Olive oil and Jamaica Seasoned Salt if you are interested.) I had a
> couple big chunks of regular mesquite soaked for the added smoke kick.
>
> The mesquite lasted longer than I thought it would, but during the actual
> smoking, I learned it was best not to add fresh mesquite, but to get it
> going in the chimney first. This minimizes the recovery time and reduces
> heat loss. I added coals twice, and in 4 hours my babies were done. I was
> the BBQ hero saturday night!

Good for you! Glad to hear that you got success on the first try.

> I will be moving on to bigger things soon.
>
> Question: Since I am using mesquite charcoal, do I really need the soaked
> wood chips?
>

I gave up on chips, soaked or otherwise pretty quickly. I use chunks of
wood. In the ECBX2 charcoal, I would wrap the wood in aluminum foil and
pierce it in a few places. In the ECBX2 gas, I place the wood on the
stainless steel disk I use as a heat deflector.

I prefer black cherry for poultry. I reserve mesquite for beef.

--
Matthew

I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion, I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?