OK, got it fixed up, and I have a whopping 10 bucks into it ;D I do not know what I am doing, but I seem to be acquiring friends faster than a guy with a pick up on moving day. I would like to smoke tomorrow, I know it is late, but for a first timer, what is easy to start out with. I would like to do beef of some vintage. Can you do steaks in this thing? A roast? Pulled pork seems like a good one as well. I have a bunch of hickory
bisquettes and would like to put them to work.
I will be digging through the recipies like crazy over the next few weeks. Looks like I got a lot of learning to do here!
Hi, for a first go I'd give a pork butt a try. They are pretty forgiving.
Danke! Here we go in the am :o
All of the foods you mentioned can be either fully cooked or prepared in the smoker. Pulled pork is a good choice, but takes a long time. If you can't defer gratification, the steaks, chicken or roasts (beef or pork) will reward you quicker. :)
For steaks you just want to cold smoke them for 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. Keep the temperature of the steaks and the Bradley smoker as low by detaching the generator. Or use ice in the bottom of the Bradley Tower to help keep the tower temperature down. The streaks should go directly from the fridge to the smoker. When the cold smoke is finished place steaks in plastic resealable bags, and return it to the fridge immediately to rest overnight, until time to prepare the meal the next day.
Cold Smoke Setup (http://www.johnwatkins.co.uk/personalpages/coldsmoking.htm)
Easy to start with are chicken wraps; whole chicken or chicken parts.
Chicken Recipes (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35)
Here is a recipe for Top Loin:
Smoked Top Loin (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=446)
Chicken or fish fillets would be fastest to the table. Fastest Beef that would be barbecue would be chuck roast - just because of size. A "normal" sized chuck 3-4 pounder will take 6+ hours (probably 2 hours per pound) to be pull apart. If you get a well marbled one and cook it real low - say 200 to 205 to an IT of 185, it might be fall apart or it may be a slicer before it starts getting dry. To counteract dryness, I usually mop or spritz. To take it a little faster, set cabinet temp to 225 to 250 smoke for 3 or 4 hours then boat (put in a foil pan, covered and sealed with foil for additional time) to an IT of 205 or so. When putting in the pan also add some liquid - beer (preferrably stout), or whiskey, or Dale's and W' sauce, or cola of some type, or apple juice (real popular for some reason), etc.... I don't do steak in the Bradley, so can't help you there.
These guys have you going the right direction. Habs method of doing steaks is the only way I would recommend doing them by using the Bradley. I tried it and it does work, but I personally like to hot grill steaks over chunk hard wood (mesquete, oak, hickory, walnut, or pecan) and sometimes combination chunk wood and charcoal. Wife really likes the charcoal flavor.
Not going well. Seems the sensor is not behaving, and after it puts 2 or three bisquettes through, it kicks out 10 in a row. Getting to be an expensive and frustrating first smoke. I guess I have to mess with the switch a bit, and see what happens. Apparently just tightening it will change the adjustment. This is not a real good start, but the day is young :-\ ;D
Have you checked the advance button to make sure that is not getting stuck. That is a common problem as you Bradley gets older. When it gets stuck it will continue to advance the bisquettes. If it is stuck use a pair of needle nose pliers to grip the button and pull it out, or if you have a good set of finger nails that works better.
For long term solution try cleaning the edges of the button (alchol works great, but may remove the lettering), or glue a small knob on the button (I use the head of a push tack), or Iceman took his button out, filed the hole to make it slightly larger the reinstalled the button as a fix.
My old unit deceided to start advancing puck after puck....pulled the cover off the SG and found one of the screws had come out of the sensor, it was laying in the bottom, put it back in and solved the problem!
C
Trying to grow fingernails, that is not working, used the needle nose, and the switch looks good there. So, I unscrewed the motor a bit, pushed it forward about 1mm, and we are good to go. Bradley folk are good on the phone, they said it is most likely an adjustment, not the switch. They were right. The slight movement of the motor was enough to get it working right, I just hated to see so many pucks in the water$$$$ :P. So, we are at 248 degrees since noon Pacific time. This is a first with me, so I thank you for your patience and advice.
Quote from: seagravedriver on June 17, 2009, 04:03:14 PM
Trying to grow fingernails, that is not working, used the needle nose, and the switch looks good there. So, I unscrewed the motor a bit, pushed it forward about 1mm, and we are good to go. Bradley folk are good on the phone, they said it is most likely an adjustment, not the switch. They were right. The slight movement of the motor was enough to get it working right, I just hated to see so many pucks in the water$$$$ :P. So, we are at 248 degrees since noon Pacific time. This is a first with me, so I thank you for your patience and advice.
Seagravediver
Give me a call at the office 1-800-665-4188
I will send you a 12 pack on us for your troubles.
Brian
Now that is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!!!! Brian, you guys just rock! How cool is that boys and girls?!
KyNola
Just my opinion, that's why some Businesses will survive this economic downturn. Great personal customer service. It is appreciated.
