OK, well I hate to make everyone keep repeating them self's but......
I have done a quick look through the forum and am trying to decide if getting a PID for my Bradley is worth the money. As you can tell I am new to the OBS world. I am most likely going to be a weekend smoker, so for the money I am I going to see the benefits of spending the money. Should I just master what I have before throwing something new in the mix? I have ordered a maverick(hoping It will be hear for this weekends smoke)so will that serve my needs just as well. Would love some members feed back as I know most of you are far wiser in the way of the smoke than I am. And again sorry for bringing up a topic that has probally been discussed to death.
Thankx sNc
I have an OBS and a PID. I didn't get the PID at first.
IMHO
It depends on what you are smoking. (I love that line!)
If you are smoking sausage, then A PID will help keep temp swings from "fatting out" your sausage.
Some Salmon smoking recipes require you to increase the smoking temps in steps "Ramping"
If you are smoking butts, briskets and ribs.... It's nice to have but by no means a requirement.
I turned out some mighty fine "Q" before the PID and no one has told me my "Q" is better since I got it.
But it is nice to have. I use the first step to pre-heat, then the next step does the cooking.
with the loads I do (usually 4 butts at a time) I would just run the OBS on MAX or close to it the whole time.
Canuk Eh ;)
I have a BDS and only use the PID when doing fish (salmon) or sausages.
It gives me piece of mind knowing exactly what the temps are. Now with the new PID from Auber, you have a food temp probe.........even better.
Lumpy
I think FLBentRider nailed it! I have a obs, a PID, and the fan mod........love all of it! If I would have to start over I wouldn't do anything different.
OBS + PID = LOVE
Do you need a PID? No Do I need a PID? No. but I have 3 of them it's a toy, it' a convenience, it cuts down time getting your cabinet to the proper temperature. Can you do with out it? Sure you can I did without one for 30 years and used a wood fire box to smoke with and never had a problem.
Your going to have a learning curve without one. Enjoy your smoker I know you will.
So start without one. Go to a Smokeout in your area if possible and you'll probably see one in action.
I went for about a year before I purchased a PID. For the most part I was able to just use my BDS by itself without any problems. When I was doing smoked salmon then it became a little bit more of an issue.
Overall I did not like the large temperature swings that are typical of the Bradley (in my case the swings were in the range of 20-30 degrees up or down from my preset temperature). Having the PID allowed for much smaller temperature swings (within 2 degrees), and as such, I found that it was easier to predict the ending smoking time. If the temperature is stable then it makes it easier to determine how long it will take for things like ribs/chicken, etc. (within reason since there is no actual predetermined minutes/pound calculation).
Bear in mind I haven't done anything large yet like a brisket or pulled pork where the cooking times will vary quite a bit anyways.
Overall I really enjoy smoking more using the PID since I know that the temperature is much more stable. I think that FLBentrider gave a good summary.
Quote from: FLBentRider on January 13, 2010, 12:00:33 PM
It depends on what you are smoking. (I love that line!)
Yeah, They just legalized medical smoking here in N. Jersey ::)
Quotethat depends on what you are smoking. (I love that line!)
I'll smoke anything...... at least once! :D
Thanks for the input, sounds like it is more of a personal choice based on what you are planing to smoke. I also love "toys" so I'm think'N I'ma gonna get me one some time soon. If not for the fact that it adds to the whole experience, than just to show off for my friends. A BIG thanks to every one! I never stop being impressed how friendly everyone here is.
Hey "Jesse"...
Just don't inhale...
And stay a step ahead of the Pinkertons. We got your back ;D
Quote from: hal4uk on January 13, 2010, 03:39:28 PM
Hey "Jesse"...
Just don't inhale...
And stay a step ahead of the Pinkertons. We got your back ;D
Thanks,Hal!
It's good to know somebody does, Just incase things go south! ;)
sNc what did you decide?
No decision yet, but looking thru your recent butt posts, I'd say that all signs point to yes.
What's with this auto tune thing I see you were talking about??
The Auber is tuned in with the Bradley cause they made it for the Bradley.
But every cooker cooks a little different and Auber made a feature that you can set it to so that the Auber will adjust to your smoker and stay in that 1 to 2 degree swing range.
I had added a second element so my swing range has been 5 to 6 degrees which is not bad but auto tune brought it back to the 1* to 3* range.
Very sweet!
