Questions and Answers for Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker

A:  The smoker box can sit right on top of the heating element. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  The box goes on top of the container that holds the lava rocks and heating element. There is a lip on the lower container and the smoker tube is slightly smaller

A:  The smoker box sits on the base which has the heating elements and the lava rocks in it.

A:  This unit is not really designed for a smoker box. You really do not need one. With these sized chunks http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Firespice-Pecan-Wood-Chunks-5-lbs-17003/202014999 readily available at Home Depot, a smoker box is unnecessary. Just soak the chunks in water for about 20 minutes, and then add one for light smoke or several for intense smoke. Just set them next to, but not on the element The MFR recommends that nothing be set directly on the element, so, if you had to use one, you would want to position in a way that kept it out of direct contact with the elements

A:  I placed a foil packet of wood chips on top of the heat element, so I would do that. Put it on top of the element.

A:  On the lava rocks, wrapped in aluminum foil with small holes in foil.

A:  Try to set it just above the heat element use lava rocks to hold it up, also try soaking half the wood you plan on using you will get a longer smoke

A:  brinkman web site

A:  Please contact our customer service department at 1-800-527-0717 to order the electric heating element. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  You can use either size but I recommend larger ones. Less to use and more coverage and you want to cover most of the heating element with the rocks.

A:  Either works fine

A:  I would not put the lava rocks on top of the electric element. In a review on another site a person posted a photo of his smoker and deck burnt up. He said it was because he put the lava rocks on top of the element. Brinkmann will have the correct answer! We hope.

A:  big ones work just fine

A:  Please contact our customer service department at 1-800-527-0717 for assistance on ordering the small lava rocks for your unit. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  Yes just go online and print it out

A:  Please contact our customer service department at 1-800-527-0717 for assistance with your inquiry. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  I wouldn't bother. Cooking times should be based on your meat temp and this smoker is a pretty consistent temp from about 175-190F

A:  Go on the Brinkman website (there's also a Brinkman forum covering recipes and times etc.)

A:  Thank you for your recent inquiry with The Home Depot. I believe it would be best to reach out to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer is Brinkmann and their customer service department can be reached at 1-800-468-5252.

A:  Gnat, do you still need the copy? I can scan it and upload to this site perhaps. - Matt, Dallas

A:  Please contact our customer service department at 1-800-527-0717 to order the correct water pan for your unit. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  I filled the water bowl with play sand and put 5 or 6 layers of alimun foil (to keep the grease out. Then used a alunium roast pan with water. works wonderful. Steve

A:  No. It's purely electric with lava rocks or potentially could be converted to charcoal. No real easy way to convert to gas.

A:  The unit is only design to work as an electric smoker and can not be modified. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  No

A:  You would have to go talk to your local propane service people first, But why would you want to?

A:  What about placing heavy alum foil under fish and offsetting the lid an inch or two during smoking to let our more heat, less convection? Not sure the target temp on that. 175-200?

A:  There are many models that do have adjustable temperature settings. However, the model I have the gourmet by brinkmen is not adjustable. Mine is the 79.00 model. The adjustable temperature models will cost you significantly more. The next one up from mine was 179.00. I just wasn't sure if I would use a smoker enough to justify the extra cost.

A:  no temp control. The element will get the smoker to 200F give or take depending on the outside temperature . fill the water bowl with cold water and use more lava rocks to drop the over all temperature down. Even at 180f that is slow cooking as well..

A:  No, it cannot. The unit has one setting, on or off. You will have to get creative to control the temperature. Two different heating elements on my unit would not go above 150 degrees, so for fish you may be in luck.

A:  I use wood chips. I bought several small aluminum loaf pans & I fill them with the wood chips. I cover them with foil & cut slits in the foil. I then place them in the smoker next to the heating coil. I use three at a time. Plug in the power & allow the smoker to come up to temp & the chips start smoking. Then place your meet on the racks. if I need more smoke during the smoking process I open the side door & remove the pans with my tongs & replace them with more loaded pans. This allows for you to have smoke thru-out the whole process.

A:  No. It's a fixed time and around 170-190F (contrary to the manual saying 250.

A:  There is no temperature adjustment. This unit works great but I would say that it is a fairly slow "hot" smoker. Cold smoking requires a different type of unit.

A:  There are no temperature settings. When you plug it in, the heating coil stays at a constant temperature.

