Customer Reviews for Brinkmann Smoke 'N Grill Charcoal Smoker and Grill

I have never used a smoker before and as a single woman I found it so good and easy to use and to clean. I have used it every weekend since I got it.

I bought one and very happy with it. I bought one for my sister too.

good for beginner smoker, but needs more helpful hints on usage

I have always wanted a smoker so I decided to try this one after reading the reviews. It is a great smoker for beginners. With the suggestions here, it will be a great smoker. It was easy to assemble and a lot of fun to cook on. I did ribs for the first meal on their and I was impressed. I smoked them for about 6 hours with some apple wood. it was amazing. I plan on drilling some holes in the charcoal pan and adding a new thermometer to keep the temp better. It is not perfect but good for just $50.

My second smoker but hard to find charcoal smokers Ike these. this is made out of such cheap soft metal, I can bend it with my bare hands. and a good thing too. Because it does not actually fit together because it was bent right out of the box. The bolts are missing, the wooden handles are missing and the entire product is designed to last for 1 day I expect. I will never buy again. got lots of apologies from Brinkman and it is a good thing they are great at apologizing because this will be the last product i ever buy from them.

If your anything like myself and just want to be outside with friends a family have little BBQ and dont want to spend a lot of money and know that your are buying a $50.00 smoker then you will love this little guy my family,friends and I have smoked some really good BUTTS and RIBS on this guy i clean then cover it up and has held up just fine

We bought this smoker to prepare our Thanksgiving meats..Turkey, Ham & Whole Chicken..we bought pecan wood chunks and lump charcoal..and this baby was ready to cook in no time! My husband loves it! We haven't had to modify it at all..it worked like a charm as is. We didn't take any issue with the cooking space, We cooked a 17lb turkey with no problem at all. Maybe as time goes on we will learn what modifications may help it cook better..but we are pleased with this purchase. And for the price..you can't beat it!

So I bought at HD and got it home realized after trying to smoke a turkey the coals would not stay hot because the fire pit pan has no holes in it so I drilled holes in the pan and bought some grate material also at HD and cut to fit the fire pit then I drilled some hole in the fire pit pan and installed some 6" bolts to act as feet to suspend the fire pit pan and turned the legs around on the main body so the fire pit pan is free standing. Now you can lift the main body of of the free standing fire pit if you need to add more charcoal. It works great now!! you can go on youtube to see these mods and will end up with a great smoker!

This product is perfect for smoking independent portions of meat. I was able to smoke a Boston butt as I grilled other meats and the flavor was mouth-watering.

For the money, this is a good smoker. Any lapses in design are easily overcome. 1) The fire bowl needs some ventilation to create some airflow- Drill holes in it. 2) Buy some aluminum flashing that will act as a bridge for adding additional charcoal. Have made chicken and pork butts. Also plan on doing a turkey later this year

Great product!!! Makes cooking so much easeir and convient. Do not take up alot of space and not heavy but strudy!!

Ok, in stock form it is ok, it may even get you by. But after a few mods I would put it up against smokers costing hundreds more. The mods can be found anywhere online and make a huge difference. Look your $40 into it, Now just a little time with a drill and some creativity you,ve got something there. This can be a kick but smoker (pork butt that is). Before you ever use it get a real thermometer. Now your on your way and can tune it and make it what you want.

I bought this for father's day so I could introduce my father to smoking. It's a good starter kit and great for a smaller/portable alternative compared to the expensive version.

This is the first time I've purchased this smoker. The previous smokers were enclosed on the bottom with the bottom holding the charcoal and the body of the smoker sitting on top. When smoking, there was no residue left on the sidewalk or deck. With this new smoker, the body is one piece and the charcoal pan fits inside which leaves about a 1.5 inch gap around the pan and the body of the unit. This gap allows the boiling water and grease to splatter. What you're left with is a grease ring on the area around the bottom on the smoker which needs to be cleaned up. Depending on if you have it sitting on concrete or wood, the stain can be hard to remove. It would be wise to use an aluminum oven liner and then place the smoker on top.

this is the second time i've bought this product. after a year it worked well but i prefer a new one in my beautiful backyard.

Easy to use and better than I dreamed! I ordered this grill from homedepot.com, it was easy to assemble. We grill on it every weekend and smoke with it every Friday.

