I've used my new Bradley Original a couple of times now and both times the horizontal tray that the pucks slide over on the way to the hot burner gets pretty gunked up. I'm using Bubba pucks and they definitely help keep it cleaner.
Both times I ended up scrubbing the top of this feeder tray with S.O.S. pads to get off the gunk. I'm hoping there's a better way to clean this. I'm a little afraid of letting any gunk build up on the tray because it might not let the pucks easily slide out onto the burner. I thought I'd ask you experts if what I'm doing is necessary or if there's a better way to clean this feeder tray?
I have another question about the surface of the puck burner. Mine isn't very smooth. It has lots of raised bumps. Is this ok or is it supposed to be smooth? Thanks.. Larry
Mine is relatively smooth. Others on the forum have indicated to clean after 2 to 4 smokes. I personally clean mine every time to prevent a build up. I found it easy to scrape the thick stuff off with something solid like a puddy knife, then I smooth it out with those green (non-detergent) pot scrubbers. I also take the exhaust vent off each time and give it a thorough cleaning. Be sure to rub down the door seal each time.
Just concerned about why it is getting so gunked up. Be sure you have the drip pan ( V shaped) in place to catch and direct the drippings away and into the water bowl.
QuoteJust concerned about why it is getting so gunked up.
As WCK says the horizontal feeder tray should not be getting gunked up, the heater plate itself gets residue from the burnt pucks which may be noticeable on the very end of the feeder tray but no more than that.
I scrape this residue off every few smokes and use a clean dry paint brush or canned air to get rid of the bits of wood. My heater plate is pretty smooth.
Any idea what the gunk is..... is it fat/food or residue from burnt pucks?
I agree with WCK, and Manxman. There is something unusual that is causing the plate getting junked up. If the V pan is in correctly and fits properly, make sure that when you load the BS that food is not touching the side of the cabinet the plate enters through.
I'm not sure about smok4fun, but it is only the burner plate getting residue from the pucks that gets any build up on mine. I have found it easier to maintain if I clean the burner plate each time. Besides, it gives me enough time for another brew.
Thanks everyone for your help with my question. I need to let you know that the drip pan is doing its job of catching the drippings and draining them into the water bowl. In addition, the food wasn't touching the walls of the smoker.
The "gunk" buildup on the end of the horizontal feeder tray seems to be a combination of smoke and burned puck tar. It's my understanding that the puck next to the puck on the burner plate gets ignited by the puck on the burner. The leading end of the next in line puck then burns before it gets pushed onto the burner. The gunk on the very end of the horizontal feeder tray is about the size of a half puck. So I suspect it's caused by the ignited front half of the puck that's getting ready to go onto the burner plate. In addition, this "gunk" also gets burned onto about half of the bottom of the second Bubba Puck that's sitting in that position at the end of my smoke. It's fairly hard to clean off the "gunk" that is on the very end of the smooth feeder tray and the bottom of the Bubba Puck. It sounds like other folks don't get this burned on "gunk" as much as I do. It makes me wonder if I'm doing something different or if my smoke generator somehow causes more pre-ignition of the next in line puck??.
My bumpy burner plate is another issue. It sure has a lot of bumps or pimples on its surface. Since several folks have commented that their burner plates are pretty smooth, I'm beginning to think that there might be something wrong here. Maybe this is affecting how the wood pucks burn or how easily they can get pushed off the burner plate into the water bowl. Maybe this is somehow causing more pre-ignition of the next in line puck? The bumpy burner plate might be something I should call Bradley about.. Larry
A call to Bradley couldn't hurt. Sounds like it might be a defective casting if it is real rough. This might also cause a higher burn temp which could possibly cause your second puck problem. I have the temp specs somewhere on the burn plate temp. If need be I can find them for you. :)
Hi smok4fun, i also get a bit of build up on the delivery plate, it's only really at the edge, but i guess if it's left too long between each clean up, the area of build up will become bigger.
