1st timer here. After 4 or 5 hours of smoking and letting the last briquet burn out I turned off the generator. I noticed that this led to a significant decrease in the internal temp. It is 40F out right now. What do most people do with the generator when done with the smoke? Did the extra heat come from the smoldering briquets or does the unit generate a little of the heat even without briquets? For now I just turned the main element up a little bit.
The smoke generator produces 125 watts with or without pucks; the pucks may add a little to that; the heating element 500. If you cannot maintain temperature, as you can see, the generator will add to the heat by an additional 25 %. Keep the door closed as much as possible. When adding water to the water bowl, add boiling water.
The heat generator is in the middle of the Bradley, so the heat it produces is more evenly dispersed heat. Some leave it on without pucks to maintain heat. That may lead to more maintenance but after several years, I have not experienced any trouble. Just clean the puck heater with a wire brush occasionally.
Your heat drop may be toward the front of the Bradley with higher heat in the rear. You can bring that heat forward by using a heat deflector made of foil on a lower rack, partially covering the back third of the rack. Be sure the shield drains any oils toward the front and middle so there is not excessive oil draining to the heating element down the backside of the Bradley. This may even out your heat and bring the front temp up. Use a movable chamber thermometer to track the heat signature throughout the smoker.
Also, wind chill can be large contributing factor to chamber heat drop. If wind is directly on the smoker, a wind break may be in order.
Pachanga
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