I want a good smoker, just want to be sure I can understand how to use it. Which is best one not just to start with but what is considered the best because of quality?
do you want a electric, gas, pellet or charcoal smoker? what are you going to smoke on it? how much money do you want to spend? all good questions. answer a few of them and we can go from there. 8)
I will smoke briskets and ribs mainly, but probably try other meats also. I think I want a pellet if they are reliable to hold up. I'm willing to spend whatever a good one cost although I'd hope it wouldn't be over 500-600.
A green mountain grill or traeger would be a good entry level pellet grill.
And of course a Bradley is a great choice for an electric smoker. Very easy to use ;D
There is nothing easy about charcoal. You can make great smoked food on charcoal but there is a learning curve.
some things to consider is...
electric
Gas natural or propane
pellet
bisquette
charcoal
temperature control
having to add charcoal , wood, or other burning material to maintain temperature
with the pellete, and charcoal versions you have to watch the pellets and charcoal to ensure enough fuel to cook for long cooks 18 to 20 hours which make natural gas or electric better in long cooks
i would recommend a bradley 4 rack for a family of 3 to 8 people as you can get up to 35 lbs of meat in it fairly easily and do a few mods to it such as adding a pid , fan and an additional heating element or 900 watt element
The one thing I can tell you is no matter what smoker you start with, you will learn a whole lot about what you do and don't like about that one, whether it is electric, gas, pellet, whatever.
The Bradley OBS is a great place to start. Not a lot of $$$, but you can crank out some pretty good eats with it. As beefman stated there are upgrades in the form of PID (precise temp control), additional elements (aids in temp recovery and with large loads), etc.
I started with an OBS, now I have 2 Bradle propane smokers and a MAK 2 star pellet grill/smoker.
The one thing is not to get in a hurry with smoking. It's done when it's done.
I'm going to vote for the Bradley 4 Rack digital. I've used a few smokers in the past, comercially built and home built. The wife got me a 4 rack for my birthday and its very user friendly. Temp control is pretty good even without a PID. its about as close to set it and forget it as you can get IMO. Just add a dual probe thermometer to the list and your set. Plus if you keep your eyes open there are deals all the time.
Corey
If I was buying a 4 rack I would get the OBS with a dual PID. You can get it at about the same price as the digital. With the PID you get most (if not all) the benefits of the BDS plus the benefits of the PID control. The digital is also limited to 9.4 hours so without a PID you would have to reset it on long cooks.
Well first welcome to a really great forum, since you came to the Bradley forum, and ask the question,... and the answers you received are all good, and if you spend sometime here and do some reading, because there is a lot of good information posted here and you can learn a whole lot just by reading and learn, then you make up your own mind...for simplicity I feel the OBS Original Bradley Smoker is a good start..
Here are a few links that may help you...
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?481-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=748#post748
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=766#post766
IMHO the higher the quality of materials in making smoking/cooking equipment the higher the price. I think the Bradley is one of the best buys for the money and is easy to use.
if you are going electric smokers. bradley, smokin tex, smokin-it and cookshack are all good electric smokers. for pellet smokers the advice muebe said about traeger and green mountain pellet grill is 100% correct. i started w/ a traeger lil tex. very good smokers. :)
Thanks for all the good advice. I think I've narrowed it down to a Bradley. Either the Original or a Digital. I try reading the forums but I don't understand all the abbreviations that are used so it's pretty confusing on some of them. Between the Original and the Digital what are the main differences?
Hey crapshooter if you have any questions just ask. We love to help here.
The OBS (original bradley smoker) has a temp slider control. You have to slide it side to side for temp control. It takes a bit of getting use to but it is not to bad. Adding a PID (temp controller) greatly eases the the control plus you get very tight temp swings. As low as 2 to 3 degrees where as without it your temp swings can be as much as 20 or more degrees.
The digital (DBS) is just that, it has a digital controller which you just punch in the temps and times and away it goes. But the temp swings can be almost much as the OBS, definitely better though. And it only can be set for 9.4 hours as was already said so for a long smoke like a brisket or pork butt you would have to reset it before the time ran out where as the OBS with the PID can go for, well I am not sure but I think it is around the 100 hrs. And it is sure nice for overnight smokes. The cost of the OBS with a PID is about the same price as the DBS.
