 |
10-16-2008, 12:14 PM
|
#1
|
BBQ Centralite


Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hudson, OH
Posts: 3,150
|
Chalk it up to experience and get a WSM (Weber Smoky Mountain). You won't regret it!
__________________
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 12:20 PM
|
#2
|
Official BBQ Central Mark


Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Utica, MI
Posts: 6,758
|
Well I've never seen that smoker before, so I'll just ask you some general questions and comments:
1. Are there any vents on the smoker (near the bottom and/or near the top) that allow you to control air in and out? Looks like you may have one on the top side where the wire is going in.
2. Fire and Temperature control is a matter of controlling the amount of air that reaches the fire, the more air the hotter the fire the less air the lower the temperature. Control air in with bottom vents, air out with top vents (top vent should remain open entire cook)
3. Your charcoal must be able to breathe, that is, your vessel that you dump the charcoal into must be ventilated in some way to allow air to get to the coals and to allow ash to fall from them so as not to smother the fire.
4. Pictures of the interior of the smoker would be helpful!! Is there a water pan inside above the fire box?
5. How much charcoal are you using? Are you putting all lit charcoal into the unit or are you using the Minion Method (method where you start with unlit charcoal and dump small amount of lit on top of unlit and control your temps on their way up)
6. How much air/smoke leakage is there from the unit when you cook?
7. I wouldn't rely on the thermometer on the door unless you have tested it. Most therms on lower end smokers are unreliable, and that's being kind.
8. Bradley smokers use wood pucks that are proprietary and fairly expensive, not your best choice for the money.
Hopefully others will chime in, but this should get you started...don't worry we'll figure this out.
__________________
__________________
Bruce
Treasurer, Great Lakes BBQAssociation
www.glbbqa.com
Rubbed, Smoked, and Sauced Competition BBQ Team-
22 1/2" WSM, 2 18 1/2" WSM's, 22 1/2" Weber Kettle
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 01:14 PM
|
#3
|
Official BBQ Central Mark


Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Akron New York
Posts: 6,922
|
Put in the front yard and put a sign on it "Take me, I'm yours" and get a WSM. I was lucky enough to get a WSM from a member here. Now my wife can't cook for beans, BUT she can cook on the WSM. In fact that's what she is getting for Christmas. There like tater chips, no one can have just one.
__________________
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that,
you've got it made. -Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
www.oinktoberfest.com
Team Gruber Mister BBQ
KCBS Citified Judge 8282
Tomorrow is just your future yesterday
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 02:13 PM
|
#4
|
Graduate of BBQ Central


Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Finger Lakes NY
Posts: 665
|
I'll bet that the charcoal pan isn't allowing enough air-flow or the ash build-up has no place to go and chokes the fire.
Here's the manual... http://www.brinkmann.net/Docs/Pdf/810-5502-S.pdf
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 03:07 PM
|
#5
|
Official BBQ Central Mark


Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Utica, MI
Posts: 6,758
|
That's my bet, the charcoal pan is their solid pan so the ash has now where to go and no air can get to the coals.
__________________
Bruce
Treasurer, Great Lakes BBQAssociation
www.glbbqa.com
Rubbed, Smoked, and Sauced Competition BBQ Team-
22 1/2" WSM, 2 18 1/2" WSM's, 22 1/2" Weber Kettle
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 04:13 PM
|
#6
|
Cooker


Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 281
|
If u can keep 135-150 keep the thing and use it for Beef Jerky man and just buy a new one for other stuff
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 04:51 PM
|
#7
|
Official BBQ Central Mark


Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Savannah, GA and Somewhere near Lexington, NC
Posts: 8,563
|
Drill a few big ass holes in that charcoal pan. That's what I did to my ECB years ago and it helped.
__________________
Chris
"Of all the imaginary friends I've had, I don't think there was one that I didn't end up having to kill."
in seach of Umami
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 07:23 PM
|
#8
|
God O'Que


Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Virginia near Washington DC
Posts: 2,694
|
Even a $59 Brinkmann should come up to temperature as long as there's a reasonable mix of fuel and draft. It sounds like it's starving for air.
The advice several others have given is good -- save up a couple hundred bucks and get a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. A WSM will work for you.
--John
(And use the BBQ Central link to Amazon.com at the top of this forum page -- it helps pay for the site's upkeep.)
__________________
Weber Smokey Mountain -- "Want authentic smokehouse flavor?"
22.5 Inch One-Touch -- "The legendary Weber kettle"
18.5 Inch Original (R.I.P.; garage mishap) -- 10 books S&H Green Stamps, 1968
Weber Performer -- Craigslist 2007
|
|
|
10-16-2008, 09:04 PM
|
#9
|
Pope O'Que


Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: North Central Massachusetts
Posts: 2,378
|
Just pick it up and toss it in that little boat in the background
and I'll be by tomorrow to take both of them useless things out
of your way
__________________
JFOA
The weather is here.... wish you were beautiful
Imagine my disappointment if i were here to make you happy
|
|
|
10-17-2008, 08:06 AM
|
#10
|
BBQ Central College


Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Indio Ca.
Posts: 408
|
I saw one at the clovis cook off
The team said it was only good for a warming station
They got it on close out for $39 the summer before
more than that would have been a rip
Buy a Pro Q, WSM or BDS all are easy to use
__________________
Thom Emery
Past President California BBQ Association
www.BBQThom.com
|
|
|
10-17-2008, 10:00 AM
|
#11
|
Official BBQ Central Mark


Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Utica, MI
Posts: 6,758
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thom Emery
I saw one at the clovis cook off
The team said it was only good for a warming station
They got it on close out for $39 the summer before
more than that would have been a rip
Buy a Pro Q, WSM or BDS all are easy to use
|
Easier than a Spicewine?
__________________
Bruce
Treasurer, Great Lakes BBQAssociation
www.glbbqa.com
Rubbed, Smoked, and Sauced Competition BBQ Team-
22 1/2" WSM, 2 18 1/2" WSM's, 22 1/2" Weber Kettle
|
|
|
10-17-2008, 03:05 PM
|
#12
|
God O'Que


Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boardman, Ohio
Posts: 2,689
|
Re: Help, I do not like this Smoker, what to do?
Quote:
Originally Posted by nhra1256
I bought this unit on sale at my local Home depot.
I am a Newb to smoking but not cooking in general. I wanted to give this a try since there is a great BBQ joint not too far away, that has great BBQ...but i wanted to be able to do my own....
My issue here is after killing two racks of ribs, the unit does not get hot enough. I put a digital thermometer in the top with its probe end right near the ribs on the top rack, and it never went over 150 degrees. I was afraid i wasted the meat on that try. I read where you can change out the Chrcoal Pan with a perforated steel tray. I did that and that helped to get the temps up to about 180 degrees, but they would not stay there and kept fluctuating as I had to keep adding charcoal. And if i did not get the new charcoal under the old, they would take a long time to get burning. So then i started to light the new coals in a chimney, but every time I would open the lower door to remove and add the Charcoal, the temp would drop a bit, then go up over 220, then back down again. Anyway, there has to be an easier way to keep the temps high for longer periods of time.
Any ideas? i would return this thing, but i lost my receipt. I saw a Bradley unit that uses wood pucks....and is electric fired,,,maybe thats the direction I should go in. I dont mind paying attention to the unit as it does its job, but this one just dont seem to do it right...or is it me? ha!
any info appreciated....
|
Sell it to Dallas. He hasn't bought a pit in hell....well over a month. He's due.
__________________
Uncle Bubba
"I'd rather be dead in my skin than be a fan of a Redskin."
|
|
|
10-17-2008, 05:20 PM
|
#13
|
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: West Seneca NY
Posts: 9,860
|
__________________
__________________
Save the gas for the criminals Q with wood...
I get more sauced then my Ribs
My Bark is as good as my Bite!
Swine so fine it's Criminal
Never trust a skinny cook!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
 |
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|