Brinkmann Cimarron Reverse Flow mod w/pics (2024)

Hi guys! Been awhile since I've posted but life has been crazy!! Alas, I've got a darn good excuse to write up a post today. Over the summer I picked up a gently used Brinkmann Cimarron for a song on Craigslist. I've cooked on it quite a bit over the last few months but I got the idea about a month ago to try and mod it into a reverse flow.

However, I wanted to come up with a design that would allow me to keep the option of cooking on it with the traditional offset method. So a lot of thinking, some cutting and welding later, I managed to put together a set of mods that should allow for such operation.

Brethren, I present to you, the Brinkmann Cimarron Hybrid Offset! :clap:

Here is the side baffle/reverse flow plate. The three right hand steel plates are not welded to anything and can be slid together like in the pic to create the reverse flow action, or be separated and spaced to act as tuning plates for the traditional offset style. The two left hand plates are welded together and welded to the firebox baffle.

To move the chimney, I cut a 4" hole on the left side of the cook chamber opposite of the original chimney position. I then welded a piece of 4" scrap steel pipe to slide the existing chimney into. Added a hole and nut to thread in the retaining bolt. This position does eliminate the use of the top firebox door, but I usually side load anyhow so it was of no issue to me.

Next I welded up a removeable "plug" to fill the original chimney hole. It's simply a scrap piece of 3 7/8" pipe with some 16gauge sheet welded to the end. This shot also shows a better view of the nut and retaining bolt setup.

I finished up the project today with a good powerwash to the inside to remove any metal shavings and an air dry in the warm sun. If the weather holds, I plan to fire it up this weekend and give it a test run! I'm open to suggestions as to the meat of choice! :thumb:

Feels good to be back! Oh and feel free to ask any questions about the build! Enjoy guys!

P.s. forgive the amateur welds! Not my best skill but I'm still learning! :grin:

Smokedawg86 said:

Haha welds don't have to be pretty to hold together. This was an interesting build. Super cool to have both options. Saves space and money on one cooker.

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Thanks! And the welds are the best I can do with my novice skill and a cheap Northern Tool 110v wire welder. But its true, they don't have to be pretty to make metal stick together haha. Though I won't be building a bridge anytime soon! :thumb:

How does it cook now? Do you need to put a damper on the exhaust? How does it flow and do you notice a heat across the grate difference?

And more importantly....where is the cook pics??

As a fellow Cimarron owner I must say that is farking awesome!

Congrats. :clap2::clap2::clap2:

I don't have the skill to mod mine like that, but I can't wait to hear how it works. Good luck.

Hillbilly BBQ said:

How does it cook now? Do you need to put a damper on the exhaust? How does it flow and do you notice a heat across the grate difference?

And more importantly....where is the cook pics??

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Not sure how it cooks yet, with any luck I'll fire it up this weekend to cook a venison roast I have sitting in the freezer. I'll likely post pics in a new thread if/when it happens. But I'll be sure to report all my findings.

robert-r said:

That's a very creative idea. Hope it works as planned. Gonna do the obligatory fattie to season it?

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A fatty might sneak its way on there, but like above I have a venison roast I've been wanting to cook up. Think I'm gonna do it like a chuckie and smoke it for a few hours then wrap with some beef stock, Worcestershire, and butter till it shreds.