Just as Quarlow said buying a digital Bradley will cost about the same as buying the OBS and adding the dual PID. If you want a tight temp control you will need a PID for either the Digital or the OBS. If you ever want to make sausage (do it once and you can't stop) you will want to have a very tight temp control so you will need a PID. Personally I knew that I wanted to do sausage so I went with the OBS and purchased the dual PID. I could not be happier with the the set up. The only thing I might have done different is going with the 6 rack to gain height for hanging sausage.
I had no idea what a PID was but looked it up and think I need one. Would a Bradley Digital with a PID be easier than a Bradley Original with a PID?
I HATE these verification questions! Can never seem to get them right
How many words ARE in that sentence if there's not six?
Quote from: crapshooter on October 26, 2011, 06:15:34 AM
I had no idea what a PID was but looked it up and think I need one. Would a Bradley Digital with a PID be easier than a Bradley Original with a PID?
If you are going to get a PID and get a 4 rack then I would recommend that you go with the OBS. You don't need the digital control because you have the PID to control the temp. This link will take you to the dual PID made for the Bradley http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_28&products_id=151&zenid=f7078bf44c1191020420c823d57db01b
The beautiful thing about using a PID is that you can ramp your temps. You can set the PID to run for X hrs at X tem and then ramp to X temp for X hrs. You have 6 setting for 6 different ramp settings. If you want to dry casings for 1.5 hrs at 130 the ramp temp to 140 for 2 hrs then 2hrs at 150 then 2 hrs at 160 then 170 until the IT is 152 the dual PID will do that. When the IT is reached it turns off.
I would just start out with an Original Bradley Smoker.. It is easy to use and maintain plus does a great job right out of the box. I would get used to it first as a stock unit before adding bells and whistles...The OBS is great for starters and advanced users. In addition to the smoker when you buy the pucks they have a recipe card on each pack which can be very useful for beginners. Good luck in your search. You can not go wrong with a Bradley. Great product and great customer service..
the big difference between the digital and original is the digital controls other then that are the same. with the digital its my understanding that the smoke ( by its self ) and the cook ( by its self ) longest duration is close to 9 and half hours, So i would get a Original 4 rack and go to auber inst. and purchase a Pid ( digital temperature controller) however give this some thought as you may want to get the one with the ramp and soak feature id you are going to be doing some sausages or salmon.
Hope this helps
Quote from: crapshooter on October 26, 2011, 06:15:34 AM
I had no idea what a PID was but looked it up and think I need one. Would a Bradley Digital with a PID be easier than a Bradley Original with a PID?
I HATE these verification questions! Can never seem to get them right
How many words ARE in that sentence if there's not six?
Once you have a few posts under your belt, the verifications stop. I don't know how many.
If you are considering a PID, then I would get the Bradley Original, since once you add the PID you won't be using the digital features anyway.
Would you buy the PID with the hanging sensor or the one with wall mount?
Quote from: crapshooter on October 26, 2011, 10:52:51 AM
Would you buy the PID with the hanging sensor or the one with wall mount?
Definitely the hanger. It allows you the flexibility based upon your load.
get the hanging one. I use a paperclip to hang it on the basket and you can move it around. If you are serious about getting a PID I would highly recommend the dual prob. You can control the cabinet temp and watch the meat temp. I love my dual probe and I am so glad I paid the extra for it.
Thanks, I didn't know anything about a dual probe but will look at them.
Boy, what an open ended question. Sorry I'm late; at my daughter's house today.
I'd have to go with the OBS and PID for a basic smoker. Some say the pucks cost a lot but you get some of the most and best quality smoke from 'em. There are many times I'll smoke in the OBS and then transfer to another cooker if I want to. I've had company that don't like a heavy smoke taste. I think some of that comes from creosote and too low a wood smoking temp. The OBSW does it just right and stuff, even with 3 hours of mesquite went over quite well.
The Bradley smoker is probably one of the easiest machines to use. I have a gasser, pellet cooker, Big Easy and some other stuff. My wife says the deck looks like it belongs to a redneck. I said "Thanks". (I have the OBS with old single probe PID. And, yes, get the hanging probe if you go with it.)
If you want really good quality smoke, go with the Bradley. You get less smoke out of a pellet machine but nevertheless a good cooker and nice wood-cooked flavor. A pizza can be awesome.