The way the Auber is programed right now if I had to leave the house for some reason, it would continue to cook my butts till IT reached 195 and then
would lower the temp in the cabinet to 150 to "hold" the butts for a set time. (I have mine set for 2 hrs).
If after two hrs is up and I haven't gotten the meat out, it would shut down and turn itself off.
CRG... That is just toooooooooooooo sweet.
You're gonna have a lot of fun with that.
Because the weather is so cold hear right now I have only ran my OBS wide open. So would the PID be a huge advantage for me right now?? Maybe more in the summer time.
Quote from: smokeNcanuck on January 17, 2010, 04:53:47 PM
Because the weather is so cold hear right now I have only ran my OBS wide open. So would the PID be a huge advantage for me right now?? Maybe more in the summer time.
When I do 4 butts in any weather the PID pretty much runs the OBS wide open.
My suggestion would be a pid with a 2nd heat element for extreme cold wether cause the pid only, i don't tink would be enough.
I am new to Bradley smoking. I mainly used a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) which I could light the charcoal fire and have it maintain temp for 10-12 hours without me having to do anything. A friend got me hooked on electric smoking so I bought an OBS and a PID. I didn't buy the BDS because everything I read stated that the PID was more accurate and I should probably buy it. I have never used the OBS without the PID so I can only tell one side of the story. I got the PID from the beginning for 2 reasons.
First was that I wanted to do the mod adding the second heating element and it said that for safety reasons you should have a PID if you do the mod. I wanted to do the mod due to the threads I read concerning the pre-heat times and more important the recovery times. Not all people seem to have an issue with this, but with the UDS I was used to fast recovery times. With the mod my pre-heat and recovery times are in the low minute range. So that is the first reason.
The second reason was with or without the mod I didn't want to spend time monitoring and adjusting the temps (told you I was spoiled by the UDS). Since I never cooked without it, I can't judge how much time I would have spent adjusting if I did not have the PID. All I know is that I can set it and forget it whether during the day or overnight. Of course if anyone in the house asks it is an exhausting process requiring many adult beverages to perform successfully.
So I can only give you my experience and the final choice is whatever are your preferences. I am sure you will enjoy the Bradley experience whichever way you go.
Quote from: GusRobin on January 17, 2010, 05:25:17 PM
I am new to Bradley smoking. I mainly used a UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) which I could light the charcoal fire and have it maintain temp for 10-12 hours without me having to do anything. A friend got me hooked on electric smoking so I bought an OBS and a PID. I didn't buy the BDS because everything I read stated that the PID was more accurate and I should probably buy it. I have never used the OBS without the PID so I can only tell one side of the story. I got the PID from the beginning for 2 reasons.
First was that I wanted to do the mod adding the second heating element and it said that for safety reasons you should have a PID if you do the mod. I wanted to do the mod due to the threads I read concerning the pre-heat times and more important the recovery times. Not all people seem to have an issue with this, but with the UDS I was used to fast recovery times. With the mod my pre-heat and recovery times are in the low minute range. So that is the first reason.
The second reason was with or without the mod I didn't want to spend time monitoring and adjusting the temps (told you I was spoiled by the UDS). Since I never cooked without it, I can't judge how much time I would have spent adjusting if I did not have the PID. All I know is that I can set it and forget it whether during the day or overnight. Of course if anyone in the house asks it is an exhausting process requiring many adult beverages to perform successfully.
So I can only give you my experience and the final choice is whatever are your preferences. I am sure you will enjoy the Bradley experience whichever way you go.
Thanks for the input i sure do appreciate it.
I was thinking about doing the second heating element mod. I started reading the how to and thought it might be over my head.
How hard was it? I consider my self a handy guy and I am fairly mechanically inclined, is it easy to get all the necessary parts for the mod?
as far as the required parts yard and pool carry most of it.
sNc, if this (me) dummy can do it, you can too.
Study Mike's post on the recipe site. He has recommendations for the OBS and he is smart guy!
When i did mine, I got two elements and replace the original and added the new one and I have the orig for a back up if needed.
Plus sticking your head inside the cabinet while working is worth the trouble. ;D
ALL that you have to have from Bradley ids 1 more element.
The rest you can get at local appliance or hardware store.
The way you describe yourself, you have more skill than I do. It was easy for me so just about anyone can do it. It was diffiicult to find the material locally. They claimed it was high temp but it only went to about 167F. I bought the wire, female and ring connectors online at alliedkenco; the element at Yard and Pool (online). All told parts came to about $25. I would buy extra connectors and wire. I did screw up in that I connected the ring connector to the wire prior to putting the wire through the enamal insulator. The ring wouldn't fit so I had to cut it off and do it again.
