Yesterday I smoked 4 Chickens (2 beer can and 2 flat on their backs) and 1 rack of veggies on my new 6 rack diggi.
Smoked in my unheated garage to stay out of the wind and the average temp was 25 degrees out side.
At 4am I started to preheat @ 250 degrees. At 6am I put in the chickens that were @ room temp. Smoked for 3 hours and then took out the puck bowl (help keep moisture down)and the vent was wide open. The temp was set @ 250 degrees during the whole cooking process.
At 10am I put in the rack of veggies and @ noon rotated the racks. I am also using the Maverick 73 to monitor my temps.
By 7:30pm the tower was only 190 degrees and the chicks IT was 155 and the veggies were not done. It seemed the IT and tower temp would go up 1 degree ever 45 min.
Am I doing something wrong? Do I have a defective toy?
Any help here would be great!
Mike.
are you sure the plugs are pushed all the way in? Do you have a programmable PID? That holds the temp very well.
That long for chicken is way too long. At 250 it should be done in 3 - 4 hours. Like car54 said are you sure that the heating wlement is working? If not re - check the connections again.
HR
mptubbs,
4 chickens and a rack of veggies is a pretty big load for even the 6 rack. One thing I would do is preheat the smoker to a higher temp of 250 degrees for at least an hour. You may also want to try and use some foil wrapped bricks in the bottom. This will help with heat recovery.
How many total pounds were the chickens? If you turn the temps up with the smoker empty does the smoker achieve the desired temperature? If so, the smoker is probably fine and may just be a case of too much at one time.
Bryan
Never tried with the smoker empty.....I'll do that RIGHT now!
I preheated the smoker to 250 for 2 hours but forgot to see if it acheived it.
Chick were 5 pounds or more apiece (21 pounds of chicken) and about 3 pounds of whole potato's , 2 pounds of baby carrots and 6 whole onions.
The heating element was red hot every time I opened the door to add veggies and rotate racks. I don't think the heating element ever shut off.
Is that too big of a load?
A buddy of mine has a Masterbuilt 6 rack electric and he has no problems getting his smoker up 325 degrees in any weather and maintain it with meat in it. (that is what he says) ::)
Getting disappointed....I bought this smoker to smoke in the winter months and so far me-no-like.
I'll try bricks next time.
Mike.
UPDATE:
Did what Begolf25 said.....Preheat smoker @ 300 degrees empty and vent 1/2 open.
After 2 1/2 hours the temp got up to 248 degrees.
I then closed vent for 1 more hour and it went up to 277 degrees.
Temp outside was 27 degrees and I was in my unheated garage to stay out of the wind. I was using my Maverick to monitor my tower temp.
As for a PID, it seems I won't need one because the temp never comes close to my target temp.
The last time I did four chickens they took a while too.
I think it might be all the moisture the chicken has.
I pulled them and put them in a 350F oven for a little while until the IT was where I wanted it.
FLBent.
Do U think the load was to big?
When I did it I was under a dinner deadline.
I put the chickens in there pretty cold from the fridge and just ran outta time with hungry peeps.
After the smoke is done the Bradley is basically an oven anyway.
As far as the load too big, I would have to say yes. 7 hours is a long time for chicken.
I believe that the sheer mass of it combined with the amount of moisture in the chicken contributed to the long cook time.
Where were you measuring the temp ? under the lowest chicken or at the vent.
I used to measure at the vent, but I realized if I did that, the meat was getting a higher temp than indicated and I was measuring the "left over" heat if you will.
I was measuring up by the vent.
Next time I'll measure down lower.
Thanks for your input!
My thoughts are the smoker never really had time to recover the heat as you opened the door quite often to put other stuff in and then rotating things. I have done similar loads, 2 chickens and 2 large turkey breasts no veggies though and it took about 2 hr to get back to temp. After that it held the temp.
I would try in again and this time set the temp to 280 F before you put the product in then watch the temp till its close to 250 F and then turn it down,try not opening the door, also adding some bricks on the eather side of the drip pan under the "V" pan will help with the heat recovery. Just a little note about the drip pan, you should always have it in there even if there is no water in it, just to catch the drippings.
It would take the smoker 4 hours to get up to 280 degrees in 20 degree temps outside! :o
The smoker never got above 200 in 13 hours! I opened the door 3 time in that 13 hours.
I hear ya on the drip pan, will keep it in from now on.
Does the Bradley really take that long??? I was hoping for better heat than that!
It does not usually need that long to climbto that temp. We had temps in the upper 20s today and was still able to get up to 250 without a problem.
I suggest you call Brian and bounce it off him
HR
mptubbs,
Sorry you are having problems. A lot of good suggestions have already been broght forward.