BTW, each puck burns for 20 minutes. The digital smoker goes for a maximum time of 9:40. Someone was too cheap to add an extra digit to the display for 10 + hours.
I appreciate all the answers. I hope I'm not too much of a pest but want to make sure I don't get something and then wish I'd gotten something else.
On the Bradley Orginal Smokers is there only one model (TST1S1)?
The OBS comes in only one color and that is Black. Only one model out there.
Yep, black only. Here's one now - http://www.amazon.com/Bradley-BTIS1-Original-Automatic-Smoker/dp/B000FK2DNM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319663285&sr=8-1
Oh yeah, you aren't a pest. Pleas feel free to ask anything you like.
A word of caution. Some parts on the Bradley are plastic and can be fragile. One of those parts on the OBS is where the slide heat control is. Be very careful in handling it in that area as it will crack. Mine cracked after I moved it twice. I never replaced it but I am careful to not allow any moisture to get to it, i.e. elevating the front slightly to ensure no liquid can run out when the door is opened. I simply use a yard stick on the two front feet. Mine still works and I have had it for over 5 years. Some on here have done a modification of either the front feet, the slide cover, or both. Generally this is a minor problem.
Quote from: Wildcat on October 26, 2011, 03:59:13 PM
I never replaced it but I am careful to not allow any moisture to get to it, i.e. elevating the front slightly to ensure no liquid can run out when the door is opened.
I ran a bead of high temp silicone to seal the crack.
Quote from: ArnieM on October 26, 2011, 01:40:21 PM
Boy, what an open ended question. Sorry I'm late; at my daughter's house today.
I'd have to go with the OBS and PID for a basic smoker. Some say the pucks cost a lot but you get some of the most and best quality smoke from 'em. There are many times I'll smoke in the OBS and then transfer to another cooker if I want to. I've had company that don't like a heavy smoke taste. I think some of that comes from creosote and too low a wood smoking temp. The OBSW does it just right and stuff, even with 3 hours of mesquite went over quite well.
The Bradley smoker is probably one of the easiest machines to use. I have a gasser, pellet cooker, Big Easy and some other stuff. My wife says the deck looks like it belongs to a redneck. I said "Thanks". (I have the OBS with old single probe PID. And, yes, get the hanging probe if you go with it.)
If you want really good quality smoke, go with the Bradley. You get less smoke out of a pellet machine but nevertheless a good cooker and nice wood-cooked flavor. A pizza can be awesome.
BTW, each puck burns for 20 minutes. The digital smoker goes for a maximum time of 9:40. Someone was too cheap to add an extra digit to the display for 10 + hours.
You really smoke pizza?
Quote from: crapshooter on October 26, 2011, 06:37:38 PM
.
You really smoke pizza?
[/quote]
Actually - no. I was referring to doing the pizza on a pellet machine at 400-450
oF, usually on a baking stone that can handle the temp. It makes for a great wood baked flavor.
The pizza can of course be loaded up with smoked cheese from the Bradley, sausage, peppers, onions or what have you.
I apologize if my comment was misleading :-\
Now, I have another question. Where I will be using this smoker most of the time has no outside power outlet. Is it okay to use a heavy extension cord and power strip?
Quote from: crapshooter on October 28, 2011, 06:46:55 AM
Now, I have another question. Where I will be using this smoker most of the time has no outside power outlet. Is it okay to use a heavy extension cord and power strip?
I have a heavy 'contractor grade' drop cord running out to mine. Works like a charm.
Thanks for everyone's help. Finally going to order the smoker and the precision temperature control. Had some family problems and got sidetracked for a while. Going with the Bradley Original, ordering it from Cabelas. Seemed like the best price ($233) and the dual probe heat controller.
What type pellets do you recommend? I was considering a box of pecan and a box of hickory to start with.
You just can't go wrong with Hickory. Hickory is my main smoke. I just bought a box of Pecan for my cheese and can't comment on it yet as the cheese is still in the fridge aging. I bought a 120 box of the Whisky Oak and smoked some snack stix and was pleased with the results.
If I bought a Bradley electric smoker it IS the Bradley Original isn't it? I'm thinking they only make the Original and the Digital. No where on the site did it call it the Original.
If it is black and has 4 racks it is the Original.