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 Posted - 09/08/2005 : 13:00:02
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| Pros and cons between the two? Planning ahead for that dreaded question: What do you want for Christmas?, I want to be ready with an answer this year. Thanks, |
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Posted - 09/08/2005 : 14:40:54
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Never used the Brinkmann, but I have to say that I absolutely LOVE my WSM. It should have been a Ronco device...Set it and Forget it  . It is very easy to control the temps. I have only had mine for a couple of month. I've done 4 smokes, with 2 overnight. After about 2 hours of getting up to temp/making sure the temp is stable, you can go to bed with confidence that your temps will be pretty steady when you wake up.
I would recommend that you buy the Brinkmann CHARCOAL pan to replace the WSMs water pan. It hold twice as much water, and will go about 10-12 hours before you need to add more water.
This is one vote for the WSM. good luck with the wish list.
Rusty Painter
South Carolina BBQ Talk |
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Posted - 09/08/2005 : 16:28:37
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Weber Smokey Mountain vs. Brinkman Vertical Smoker. Excellent question which takes a little explaining. Bear with me... I am a firm believer in THIS statement:
"Great barbecue is NOT solely determined by the amount of money you spend on equipment".
Neither the "Weber Smoky Mountain" (WSM) nor the "Brinkman Vertical Smoker (electric)" (BVS) is expensive. WSM's run between $150-$200 and the BVS's between $62-$100. So, both barbecues are relatively affordable. The biggest difference between the WSM and the BVS is "versatility" and "cleanliness". Both are relatively easy to use and both make fantastic barbecue, but the electric BVS was my choice.
My decision was based mostly on the fact I don't like the mess of charcoal briquettes or the prep work involved with starting the charcoal and trying to control the temperature as with the WSM. The BVS is absolutely easy to use, portable, versatile and extremely clean. The only drawback that I can see with the electric BVS is that the 1500-watt element struggles to keep the smoker warm enough at the temperature zone best for smoking meat etc. UNLESS you live in a warm climate all year-round or just use the smoker in the summer. When I got my BVS home, I immediately plugged it into the outlet and tested how hot it would get. It was 75° outside in August and the warmest I could get the smoker was 205°F. The temperature is adequate to smoke meat, but there is no way that I will be able to reach that temperature in the Seattle fall, winter or spring. I'm an all year-round smoker, so I knew I needed more. HOWEVER, I STILL recommend the BVS over the WSM, but with one relatively inexpensive modification. I knew I wanted easy and clean and versatile, so I continued my search. Low and behold, I happened upon a web site selling a product called an "Afterburner". The "Afterburner" is a propane and natural gas conversion kit to turn all vertical smokers (18 in. in diameter or smaller) from electric and charcoal into a propane or natural gas. (They also make an "Afterburner" for horizontal and box smokers, but that's a different subject) The afterburner is a device that is easy to attach to your smoker and can be done in less than 10 or 15 minutes. You just remove the fee of the smoker and the electrical element or the charcoal pan and replace it with the "Afterburner" and you are ready to start "smoking with gas". The afterburner will achieve very hot temperatures its desired in cold climates, but also has the versatility to be turned way down. I love this device and I wouldn't trade it for any other smoker, big or small. I want it easy to use, easy to regulate temperature, I want it to be clean and above all... I want it to be completely EFFECTIVE! The afterburner and BVS give you all those attributes. Check out the afterburner at: www.gassmoker.com - The WSM is a very good smoker, also. It is also easy to use, it can be loaded with enough charcoal to burn for approximately 10 hours and most importantly, it makes dynamite barbecue. I just prefer the lazy Q. Even if you do decide to use the afterburner, you still have the electric element to be used as a grill for cooking steaks and hamburgers. I hope this helps.
Brad Hobbs |
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Posted - 09/12/2005 : 15:59:38
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I have the Brinkmann Vertical charcoal smoker - Model number 810-5501-0. I bought it at Wal-Mart for less than $80 a little over a year ago. On the official Brinkmann site there is an image of a different unit when you put your cursor over the "vertical" option. The unit I have doesn't have an ash pan between the legs and it doesn't have a chimney.
This smoker has been a total dud due to the poor design making temperature control non existent. The charcoal pan, or bowl, is simply that, a bowl. There are no holes in the bottom of it and therefore the air can't draw up through your charcoal no matter how wide open your vents are (there are 4 butterfly vents on the sides of the smoker, 2 at the same level as the charcoal bowl and 2 at the top of the unit). The net effect of the design is that your charcoal chokes itself and you cannot maintain an adequate temperature.
