Brinkmann Smoke 'n Grill 810-5290-C Electric
- Cooking Area: 188.6 sq.in.
- Type: All-in-One
- Fuel Type: Electric
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Brinkman Smoker: Makes a great meal.
Pros
Easy to use, durable, makes great tasting food.
Cons
Sometimes hard to get to food, not enough space, igniter died.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
An easy way to make great smoked foods.
This is a propane-powered smoker. It is an upright design. There is no smoker box so you will always have heat coming from underneath.
I have owned this for over 4 years and I have absolutely no regrets about buying it. Even though I have a charcoal grill and a propane grill, I still need this for smoking meats properly because the other two fail to do as good of a job.
This is not an all-in-one unit. You will not grill on it and you will not be able to use the burner to do stir-fry or deep-fry a turkey. The burner just is not strong enough. You can grill on it but I am not as pleased with the results. What it does is make great smoked foods.
How it works
It looks like a pill…you know, the ones on Dr. Mario. But this one is black and has three legs on one side of the pill. I wouldn't say it looks really attractive, well anything that reminds me of a hospital certainly isn't attractive. So unless you have a pill theme going on in your home you probably won't find it all that attractive.
It has a small propane burner on the bottom that is surrounded with lava rocks. The burner is controlled with a single knob. When you finish soaking your wood you place them on the lava rocks near the burner so they start to smoke. Do not place them directly over the burner otherwise they will ignite instead of just smoke.
There is a round middle piece that goes on top of the burner unit. It has two wooden handles on the sides. This unit holds two racks and the water container. This water container is essential for a moist taste and lower temperature cooking. If it were not there the burner would be directly beneath the food. The water bowl heats up and water evaporates to increase the moisture content of the air in the smoker. It also helps control the temperature, the more water the lower the temperature is. I use water but you can use a combination of aromatic liquids if you wish.
One rack fits directly on top of the water bowl. The other rack is about 6 inches above the bottom rack. If you are doing turkey then you will just use the bottom rack. There is another rack that fits on the top of the middle round piece.
The top piece is a dome with a temperature gage. The gage only reads low, medium, high. It also shows you where the ideal temperature is but that is not accurate in my opinion. The top piece has a wooden handle on the top.
The comfort level of the unit
If you are into convenience then I do not recommend this smoker. Go buy a more expensive version or hit a BBQ/smoker restaurant. In order to access the lava rocks you need to take the entire unit off first. You also do not have access to the bottom layer of food if the top level is being used. This also is not a problem because the food does not need to be turned.
The comfort level of the handles is fine. The handles are wooden so they do not get extremely hot, do not splinter, nor are they hard to grasp.
The capacity
You have two levels. It depends on the size of the foods but this list should give you a general idea of how much food you can put on one level. About 15 sausages or, 2 small chickens or, 1 rack of ribs or, 1 cut up chicken or, 2 pork loins or, 2 packages of kabasi, etc.
If you are doing a whole turkey than you will only be using one tray. I asked my wife how big our turkey was for Thanksgiving. She thought it was 24 lbs, I thought it was 21 lbs. In either case, you will not be able to fit anything more than a 25 lb turkey (and that fit will be tight.) You also cannot stuff a smoked turkey (not that you should stuff a turkey anyways.)
Foods I have tried
Smoked turkey- This is the best way to cook turkey in my opinion. It comes out golden brown and has a wonderful taste to it.
Kalbasi- I could not believe how much better it tasted on a smoker when compared to boiling it. If you can get really good kalbasi from a specialty butcher shop then you have a meal that will impress the pickiest critics.
Burgers- This was an experiment and it turned out horribly. Whatever you do, keep the burgers on the grill.
Pork butt- This works well, just make sure it stays on the grill all day.
Sausages- These fly off the plate when I host gatherings. I almost never have leftovers. Sausages (and kalbasi) were made for this device.
Chicken/ Cornish gamehen- I love chicken on the smoker. It usually comes out pretty well. There are times when I prefer to slow cook on my charcoal grill when I am not looking for that smoked flavor and I want a moister meat.
Beef Jerky- comes out perfectly. If you are during teriyaki then do not use wood chips. For a more tradition flavor use hickory chips. Apple chips work well also for a milder flavor. I usually use London broil because of the low fat content. I have done jerky in my food dehydrator and my stove. So far I like this method of dehydrating the best.
