Newbie with lots of questions

[Klondikesmoker]

Hi,

Newbie here with a bunch of questions.  I have been lurking for about a month trying to decide if a smoker is the way to go.  Reading the posts most of my questions have been answered but not all of them.  I see most of you use the smoker like I use my BBQ.  Since reading this site I guess my terminology is not right and what I do is grill.  So this is all NEW to me.

Here is my dilemma.  I live in the Yukon of Canada (next to Alaska).   I would like to use the smoker for preserving wild game meat, sausage, pepperoni sticks, jerky, etc, more than using it for individual meals.  Does the smoker work properly when it is quite cold out?  Will it work properly at sub zero temperatures?  I am concerned the smoker will not get to the proper temperatures when it is quite cold out.  I prefer to use this in the winter as I have lots of spare time as the summers are very busy with fishing, hunting, quading, golfing, sun tanning, beer drinking, canoeing,  etc.

It looks like I will need a PID unit and am hoping there will be one on the market soon that has a second probe for monitoring the IT and shutting the unit down when that is reached.  Sounds like the Auber is the way to go if and when they come out with the improved unit. 

Which smoker should I get?   I was leaning to the 4 rack digital and adding the PID unit. Is the digital smoker overkill if I am getting the PID unit anyways?  Is the original smoker the same except for the digital option?  Is the 4 rack big enuf to do 100-150 lbs of meat over the winter.  How much meat will I be able to smoke per session?  Will the 6 rack do 50% more per session?   

Sorry for all the question but I have never even seen a Bradley smoker.  Anyone here that has a smoker uses a converted fridge.  I would like to be able to have a bit more control than just putting some wood chips on a hot plate under an old fridge. 

Thanks

Gordon
Klondikesmoker

[Hopefull Romantic]

First, I would like to welcome you to the forum and ask that you never appologize for questions. Even the most experienced smoker wil have a question every now and then.

Although I do not live where it would go to sub zero temps too often but there are alot of falks here who have been smoking with as low as -20 and below with no problems. As with regard to the PID, thus far thereis only one PID for the smoker that woul regulate the temp to a certain level. There is talk about a new one coming up the would not only control the smoler temp but would also moniter the meat temp as well. As far as the PID shutting the smoker down when the IT is reached, one of the members (JOEHIFI) was able to built such a device on his own but it was not the Auber PID.

The capacity of the smoke is varient depending on the frequency of your smoke and it seems to me that you have answere your own question regarding whether to get the 4 or the 6 rack BDS. 150 pounds would go alot faster in the 6 rack. I have the BDS6 and the PID and it works great for me. Some more experienced smoers have had the OBS with the PID and swear by it.


HR

[aces-n-eights]

Hi Gordon, and welcome!  I'm just over in Alaska.  Many of us in colder climates have figured out how to use our Bradley's in the winter.  I think the best thing is get the smoker out of the very cold temps.  Trying to use it in below freezing weather may be a problem.   I have fashioned a spot in my garage using a cheap range hood to carry the smoke outside.  I can still smell smoke - not a bad thing  :D - in the garage, and it dissipates in a day or two.

I would definitely try to put your Bradley in a garage, shed, back porch or some place where the temps will stay above freezing and preferably at least 40°F.  You'll get much better performance from your Bradley that way.

I have an OBS with an Auber PID - works great for me!  I don't think you'll get 100-150 lbs of meat in a 4 rack, tho.  Even a 6 rack that's 15-25 lbs per rack and that is pushing it - i'm thinking a 20 lb roast on each rack - is there enough room between the racks for that?  Others with the Digitals will have to chime in on that.

Again welcome and let us know which model you end up with!

[Habanero Smoker]

For convenience, on this forum we use the term smoking, but we do most of our cooking in the barbecue temperature range, which is 200°F plus; and apply smoke. As for smoking to preserve, that will be a challenge in the Bradley smoker. I have used the smoker while it was in the low to mid 20°F, and it performed well. It just takes more time to get up to your set temperature, but once there it will hold that temperature without problem. Just protect it from the wind. I can't recall off-hand, but I believe the 4 rack is rated for a 30 pound load. Once I had about 40 pounds distributed between 3 racks; so I believe the 30 pound limit is for the rack braces.

[Pachanga]

Welcome to the board.  You have come to the right place.  There are some very good chefs and intelligent people who can cover a wide range of questions accurately.

Is the 4 rack big enuf to do 100-150 lbs of meat over the winter.  How much meat will I be able to smoke per session?  Will the 6 rack do 50% more per session?  