My six rack digital is not very dependable as far as the set temperature matching the actual temperature. I do not rely on the set temperature to get the heat up. I crank it up to 250 or a little higher. Then I wait until the actual temperature on a Maverick chamber probe on the bottom meat rack hits my target temperature. The probe is on the door side. At that point, I adjust the Bradley set point down in ten or twenty degree increments until the Maverick chamber temperature settles into the proper range. Usually, my digital readout is at 240 to achieve a true 20 -225 temperature and hold there. You have to interpolate a little.
If in doubt, open the door and see if the heat element is glowing to make sure the thermostat hasn't shut you down.
With your one degree climb per hour, the thermostat may have been clicking on and off. The chamber temperature was not as hot as you thought but it was hot enough to slowly raise the chicken temperature which allowed the chamber temperature to rise slowly.
For preheating and temperature hold, I replace the water pan with a half size steam table aluminum pan full of boiling water laced with your favorite additives if any. As others have stated, preheat to 250 or more and most of the time let the meat heat up to higher than refrigerator temperature before placing in the Bradley.
One other comment. Because the element is in back and the temperature thermostat reading device is in the back, heat rises across the back and fools the digital into thinking that the temperature is high enough. I loosely foil the back half of the vent/drip rack to force more heat forward which seems to balance things out better. Classic Rock Griller recently reported on opening the front vents and closing down the back vents some. That may be another solution.
This link will have a photo of almost 50 lbs of meat and the foil pan, foil covering and hot water technique. The photos you are looking for are down a ways.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12061.0
The Bradley is slow but it works well when you get to know it.
Good luck and slow smoking,
Pachanga
Pachanga,
Had the temp set to 250 for 13 hours and the box never got to that temp.
According to the Bradley electronics the box temp was around 220 when I had it set @250......no reason for it to shut down, right?
The maverick read around 170 to 190 box temp with IT about 155 after 13 hours. ???
To smoke a 20 pound turkey up in Canada this time year would take about what.....24 hours?
Sorry just venting....a little frustrated right now.
Mike.
Nobody likes to hear you are having problems and we don't like to hear you are frustrated with your Bradley.
IMO, If you are not achieving a high temp in an empty smoker then you may have a heating problem.
Like everyone has said, that is a mass of meat, but you should be able to do it in a reasonable time in your Bradley.
Run your temp to max and like Pachanga has said when your maverick tells you you have got to your desired cab
temp then you can bring down the temp setting. Yor placement of your Maverick is important. Just below the lowest rack of food.
In your cold conditions, warm up your Bradley at max temp for hr or so.
On chicken because of the moister, you should leave your vent 3/4 to full open. If you shut the vent you will have moister
build up in the cab and it will be bad for generator and cause you to have lower cab temps.
Like any cooker/smoker/grill/oven there is a learning curve.
If you feel you have a problem give BRADLEY a call! They are great people and they want you happy too.
Let us know what the out come is.
mptubbs,
I feel your pain frustration.
All the advice in the world doesn't cure a problem unless it hits the right note.
Try this:
Kick it and spit on it. Scratch that. You've already done it several times.
1) If you haven't already, as CRG says, crank the troublemaker up to maximum and verify that the heating element is glowing all of the time in an empty smoker. I understand that the temp was set at 250 and it should have not gone off when reading 220. Crank it up higher.
2) Call Bradley. They will make you happy. Their customer service is A plus. This is my experience and the experience of many others.
Let's get this thing working and have fun.
Good luck and faster smoking,
Pachanga
Talked to Brian @ Bradley (love his accent) and he said that what I'm going through is normal with a load like that and the outside temp @ 25 degrees.
P.S. Very nice people Brian is.
Three things come to mind after reading and rereading. Assuming all things Bradley are ok then
1. Check to see if ALL plugs are pushed in all the way. Sometimes on the back of the chamber or the generator one or more don't get pushed in all the way - they can be tricky.
2. Are you using an extension cord? If it is too long or too small, you could have a situation that not enough juice is reaching the element.
3. Check your circuit that the unit is plugged in to. If you have a lot of things running off that circuit, again, the element might not be getting enough juice. You can check it with a voltmeter to be sure.
Yes, the Bradley is slow. And that is a good thing - that is what it is designed to do - it performs magic - smoke cooks meat "low-n-slow" with a modicum of tending - almost "set-n-forget". The biggest danger to good barbecue is "hot and fast". That low heat has to have enough time to have it's way with those hunks of meat. It goes at them relentlessly, steadily, unweildingly, until they surrender and holler "I'm finished - I'm done - get us outta here". It is not designed to grill - it's just not. It does act like your oven, but not for over say 250. If you need hotter than that, there are other toy---err----tools that can be used. As an aside, some have circumvented the slow heating and recovery, by modding the Bradley by adding an additional element. But again, this is good for quicker heating and quicker heat recovery - they should not be used to cook brisket at 300 and expect succulent, melt-in-your-mouth, flavor explosion brisket - It ain't gonna happen!
