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

I liked the product a lot. I needed to smoke some food for a last minute pot-luck at work. I purchased it online and picked it up in the store. The next day I was serving the smoked meats. I was pleased with the purchase.

Bought this smoker yesterday, followed the directions assembling, making the necessary modifications as mentioned in other reviews, (legs on outside and bricks for holding charcoal pan, holes in the charcoal pan and changed to a thermometer with actual degrees). I also purchased a wireless meat thermometor and took the time to cure the smoker. Today I smoked a brisket and it was perfect! The smoker did require a bit of tending, but once I got the hang of it, I managed to weed the garden, trim the bushes and get several other honey-do's completed while the smoker did it's thing. Friends and family came over for dinner and were very complimentory on the great taste of my first brisket. If you are interested in trying smoking for the first time, I can't think of a better way to start.

Love my smoker! It is so easy to use! I put some meat in it in the morning and it is done in a few hours! Yummy.

Product was already assembled when I picked it up at the store. We had not previously owned a smoker, but instructions were easy to follow, and product was easy to use.

After 20 years of use, mine is finally due for replacement but I think I can say that it has served me pretty well. I'm not a pro at smoking hams and turkeys but this little guy has made me feel like one. I like the idea of being able to have more distance between whatever I might be cooking (esp, chicken) and the charcoal than you do with a conventional grill.

Excellent purchase! I love this grill! It distributes heat evenly and provides an excellent smoked flavor. Shipping was great, too!

Overall for a cheap smoker/grill it is good. Missing are air vents, so little control of temperature. Also the thermometer does not have temperatures, only a huge range for "ideal". Would only recommend it is you really want an inexpensive way to start smoking.

If you are looking for a smoker to start out with, DO NOT BUY THIS ONE. The biggest of the many problems I had with this smoker is that there is no way to control the flow of air in, or out of the smoker. This makes controlling the temperature virtually impossible. Not that you would really know what is going on with the temperature because there is no thermometer, just a gage that says "Warm", "Ideal", or "Hot". I unfortunately bought this for a friend as a late wedding gift and I (long story) ended up with it back at my house and decided to give it a crack today. I almost didn't even put the meat on after I started looking the thing over, but I figured I would give it a shot. I might as well had thrown the food in the garbage. Ran way to hot, pretty much cooking the food in 1/5 of the time it should have. Tried everything I could do to slow down the airflow, but couldn't get anything to really work. Check youtube for this smoker, you will see all of these videos about how to modify it into a smoker that works well. For $40, you are simply getting a couple pieces of metal resembling a smoker and you should plan on dropping another $40 into it to get it functional. I have to apologize to my friend for buying this for him.

This is an entry level smoker that is somewhat surprising. Easy installation. If you are able to make the adjustments that are recommended by other users to help in ventilation and access to the charcoal pan, you will not be disappointed. Also buy a real thermometer.

I have a Weber but wanted the option of smoking more than one item at a time so I thought this would be a good, inexpensive choice. But, the old adage, you get what you pay for rings true. This smoker relies too much on the water which requires frequent refilling. Secondly it has no way to control the heat or easily ad more fuel. Many of the modifications on here address the second issue, but not the first. As an experienced smoker, I prefer "low and slow" and this smoker has never kept a fire going longer than 3 hours and adding more fuel to the fire is next to impossible. Anyone who has smoked meats for more than 3 hours knows you have to add fuel, so I am not sure what Brinkman was thinking on this product. Also, anyone with a fireplace knows a grate adds airflow and lets the ash fall away so as not to extinguish the fire. The lack of a grate or air flow controls makes this a very impractical choice and a complete waste of money if you do not make modifications yourself. Either buy the electric version or spend a few bucks more and get a better product.

Great entry level smoker than can produce professional results. Worked great! Assembly was easy with use of a screwdriver and small wrench (not included). Follow the instructions and season properly for years of future use. Includes a "temp" gauge but doesn't actually show a temperature; only drawback. I believe it can be replaced with an actual Brinkmann Temp Gauge however.

I've always wanted a smoker and this one was priced right so I purchased it. Great investment! Very easy to put together. Product is made well and had no problems. Food turned out wonderful!! This is a great buy!