Otherwise, Mike and Hab have given great directions. Also, there is nothing that you are doing to the actual smoke chamber cabinet, so anything you screw up is relatively easy and cheap to replace. Plus if you did get in trouble everyone here jumps in and helps if you ask. If you do it, you can send me a PM and I will give you more lessons learned if you want.
Does that mod void my warranty?? :D :D :D
I don't know if I'v smoked enough to get the full thrill from sticking my head in their.
About how many beers are required to complete this task??
CRG I have seen some of the food you have been turning out and YOU NO DUMMY!
GusRobin Thanks for the offer!! ;) I'll take ya up an that but I'll wait till I get all the parts togeather
I pretty sure it will void your warranty on the cabinet.
So it may be something you want to wait to do before the next winter time.
Quote from: smokeNcanuck on January 17, 2010, 06:26:29 PM
CRG I have seen some of the food you have been turning out and YOU NO DUMMY!
You learn fast ;D
The Smokin' Monkey is smarter than he looks!
Quote from: classicrockgriller on January 17, 2010, 06:29:50 PM
I pretty sure it will void your warranty on the cabinet.
So it may be something you want to wait to do before the next winter time.
I don't know about that... what could go wrong with the cabinet??
If I put another element in will the just work in parallel controlled by the PID?
You can give Brian at Bradley a call or pm or post a question.
He will responde to it.
well I'm at least waiting till Feb. sometime. Auber all sold out of the dual probes :(
I should have ordered one last week, Oh well smoke on. I'll just have to smoke in my garage if it gets too cold.
I have a butt to smoke in the near future. I'll have to come back to the this once I can get my mitts on all the required parts.
Thanks again for everyones advise!
Yo CRG how did those butts turn out with the new PID at the helm. Did I miss the final results post?
Most have got some butts as old as my wife. ;D
They stalled at 150 for 3 hrs and stalled again at 170 for two hrs.
They are getting close.
Will post pictures in the morning .
I want to let it run thru the post cook cycle too.
As far of the warranty - all I did before I did the mod was to season it and make sure everything worked. Other than the cabinet itself there is not much that can go wrong that isn't relatively cheap to replace. You aren't touching the generator so the warranty for that should be okay. So I didn't really worry about the warranty. To me the benefits outweighed the risks.
Quote from: classicrockgriller on January 17, 2010, 06:54:08 PM
Most have got some butts as old as my wife. ;D
They stalled at 150 for 3 hrs and stalled again at 170 for two hrs.
They are getting close.
Will post pictures in the morning .
I want to let it run thru the post cook cycle too.
HA HA HA hope you wife does not read your threads!! Too funny! :D :D :D
So you never know what you may run into when cooking a butt, Guess I better not invite too many people over
when I try my first one.
S**T I can't stop laughing Thanks sooo much!!
On Butts, plan ahead.
Makes no difference with me cause I smoke/cook for fun.
If it is done at 3 in morning, no problem. We'll eat on it tomorrow.
But I did have a brisket I wanted to start tonite and it will wait till tomorrow.
4 slabs of ribs on Tuesday.
Quote from: smokeNcanuck on January 17, 2010, 07:00:46 PM
HA HA HA hope you wife does not read your threads!!
If you're
lookin' for a wife... I'm pretty sure CRG has his up
for sale...
Where is that thread?
do you eat anything that is not smoked?? and who the hell ya feeding all this food to?
Month ago sent 78 lbs of vac seal smoke food to daughter in Nashville.
Older son comes over every two weeks and take cooler of food home with him.
Son that lives at home bring big boy pigs over to eat 3 times a week.
Wife thinks all her sisters and friends should have some smoke food from our house.
I bring food once a week to a 82 yr old in the OFH, plus extras.
ETC ETC ETC
You are a lucky man!, family is great!! Some day I hope I can do the same for my kids.
And It's always nice to help out the elderly. I think bellow all that smokey smell"N fur :P is
a monkey with a big heart! It would seem that once people get hooked on the smoke they can't get enough.
later I OUT!
sNc
You said it. Crg has a heart of gold. He's one of that best. But he really needs to shave more often. Starting to look like a monkey. :D :D :D(see portrait on his posts).