150 pounds will be easy over the entire winter.  A single smoke is another animal.  I own the 6 rack digital. I have smoked 4 briskets at a time many times.  That is a fairly dense meat.  It filled the 6 rack up nearly to the brim.  I usually put the fat trimmings on the top rack so the unit is now completely filled.  That equals right at 50 pounds of meat with each brisket being 12 to 14 pounds.

A little smoky but this is an example.

I have no experience with the four rack but my thoughts are that the 6 rack takes longer to get up to temperature with the same heating element and as the smoke rises past cold foods, it is cooled so that the top rack would be smoking at a lower temperature.  I have the six rack for higher volumes and would purchase another one.  Many have modified their Bradley to overcome this problem, but it has not proved a big detriment the way I smoke and the meats I smoke.  You are wanting to use your unit for preservation.  Hopefully someone who is more experienced will chime in.  There are many on this board who are experts in that area.

I am a Texan so I do not know about cold temperature extremes such as yours.  I would think that would have an effect on any outdoor smoker.  If I were to use a Bradley outdoors in such an extreme cold, I would build a small exterior plywood or cedar house sheathing enclosure that just fit the Bradley.  Line it with insulation that comes in 4 x 8 sheets with aluminum foil like sheathing on one side (the type that goes on houses under the final exterior). A hinged door, a vent and your Bradley would be a warm puppy.  Depending on how finished you wanted it to be, this would go together quickly with a minimum of expense.

I am sure that you will come up with alternative gizmos, but insulation of some sort would shorten your cook time in the Bradley.  Otherwise, like Habanero says, it is going to take longer.

Aces probably has the best idea.  I would not enjoy checking on things at 20 below.  There are several examples of people venting their units to the outside posted on the board.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga
 

[Caneyscud]

As others, I don't live where it gets down to extreme cold temps.  I have used the Bradley in the teens and although it did take longer, it did do the job - main thing was to keep it out of the wind with some sort of windbreak.  I used some cardboard between two deck chairs.  Took longer to get to the set cabinet temp, but once there it maintained it.  But for much lower temps, I think I would do exactly as Aces-n-8's mentioned - move to the garage, but monitor your smokes carefully because there is definitely a fire danger.  With that knowledge in my head I like Pachanga's idea of building a small insulated outhouse for the Bradley - it's own throne so to speak!  And who's to say you couldn't  install a little heater in the outhouse to help keep the heat up in the Bradley's superinsulated smoking quarters.   Just remember one thing - every smoker is affected by wind and cold - not just the Bradley.  Every smoker will take longer in those conditions.  

The 4 rack will hold 4 briskets.  That is approximately 50 pounds of meat.  It will take quite a while to cook and you better be watching the lowest rack as it is the hottest of the 4 because it is closest to the element.  I have only done 2 briskets at a time in the Bradley, I have other, bigger smokers I can do the quantity in.  I confess, I have smoker size envy!    The question you ask about preserving begs a comment or two.   One of the things that the Bradley excels at that other smokers struggle with is cold-smoking.  There are many ways to preserve, but most of us common folk put their food by by using techniques of freezing, pickling, canning, drying, salting, smoking, and curing.  Man would I love to have a stillroom so I could do a lot of this.  Freezing I would say you have the market on there in the Yukon, and you can definitely freeze smoked items.  No reason, you couldn't pickle some sort of smoked goodies (sausages for example, or smoked eggs).  Canning is the same - no reason you could not can some smoked goodies.  But I doubt that is what you are asking about.  Probably, drying, salting, curing, and smoking.   The Bradley can help and/or do any of these.  People do use the Bradley to dry jerky - one member has even come up with a way to mount more racks in the Bradley so you can dry more jerky at a time.  If you want to add some smoke to some salt preserved, or some cured meat - remember the Bradley does an excellent job of cold-smoking.  Smoke preserving - it is a smoker isn't it.  The Bradley can do all of that and do it well.  But if you  are looking for something that can do MASS quantities, well the Bradley is limited in size.  If you want to make a whole moose into jerky in 3 days - it isn't gonna happen with a Bradley.  But if you can do it over a period of time - then the Bradley can handle it (150 pounds over a winter, especially one as long as yours is a piece of cake).    Many members on the forum "preserve" a lot of meat.  This includes jerky, sausages and salamis, bologna, corned beef/pastrami, smoked salmon, lox, bacon, canadian bacon, peameal, ham, tasso, dried beef, smoked cheese, smoked pickled eggs - among others that my gray hair refuses to let me remember.  

