water pan?

[jimbot]

i have been useing a bradley for the last three years at my work,  not sure what model it is i only know that it looks more industrial,  the smoke chamber sits on a base that has the element and the puck feed/burn system in it.  anyway it had no instructions and i just learned how to use it with time so i knew nothing of putting the water in the puck catch tray.  i have just let the pucks burn away and all the product i smoke turns out fantastic!!  is this a bad thing?  should there be water in the pan? i have never had any issues and some say my smoked salmon is the best they ever had!  please shed some light on this for me!
thanx
jim

[3rensho]

Yes, there should be water in the pan where the burnt pucks drop.  The idea being that the pucks burn for 20 minutes on the burner plate giving smoke and burning longer can lead to bitter tasting components being generated if the wood completely burns to ash.  Also, on a safety note, the puck pan sits under the hole in the V plate where fat drips.  If you have dry, burning pucks in the pan and fat drops on to them then you risk a fire.

Tom

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi jimbot;
Welcome to the forum.

It sounds as if you have the original. You can go to the Bradley site and download the manual. Which is not all that useful, but it would have anwered your questions. This is a PDF file so you will need acrobat reader installed on your computer to open and read the file.
http://www.bradleysmoker.com/Bradley%20Smoker%20Owners%20Manual.pdf

This a a quote from the manual:

"The Bradley Smoker is unique in that it produces smoke which is four
times cleaner than traditional burn-box chips*. Because it automatically extinguishes
the spent Bisquette, it prevents the formation of high temperature gases
and acids. In addition, the Bradley Smoker meets both North American and
European appliance standards."

In addition the water in the bowl help to protect against a possible grease fire. So if you are smoking large cuts of meat with high fat content; such as butts and briskets that require a long smoking/cooking times.

Hi Tom;
You beat me to it. Good luck in getting your passport.

[jimbot]

thanx for the info.  i think it must be an origianal bradley,  the water pan/puck catch try are not close enough to fat drain hole for a fire to start.  as for the bitter smoke,  the only reason i asked this question is because i have used charcoal smokers with wood blocks that burn and away and have never had an issue.  i will try it water next time and see if i can smell and taste a difference.  i smoke usually once a week so i'll get to find out soon!!  again thank-you for the help and i look forward to exchanging stories and ideas here with the rest of smoed food fans!
cheers
jimbo

[Habanero Smoker]

If you are only smoking fish and other low fat meats that do not take a lot of time in the smoker, I guess you can get away without water. But if you are doing butts, brisket and long smokes, there is a possibility of fire. If you search this board you will find at least 3 members that have had a fire inside the cabinet. When they saw a lot of smoke coming out of the smoker, they went to open the door to investigate. That provided the fire with more oxygen; it became a flash fire.

[minkybut]

One thing I do is use a aluminum baking pan in the bottom of the smoker in the Bradley pan. Do away with the round bowl. I can put more water in the baking pan when cooking a large piece of meat like a butt without having to refill that little round bowl.

[TedEbear]

Holy three year old threads, Batman.   :o

Anyway, I also use a 9x13 aluminum baking pan in mine instead of the tiny water bowl.  I like it because it holds more discarded pucks than the little bowl and I don't have have to dump it nearly as often.

BTW, welcome to the forum.   :)