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

this smoker work great. especially if you are rookie in smoking meats, this is it. First time I used the smoker, i smoked salmon and it took only one hour. I smoked 4 lbs of bone -in chuck and 4 large split breast in just 4 hours. I used some of the suggestions from above reviews, and i put the coal tray on two bricks. the only thing i would change is the thermometer. Over all it is great smoker, do not go and spend a lot of money on other smokers until you try this one.

This smoker was given to me as a gift from my girlfriend (now my wife). Out of the box this is almost impossible to use. It is very difficult to get the temperature high enough to smoke meat at a safe temperature. After a few modifications I now really enjoy this smoker. Here is what I did. I drilled some holes in the charcoal pan to allow more air flow and placed a grill rack in the bottom to raise the charcoal off the bottom. This helped tremendously. The thermometer is worthless. I bought a new one and installed it. I turned the legs where the charcoal pan rests to the outside and drilled 3 holes in the charcoal pan and installed legs. This allows me to life the smoker off the charcoal and makes it easier to add charcoal when necessary.

I bought this because I wanted to learn how to smoke foods, you know, really barbecue. So, I figured $39.97 was an inexpensive entry, so if I was not good at it, it didn't cost me a fortune. BUT, I have to tell you, after a few modifications as written on these reviews, this baby smokes ribs like a professional barbecue restaurant. It is amazing. 1st, I attached the legs on the outside of the smoker, opposite of the instructions. 2nd, I drilled five 1/4" holes in an X pattern in the bottom of the charcoal pan. 3rd, since attaching the legs on the outside of the smoker leaves you no place for the charcoal pan to sit, I use 4 regular bricks, stand them on their sides and create a box formation with them, leaving a gap in between the four bricks. I sit my charcoal pan on this. By doing this, there is an open air space beneath the pan so the fire can breathe. next, I just lift the pit onto and off of the pan. It sounds like a pain, but is very easy to do. This makes keeping your fire going easy because the side access door in the smoker is too small to add additional coals if you need to add to the fire. HOWEVER, the side door IS large enough to add wood chunks to keep the smoke going, just use long tongs. For a standard rack of pork spareribs, the first batch of charcoal kept the heat in the ideal range for a total of 6 hours, 2 hours after the ribs were finished. With these few modifications that took, literally, 5 minutes to complete, this smoker produces long term heat and barbecue that rivals any you get from a professional barbecue restaurant. It is amazing! No need to spend a fortune on an offset smoker. This baby does the trick. The only reason you would need to upgrade to a larger pit is if you always feed large numbers of people. But, if you are feeding the standard 4-12, this baby can handle it. I am sooooooo pleased with this pit.

follow that guys directions you can't go wrong.Putting legs on ouside is a must,leave it to a cajun to figure out cheap smoker that works great.Thanks bud!

it never gets hot enough to meet it's own "Ideal" temperature setting (yes I use 10lbs of charcoal in it) the coal lies in a metal bowl, there should be a grill to put the coals on, otherwise the coals sink into their own ash, I hear the earlier models had holes in the bowl for the ash to escape through there are no vents to control the temp with and to allow the fire to breath almost impossible to add more coal or more wood chips on the fire unless you feed them in one by one with a metal spoon almost impossible to add more water into the bowl, unless you make some make shift long device to poor it in through the little side door there has to be something better out there, keep looking

This product should not be on the market. There are no vents to adjust air flow or allow smolder a quick exit. If you need to add coals or wood, you do it either one at a time by hand, or you take apart the entire assembly, removing the meat, the grates, the water pan that are all HOT, then dumping a new batch of coal/wood in. There are too many limitations to this smoker. Add to that, one of the grates was broken and there were 2 bolts missing right out of the box. I had to return the unit before I could ever use it.

This product was easy to assemble and works like a champ for the price.