Looks Nice, Easy to assemble and great for cooking

This smoker was a great value for the money, i cooked ribs on it first and they came out perfect cant wait to do brisket and more

we got this to see if we could actually maked smoked food! one of my brothers ia majorly into smoking fish, etc so we thought we would try. great entry level smoker and does not require a masters degree.

Great for the $$, but the charcoal pan needs to be redesigned. too often on 3+ hour smokes the charcoal will snuff itself out since there is no where for the ashes to go. I am going to get a smaller diameter grill surface to use with my charcoal pan so the ash has somewhere to fall. should be an easy fix.....or an easy redesign issue brinkman. No problems whatsoever on smokes < 3 hours. Food tastes great

i smoked two chickens and a ham it done great very good product

This thing is great! I just wish the thermometer had degrees on it.

I'm a rather seasoned "griller" and a natural progression for any backyard pro cook is smoking--so the interests has been there. The downside to that is that I rarely make impulse buys; instead I would rather read reviews and put my hard earned coins to good use. Well I recently elected to just go all in on this Smoker and I must admit how impressed I am. The other reviews are true in that the smoker does require some altering. But in my first use I believe the key to be the water and your regulation of the temperature (I didn't read the manual---I went all in I tell you). So avoid adding cold water, keep your drip pan full of water and acquire a pole or stick long enough to aid you in the adding of coal. My pork shoulder turned out wonderfully and for a first time user I am rather proud of myself. Conservative shopper I advise you to go all in!

Leaving the door open seemed to provide plenty of airflow, although I will try drilling the fire pan for better control. The thermometer is the major weakness. Otherwise, it's a reliable grill and smoker for the meat enthusiast.

I've been through a few; still the best deal around. Hard to find a charcoal smoker these days too. After a couple years, the water pans start to leak but replacements are available....

we got this back in july and it has come through for us on many occasions. its perfect size for our small family. the little book that came with it is good to review things as far as cooking/smoking goes. i would recommend this to ANY ONE. great smoker for the beginner or even the experienced. and for the price you can't go wrong.

WORKS GREAT, FOLLOWED MOST OF THE OTHERS MODS FOR COALS BUT MY OLD WEBBER KETTLE FIT RIGHT IN THE CENTER AFTER I TRIMMED THE INSIDE OF THE LEGS. NOW I CAN RAISE AND LOWER ON BRICKS AND EASILY REVOVE SMOKER TO ADD HEAT. PURCHASED A SEPERATE THERMOMETER TO LEAVE INSIDE TO HELP MONITOR TEMP. TONS OF ROOM INSIDE BEST PRICE AND MANY SIMPLE MODS CAN BE DONE TO MAKE IT JUST HOW YOU NEED IT. VERY HAPPY WITH THIS PURCHASE.

For an entry level product you can't beat the quality and price.

arived on time in great shape great little smoker this is my secound one ive owned i would recomend this great little smoker

Pretty good. I didn't have any trouble assembling the product. My smoked chicken & ribs turned out delicious. The only con I have is I wish the pans were easier to get to.

If you want a charcoal smoker that doubles as a grill, there is no better value.

Showed up with no grates, no door, no pans and the lid was the wrong size (to small).

Haved owned this model smoker for many years. Even smoked Thanksgiving turkies on em! Smoking, slow cooking(middle rack) and steaks on the top rack. I bought this one for my son in law so he can enjoy as much as we do.

Have owned two Brinkmann smokers like this; they are "entry level" equipment, I would say, but do a very nice job. I chose this style because of its price, cooking capacity and ability to use as a charcoal grill and as a smoker. Charcoal + wood is the preferred approach for serious BBQers. I primarily use it as a smoker. Capacity is quite large: can do two substantial briskets, about 10 pounds of ribs (using a rib rack), 2-3 chickens (depending on their size), turkey, several large rump roasts, etc. Two grill surfaces come in very handy. The smoker maintains its heat quite well, though I add a bit of charcoal or wood every 30 minutes to keep steady heat. Don't be in a hurry and be sure to share the fruits of your labor.