NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CPSC, Brinkmann Corp. Announce Recall Program To Provide Free Replacement Smoke Stack For "Smoke'n Pit" Cookers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), The Brinkmann Corporation of Dallas, Texas is announcing a program to provide free replacement smokestacks for approximately 43,800 Smoke'N Pit cookers with straight vertical smokestacks. The cooker lid may fall suddenly, injuring consumers using the cooker.

Brinkmann is aware of approximately 15 injuries that resulted from a cooker lid coming down suddenly. Most of the injuries involved cuts and bruises to consumers' arms and hands.

Both the Smoke'N Pit Professional, models 805-2101-0 and 805-2101-1, and Smoke'N Pit Pitmaster, model 805-21-1-2, measure approximately 39" high. Both black steel cookers have straight, rather than angled, vertical smokestacks. The Smoke'N Pit Professional's cooking chamber measures 34.5" long and 16.5" wide and has a 17" long firebox attached on the side. The Pitmaster measurements are the same but it does not have a fire box. Not all cookers have a manufacturer's identification; any identification is located near the lid handle.

The majority of the cookers were sold nationwide between November 1992 and March 1994 at retail and hardware stores including various Wal-Mart, Service Merchandise and Ace Hardware stores. The Smoke'N Pit Professional sold for approximately $200 to $250 and the Pitmaster sold for approximately $100 to $130. The cookers were packaged in boxes labeled in part "Brinkmann Smoke'N Pit."

Consumers who own Smoke'N Pit Professional cookers or Smoke'N Pit Pitmasters should contact Brinkmann at (800) 675-5301 for assistance in determining whether their cookers are part of this corrective action. Brinkmann will send each consumer a free replacement smokestack which enables consumers to open the cooker lid further, thereby eliminating the potential lid stability concerns.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.