Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker Review – A Look at the Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One (810-5100-p)

• Brad
• From $200 to $300, Reviews: Gas Smokers
• June 2nd, 2011
• One Comment

Manufacturer: Brinkmann Smoker

Propane or Natural Gas: Propane

List Price: $289.95

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Availability: Click here for availability.

For those that short on storage space in the backyard, the Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker may be the perfect unit for you.

I call this thing a “unit” because it’s more than just a gas smoker. As the name suggests, it’s an All-In-One backyard cooking MACHINE.

Not only can this thing smoke with gas, but it can also smoke with charcoal… and even grill with both gas and charcoal… and even turn into a fryer if you ever have the need for a deep fryer.

Although I have owned more than my fair share of backyard devices, this Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker is certainly the most versatile piece of equipment I have ever owned. With just a simple reconfiguration of the internal components, a barbeque enthusiast suddenly has an entirely different weapon at his or her disposal.

The Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker measures a perfectly round 17 inches in diameter and 45 inches tall. Not all of that can be used for food, though. But, I will say that any turkey that is less than 17 inches from one side to the other will certainly fit in the Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker, regardless of how long the turkey is. We tested this unit with a turkey that was about 23 pounds, and we had to tip it up just a little… but, otherwise it cooked great and came out fantastic.

 

3 Reasons Why The Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker is No Substitute for a Real Grill

Although the Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker can also grill using either gas or charcoal, you may not want to use it as a grill unless you are really desperate… or as I said before, really low on space in your yard or patio. As a grill, the Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One leaves a lot to be desired.

1. This thing is not really high enough for most people to comfortably use.  Who really wants to use a grill that they have to bend way over to use.  If you are a shorter person, this may be perfect… But, I am about 6 foot tall, and I found the height of the Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One uncomfortably low for use as a grill.
2. It’s difficult to get the grill to heat up to a proper temperature for grilling.  Maybe it’s just the way I like to grill… but, I like to start out with a high heat in order to sear the steaks (or whatever I am grilling at the moment) to get that get the outside layer of meat caramelized and get those juices in the middle sealed inside.  After that, I turn down the heat and cook to the desired temperature.  The problem with this grill is that too much gas is required (for way too long) in order to get this grill up to a decent temperature for “searing.”
3. The grilling area isn’t large enough for a decent backyard event.  It’s fine if you only grill for you and your own small family, but if you have a few guests over you will run out of room pretty quickly.  We were able to fit a fair number of brats on the grill… but when it came time for the chicken breasts we ran out of room fast.  Luckily we have plenty of grills around, so I fired up one of those pretty quickly and we were back in business.

 

Stainless Steel is Definitely the Way to Go!

Although this Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One is very much like the Black Brinkmann All-In-One Outdoor Cooker (model 810-5000-0), the way it’s built is much different.

My stainless steel model is built to withstand a nuclear disaster.  Perhaps it’s the difference between welding stainless steel versus regular steel, but all of the welds on my Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One are solid and secure.  On the other hand, the Black Brinkmann All-In-One Outdoor Cooker (model 810-5000-0) has been known to fall apart (literally at the seams).  Note:  We haven’t officially tested the Black Brinkmann All-In-One Outdoor Cooker (model 810-5000-0), so we cannot say from first-hand experience.

Also, from the feedback we have received about the Black Brinkmann All-In-One Outdoor Cooker (model 810-5000-0), is that the paint tends to burn off either during a long smoke or a hot grilling session.  I cannot even begin to tell you how bad this sounds… You absolutely do NOT want to be eating the paint that peals off from the inside of your smoker or grill.

Ultimately, when the paint does peel off (regardless of whether it gets into your food or not) this leaves those paint-less areas exposed to oxidation… this means RUST.  If you live in a humid area of the world, you will be seeing rust FAST with anything not protected with paint and/or a good oiling.  If you live near the coast, the salty humid air will corrode your unprotected metal very quickly.  Fortunately, the Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One isn’t prone to rust, as it’s stainless steel… no problems here at all.

Lastly, stainless steel looks absolutely BAD ASS.  Just look at the photo of the Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker at the top of this review.  It looks like a weapon or mass destruction or some sort of battle droid from Star Wars… Yes, I know that I’m a nerd.

 

A Few More Negatives About the Stainless Steel Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker

1. There are no place to put the chips.  On our first smoke, we put the chips directly on the lava rocks.  But, even though they were soaked in water for several days, they eventually dried out and burned up quickly.  This did a couple of things… It produced a little more heat than I wanted… and it used up too many of our wood chips.  We eventually pulled a chip box from one of our other smokers and used that instead putting the chips on the rocks.  After that, we were able to get a pretty long smolder from our chips without burning them too quickly.
2. The gas smoker requires some tricky gas-work to get the proper temperature.  Like many smoker enthusiasts, we like to smoke at about 200 degrees (plus or minus about 25 degrees depending on the meat).  If the gas is on too low, a light breeze will easily blow out the flame.  At first, this was a very aggravating experience and we almost gave up in total frustration, but then we searched the Internet (Google is our friend) and found a solution:  If you adjust the air intake until the flame turns from blue to a yellow-orange, this will enable the flame to burn a little cooler so that you can turn the flame up a little and still get a lower temperature.
3. Speaking of wood chips, there is no door on the Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One on add wood chips very easily.  Unfortunately, you have to lift up the nearly the entire thing in order to add anything… wood, charcoal, etc.  If you cut your own wood, cut bigger pieces so they will last longer… or if you find a place that sells larger chips, go with those.  Also, when you do lift up the entire thing, you are also lifting up the water pan so make sure you don’t fill up the water pan all the way.

The Brinkmann Stainless Steel All-In-One Vertical Gas Smoker is Great for What it Does

You may be inclined to look at all of the negatives in this review and think that we didn’t like this Brinkmann Stainless Steel Vertical Gas Smoker, but you would be wrong.

We thought that it was a little small for our liking, but sometimes small is all you need.  Unless you are smoking multiple meats… such as a turkey, a ham, and a bunch of sausage links all at the same time, this may be perfect for you.  Personally, we prefer some of the larger units, but that’s just our personal preference and may not be your preference at all.

The Brinkmann Stainless Steel Vertical Gas Smoker is great for those who have limited space, such as people who live in a condo or apartment building and/or cannot use solid fuels (such as charcoal).  Depending on your needs, you can use it for smoking, grilling or frying, without having to invest in 3 different appliances.

We also love the solid, stainless steel construction and even though it costs more than the Black Brinkmann 810-5000-0 All-In-One Outdoor Cooker, we think that the fact that the corrosion-proof material makes it worth the extra investment.

 

Tagged: all-in-one, below $300, below $400, brinkmann, charcoal, fryer, gas smokers, grill, propane

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