This was a Christmas present for my son-n-law. We started looking for one in early December and I found this one on the web site. I have had 2 of these and thae work grate for a small family. Graet product good price

I played with my friend's smoker last year in my initial dive into smoking. I had so much fun that I decided to buy my own this year. What's more fun than playing with your food, right? Technically, you don't 'need' a smoker- you can build one a la Alton Brown- but this little guy makes it fun, easy & affordable to get started. The turkeys we smoked last year were Excellent. I never added coals or chips, just loaded 'er up & went to bed. (The lows here are in the 50s.) Checked bird's temp w/probe in the morning and watched until finished, perhaps 2-3 hours later. Tried fish, nuts, beef, cheeses, too. The paint does bubble on the smoker, but I'm not too concerned with cosmetics. I like the idea that one person mentioned- of putting the coal pan on a block or bricks. It would be easier to lift off the whole column at the end of smoking & allow fire to burn out. Reaching down a hot column to pull out a hot coal pan is no fun.

Seriously, why try anything else. You can't get a better deal for the money. I've used this smoker for over 10 years now. This last Thanksgiving was the last time I used the one I'd had for 10 years. Any outdoor product that lasts 10 years in the heat and humidity of southern Louisiana without any special care is exceptional. But my last one did. I just purchased a new one and will season it this weekend. One trick I learned from a Cajun who uses the same smoker just about every day is to reverse the feet so they are on the outside of the smoker. Use a cinder block or some bricks stacked to set your fire pan on. This allows you to adjust the height of the fire pan for better draw and burn, and if/when you need to add major coal to the fire, you simply lift the entire smoker off the fire pan without opening a door or lifting the top and losing all the smoke and heat inside. It works great when you're smoking for extended periods. I usually smoke a 20 plus pound turkey and it takes between 12 and 15 hours. I add coal and wood chunks every two hours, but half way through I need to empty the fire pan of ash. This simplifies it. I've been smoking birds and meats for over 15 years, and I've never considered a different smoker.

We have used this smoker several times and have been delighted with the results. I just smoked a turkey breast and it was fantastic. My vegetarian wife even thought it was great! The unit is easy to assemble and use. Maybe the novelty might wear off, but right know I am looking at many other "usual" foods and thinking hmmmm; what if.

I first met this grill in 1970 and we have been closer than close every since. It is my BEST friend.

I bought this to smoke some brisket for a get-together I had. The grill was very simple to install. I did not have any issues with the paint chipping or flaking off but the paint job seems more of an ascetic look than a durable coat of paint. One thing I did not like about this grill is the opening door and how its not really in a good position for you to add more charcoal or wood. My and my buddy ended up just tossing each charcoal piece one by one like skipping stones to the container inside at one point. The charcoal seems to burn out faster than my old grill. But I haven't use that thing in about 10 years, so I could be wrong. But if you are planing to smoke something for a long time like turkey, ribs, or Brisket you will have to change the charcoal container during your smoke. My food came out amazing so I don't have any real negatives for the grill. For the price and quality, its a great deal if you see yourself using a charcoal grill/smoker every now and then. Make sure you clean it out well after your done.

I bought this little item for a upcoming party. I did my homework on other smokers and deciced on this one. You really can't beat the price. A few other reviews said how it would loose heat and yes mine did too. The only thing is that I chose to find out why. Two things I noticed right away was that the lid was not tightly on and the door was slightly opened. Once I put the lid on right, I added a little more wood and the temp went up and stayed. I must mention how important it is to read the instructions. Curing this smoker is very important as well. The next day I smoked a wild bore spare rib and the smoker held the temp for about 1-1/2-hours. The only thing I did was add some wood chunks. After 2-hours, the spare ribs turned out perfect. I did not have to drill any holes in the charcoal pan or do any other modifications to it. I highly recommend this little smoker.

I bought this grill last summer for a 4/7 cookout it worked fine but within one hour of starting to cook the paint bubbled up and fell off. it works well if you don't mind it being rusted.

For the price, you will not find a better smoker! They will last forever if you keep them out of the weather and clean them up. The coal pan used to come with a hole in them but now they don't because people were setting their wooden decks on fire. I personally drill holes in my coal pans so the coals burn better and put the smoker in a sheetmetal pan if I use it on my deck. It smokes meat excellent.I move the coal pan up high to grill steaks. I put the coal pan in the middle to grill chicken and other meats.It is large enough to easily smoke a 12lb turkey or other big cuts of meat. I have smoked a 25lb ham in mine. If you put 10lbs of coal and soak your wood chips it will put out more than enough smoke and last for hours. Dollar for dollar this is the best smoker/grill you can buy. Great grill great price.