I used to clean mine thoroughly after each session, but i soon came to realise that this was overkill, i've found that even with a build up of burnt stuff, the pucks still move along ok so i don't worry too much. I usually clean the plate and burner about every 3-4 smokes, although i always blow the generator out with compressed air every time.
Btw my burner plate also has small raised bumps, but as of yet this hasn't caused any probs, so i wouldn't worry too much about it.
Regards.............LilSmoker (http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Are the pucks getting exchanged every 20 minutes or so? Just a thought that if the pucks were burning much longer than this you could get the situation you describe??
With regards to the Bubba Pucks, I use a Brillo Pad (Pot Scrubber with soap) and rinse thoroughly. It has always been easy to clean. Easier that anything else.
Thanks again for your help with my questions. Manxman, I'm going to time the smoke burner to see if it advances pucks every 20 min. If it's a lot longer than 20 min., that could be the problem. I think I'll also check with Bradley about whether my burner plate is too rough. Iceman, thanks for the offer to look up the temp spec for the burner plate. If all else fails, I might need that spec. though I'm not really sure how to measure the surface temp of the plate. Wildcat, I scrubbed the Bubba puck for a heck of a long time with an S.O.S and finally got the burned "gunk" off the puck. Maybe Brillo pads are coarser and can scrub it off easier. LilSmoker, sounds like your burner plate is a little rough and you're maybe getting a little "gunk" also.
If I can get to the bottom of this, I'll let everyone know. This forum is great.. there's a lot of knowledge on it and it's nice that folks are willing to share.. Larry
Manx is likely onto something. Be sure the unit actually advances or uses a new puck each 20 minutes (not just cycles).
My pucks dropping downhave become intermittentduring the last 2 smokes. I blew it out with compressed air but I'll have to take it apart as it still is not reliable. This is the first time in 2 years it's given me any grief, tho.
T2
Well after a smoke session a couple of weeks back, i decided to give the generator a good strip down clean, i gave the internals a good clean up, and blew the whole thing out with a compressor.
I thought while i'm at it i'll give the burner plate and and the advance ramp a good clean also.
After cleaning, i took a closer look at the raised bumps on the burner plate, well i gently filed them off, and finished with some emry paper, and gave it a light polish with a dremmel. It's now smooth as a baby's a$$!
Ok next smoke seesion, i did a little test, i timed the pucks, and mine burn for 21 minutes plus a few seconds, no big deal i think?.
After the session was finished, i inspected the burner plate, and ramp, i really didn't see any difference from when the raised bumps were there?.
The edge of the ramp still had a bit of burnt gunk on it, which i would imagine every BS gets?, because of the fact that the burning puck is always in contact with the puck that's pushing it, i can't see how some staining of the ramp can be avoided?
Obviously the longer the ramp is left in between cleaning, the bigger the build up will be.
smok4fun, is yours burning/staining really bad, or just at the edge?, would be interesting to know what everyones puck burning times are?
Personaly i don't think the raised bumps are an issue, i filed mine off just to find out, and as i say i see no difference.
Regards..........LilSmoker
Quoteand mine burn for 21 minutes plus a few seconds, no big deal i think?.
I agree, no big deal IMHO. I had a couple of faulty smoke generators within a year of buying my BS and I had to time one of them. Came out at about 21 minutes too. I would imagine 20 minutes +/- a minute or so either way is not an issue. :)
Quote from: manxman on December 19, 2006, 03:12:00 AM
Quoteand mine burn for 21 minutes plus a few seconds, no big deal i think?.
I agree, no big deal IMHO. I had a couple of faulty smoke generators within a year of buying my BS and I had to time one of them. Came out at about 21 minutes too. I would imagine 20 minutes +/- a minute or so either way is not an issue. :)
My generators run between 20 and 22 minutes. No biggy. ;)
Smoke4Fun -
I assume that your vent is at least partially open?
Also, are you using a lot of bacon to ensure juiciness? In my experience, bacon - especially thick-cut bacon - produces a TON of fat that finds its way all over the smoker, not just the V-Rack and the water bowl...