Garlic- Comes out beautifully. If you cook them for about 6-8 hours they almost come out like a thick paste (you can do the same thing in an over but without the smokiness.
Onions- If you like the smoke flavor then they are great. I prefer to cook whole onions on my charcoal grill instead because I think they come out better.
Big hunks of beef- I have tried several and for the most part they all came out pretty well. If it has a lot of connective tissue then you want to cook it all day.
Approximate cooking time
I slow cook so I will take 6 hours for chicken and sausage and 8-12 hours for large pieces of meat. The more connective tissue then the longer and slower you want to cook it.
You can easily cut the cooking times in half or a quarter if you're in a rush. This can be done by only cooking on high or parboiling your food ahead of time. I do not do this because I think it sacrifices food quality but for people short on time then this is an option.
Why I recommend it…why I don't.
The nice thing about using propane vs. briquettes is that you do not have to watch it very much. About every 2-3 hours you should check the temperature and water level.
If you are really into smoked foods for large groups then I do not recommend this version. This version is ideal for a party of 8 people. For me to host a large gathering I have to have this on as well as my two grills going. If only I had the grill of my dreams.
I do not recommend this is you do not go outside very often or you do not have the time to cook.
Problems with cooking foods I have encountered
If you have food on the edges of the racks then they will dry out very quickly compared to the foods not on the edges. With that in mind I generally do not put food on the edges.
As the water level drops the temperature rises. With how I cook it is necessary to keep the water at ? full and the temperature at the lowest setting.
Problems in general
All of the problems are mild. The first major issue is that the food on the bottom level is hard to access when you are using the top level. This also means that the water bowl can be difficult to access. The thermostat on the lid is merely a rough guide so you do need an external digital probe to cook large pieces of meat properly. Since it does not have wheels it will be a little difficult to move.
Durability
I leave this outside in the Southern California environment. This of course is not as hostile as the rest of the U.S., but the elements can cause some damage. I have also had this unit for about 5 years so a lot of wear and tear has occurred, but it still works.
Legs- Since the triangular piece that held the legs together fell off the legs have not been very sturdy. I do not have a lot of faith in them so I make sure this unit is out of the way of traffic. But so far they haven't failed me.
Temperature gauge- It is a simple gauge but only lists low, medium, and high. After you use it enough you will learn where you want the gage but a probe thermometer is mandatory for any large cuts of meat.
Igniter- The igniter has stopped working at around 6 months. I just light it by match.
Overall body- The body is holding up very well. It looks weathers but so far it is fine.
Wooden handles- They look weathered but they are holding up well and have not required any maintenance.
Why I like it.
When you get comfortable with the routine you just tend to it every 2-3 hours. It is easy to use especially for the quality of food that comes out of it.
Precautions
I only put 1-2 handfuls of wood 2-3 times during the smoking process. If you constantly have wood chips making smoke during the entire 6-8 hour cooking process then you will have very bad tasting meat. If in doubt then use less wood chips.
Also, you need to make sure the windows and doors are closed unless you want the smoke in your house.
Cleaning
There is not much to clean. First the water bowl can get dirty and if you leave it for a day it will start to grow like a pimple before prom night. This is not a pleasant thing to clean out if it sits out for a week. Also the grills need cleaning after every usage like a grill would. So just run these through your dishwasher or use a pressure washer. The shell just needs to be washed or wiped down. It is not meant to look be clean and shiny, it's a smoker.
Options for this cooker
If all you do is sausage and you want to do more then you can buy an attachment that attaches to the rack and instead of a one layer rack you get a double decker. It will pretty much only work on sausage, jerky, etc. Anything less than 2 inches.
You also have special rib racks that hold a bunch of ? racks of ribs at a vertical angle. Normally ribs have to be laid flat on the racks in the horizontal position. This tool allows you to cook 3-4 times as many ribs and is essential if that is something you like to do.
An electronic thermometer probe is essential.
Dimensions
Height: 44.5
Diameter of the "pill": 17
Space between racks: 5.25
Diameter of racks: 15.5
Summary
This is a relatively inexpensive propane powered smoker. It is easy to use and produces great food. Unlike a grill, it is designed to cook food slowly and impart a smoky flavor to the food. The durability is pretty good especially considering that I have left it in the elements for the past 5 years. If you like to grill then I can guarantee that you will love this as an addition to your outdoor toys.