I have had this smoker for about a year and have used it many times through every season.Assembly is easy with basicly just putting legs and handles on a coke can as the frame is very thin. one thing to remember is you MUST season this thing by coating it with veggie oil and burning hot coals through it to burn off paint and believe me there will be alot of paint chipping on that first burn.You will need to change coals often and Id suggest you start your next batch within 45 minutes of the first batch.It will not hold heat and if you want to smoke say a turkey ,you will need atleast four coal changes and trust me, that little aluminum door aint user friendly and you will burn yourself at some point. I did smoke a Turkey last Christmas and the Turkey was absolutely AWSOME !!! but I think it would have been easier and quicker had I cooked it in the fireplace...It will give great smoky flavor but this little guy needs alot of attention to smoke successfully and when you think of the extra charcoal youll have to buy ,its not very cost effective in the long run. I love smoking thighs and with this little guy I usually finish by taking the thighs to the grill to get the skin cooked a little crispier but its eqasier than another batch of coals and the trouble it takes to change them out.You are after all only paying 40.00 for it so I guess your getting what you pay for but keep in mind you will be doing far more work than a smoker should require. I am getting ready to head to the depot to get the brinkman gas smoker which has awsome reviews and cost about 150.00..You can get great smoke flavor with gas and keeping the temperature constant is far greater with gas especially in the winter months when I do most of my smoker cooking. I really wouldnt recomend this grill because it simply requires too much work and will not hold constant heat which is a must for smoking.

it says to cook chicken for 4-5 hours. I cooked boneless skinless chicken breast for 2 1/2 hours, it was way to long. next time I will try to cook for 1 hour. I think a good golden rule of thumb if you have this smoker on the closer end to ideal range on thermometer is 2 times longer than you would bake at 350 in the over.

I just purchased this smoker for the Labor day weekend. I've been borrowing my Brother's Egg all summer, and decided to get my own smoker. I was worried that the low price would reflect in quality and performance. Wow, no need to worry. Assembly was easy, took me about 5 minutes. The first test was a few venison steaks and three 4lbs beef roasts. Following all the instructions and using cowboy chunks, the meat started falling apart after 5 hours. The only gripe I had was keeping the unit in the ideal range, took a lot of tending. The next test was about 12 lbs of chicken. This time I used lump hardwood. BUY THE LUMP HARDWOOD. Also, when placing the fire pan, either put it in the grooves in the legs (a tough chore) or do like I did and accidentally let it fall partially out of the smoker. With the hardwood and the new pan placement, the temps stay on the mid-high Ideal range for much longer, and the hardwood seems to burn hotter and longer than the cowboy chunks. Great smoker, awesome price. Only reason I'll replace it, is to make a larger heavier duty unit (I'm a welder my trade). But you cannot go wrong with this unit.

It was easy to put together. I am going to use it tomorrow after I've cured it. Wish me luck!

I LOVE THIS SMOKER. I HAD ONE BEFORE THIS IS MY SECOND ONE. I BOUGHT IT MAINLY FOR MAKING BEEF JERKY'S. IT MAKES THE JERKY'S IN ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS. THEY ARE GREAT.I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS SMOKER TO ANYONE.

Love this smoker! At first I was concerned as the water pan had dents and paint coming off, went back to Home Depot to exchange but the others in stock all had the same problem--Brinkmann sent us a new one asap and that was great, just got beat up a little during shipping I guess---but when we got this thing fired up I was amazed how easy it was. And adding charcoal was easier than I thought--after two hours just throw a dozen or so more bricks through the door on top of the ones already there, and the temperature goes right back up to "ideal", where it pretty much stayed all day long with no fussing or adjusting, it cooked perfectly all day. We just took the food out and tasted it and I could not believe how good it was. Tasted much better than the stuff my friend cooked on a high end model. I have no idea why on earth anyone would pay for the other expensive types because this one worked absolutely perfect! Used 1 cup of red wine with the water per one of the recipes in the booklet and it made everything taste really good, we made chicken breast (2 hrs) boston butt pork roasts (5 hours) and they were UNBELIEVABLE! Can't wait to try ribs and turkey next weekend. Thank you for a great, very affordable product!

