Hey guys, been a member for a little while, mostly just a reader. However, this is my first post because I have a possible issue with my smoker that I need y'alls help with. I was smoking a chicken yesterday and when I pulled it out of the Brad to put in TBE I noticed that all of my pucks seemed to be partially (about 3/4 of the way) burnt. I haven't noticed this before but I also might have not been paying attention. Is this normal? If not, what issue do I have going on? Thanks in advance.
I don't know that you really have an issue. My pucks have never burnt 100% all the way through. In the event that you may have an issue, check the burner plate to see if it needs a quick cleaning to remove any residue. A quick scrub with a wirebrush should remove any burnt on residue. Also, it may be that your pucks had absorbed some moisture, preventing them from burning completely through.
By the way, welcome to the Forum! Now that you have broken the ice, don't be a stranger.
As KyNola indicated, your puck won't burn to ashes. The Bradley puck feeding system is designed so that, ideally, the pucks are completely charred, but not burned to ashes.
In our less than ideal, real world, several factors can contribute to less than complete charring of your pucks. A dirty burner plate or pucks that have absorbed moisture are two. Others include not preheating your puck burner before it receives the first puck, cold weather (forum member report less than complete charring during below freezing smokes), some variability in how firmly compressed the chips in the pucks are, and what type of wood the pucks are made from (as I recall, oak, and a couple of other quite hard woods are prone to less than complete char).
I have come to accept that once in while I may get an occasional puck with less than complete char. As long as the pucks are mostly charred, I don't worry about it. It doesn't seem to affect my results.
If you feel like it;s a problem, maybe post a picture of what the briquettes look like so we can compare to what we usually see.
I will have to take a picture of them. Like I said, I'm not positive that it's a problem, just the first time I've noticed it. They could have been burning like this all along. After reading some of your responses, I'm sure a good cleaning wouldn't hurt the burning plate in my smoker either.
same as kynola.. my pucks rarely burn all the way, they may be various reasons timing and mositure maybe the best two for the pucks not burning compleatly