Yes, getting the digital and then getting a PID is a little bit of overkill.  Is the PID necessary?  I believe so, especially because of the "preserving" part of the equation.  If all you want to do is smoke briskets, ribs, or butts, I would not waste my money on a PID - you just don't "really" need it for those - the Bradley does a great job without it.  But with the tighter temp control needed for some "preserving" type techniques, the PID will come in very handy.  And yes, there are some differences between the DBS and the OBS other than just the digital aspect.  The interior is stainless in the digital, there is no electronics below the cabinet, and the door and door frame construction is different and perhaps better (the digital does not seem to suffer from cracked face frames as the original does).    There may be more, but these come to mind now.  The digital by itself makes the Bradley more "set and forget" than the original.  Although, with a little practice, the original is almost just as "set and forget" as the digital.    

It won't shut the bradley down, but you can get remote thermometers where you can set an alarm to go off when the IT reaches a certain temp.  Or perhaps more importantly, for an alarm to go off if the cabinet temperature falls below or above a certain temperature.  I'm not sure I would want an automatic shut off.  Sounds convenient, but just because a certain IT is reached that IT does not guarantee that the product is done or is not overdone.  Beside when doing fish, ox-tails and ribs, and possibly other things, you don't have enough meat mass to insert a probe to measure the IT.  

[Pachanga]

Carneyscud,

I agree with you concerning auto shutoff relying on meat temperature.  When my remote alarm goes off on chicken or other meats and I move the probe around a bit, the temperature can change by several degrees.  I am not accurate enough to place a probe in just the center of the lowest temperature spot.

As you also accurately state, meat mass plays a part in being able to even insert the probe at all.

The maverick remote has a low temperature alarm and has come in handy before.

Thanks for taking the time to write some enlightening comments which add to other good comments.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[classicrockgriller]

You guys are off the Hook! I loved reading this thread. Some really great thoughts.

Klons, welcome to the forum. Hope to see you with that new Bradley and posted great recipes.

[Klondikesmoker]

Thanks for all the replies.

Hopefull Romantic
I just thought the auto shut off would be a good idea but I see your point.  Just monitoring the IT would be good enuf.

Aces-n-eights
I wasn't planning on doing all 150 lbs at once.  I am not sure if the smoker would come up to temp with all that moisture in it, but didn't want to have to do it in 5lb lots.  I plan on doing lots of pepperoni sticks, salami type smoking.  I see the pictures of hanging the sticks but concerned about the bottom ends over cooking.  Some I see put them flat on the racks and would have to be careful not to put too many on the racks to slow the smoke flow.  Does 15-20 lbs of sticks or salami sound like too much?  The garage is not convenient for smoking in, so will have to work on that.


Pachanga
I like the idea of an insulated cabinet and would probably put it on wheels.  Checking on the unit when it is -20 or so just means I would become very close (and personal) with my smoker.  ::) 

Caneyscud
Yes freezing is easy here.  I actually unplug my deep freeze for 5 months starting real soon.  Thanks for your feedback on the DBS and PID.  Because of the sausage and jerky I WILL need the PID.  Sounds like the Digital units are nicer.  Now just to decide if the 6 rack is too big for me.  Canadian Tire has the 4 rack on the floor right now for $499.  No 6 rack in stock and will take some time to get one.  Then add an IT remote thermometer and I should be set to go.  I obviously will need spices and pucks etc but for hardware I should be set. 

I will still need a grinder and a stuffer.  I like the one that NePaSmoKer got, the LEM 5lb.  Figure the 5lb will be big enuf for doing 15-20 lbs of sausage at a time.    Still looking for a grinder that will do the job,  150-200 lbs of wild game a year. 

Not sure when I will get a unit.  I don't normally just jump into new projects very fast, tend to over analyze before I make up my mind.  I had some friends with a butcher shop that did all my smoking for me but they sold the business and no one else meets my standards.  So looking at doing it myself and getting the recipes from my friends or off this site. 

Thanks again

Gordon
Klondikesmoker

[aces-n-eights]

Gordon, i re-read your original post and see that you want to do 150lbs or so over the winter season not in one load - my goof!  - and you should have no problem getting that done over winter.

Enjoy the hunt of finding the best smoker for what you want to do.  The Bradley sure works good for me.  I like the "set and forget" aspects of an electric smoker.  I've got a pork butt in there today and some salmon in brine to go in the smoker tomorrow.