Hello everyone! Just purchased a new Bradley smoker and still unsure how to use it. I did ribs for my first smoke and they came out under Cooked and super smoky. After doing a little research I think I know where I went wrong with them... I am attempting to do a brisket this weekend and have a few questions if anyone can answer them. The first is what is the normal cook/ smoke time for the Bradley? From what I have read I do not need or want the smoke generator on the whole time? The ribs I did had the generator on the whole time and we're super smokey tasting.
Is there a golden rule to follow about how long I should the pucks advancing while smoking? The second question I had was what temp and cook time should I use for my 6.5 lbs brisket? I look forward to hearing from the community and getting a nice piece of meat on Sunday. Thanks again!
For information about smoking a brisket, check out the following ink. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?313-Brisket-Pachanga This takes you to a recipe site where recipes from the forum's most experienced smokers are stored.
And yes, your assumption that you do not need to apply smoke for the entire cooking period is correct. Although the smoke application period varies by the product you are smoking, and the size of what you are smoking, the conventional wisdom here is that four hours of smoke is plenty for large cuts of meat, such as pork shoulder. For ribs, I apply 2 - 2.5 hours of smoke.
Since your smoke generator will give some additional heat, several forum members leave the smoke generator on with no puck on the burner plate after the smoke application. This adds about 25% to the heating capacity of your smoker, which is helpful when you've opened the door, etc.
Great link I really appreciate it! Didn't realize that the brisket needed to be smoked so long. Thanks again and I look forward to sharing the outcome from the weekend!
welcome aboard,
in general 2 to 4 hours of smoke is plenty.
the pucks advance once every 20 minutes.
box / tower temp should be set at 225 F, once the meat goes in this temperature will drop,,, dont worry about it ,, this is normal...
as a rule of thumb you ca n look as 1 to 1 1/2 hour per lb of meat,, this is only a rule of thumb... most here when using the bradley run a remote thermometer so we know the exact temps,,, on all meats..
as for ribs they will be close to begin done when they pull back 1/3 to 1/2 inch from the end of the bone...
also keep the top vent open... keep the top vent open...
Welcome