Over this past weekend I tried to smoke a brisket. It was a joke and I set about changing that with some modifications. I was reasonably sure the problem was the choking of the charcoal in the bowl and the lack of air being drawn through the charcoal. I could only find a 1/4 inch drill bit and I used that to drill as many holes in the bottom of the charcoal bowl that I could fit. I put some aluminum foil in the bottom of the smoker to catch the ash and I lit this new and improved version of my smoker.
What an amazing difference!! I have a top and bottom vent fully closed and the other top and bottom vents are 1/3 open. the only thing I have done since getting the charcoal started has been to adjust the vents once to get the temperature where I wanted it, ~250.
I am going to make a square charcoal basket with some sheet metal, expanded steel and L iron. I will also have to make an ash tray to sit in the bottom of the unit but I think I will have a smoker that can get the job done for less than $100. I may need to use some weatherstripping metal to get a better seal around the door as there is too much air escaping from there.
Bottom line - the Brinkmann is a non-starter out of the box but for less than $100 you can have a very functional unit. |
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Posted - 09/13/2005 : 06:47:30
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I have used both. Like many, I started w/ the cheaper Brinkman charcoal smoker. I got discouraged at the results and didn't use it much. Like said earlier, the lack of vents on the bottom couldn't sustain the heat. I went a while and wanted to get back into smoking. That's when I found the bullet. It was realisticly in my price range, and something small enough for the back porch. I did a lot of reading on the WSM and finally got one for Christmas last year. Needless to say, the family and neighborhood has greatly benifited from the present. My buddy was so impressed, he got him one and now when we get together, we need a bigger table for the food!!! The air flow and temp control is so great on the WSM, it is unbelievable!!! It has a small learning curve. The biggest challenge in to decide what to cook. Overnighter are no problem now and I am getting into more challenging dishes. So, in finial words, spend the little extra $$$ and get the WSM.
Kevin "Corndog" Cameron
"See ya' when I ring tha' dinner bell!!!" |
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Posted - 09/26/2005 : 18:14:32
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I'm working through the Q & A's of working with vertical smokers. Any questions or comments: www.voy.com/198823/
See ya there!
Brad Hobbs |
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Posted - 09/27/2005 : 06:19:11
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Thanks for all the input, got a WSM from EBAY and its supposed to arrive by UPS tomorrow!!
Scott |
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Posted - 09/27/2005 : 06:40:20
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scott...
great purchase. i bought my wsm about 4 months ago. love it. see if this site helps...
http://www.wiviott.com/
scott |
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Posted - 09/28/2005 : 08:56:10
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| Wow, what a site, I copied the whole thing. Sounds like it should be fun. Thanks a bunch. |
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Posted - 09/28/2005 : 13:31:55
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Congrats on the purchase. Check out http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/index.html for more WSM info. It will save you a ton of time in learning your new smoker. Congrats again,
Kevin "Corndog" Cameron
"The road goes on forever and the party never ends" Robert Earl Keen |
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Posted - 09/28/2005 : 16:11:52
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Thats some more great reading, thanks Kevin.
The WSM arrived today, gotta go meat shopping!! |
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Posted - 09/28/2005 : 17:35:25
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Which WSM did you get? The Weber or another brand?
Brad Morrell
BABY GOT RACK!
www.baby-got-rack.com |
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Posted - 09/29/2005 : 06:28:36
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| Its the Weber. |
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Posted - 09/29/2005 : 06:50:20
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Well, that's what I cook on as well for both home and comp - so if you have any questions regarding the cooker, let me know.
It's a great cooker all the way - that's for sure.
Let me know when you get ready to do some grilling, and I'll tell you the ideal way to set it up for that.
Brad Morrell
BABY GOT RACK!
www.baby-got-rack.com |
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Posted - 09/29/2005 : 12:59:21
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Brad;
I've got a nice Vermont Castings 3 burner that I use for grilling, yeah I know its gas but hey.
Scott |
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Posted - 09/29/2005 : 16:35:30
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Scott, gas grills have their place - right alongside every other cooker.
I'm not a gas snob...meaning that you should never cook on gas. I say go with what works for you, and enjoy it.
Brad Morrell
BABY GOT RACK!
www.baby-got-rack.com |
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