Wow! ;D Thank you Brian! I will soon, but right now I am busy laying in front of the smoker sniffing. I am on shift tomorrow for 24 hours, but I will get around to it after that. Thanks again!
P.S. This kind of service info deserves to get passed on, and it will.
Regards, Craig
Quote from: Smokin Soon on June 17, 2009, 05:49:47 PM
Just my opinion, that's why some Businesses will survive this economic downturn. Great personal customer service. It is appreciated.
Even without the downturn, businesses like these will always be the front runners. ;)
Quote from: seagravedriver on June 17, 2009, 06:14:44 PM
Wow! ;D Thank you Brian! I will soon, but right now I am busy laying in front of the smoker sniffing. I am on shift tomorrow for 24 hours, but I will get around to it after that. Thanks again!
P.S. This kind of service info deserves to get passed on, and it will.
Regards, Craig
Well Craig
I have to say the laying in front of the smoker sniffing damm near made me fall out of my seat with laughter, That is one i will write down.
If you want PM me your shipping info and flavour you want and i will have it taken care of.
Brian
Quote from: Bradley (Head Office) on June 17, 2009, 08:37:36 PM
Quote from: seagravedriver on June 17, 2009, 06:14:44 PM
Wow! ;D Thank you Brian! I will soon, but right now I am busy laying in front of the smoker sniffing. I am on shift tomorrow for 24 hours, but I will get around to it after that. Thanks again!
P.S. This kind of service info deserves to get passed on, and it will.
Regards, Craig
Well Craig
I have to say the laying in front of the smoker sniffing damm near made me fall out of my seat with laughter, That is one i will write down.
If you want PM me your shipping info and flavour you want and i will have it taken care of.
Brian
Maybe a new picture for a T-shirt, showing a guy laying down in front of the smoker (next to the dog) with lofting smoke encircling his nose..
All went VERY well after all. So well in fact that I woke 2 of my kids up, (fanatics for good smoked/BBQ meat) and gave them both some fantastic pulled pork. Wife kinda rolled her eyes, but I gotta teach these kids while they are young, so "Man School" was in session last night! The down side is I am at work for 24 hours with a little baggie of goodness, and they have the rest at home :'( If I know my kids, they will eat very well.
It was about a 9 hour smoke. It had a great "crust" or "shell" around it. I tore it up and was a pretty happy guy. Tasted good, and I brought some to work, but we have been non stop since I got here at 0800. I don't want to say it was easy, but it was, thanks to this forum and some great advise from the folks at Bradley. Let see what happens next! I am gaining friends like a pick up truck owner on moving day, as the smell went through the neighborhood.
That is one of the side effects of a Bradley the neighbors know when you have it fired up and its awfully hard to hide that smell.
I've been smoking on a Weber for years. After tasting my buddies pulled pork on his Bradley, I had to get one. I bought it yesterday and seasonded it, as prescribed. Today I did 3 racks, but the temp never got higher that 180 after the first 3 hours. Once I pulled them out after 3 hours of smoke, I wrapped them and when I went to put them back in the temp was up to 250. As soon as I put them back in the temp dropped back down to 180.
Any reason why this happened and any suggestions on how to maintain a 225-250 temp. As you can tell, I am a newbie. Any help is appreciated.
Seagravedriver,
Sounds like you killed it! Congrats but there is one thing that you simply can't do. You can NEVER EVER tell anyone outside of the folks on this forum how easy it is to make great food with the Bradley, especially a spouse. :D You have the opportunity to not do honey-do's, and make sure to keep properly hydrated because you "have" to attend the smoker at all times.
Don't blow it for the rest of us. ;) Seriously, nice job.
KyNola
You should have listened to your good buddy and bought a maverick wireless thermometer first of all. Maybe you should give up smoking and become a lawn dart professional. :o
Congrats Seagravedriver, And welcome.
Glad to hear of your success and am sure you will enjoy many more.
Mav23, I would think of a couple things. First, did you preheat the smoker? That would help on heat recovery when you put the meat in. Second, don't peak to much while smoking as when you do, your looking and not cooking. Third, make sure that top vent is open to let the moisture out.
Hope this helps a bit and have fun.
MAV,
What was your set temp?
I will assume you have a digital and had the set temp at 225 or some thing and with the load of 3 racks, it would not reach it. I would recommend setting the set point at 320 deg when you first start and preheat to 260 deg. Load and keep the set point to 320 (max for the original slider folks) until your temperature reaches your desired temp (best if read on a remote with the temp sensor located just under the 1st rack of ribs (don't let it touch any walls or the meat). Once your box temp reaches the desired temp, decrease the set temperature to 280 or so to maintain your set temp. Decrease in 20 deg steps to maintain your box temp. Usually 3 to 4 hours is where the exterior of your meat, the box, and the set temp are all in harmony. As mentioned, opening the box will decrease the temp. You can increase the set temp for a little while to aid in recovery. Just be carefull to not keep it there to over run the box temp.