Hey LilSmoker, thanks for explaining how you cleaned and polished the ramp on your smoke generator. That's pretty trick! My ramp gets buildup mostly on the edge. The buildup is about 1/3 to 1/2 the width of a puck. It's caused (I think) when the leading edge of that puck gets ignited by the puck on the burner. Sorry for taking so much time to reply. I haven't been on the computer much since just before Christmas.. Larry
Thanks for the reminder guys, I clean mine every New Years Eve.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b241/xlb/ramp.jpg)
Happy New Year :D :D
On the Digital I have, 20 minutes per cycle. I also see the puck touching the one on the burner plate start to ignite. From TomG's picture, I would suspect that the (excessive) discoloration at the edge of the ramp is from the next puck starting. I don't think there is a way of stopping 1 combustible burning while touching another that is burning.
I use a razor blade scraper (like the painters use on the windows or on glass cooktops). That is followed by a light duty wire (brass usually is good enough) brushing.
Let's see......
Close one eye, step back five feet from the monitor......
Blur the vision........
I see Icerat4's re-entry style pork butt wrapped in foil......
Returning to my adult beverage..... 8) 8) 8)
Arcs_n_Sparks
:-* Just my opion! The small bumps on the plate are probably the spot welds on the back of the burner plate.The photo looks like mine after just seasoning.Clean up was easy with the dremmel and a stainless wire wheel.The digital fed three flavor pucks in one hour and eight minutes
i should take a photo of my puck burner...
i lost the screws along the way and its held together with bread bag ties and an enormous amount of goo...
i aint gonna touch it... thinking its better off in its own pathetic way...
you gotta eat...
owrstrich
sounds like it is appropriately broken-in....(or in E.E. speak; burned-in)
Sparkler
o:
So that is where the extra flavor comes from. LOL
Hi Guys,
I have a question about the smoke generator also? I cleaned mine today and all the gunk was about 1/2 way down. Is the actual burner at the very end? If it is my bisquettes are burning before they get there ???
Thanks
Mav
The actual burner is the piece on the end. It does get hot enought to start the next puck to smoldering on the bottom a little before the advance. Because it is not actually on the burner to cook off, it does leave a sticky substance. I clean mine after every smoke while it is still hot. Not a difficult task.
I just got my Bubba Pucks last friday... wow what a difference. When your done smokin' the final puck on the burner has a tendency to light the second last one that is still on the ramp. With the Bubba Pucks it almost acts as a cleaner so to speak. They heat up and seem to burn the residue off that the pucks left behind.
Thanks for getting them out to me so quick Kirk & Anne.
Mike
They sure do help out with the burner. Alot less goo to clean up. They should pay Chez to ship a few with each new Bradley! ;)
You're right on the money Iceman!
I was real happy with the difference on this weekend smokes.
;D ;D ;D
Mike
Hey Smoke4, I too am a new OBS owner, and noticed the very same thing you did from the very first use when I seasoned mine. I thought the bumps on the burner plate were causing resistance to the advancing pucks, so like some of the other folks, I filed the bumps down and polished the surface with emery cloth. Made a big difference. When I get the time I am going to take the Dremel and really buff it up good. Also, the Bubba Pucks really help too, kind of act like a metal scaper to push the gunk off. The very best trick I have found is to contact Sausagemaker.com and buy a couple of bottles of their smokehouse cleaner. Stuff is fantastic. Spray it on your drip tray and racks, and the stuff just runs off...I use it on the smoke generator to clean the feed tray (with the help of one of those green scrubber pads) and the face of the generator that goes against the box (for some reason I get a lot of smoke residue there too), cleans up the residue on the Bubba Pucks too. Stuff is kinda expensive ($12 a bottle I think), but well worth it.
