Product Review: Home Depot Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill

I consistently receive email asking which smoker I would recommend for a beginner. The answers varies ranging from your experience in BBQ, to where you live and how much you plan on preparing and sharing with family and friends.

With this in mind, I had the privilege of testing a smoker that could be used by the beginner or season veteran. The Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill is sold at Home Depot, and is where I got mine for $49.95. I wanted to test this smoker to see how user friendly it was and what type of results it would produce for the beginner wanting to make the best BBQ possible.

This smoker appealed to me because of its ability to not only smoke, but also break down and be used as a grill as well. It is small and compact, but yet big enough to smoke alot of food. This appeals to both the beginner living in a small condo or apartment with a small balcony or the beginner wanting a starting point and adds this smoker to patio or deck of the home.

This past weekend my family and I competited in the Frisco Colorado State BBQ Challenge. As with many of the contests we compete in, it is a family undertaking. Two of my children competed in the Kids State BBQ Cook-off and in preparation of this contest, both of them practiced on the Brinkmann!

First, we had to put the smoker together. Using the included instructions my 11year old son and I were able to put the smoker together in 20-minutes. We then prepared it for its first smoke by spraying the inside of the smoker and the inside of the lid with Pam for Grilling to help season the smoker prior to cooking on it. Allowing the smoker to season prior to cooking on it helps burn off any paint of finishing chemicals used in maing the smoker.After seasoning we started some charcoal with the Pam and let it season the smoker for 1-hour. Then we added some Hickory wood and began smoking!

So with the smoker going my son Ryan and daughter Kaylee decided that the first thing to be smoked on the new smoker would be Bratwurst, Nathan Hot Dogs and boneless/skinless chicken breasts.

I decided to let my kids test the smoker to see how user friendly it would be. Both of them have grown up with grilling and smoking foods, so I felt that a true representation of the Brinkmann Smoke-N-Grill would be perfect for them and you as a reader.

The Brinkmann Smoke –N-Grill did a great job in cooking the food my children chose. The only thing I would change in the design would be to make it more air tight. We found the unless you constantly checked the temperature of the smoker, the temperature would not stay steady.

The temperature gage has three readings which are: Warm, Ideal and Hot. In my opinion this should be changed to real temperature readings. Using my digital temperature gage I found that ideal temperature ranged from 165to 255. For my taste this is too much of a difference in “Ideal” temperature.

If you use this smoker understand that you will need to watch the temperature and baby-sit the smoker. Which if you are just beginning is a good thing. It gives you the chance to learn how a smoker works, how to maintain the temperature and how to turn out some great looking and tasting barbeque.

So with my children practicing with the Brinkman Smoke and Grill, your probably wondering how they faired in the State Barbeque Championship. Well, My daughter is the State Champion in the kids 5-11 year old category and my son took 2^nd place in the kids 11-15 year old category. I think this speaks for itself in how well the Brinkman Smoke and Grill performs as both a grill and smoker!

I would highly recommend the Brinkmann Smoke –N-Grill for your consideration in choosing a smoker without having to make a large investment. I think you will be happy with the results and the ease of use. With the included cookbook and recommendations included with your Brinkmann you will have an excellent starting point to begin your BBQ adventure!

Posted by Chuck June 2008

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