I, like many, had my doubts due to the low price of the Brinkmann Smoke N Grill. This is my first smoker, and I didn't want to spend a lot learning how to barbeque. However, after a few simple modifications, this smoker does everything I need it to and works great! My first attempt to smoke a 4 lb Boston Butt with the smoker fully assembled per the directions was a bust! I could never get the temp hot enough - even though the horrible gauge said it was in the "Ideal" range - and getting there was even tough. After I thought it was done (after 6 hours), it wasn't even close. Had to finish it off in the oven. Once I read the reviews on how to mod it, though, it works like a CHAMP! - I use Kingsford with Hickory charcoal as it burns longer and cleaner. Don't buy anything with lighter fluid already added as it messes with the taste. - I use wood chunks that have been soaked in water overnight (these work better and longer than wood chips). Here are the real tricks: - Put the legs on the outside instead of inside. This will allow you to lift the entire unit off of the charcoal base and allows you to add charcoal and wood MUCH more easily. - I drilled holes in the lip of the charcoal pan and added 10" carriage bolts (with locking nuts) to make "legs". This lifts the pan off the ground and helps airflow. - Drill several holes in the bottom of the charcoal pan to help air get in and ash get out. - Get a smaller grate to put in the pan to keep the charcoal from being smothered by ash. This also helps air flow. - BUY A REAL THERMOMETER and add it to the top of the unit. I noticed that even in the "Ideal" range, the temp was only 125 or 150 - not hot enough to be safe. I've also seen people get a second one and drill it by the door to get gauge on the mid-level grate. If you use only the provided gauge, you have to get it at least to the "L" in "Ideal" for it to be hot enough. - I've also seen some people add a damper to the lid (like you see on many regular charcoal grills) that you can open to let smoke out, but I have not seen a need for it. Overall, I probably spent about twenty bucks more to completely modify this smoker, and it now works better than smokers that cost three to four times as much! There are also videos on YouTube that show you these mods, but I've listed the best of them all here for your convenience. =) I highly recommend this and wish you years of happy smoking!

I had a Brinkmann Smoker for about 12 years and my wife purchased a gas grill for me for Father's Day. Gas doesn't compare to smoke cooking meats. I couldn't wait for the grill to break down or need burner repair so I could get another smoker. The day came and I got my wish to get another smoker. There's nothing better than smoke cooking meats with a Brinkmann.

Easy to assemble Clear instructions Overall quality very good Cookbook awesome

I bought this because my dad loves his. He likes to play mad scientist and drink beer all day taking three hours to cook a hamburger. This is a great grill for him. Me, though, I need to have a grill ready for cooking in less than two hours. Straight out of the box this is one of the most poorly engineered grills in existence. The grilling area is very small too. If you are willing to drill various holes, tinker with leg placement, and make other modifications this is your grill. If you like to sit around drinking beer for hours waiting for a hot dog to cook this is your grill. This thing probably performs better as a smoker than a grill. As for me and my Brinkmann Smoke N Grill, well it went out to pasture packed with two pounds of exploding target. It was really grillin' and smokin' then.

everything I expected and more, constant temperature with great smoking action

Great smoker for a beginner like me. I love learning to use this smoker. Cooks great. Look forward to my next smoking experience.

This smoker is a job. It doesn't keep the heat in and you have to keep adding charcoal. May be good for something small. dont even think about a turkey

Just got one of these, only cooked on it once. I followed other reviewers advice and did a few mods: moved the legs to the outside, drilled about 6 or 7 1/2" holes in the charcoal pan, and added carriage bolt "legs" to the charcoal pan. That way, you can just lift off the cooker from the pan to reload the charcoal and wood. I used some good lump charcoal and apple wood chunks (not chips) and smoked a killer pork picnic for about 8 hours. Turned out awesome, with a solid 3/4" barbecue ring and excellent bark. I would recommend this as a great bargain smoker.

This was a gift. Have personally had three Brinkman smokers over the years

Years ago I had a similar smoker and got quality results. Just bought this one and fought with Charcoal to get heat temp at a safe working temp for meat. Decided to go for elctric conversion kit for it. Even a worse choice. Dont ry anything larger than 6lbs or your meat will not safely smoke. The Meaning is SAFELY smoked. It will smoke but be very careful as temp gauge does not work. spend a few more bucks and save in the end and avoid frustration! Im easy going and give everything a chance but food preparation is critical! No turkeys in this, They fit fine but will never cook adequately in any breeze outdoors. Go the extra mile and pay a few more bucks for a better unit, Bottom line..

This smoker is amazing! I just cooked briskit on it not that long ago and the only complaint I have is that it was more difficult than anticipated to clean. Otherwise, this is a solid product.

Got to have, small smoker with big smoke. Had a full rack of ribs and a pie tin with corn in it. Was easy to refill the wood chips when they burned down.

The Smoker worked great the first time i used it. i may have used the wrong cut of meat but i was able to get the cooking times down and how much charcoal to use. The instructions suggest the premium chunk charcoal and i agree. the wood chunks should be used also instead of the wood chips.

SO easy to put together, small enough to not be a pain to move around and clean. So much cooking space! Can't wait to smoke our Turkey this Thanksgiving! **had to purchase rib racks ourselves** but we smoked our rack of ribs for 4 hours and they were so JUICY - fantastic smoker. highly recommend.