Other items I use in conjunction with this smoker.
Digital thermometer, an absolute must for this smoker.
Brush and scraper combo grill cleaning tool.
Villaware meat grinder
Tupperware marinade container
I have owned this for over 4 years and I have absolutely no regrets about buying it. Even though I have a charcoal grill and a propane grill, I still need this for smoking meats properly because the other two fail to do as good of a job.
This is not an all-in-one unit. You will not grill on it and you will not be able to use the burner to do stir-fry or deep-fry a turkey. The burner just is not strong enough. You can grill on it but I am not as pleased with the results. What it does is make great smoked foods.
How it works
It looks like a pill…you know, the ones on Dr. Mario. But this one is black and has three legs on one side of the pill. I wouldn't say it looks really attractive, well anything that reminds me of a hospital certainly isn't attractive. So unless you have a pill theme going on in your home you probably won't find it all that attractive.
It has a small propane burner on the bottom that is surrounded with lava rocks. The burner is controlled with a single knob. When you finish soaking your wood you place them on the lava rocks near the burner so they start to smoke. Do not place them directly over the burner otherwise they will ignite instead of just smoke.
There is a round middle piece that goes on top of the burner unit. It has two wooden handles on the sides. This unit holds two racks and the water container. This water container is essential for a moist taste and lower temperature cooking. If it were not there the burner would be directly beneath the food. The water bowl heats up and water evaporates to increase the moisture content of the air in the smoker. It also helps control the temperature, the more water the lower the temperature is. I use water but you can use a combination of aromatic liquids if you wish.
One rack fits directly on top of the water bowl. The other rack is about 6 inches above the bottom rack. If you are doing turkey then you will just use the bottom rack. There is another rack that fits on the top of the middle round piece.
The top piece is a dome with a temperature gage. The gage only reads low, medium, high. It also shows you where the ideal temperature is but that is not accurate in my opinion. The top piece has a wooden handle on the top.
The comfort level of the unit
If you are into convenience then I do not recommend this smoker. Go buy a more expensive version or hit a BBQ/smoker restaurant. In order to access the lava rocks you need to take the entire unit off first. You also do not have access to the bottom layer of food if the top level is being used. This also is not a problem because the food does not need to be turned.
The comfort level of the handles is fine. The handles are wooden so they do not get extremely hot, do not splinter, nor are they hard to grasp.
The capacity
You have two levels. It depends on the size of the foods but this list should give you a general idea of how much food you can put on one level. About 15 sausages or, 2 small chickens or, 1 rack of ribs or, 1 cut up chicken or, 2 pork loins or, 2 packages of kabasi, etc.
If you are doing a whole turkey than you will only be using one tray. I asked my wife how big our turkey was for Thanksgiving. She thought it was 24 lbs, I thought it was 21 lbs. In either case, you will not be able to fit anything more than a 25 lb turkey (and that fit will be tight.) You also cannot stuff a smoked turkey (not that you should stuff a turkey anyways.)
Foods I have tried
Smoked turkey- This is the best way to cook turkey in my opinion. It comes out golden brown and has a wonderful taste to it.
Kalbasi- I could not believe how much better it tasted on a smoker when compared to boiling it. If you can get really good kalbasi from a specialty butcher shop then you have a meal that will impress the pickiest critics.
Burgers- This was an experiment and it turned out horribly. Whatever you do, keep the burgers on the grill.
Pork butt- This works well, just make sure it stays on the grill all day.
Sausages- These fly off the plate when I host gatherings. I almost never have leftovers. Sausages (and kalbasi) were made for this device.
Chicken/ Cornish gamehen- I love chicken on the smoker. It usually comes out pretty well. There are times when I prefer to slow cook on my charcoal grill when I am not looking for that smoked flavor and I want a moister meat.
Beef Jerky- comes out perfectly. If you are during teriyaki then do not use wood chips. For a more tradition flavor use hickory chips. Apple chips work well also for a milder flavor. I usually use London broil because of the low fat content. I have done jerky in my food dehydrator and my stove. So far I like this method of dehydrating the best.
Garlic- Comes out beautifully. If you cook them for about 6-8 hours they almost come out like a thick paste (you can do the same thing in an over but without the smokiness.
Onions- If you like the smoke flavor then they are great. I prefer to cook whole onions on my charcoal grill instead because I think they come out better.