A:  If you lift the smoker body to allow more air into the smoker, the temperature will drop. You would have to use some type of spacer (bricks, etc.). Thank You Brinkmann

A:  This grill works very well with chunks of wood sold at Home Depot. It does not have a thermostat, so you will have to manually control the temperature. Based on my experience, you can get as intense or subtle of a smoke flavor as you want by merely adjusting the number of chunk of wood you set next to the heating element

A:  It's not really that small, about 8x5 I think. It was plenty adequate to allow you to put your hand in to add more chips and check on things.

A:  It's fairly small.. about 8x10 or so.. its also pretty much useless.. its very hard to put chips in the smoker thru the door.

A:  The door is 8 3/4 inches in height and 5 1/4 inches in width. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  It's small. About 4" wide x 8" high

A:  The door is about 5inches by 8. pretty useless. You can smell if the wood is still smoking so there is no need to look in through the door. I ran mine for almost 8 hours and still had half the water pan left. not that you could fill it through the door anyway.

A:  5" wide& 81/4 long you have access to to the burner element and the pan without taking the cover off and losing heat and smoke

A:  Big enough for a large hand plus wood chunk. Hint, put enough chunks between coil loops to avoid adding.

A:  It is small, but sufficient to add water to the pan.

A:  The door is pretty small, but large enough to add chips and water. Grandpaw

A:  approximately 7X10

A:  No Your best bet here is to buy the charcoal smoker. If you want to make it electric later, there is a special heating for it.

A:  You could use charcoal with a few modifications. No vent holes to control the heat in the lid or the side for combustion aire. You could open the door a bit for heat control. Then drill some holes in the to side of the bottom pan on both size 6 to 6 1/4 inches holes to get air over your coals.

A:  You could, but why not just buy the same model without the burner and save $30.00

A:  Potentially but I would just by the charcoal version of this which is about $40 cheaper.

A:  The heating element is easy to remove. I prefer to use the electric as you always have good heat and don't have to worry about walking away from the smoker & it burning out.

A:  Yes, you can take the electric element out very easily.. and I do not see why you could not use charcoal in the base..just replace the lava rock with your charcoal. There will be a hole, about 1 1/2" diameter where the heating element cord comes out.. should be good for air control, might have to attach a piece of tin or aluminum, cut a little circle out of a beer can and fix it so you can open or close the hole as needed. And get a heat thermometer.. this grill does not have one in the lid

A:  you could if you wanted to but why?

A:  Absolutely not, you run the risk of burning meats. Better...add small amounts in blizzards?

A:  You can purchase parts so that charcoal can be used in this unit. Please contact our customer service department at 1-800-527-0717 for assistance. Thank You Brinkmann

A:  Yes you can removed the heating element easily and put in charcoal instead. I would suggest that you use aluminum foil to line the bottom. You will still scorch the paint, but not as much. Grandpaw

A:  It holds the heat, so sort of like cooking over coals.

A:  The lava rocks help distribute and hold the heat. While the setup of the electric element would allow for decent distribution of heat, the lava rocks simply do it better. Also, if for any reason you must remove the top pieces, such as adding wood chips or water, the lava rocks or sand would retain the heat much better than without.

A:  To help distribute the heat evenly.

A:  The lava or sand or cement bbq rocks. Is used for for many reasons. Drips will hit the lava rocks and not just the heating element directly. Same as your BBQ using java or cement BBQ bricks second is to even out the heat. Also lava rocks don't conduct heat you avoid hot-spots from the red hot heating element and if java rocks cover the element slightly you can lower the over all temp, and cook at a slower heat for a longer period of time.

A:  It disperses and holds the heat for a more uniform temperature. And yes, you do need it. When I bought my electric smoker it was a floor model, the last in the store. I did not know anything about lava rocks, and mine did not have any included. I could not figure out why I couldn't get the smoker hot enough... after an hour the pack of wood chips were not smoking. I thought the element was bad..but I Googled and found that I was missing the lava rocks. I bought some from a garden center and now everything works fine.

A:  To evenly distribute and maintain heat from the electric element.

A:  Lava rock is porus and holds heat longer evenly. I would not use sand for obvious reasons.

A:  It helps distribute the heat from the element through the wood.

A:  The heating element sits on the lava rocks. Also, if water or juices from the pan spill over, the lava rocks absorb it without making a mess.

A:  There are two reasons, insulate the bottom and catch the drippings that miss the water pan. Grandpaw