Customer Reviews

Brinkmann 852-7080-V Gourmet Charcoal Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Black

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have used mine a couple of times now and have to say that the smoky flavor and easy use are the main selling points on this product. The cleaning is not too bad, just a little bit of elbow grease to get some of the smoke and grime off the water pan and grates.

For my birthday, my brother was kind enough to order a smoker off my Amazon wishlist. I finally got a nice day and good piece of meat to try it out. I have to say I was totally impressed. I was impressed that I didn't burn off my eyebrows (even though it was close). I was impressed that the simplistic heat guage's ideal, really meant ideal. I was shocked by the quality of meat to come forth. Overall it rocked. So, picked up a pork tenderloin that I did a dry rub of

* Sea salt
* lemon pepper
* cayenne pepper
* garlic powder

on to the roughly 1.25 lbs of pork. I filled the water pan with a bunch of water, 4 cloves of garlic and a dash of port. I used some mesquite chips (thoroughly soaked) as my smoking agent and let it cook for 2 hours. The piece of meat came of with the most amazing flavor that I could imagine.

Necessary summer equipment.

This is a good entry level smoker. The price, compared to Lowes, is about 2x more here. I got this smoker as a gift and after a few tries I'll say this - once you smoke, you'll never want to go back to grilling. Preparing the meat (see brine recipe) and controlling the temp is the key to making it great smoked food. Make sure you monitor meat temp to know when to take it off the smoker.

Some cons:
- The smoker is alittle flimsy. Mine came shipped slightly bent so the cover is sometimes not on all the way. I'm sure a more expensive smoker will be better made.
- The heat is hard to control and takes some practice. A better grill may provide more of a means to control temp more. Using charcoal, not gas, will take more practice.

I would probably spend more $ to buy the weber smoker rather than this one had I bought it but if you want an entry level smoker to try this is a good start but find a better price.

This smoker lacks any type of adjustable air vents, top or bottom, for controlling the temperature and fire. If you plan on doing something like a brisket, which can be on the smoker for 6+ hours, easily, you will spend 6+ hours checking the temperature every ten minutes.

That said, it does work well and you can produce a good brisket with this smoker.

Pros: large water basin, price
Cons: no adjustable air vents

I have enjoyed the Brinkmann grill for over 12 years. I have used it with and without the water pan. I have found that if you clean it after use and then lightly coat the insides with oil, the grill will give you years of great smoking. I store mine inside and recommend you at least use the cover.

We bought one of these grills a few years ago.
We wanted another but, couldn't find it anywhere.
Finally, we did. Good old Amazon.com!

Much to our delight, this smoker/grill has been made even better than before!
The paint is sealed, it is very sturdy, it can be used 3 different ways.
It's very easy to assemble.
It is packed very well. There was no damage, what so ever.
I see this lasting many, many years.

This smoker provides an inexpensive way to get into real barbecue. I find that it runs on the hot side with a full load of charcoal, so it's better for ribs than something like brisket or a pork shoulder. Still, what I've made so far is miles ahead of trying to smoke on a Weber kettle grill.

Save it all. I had one of the BRINKMAN 810-5301-6 Smoke'NGrill Charcoal Smoker and Grill and it is full of engineering problems with all stated by the writers of those reviews, from charcoal and ash problems, no way to regulate the heat etc. Here is what I did. I sold mine after cleaning it up with some high temp grill spray paint, (made it look like new). Then, I added $5.00 to what I got for it and went on craigs list and bought this very same Brinkman Gourmet smoker. By first modifying the charcoal pan with three two inch bolts placed approx. 1 inch above the bottom of the charcoal holder, in 1/3rd postions around the perimeter, and then buying some 13 1/2 inch grills from Home Depot (Weber grills?) (set cross wise one on the other) I eliminated the ash problem so that the fine ash only fall through the two grill grates. Then, I called weber and bought three dampers (they have nice dampers with lift two 90 degree handles), installing two on the bottom of the gourmet itself and one on the lid. Then I went online and bought a nice Thermometer (you can get one from Wal-Mart for $17.00 (google Walmart). You do need the water pan, helps with keeping meat moist so don't eliminate it, but replace it with a bigger one by calling brinkman and ordering a charcoal pan that is used for this very brinkman here in this post, as it will hold two gallons of water which is almost one more gallon then what comes with the gourmet for a water pan. I can now easily load up using the Minion Method (google it) the charcoal pan, regulate my heat very easily with all three dampers and know exactly what my temperature is as opposed to the cheapo little gauage (which I left in) that only tells you IDEAL Hot and warm on its dial. I installed the tru-temp thermometer with a 3 inch stem above the door opening approx. 4 inches. This now gives me a smoker with a total cost in it of about $80.00 total, and completely comparable to the $300.00 weber 18 1/2" model. Google smoker modifications for more ideas and pictures.
Pat the smoker in Nashville THE ONE NOT TO BUY IS BELOW

Brinkmann 810-5301-6 Smoke'N Grill Charcoal Smoker and Grill, Black

THE ONE TO BUY IS BELOW IF YOU WANT TO MODIFY IT IN TO A GREAT SMOKER!!!!!![ BUT DO NOT BUY THE ELECTRIC MODEL-CAN'T REGULATE YOUR HEAT AND THE ELECTRICAL ROD MERELY GETS THE COALS GOING WHICH YOU CAN DO WITH A CHARCOAL CHIMNEY)

[ASIN:B0002XK0IM Brinkmann 852-7080-V Gourmet Charcoal Smoker and Grill with Vinyl Cover, Black]]

We bought the smoker and have found that it works wonderfully! The times listed in the accompanying book have been absolutely right on everything we've made so far. It holds heat well and produces a tender, well-smoked meat with very little effort. We would add more charcoal (just a few briquettes) about every hour along with wood to keep the smoke going. Easy and great results! And the price made the purchase even more worthwhile. I also liked the fact that it comes with its own cover, so that's one less thing to have to go buy.

after searching many stores and websites i found the brinkmann smoker on amazon for a great price. the smoker was delivered timely and undamaged...not to mention how easy it is to cook with.

I got this from warehouse deals last October 2011 and I did not have the chance to open this till January that I realized there were several missing parts !! Its too late to return this now !