Hello All: I am new to forum's in general and fairly new to smoking meats. Wife got me a OBS for Christmas and have done some ribs but that's about it. After reading some of the post I realize there is a lot more to this than set it and forget it. There seems to be a lot of modifications that are made to the smoker and a lot of do's and don'ts. I don't even know what I don't know. I hope to ask a lot a questions and read a lot of previous post. I think my first question would be why make the modifications for heat controllers and added heater elements.
Welcome to the forum Walt.I'll give it a try. The obs oven is controlled by a rheostat which will give temp swings of +- 15 f. this is not a problem for most cooks but there are times when more precise temp control is needed. Hence the "pid" which will keep the temp within 1-2 deg of the set temp.As for the added heat elements they speed up the oven heating up and recovery times. There is an easier way involving an enclosed shed and insulation blanket for the smoker.This is what I've done and it works well. I've never had any problems with heat.
cathouse willy is correct in his statements.
In my opinion the most important mod is the PID.
Without it I had a hard time getting good smokes consistantly.
Like willy, I don't have a hard time keeping temps up with the stock element.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind having a bigger element, I just have never found the time to install one.
Thanks guys, I'll keep experimenting and see if I run into any of those concerns.
Walt, I think you're on the right track to use your smoker a bit before considering modifications or investing in a PID. Many Bradley owners use their smokers bone stock and find no need for modifications. Others, myself included, are Tim Taylor types.