Hello all
Just got my BOS two weeks ago. Have tried quite a few things already - I get a little obsessive with new toys! 🙀. I live in Canada's Yukon Territory. We are having a very beautiful warm fall. I'm interested in seeing what kind of colder temperatures I can smoke in. And winter will soon be upon us! I've been cruising around on the forum and like the information I've been finding. Thanks
Welcome to the forum. The heating element in the Bradley smokers is only 500 watts so it struggles with cold. I wrap my obs in hot water heater insulation and keep it in a small garden shed, that helps a lot. Some smokers do a mod and add a larger element, 900-1000 watts. With the wrap and shed I don't need the bigger element.
Yes, welcome. You may want to consider an insulated cabinet inside your garage or a shed (vented to the outside, of course) to house your smoker during the winter months. That is one of my projects for next year. My Bradley sits on a wheeled stainless steel cart (to wheel it outdoors when I smoke) in the corner of the garage next to the overhead door and that's where I'm going to build the insulated cabinet for it next year. With the outside venting, it won't be necessary to wheel it out doors anymore. And when smoking in the winter, it will be much easier to control the smoker's operating temps.
Welcome to the Forum Yukon Smoker. I'm from Winnipeg and can relate with your cold concern. I've set up my Bradley in the garage and smoke about 9+ months of the year. I find shielding it from the wind is your biggest help, as well I added a second 500 watt heating element. This helps maintain the temperature as well as faster recovery when you open the door and place meat into the smoker. For the couple of months that I'm not smoking I bring my smoke generator into the house and clean it and store it from the cold. Hasn't failed me since I've stored it indoors for the winter months.