Big hunks of beef- I have tried several and for the most part they all came out pretty well. If it has a lot of connective tissue then you want to cook it all day.
Approximate cooking time
I slow cook so I will take 6 hours for chicken and sausage and 8-12 hours for large pieces of meat. The more connective tissue then the longer and slower you want to cook it.
You can easily cut the cooking times in half or a quarter if you're in a rush. This can be done by only cooking on high or parboiling your food ahead of time. I do not do this because I think it sacrifices food quality but for people short on time then this is an option.
Why I recommend it…why I don't.
The nice thing about using propane vs. briquettes is that you do not have to watch it very much. About every 2-3 hours you should check the temperature and water level.
If you are really into smoked foods for large groups then I do not recommend this version. This version is ideal for a party of 8 people. For me to host a large gathering I have to have this on as well as my two grills going. If only I had the grill of my dreams.
I do not recommend this is you do not go outside very often or you do not have the time to cook.
Problems with cooking foods I have encountered
If you have food on the edges of the racks then they will dry out very quickly compared to the foods not on the edges. With that in mind I generally do not put food on the edges.
As the water level drops the temperature rises. With how I cook it is necessary to keep the water at ? full and the temperature at the lowest setting.
Problems in general
All of the problems are mild. The first major issue is that the food on the bottom level is hard to access when you are using the top level. This also means that the water bowl can be difficult to access. The thermostat on the lid is merely a rough guide so you do need an external digital probe to cook large pieces of meat properly. Since it does not have wheels it will be a little difficult to move.
Durability
I leave this outside in the Southern California environment. This of course is not as hostile as the rest of the U.S., but the elements can cause some damage. I have also had this unit for about 5 years so a lot of wear and tear has occurred, but it still works.
Legs- Since the triangular piece that held the legs together fell off the legs have not been very sturdy. I do not have a lot of faith in them so I make sure this unit is out of the way of traffic. But so far they haven't failed me.
Temperature gauge- It is a simple gauge but only lists low, medium, and high. After you use it enough you will learn where you want the gage but a probe thermometer is mandatory for any large cuts of meat.
Igniter- The igniter has stopped working at around 6 months. I just light it by match.
Overall body- The body is holding up very well. It looks weathers but so far it is fine.
Wooden handles- They look weathered but they are holding up well and have not required any maintenance.
Why I like it.
When you get comfortable with the routine you just tend to it every 2-3 hours. It is easy to use especially for the quality of food that comes out of it.
Precautions
I only put 1-2 handfuls of wood 2-3 times during the smoking process. If you constantly have wood chips making smoke during the entire 6-8 hour cooking process then you will have very bad tasting meat. If in doubt then use less wood chips.
Also, you need to make sure the windows and doors are closed unless you want the smoke in your house.
Cleaning
There is not much to clean. First the water bowl can get dirty and if you leave it for a day it will start to grow like a pimple before prom night. This is not a pleasant thing to clean out if it sits out for a week. Also the grills need cleaning after every usage like a grill would. So just run these through your dishwasher or use a pressure washer. The shell just needs to be washed or wiped down. It is not meant to look be clean and shiny, it's a smoker.
Options for this cooker
If all you do is sausage and you want to do more then you can buy an attachment that attaches to the rack and instead of a one layer rack you get a double decker. It will pretty much only work on sausage, jerky, etc. Anything less than 2 inches.
You also have special rib racks that hold a bunch of ? racks of ribs at a vertical angle. Normally ribs have to be laid flat on the racks in the horizontal position. This tool allows you to cook 3-4 times as many ribs and is essential if that is something you like to do.
An electronic thermometer probe is essential.
Dimensions
Height: 44.5
Diameter of the "pill": 17
Space between racks: 5.25
Diameter of racks: 15.5
Summary
This is a relatively inexpensive propane powered smoker. It is easy to use and produces great food. Unlike a grill, it is designed to cook food slowly and impart a smoky flavor to the food. The durability is pretty good especially considering that I have left it in the elements for the past 5 years. If you like to grill then I can guarantee that you will love this as an addition to your outdoor toys.
Other items I use in conjunction with this smoker.
Digital thermometer, an absolute must for this smoker.
Brush and scraper combo grill cleaning tool.
Villaware meat grinder
Tupperware marinade container