Two things to help with the heat recover. One already mentioned
1. The Bradley has very little mass to hold heat. It is far easier to maintain a steady temperature in a large stickburner - mainly because of the large amount of steel/iron that holds the heat once heated. The Bradley does not have this mass. So adding mass helps - there fore the brick suggestion. Also leaving the full water bowl in will help. Also when putting the water bowl in - use the hottest water you can. That way you are not having to heat the water also.
2. The Bradley achieves its hottest temperature utilizing the heat from the puck burner also. The element it a 500 watt element - and the puck burner is 125 watts. When both are running you have 625 watts of heat. If you cut the puck burner off, then you are reducing the available wattage for heating down by 20%. Keep the puck burner on until the heat recovers to your set temp, then cut it off and see if the temp is maintained.
3. Limit the number of times opening the door - ESPECIALLY early in a cook. Remember the earlier comment about the Bradley not having much mass to store heat. The only heat it has is the element/s and the heated air. When you open the door, much of the heated air is lost and the Bradley has to heat more up. Later in the cook, opening the door is not as much of a problem because the 20 pounds of chicken or whatever meat you have is also warm/hot and is acting as a heated mass.
4. If you can find chickens that have not been injected, you should have a shorter cook time. Its all physics Mr. Watson, its all physics!
Canescud,
Thanks for your input!
I will incorporate what all have said in the next smoking.
Once you get over this small learning curve you will be a smoking guru.
Heck thats most of the fun, learning something new, finding the problems and kicking its ass.
Learning curve????.....I think my new toy is go'n to be fun!
Thanks all for your input.
Now I need to put on the thinking cap and start playing!
Quote from: mptubbs on December 15, 2009, 05:44:17 PM
Learning curve????.....I think my new toy is go'n to be fun!
Thanks all for your input.
Now I need to put on the thinking cap and start playing!
Go get'm neighbor.
Hey OU812.....
What smoker U got?
How long does it take U to smoke a 18 pound turkey @ 25 degrees out side?
I think that's what I'm smok'n next.
I know this question is for OU but I wouldn't try to fight the elements unless you had to.
After you have gone thru the smoke stage in your Bradley I would put that "Big" bird in the oven to finish.
All the Bradley is, is a oven after the smoke stage.
I think you would be less stressed if you finish in the house oven.
I'm 100% with CRG on this one. The BDS is nothing more than a somewhat inefficient oven after the smoke period, especially in less than ideal conditions such as cold and windy temps. I would smoke the bird and when finished with the smoke period, bring the turkey in the house and finish it there. You will be MUCH less stressed and the cooking temp will be much more consistent.
KyNola
... and your house will smell amazing!
You can still monitor the IT with your maverick and cook until you get the IT you want (165 to 170)
Make sure you probe in deepest part of breast and the thigh joint area and take several readings.
Quote from: mptubbs on December 16, 2009, 08:23:43 AM
How long does it take U to smoke a 18 pound turkey @ 25 degrees out side?
I think that's what I'm smok'n next.
I try to keep my turkeys under 14 lb, 12 lb is perfect for me. The bigger birds dont finish as good for me but thats just me.
Also what every one has said would work great in this weather and the skin will be crispy too.
Or you could smoke, then put it in the fryer to finish, thats if you got one. You will have to keep the fryer out of the wind also.
Smoked fried turkey, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm gooood.
NOW THATS AN IDEA! ;)
Quote from: mptubbs on December 16, 2009, 08:23:43 AM
How long does it take U to smoke a 18 pound turkey @ 25 degrees out side?
I forgot to answer your question.
The last time I did a 14 lb turkey in these temps it took about 8 hr.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_SdwnSkI1cwY/Syvmyc76FHI/AAAAAAAAAB0/4kf0CWknAm0/s400/hunt%20of%2008%27%20011.jpg)
Future smok'n meat!
Why the heck did all 3 of those deer commit suicide at the same time?
KyNola
Nice stringer you got going there tubbs.
Must have got them during high power, seein theres no snow on the ground.
Quote from: KyNola on December 18, 2009, 12:37:26 PM
Why the heck did all 3 of those deer commit suicide at the same time?
KyNola
Maybe they seen the Christmas card :o
Yep....high power. Were up by Valentine, Ne. on the Niobria river.
Beautiful country up there, kinda in the middle of knowwhere, aint been up there for a couple years now.
I here they have a new game warden in that area and he is a real d**k, trying to earn his wings.
Herd it from more than one person.
Looks like you made it out of there without any problems.
I leave this Thread alone for a minute and it went from "What am I doing wrong?" to Look What I Did Right!
That will be some good chow!
Hey Classic.....Were mov'n forward.
Bad to good with all of excellent help from this forum!
U guy's rock!!! ;D
You rock too tubbs, looking forward to your smokes.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_SdwnSkI1cwY/Sywu_VPfxCI/AAAAAAAAAFk/OOZXludfV7Q/s400/007.JPG)
It's a start.
I really need this to come out great so I can show my buddies mine is better than thier briskets @ 8 to 10 hours!