Hello all
New to the forum, have been reading some of the post to try and help my choice. Still a little confused, so.... I have found the OBS for $299, (and maybe add the PID at some point) or at Sam's Club they have this MasterBuilt: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1180971&navAction=push (http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1180971&navAction=push)
Not sure which way to go, could use any/all advise. I have been using a "bomb type" smoke for the past 5 years and want to step it up a bit. I mostly do ribs, 2 shoulders. I would like to start doing more like brisket, turkey, kabobs, salmon... etc just me and the wife so no need for anything real big 4 rack would be plenty.
Thanks for your help
dietz
I'm not sure if this is the same model Masterbuilt I looked at when I bought my Bradley, but here's what made me go with Bradley. First is the fact you really don't need to baby sit, since the pucks automatically feed. Second is the customer service - you wont find any better. Third is this forum, great bunch of people tripping over themselves trying to help you make a great smoke.
the Bradley also has a year warranty
I made the same comparison and the choice is a no brainer. You have to constantly tend to the Masterbuild by adding wood chips though the door in the side. Also, the Masterbuild with the window on front like what they sell at Sam's got poor reviews on Amazon. I just checked and Amazon isn't selling it any longer. I think the window on the front is a gimmick, how long will that be useful? I'm sure some have purchased it and like it, but I certainly prefer the Bradley and this support forum is a HUGE plus!!!
That's just my opinion. Enjoy whatever you decide to buy.
Thanks guys... think the choice is clear now !!
86 the MB Garbage
Go Bradley
I gotta go with Nepa on this, The MB cannot compare to the Bradley for ease of use. A friend of mine bought one and used it 2 times a year ago and put it on Craigslist for less than half of what he paid.
dietz, first Welcome to the Forum.
Don't think you will be disappointed with the Bradley.
Like Darq, GL with your decission.
Deitz,
There are THOUSANDS of members on this (Bradley) forum.
Uhhh.. What are those MB folks doing right now?
(I mean.. aside from carrying something out to the curb for the "Tuesday Pick Up"...)
I hate to "slam" any smoker - heck, you can make great Q with a fire in a hole in your yard...
Just never heard a good word about MB.
Awrighten.
Quote from: hal4uk on June 14, 2010, 08:16:22 PM
Deitz,
There are THOUSANDS of members on this (Bradley) forum.
Uhhh.. What are those MB folks doing right now?
(I mean.. aside from carrying something out to the curb for the "Tuesday Pick Up"...)
I hate to "slam" any smoker - heck, you can make great Q with a fire in a hole in your yard...
Just never heard a good word about MB.
Awrighten.
hal, get staright to the point! ;D
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 14, 2010, 08:44:16 PM
hal, get staright to the point! ;D
Heck..
I forgot what i wuz tryin' to say...HELP ME OUT HERE!!!
Quote from: hal4uk on June 14, 2010, 08:49:22 PM
Quote from: classicrockgriller on June 14, 2010, 08:44:16 PM
hal, get staright to the point! ;D
Heck.. I forgot what i wuz tryin' to say...
HELP ME OUT HERE!!!
BRADLEY SMOKERS ROCK!!
Those glass doors are sexy - certainly. But you gotta take a cue from the East German Olympic Comm.. You don't win a gold medal with pretty young things - you gotta go with the......uhhhh.......uhhhhhh......well, with what works best! - no matter what it looks like!
Welcome Deitz - Bradley for sure. Let us know how much you love it.
Hi Dietz!
Hope you do go with the Bradley :)
My neighbor was debating between the two brands also.
I tried my best to move them over to the Bradley side but they went with the MB.
Their reasoning was that they feared "the dependence" on Bradley pucks.
But I notice a year after their purchase they are still amazed by the jerky, sausage and salmon that comes out of our Bradley :D
I give them exact directions on how we smoke these stuff and they cannot come close.
Carolyn
I'm a proud OBS owner too (new gift). And relying on the wood pucks was a concern of mine too. But I'm over that now and with that said the only negative thing I can say is after being used to using wood (and) or charcoal for heat the single 500 watt element seemed to slow to respond and get to the cooking temp. So the first thing I did is add the second element. Cooking low and slow means just that. And if your good with your hands your can make it better! Good Luck!
I have a buddy with a digital Master Built and he loves it. I have a Bradley and I love it. I have watched him use his MB and thought to myself that I sure am glad I have a Bradley and don't have to babysit and reload wood chips. He has watched me smoke with my bradley and he says he sure is glad he doesn't have to use those expensive pucks. Have eaten chicken, ribs and sausage out of both. Both are very good. If you want very good bbq without the babysitting, get a Bradley. If you want good bbq and no dependence on pucks, save a few bucks and get a MB.
I want to be sure to let you know that my recommendation is to get a Bradley, they are the best.
I did a lot of research and flip flopped about what to buy for months, and finally settled on the OBS, later adding a PID. Quite pleased with my decision -- everything I read about the MB suggested a lower quality.
I saw the MB at Sams months before I bought my OBS. I did some research on the MB and discovered that a replacement heating element is not available as a replacement part. You have to buy the main cabinet to get a replacement element. I don't recall the price of the cabinet at that time but it was north of $100. This was a year ago, so maybe the mfg. has wised up. I don't believe that Sams would be selling this if they were aware of this . That's my 2 cents worth. Bradley is the answer. Nibby4239
Hey all, been a while. Long, very cold, very nasty winter and I'm just breaking the smoker out for the summer. My grill has been in bad shape too, so just picked up a barrel and will be back in action soon.
