Brinkmann 852-7080-9 Gourmet Charcoal Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Green Review
Having created a Thanksgiving tradition spanning about four Brinkman smokers as well as many ribs, sausages,chickens and salmon this model was my first (and last) upgrade from the cheaper Brinkman models. It is not necessarily the best. I intend to re-purchase the first one I bought= the cheapest Brinkman for the following reasons:
1) Food not cook any faster or better.
2) They all wear out if left in the elements. This one with the 'detachable bottom' rusted out within a few years making it just like the open bottom entry level model. With the exception of expensive ceramic 'green egg' or stainless steel models like grills they are all doomed to a reletively short life unless you 'garage' the unit during wet weather. Water + ash = Carbolic acid = rust. The same goes for the enameled charcoal grate and pan.
3)The little thermometer on the lid on both models is nearly useless over time.
The first Turkey I roasted looked like the Maltese Falcon; Black but still sort of moist meat with great smokey flavor. My wife thought I was nuts when I bought it that first Thanksgiving many years ago. Her scepticism seemed justified. My subsequent damage control and stubborness revealed that the large hickory chunks were not soaked in water long enough and their flames fried the water in the water pan increasing the heat to the bird. The other lesson learned was that a cooking a Turkey in cool SF Bay area (5-7 Hours/165 F w/meat thermometer) required the periodic addition of hot coals to keep the heat long enough to bring the bird up to a safe temperature. Adding more coals creates more ash which insulates the other coals. It was a vicious cycle. I went overboard on adding raw charcoal which created uneven heat. The next year I did it right.I elevated the charcoal grate from the ash pan with 4 ceramic briquettes to allow the ash to fall below the coals into a waiting pie pan to catch the ashes. The new deluxe model has the detachable bottom which does this.
I now start fire with 2 chimney starters of hot coals, a full water pan with old stale beer and hot water. I keep another chimney load nearby for later use. I toss in about 4- 2" soaked Hickory chunks and let the thing smoke up with lid on and heat the water/beer in the pan. Meantime I prep the Turkey. I use a throwaway stuffing of apple, onion and orange chunks reserved from the 1-1/2 day apple brining.
I rub Sage ,salt and butter on the bird and put 4 strips of bacon on top for tenderizing the skin/breasts and to enhance the gravy. I truss the legs with cotton twine and put it on a small grate in a disposable aluminum pan. To the grill- which is out of any drafts as wind is the enemy to even cooking. In a hour or so I add more reserved hickory chunks, hot coals with tongs thru the door and cheap beer to the water pan and repeat the addition periodically. Eventually you will balance the fire, smoke and water. I only remove the lid torward the end of the cook cycle to check the temp and move the bacon to the rear of the bird exposing the breast for final browning. Sorry for the long sermon but it is much easier to do than it takes to explain it. Although I use it to smoke other foods, a 15-16# Turkey seems to be my ultimate smoker success when not grilling on my Weber. This is my tradition;It evolved over the years and my family and friends love the result.I hope you can discover yours.
UPDATE 11/4/08:
Just bought a Brinkmann 810-5301 the cheapeast model= It is JUNK from China. Ignore most of my previous review. I am happily returning it and will rely on my old model another year.The charcoal pan and water pan are a thinner 1/2 # lighter gauge metal with poorly painted (toxic?)finishes unlike the 852-7080 type model that I currently own which is about 4 years old. The new char pan (unlike previous models) does not have a hole in the bottom which would make it impossible to let any cooling ash out of the pan and get air circulation necessary for even burning coals and sufficient heat. The char/water pans on my old models had a fairly stable baked enamel finish and sturdy weight steel. Also, as I recall the old models were partially/fully assembled. This entry level model had a plastic bag full of parts and curiously included a single lump of worm eaten wood for smoking. Not sure if all Brinkmann have similarly deteriorated in quality. I am seriously but reluctantly considering the overpriced Weber smoker which except for it's cost is highly reviewed by Amazon users. I would read the reviews of the most recent purchasers on this model as they may have a similar experience in the disapointing quality of this old brand of smokers.
Brinkmann 852-7080-9 Gourmet Charcoal Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Green Feature
- Charcoal smoker and grill with thermometer in domed lid
- 2 chrome-plated steel cooking grills can hold up to 50 pounds of food
- Front-hinged door; porcelain-coated steel water pan; aluminized-steel charcoal pan
- Stay-cool wooden handles for safe transport; vinyl cover included
- Measures 17 by 17 by 35 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Brinkmann 852-7080-9 Gourmet Charcoal Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Green Overview
The Gourmet Charcoal is our top-of-the-line double grill charcoal water smoker. It has two chrome plated steel cooking grills for a 50 pound cooking capacity. The smoker body lifts off the base for easy access to an extra-large charcoal pan, and also allows for quick and easy conversion to a waist high barbecue grill. A heat indicator in the lid eliminates guesswork. Features include porcelain coated steel water pan, front hinged door for easy access to water and charcoal pans, and wooden handles that stay cool to the touch. Includes heavy-duty outdoor vinyl cover.
Related Products
Customer Reviews
Very Disappointed in Companies follow up - NONE - Chloe J. - South Central, PA USA
I purchased this for my husband for Father's Day. He was so excited to receive, having wanted to try a smoker for a while now. He opened box immediately and began putting together. As noted in other reveiws, he did have to pop the side back together. Towards completing assembly he noted that he was missing some parts. He contacted company next day. He was told it would take a couple of weeks to receive parts. It is now middle of August and we have not received parts. The parts we are missing are essential to the completion of assembly for use, so we have a smoker thatwe have not been able to use yet.
I held off posting my reveiw, awaiting arrival of parts...6 weeks, no parts, and unable to use smoker
I give them one star for supplying metal in a box painted the color it was supposed to be and for having somebody answer the phone at customer service...now if somebody could actually ship those 5 pieces we are missing I would be a bit more satisfied.
Don't buy from Amazon!! Go to Lowes. . . .99 - Jebediah Stoltzfus - Amish Heartland
Thanks to a fellow reviewer, I checked [...] and sure enough, the smoker was half the price. :) Very nice.
At any rate, a couple notes of caution about the smoker itself. I didn't read the instructions at all; I don't even know where they are. So, these things might already be in there.
First, even though the handles have wood accents, the metal parts of the lid handle get VERY HOT. No touchy!! I am working on an alternative handle that will be cool to the touch.
Secondly, the bottom gets extremely hot also. In my excitement to use the smoker, it slipped my mind that I might not want to put it directly on my composite deck. I smoked some meat. Very yummy. However later, I discovered that the feet on the base melted into the deck slightly. Not like the China Syndrome or anything, but enough to cause concern. Also, it left a circular burn mark on the deck. I guess I am an idiot. I thought maybe some other idiots could learn from my idiocy.
Another suggestion, the smoker had over-spray on the inside from the external paint finish. I figured it might not be a good idea to cook food in there before burning it in to get rid of the potentially toxic smoke and vapors.
Other than that, it's a fantastic product.
Worthless, save your money - B. Tesnar - BFE...er... Iraq
I agree with the above reviews. I am using it as we speak (Thanksgiving 07) & it sucks. It is hot for about an hour, then drops off. I will be fighting it all day. I'm sure that we will end up outting the bird in the oven.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 02, 2010 17:55:22
My Links : find more about 255W car GPS at 255W car GPS blog find more save about Hp Inkjet Cartridges and canister vacuum cleaner