Quote from: thrdrock on February 01, 2007, 04:58:30 AM
The very best trick I have found is to contact Sausagemaker.com and buy a couple of bottles of their smokehouse cleaner. Stuff is fantastic. Spray it on your drip tray and racks, and the stuff just runs off...I use it on the smoke generator to clean the feed tray (with the help of one of those green scrubber pads) and the face of the generator that goes against the box (for some reason I get a lot of smoke residue there too), cleans up the residue on the Bubba Pucks too. Stuff is kinda expensive ($12 a bottle I think), but well worth it.
That does sound worth it. I really hate cleaning the drip pan.
A lot of smoke residue on the face of the generator may mean you should run with your vent open more. No smoke at the opening between the tower and generator = an acceptable vent setting.
Your generator does not like smoke inside. ;)
Take Care,
West Coast,
In reference to the vent setting, I have used the vent pretty well open. One thing I did notice is that my generator does not fit perfectly flush with the side of the cabinet, and there is more of a gap at the back than at the front. I just started cold smoking a batch of cheese, and noticed that there was smoke coming out of the gap between the generator and the cabinet, and am pretty sure this is where the residue on the face of the generator is coming from. Also noticed that there is quite a bit of residue on the cabinet, below the hole where the puck burner fits in. How tight is that thing supposed to be? Is there any way to plug the gap, maybe some sort of high temp gasket material, etc.?
Hello TRock. They dont fit perfect, and probably need some spacing. They just hang off the posts and that is that ;D not much more to be done.
The SG serves as an inlet for the air to flow through the smoker. I too have some smoke residue on the face of my tower - above the hole mostly. I just wanted to react to the "lot" comment cuz it got my attention. I dont know how much that is compared to my "some" (trouble with email type postings :) ) anyway when your vent is opened good, you should not have smoke backing out once the unit starts to draft a bit and the air flow normalizes.
I dont think trying to seal the gap between the units would be good. The only place to draw from would then be the slots on the SG. I just use that gap as a double check on my vent setting. With a cold smoke you vent is wide open to let the heat out so hoping the smoke backing out is just a warm up time to get enough heat from the puck burner into the tower to start the draft effect. :) Have a good one!
I agree that you should not try to seal any gaps between the generator and the cabinet, but the generator should align evenly and closely to the cabinet. I would check to make sure that you have the generator mounted correctly on both posts. On more then one occasion I have not correctly mounted the generator on both post, and sometimes it is hard to tell if they are on both posts or not.
If you do have it mounted on both posts correctly, then I believe you can adjust the alignment of the post. Or at least I think I recall a member doing so, but I'm not sure on this.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on February 05, 2007, 02:57:52 AM
I agree that you should not try to seal any gaps between the generator and the cabinet, but the generator should align evenly and closely to the cabinet. I would check to make sure that you have the generator mounted correctly on both posts. On more then one occasion I have not correctly mounted the generator on both post, and sometimes it is hard to tell if they are on both posts or not.
If you do have it mounted on both posts correctly, then I believe you can adjust the alignment of the post. Or at least I think I recall a member doing so, but I'm not sure on this.
Same here - the first time I did not mount it properly, I thought my unit was defective. Once, I had initially mounted it properly, then while moving the BS slightly, I had managed to somehow got one post off a little. Always double check this piece before useing. ;)
Proper mount, Initial mount, Correct alignment, I just KNOW Chez is lurking out there ready to pounce on this one. ::) :D
Anyhow the generator does hang loose on the studs and that's the way it is supposed to be. Like others have stated, if the vent is adjusted right, there won't be smoke coming out of the gap. Something to do with atmospheric pressure verse's thermally induced heat rise causing negative flow for proper combustion by product flow over cosumable protien ladden substances manually introduced into the chamber.
In short it just sort of blows smoke, not much different than most bosses. :D ;D :)
Quote from: iceman on February 05, 2007, 09:27:36 AM
In short it just sort of blows smoke, not much different than most bosses. :D ;D :)
Hey Iceman... I resemble that comment! ;D
???
Huh, a man that makes sauce like that has gotta know what he is talking about, just not sure what it means :D ;)