ok I want to start useing a smoker, but im not sure how to set mine up. I have a electric water smoker. on my smoker therestwogrates for food, a bowl, and then on the bottom there is the heat source. im not sure where everything goes. i think water goes in the bowl and soaked woodchips go on the bottom. i want to make sure this is right before i start, so i dont start a fire or somthing. [8]
Hello and welcome to the forum. This forum is devoted to the use of Bradley Smokers, so most of our knowledge revolves around that. However, many of us have used water smokers in the past, so we might be able to get you going.
You didn't list a particular brand or model, so the usual caveat needs to apply: consult the manual or the manufacturer's Web site for specific information. If your's is similar to my Brinkman, then here goes:
In the bottom there is a heating element that sits among some lava rock gravel. After plugging the unit in to preheat, you would add your soaked wood chips on the gravel near, but typically not on the heating coil. You may or may not have a grate that sits directly above the heater (this allows the unit to be used as a small electric grill). Next, place the "barrel" outside portion of the unit in place above the bottom assembly. Inside the barrel you will find a couple of sets of mounts fastened inside. The lowest mount is used for the water bowl. Place this inside and fill it up with water or whatever flavoring liquid you plan to use (wine, juice, marinade, herbs, etc...). Now place one or two grates inside the barrel using the middle or upper mounts, and add your food for smoking, then top it all off with the domed lid. You will need to add additional woodchips and/or liquid to the water bowl from time to time depending on your cooking time.
Since the water smoker typically does not have any temperature control, and it relies on the heater for both cooking heat and to allow the chips to smolder, you do not have a very good degree of control over the smoke and/or heat. In addition, getting to the heater to add more chips or the bowl to add more water may require partial disassembly of the smoker which can be annoying. These are some of the technical problems that are solved with the Bradley Smoker and among the reasons we are so fond of it.
Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.
If I could get to mine(packed away in the storage room) thats the way it would work. Haven't used it once since I got the Bradley. Kinda forgot I had it until I read this post. Good luck and consider a Bradley Smoker.
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Jeff
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Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.
I forgot how that thing works. Do you have control of the heating element? I know the water or drip pan goes above the heat and under the meat.
By control of the heating element, if you mean, "you can either have it plugged in or not," then yes, you have control...[:D]
thank you for your answers it helped me out a lot. Yes you can control the heat useing a nob on the smoker. it just has low medium or high. The only tempature gauge on it reads warm, ideal, or hot. I made some beef jerky and chicken on it yesterday and it was great. Thanks agian for the help. [8]
It would be a good idea to use a maverick or equivilant temp probe to see what temp your smoker gets to at each setting. It might be helpful depending on the food you want to smoke.
Hi Shicaca,
Do you by any chance have a Meco smoker? that's what I had before I got the Bradley. Great smoker for the price, and you do have a rheostat to control the heat, but it's very crude as you indicate. There's also no insulation so the internal temp is totally dependent on the outside temp and wind exposure. Because it's a rheostat control, a setting that works on one smoke my yield a completely different temp on the next smoke due to the factors mentioned above. PGs advice to use an internal temp probe to monitor temp and make adjustments based on the actual chamber temp is a really good one--I wish I had thought of that when I was using the Meco!
Enjoy the Meco (or Brinkmann, or whatever brand it is). The food and experience you get will be excellent. When you're ready to "step up" to much greater versatility and ease of use, the BS is a great choice. Let us know how future smokes go with your water smoker.
John
Newton MA