Brinkmann Smoke and Grill - The Pros and Cons
May 3, 2008 by bigironbarbecue
OK, before anyone says anything, I misspelled Brinkmann on the video. I left out an extra “n”. Oh Well.
My vintage 1974 Brinkmann was getting a little long in the tooth. I went down to home depot and got a new one today.
There are some things I like and some things I don’t
Things I Love:
I love the price - $30 - $35
I love the size - Compact and can go anywhere.
It’s cute and does not take up much space.
Perfect for small patios and folks in apartments (where allowed )
It is perfect for people wanting to experiment seeing if they like the whole smoking food experience without paying big bucks.
Things I dislike
I don’t like the charcoal and water pans. They are flimsy
(Shame on you Brinkmann)
There is no draft hole in the charcoal pan anymore
It’s not easy to add charcoal or empty burnt ashes
Is it functional? Yes!
Will it cook good food? Yes
Is it really worth the money?
Heck yeah! Once you learn to work one of these little workhorses, the sky is the limit. I used one for years and all-in-all, they’re not a bad little smoker Charlie Brown.
It’s easy to look down your nose at one of these, but remember, we all start somewhere. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, this little guy has something to offer.
I think for the price, $30-$35 you say? - how can you complain that something isn’t top quality? Spend a couple bucks more and get a Char-Broil water smoker! He said with a smile, honoring those who pay his bills!
Nice to see you using good charcoal. - CB
As full time smokers and grillers we bought a Brinkmann gas grill for the home front porch use………..it should still be rolling down the hill we pushed it over. Flimsy and worthless won’t even describe this grill. I emailed Brinkmann to let them know how disappointed we were in their product after years of buying a good quality product but I guess they don’t read emails written in English in China.
To those folks who absolutely hate these brown paper smokers, all I can say is: “awww, come on now.”
I’ve had one of these little “garbage can” cookers for over twenty-five years and it’s still chugging along turning out some pretty good stuff.
While it’s not pretty to look at, it does what it’s supposed to do–cook good food. I’ve done everything with it: fish, chicken, venison, you name it it’ll cook it. While I mostly use it when I go away on fishing or hunting trips, It’s great as an extra grill or smoker when you’re having large parties. For the price, I just think you can’t go wrong.