My wife bought this for me for fathers day. It's the first smoker I ever owned. It is very easy to put together and very easy to use. The only drawbacks are the door handle being very hot to open and having to use tongs to add more coals and wood. This is a GREAT smoker for the price and is perfect to use when you are cooking out with friends and family, especially ribs. I smoked two whole chickens in about 8 hours and they came out juicy and delicious. The pork ribs I smoked came out the same with my daughters eating twice as many as I did! If you ever wanted to try smoking a brisket or ribs for your first time and are eager to learn how then THIS is the smoker for you. I've never written a review of anything in my life but I swear by this little guy. A little tip though: Try to keep the smoker out of the hot sun because it seems to mess with the temperature gauge on it so it won't give a correct reading if the outside shell is too hot. Also, try to keep your temperature between right at Ideal or Ideal and Hot. It might even help to use an oven thermometer (you can buy them for 3-4 bucks) and place it on the bottom rack to where you can read the temperature if you open the bottom door. One thing you don't want to do too much of when you're smoking meat is constantly open the top and let all of the heat out.

I bought this one as my first smoker, and I could not believe how easy this made smoking. In my wit and wisdom I first chose to smoke a brown trout cut into steaks on an cold and windy day approx 35deg. It was harder to prep the fish prior to smoking than using the smoker itself. I just had to add a few more coals occasionally and stir them up to keep the heat up but that was very easy to do with longer tongs. As another reviews states the meat when smoked, came out juicy and tender and flavorful, and got excellent compliments from friends. And you can not beat this price, I don't know if the Deluxe model's price is justifiable how easy this one is to use. FYI, a cheap aluminum water heater drip pan works excellent with this as well.

Purchased the "smoke n' grill" as my first smoker. I have to say, its awsome! I assembled it in 20 minutes, got it hot and immediately loaded it up with some pork chops. Threw some mesquite chips in and this thing was set. Needless to say, the chops were mouth watering... Cooking was easy. Once in a while I would throw in some more coal and chips, but most of the time you leave it and let it do its thing... Would have given it 5 stars, but I almost burned my hand on the knob when opening the door. It should have a heat resistant knob... Definitly a "no brainer" for $40 compared to the $300 Weber.

This guy is good for the price, but you're better off going with the deluxe model for another 25 bucks. The major hang up in the design is the coal pan. The deluxe model has a coal pan that completely detaches for easy coal reloading. The only way to add coal to this guy is through the tiny little door in the front, and your access to the pan there is blocked by the water pan above. I've found it very frustrating to add coal, which is a must in colder temps.

I bought this smoker mainly for the price. I wanted to start out cheap so I could find out if I liked to smoke meats let alone capable to do the task. The smoker works well during the spring and summer as far as keeping the temp up, but when it gets a bit colder you need to use more coals and stir them up a bit. The space between the two racks could be modified by adding another rack in-between to maximize the smoking area for thinner meats. Finally, try throwing cheap hot dogs in it, they are THE BEST HOT DOGS EVER!!!!!!!

Bought this smoker for my son, as he finally wore his old one out, but that was only because it had been handed down for two generations. For the both of us, there is no other way to grill or smoke. Everything comes out tasting wonderful. Anyone who likes perfection and compliments when grilling/smoking, should definately buy this product! The price was right also. In these times, that's definately a must!

A charcoal smoker is the way to go! This will make average cuts of meat taste delicious! I have smoked whole turkeys, trout, tri-tip roasts, pork loins - you name it! Always delicious. The key to making this work well is to use HOT water in the water bowl! Don't fill with cold water from a hose. You can't oversmoke your meat. Just start up the charcoal bowl, add the water bowl, put the racks on with your meat, poultry or fish and you are good to go! You can add chunks of smoking wood (that you have soaked in water for at least an hour) to the top of the charcoal (please use tongs). Go and do your household chores and forget about the cooking! The smoker works without having to be tended to. I think it recommends lining the charcoal bowl and the water bowl with heavy duty foil before each use - which makes clean-up easy. This is a great product and at such a low price it makes a fun birthday or Christmas gift!