Many have already said it, but here's my take - go Bradley. Not only is it a great smoker, but you can't put a price tag on this forum.
Right after I got my smoker I made a post asking for help making a brisket and the forum came through. But, with my second request for help, the forum just blew me away. I might as well had one of these veterans standing in my kitchen. I was asked to make some food for my mother in law's 65th bday. Check out the help I got in this post - http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=10137.0 (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=10137.0)
The MB does not have a replaceable heating element. Mine lasted 7 months. Customer service offered no help. Purchased a Bradley and never looked back.
I am trying to understand why people think these bisquettes are so expensive. I have never bought chips before so I don't know what there cost is. Here in Canada we pay about $20. for a box of 48 bisquettes. So that makes them 41 cents a peice. So that is $1.23 per hour. Now say you want to do a long smoke like a pork butt and you like lot's of smoke like myself. I would put 5 to 6 hours of smoke to it. So for 6 hours that works out to $7.38 and in my books that is cheap. As I have said before, when I was a kid and dad had his old plywood smokers we had to go out and find the Alder trees and cut them down, cut them into small enough size to put in the car and then when we got home we had to slice them into thin disc's and collect the sawdust just so we could smoke a load of salmon. So when I keep hearing the recurring complaint about $1.23 per hour I have a hard time understanding why. Some one want to tell me? What is the cost of chips? And if my memory serves me, my wifes bil always had to keep pulling out that stupid little pan and pour out the smoldering chips and then refill it every 20 min. or so. Even if it only cost half the price the ease of sticking 6 bisquettes in the tube and forgetting about it for 2 hours is worth more than the cost of the Bradley Bisquettes. So help me understand somebody please.
Thanks again guys !! I went with the OBS - found it at Gander Mountain for $299. Did my first smoke yesterday (4th) had some ppl over. Everyone said the bb's were really good... so I'm on my way now. ;D
(http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/ttdietz/Smoker/IMAG0012.jpg)
(http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/ttdietz/Smoker/IMAG0015.jpg)
(http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/ttdietz/Smoker/IMAG0016.jpg)
(http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/ttdietz/Smoker/IMAG0020.jpg)
(http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab128/ttdietz/Smoker/IMAG0022.jpg)
Congrats on the OBS decission and a great looking first smoke.
Looks good.
In response to the puck expense vs chips expense...box of pucks = $19 (average price). Bag of chips = $4.00 for 12 cups (that is what I got in last bag). 1 cup of chips lasts about 1 hr in MB smoker. That is $.33/ hr to smoke. Compared to $1.19 in Bradley. That is the comparison in price. I am not even trying to comment on quality. This is why people say it is expensive to smoke with pucks.
It's cheap as heck to smoke in a cookshack (or a Chinese cookshack knock-off like my Smokin' Tex 1400)...
Price per hour ain't the way to measure any cooker.
Yeah.. It's a factor -- of course --- but...
Not a good way to choose a smoker.
Awrighten.
Well personally I will go out and spend good money on meat I would not normally buy just for regular consumption so the last thing I am going to be worried about is $5. or $6. bucks worth of smoke. But that is just me. The convenience is worth the extra cost to me. I didn't have to fire up the chainsaw or drive out of town to harvest wood like we used to so it is all good to me. The time I save is better spent pouring another drink of Crown Royal. ;D ;D ;D
I bought a box of 48 pucks back in November of 2009 for $25 (free shipping included), and I am still smoking on that one box. I have done many smokes since then, I can't see these pucks "being expensive" it's only $25, and it has lasted me well over a half a year. I guess I am just an average user, I smoke maybe once to twice a month. Plus I think the extra cost to not have to fiddle with it, and tend to the fire is great. Just turn it on, put in the pucks and meat, and wait for the tastey treat! I only touch it once during a smoke and that is to add water to the bowl mid way through.
Also on a side note, that butt rub (bad byron's) you have in that picture. I purchased a big container of it thinking I would like it and turns out it is a little to peppery for my taste, lots of black pepper in it. So I am still on my quest looking for a good packaged commercial rub I can purchase locally at the stores. So far I think the mccormick grill mate rub is still the best I have tried commercially.
Quote from: JT-MO on July 07, 2010, 08:14:43 AM
Also on a side note, that butt rub (bad byron's) you have in that picture. I purchased a big container of it thinking I would like it and turns out it is a little to peppery for my taste, lots of black pepper in it. So I am still on my quest looking for a good packaged commercial rub I can purchase locally at the stores. So far I think the mccormick grill mate rub is still the best I have tried commercially.
You may want to try taking a few tablespoons of the rub, and cut it with a teaspoon (or two) of white or brown sugar, taste and modify accordingly.
I just replaced my Masterbuilt with a Bradley. The smoke house for the Bradley wasn't a factor because I can cut my own pucks from seasoned maple and oak.
The main reason was you can repair and replace components on a Bradley and you can't on the Masterbuilt, you have to get the main cabinet to repair anything but the door or electronic controller.
I do not think that the Bradley could do a solid wood puck. Let us know how you do.
I just did it and it turned out great.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=16896.0 (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=16896.0)
Quote from: Quarlow on July 06, 2010, 11:22:23 PM
Well personally I will go out and spend good money on meat I would not normally buy just for regular consumption so the last thing I am going to be worried about is $5. or $6. bucks worth of smoke. But that is just me. The convenience is worth the extra cost to me. I didn't have to fire up the chainsaw or drive out of town to harvest wood like we used to so it is all good to me. The time I save is better spent pouring another drink of Crown Royal. ;D ;D ;D
Ditto.