Original Bradley not getting hot

[grego]

Im watching my salmon try to smoke, I say try cause its 3.5 hours now and Im still at 140 degrees F and cant get higher, can anyone give me pointers? First time with this Bradley Original and so far Im unimpressed

[GusRobin]

1) make sure slider is all the  way to the right
2) unplug and re-plug all the plugs
3) Are any of the lights on?
4) Is the vent open?
5) if you are using the door thermometer, is your fish below or above the thermometer?
6) Is your element glowing red?

[TedEbear]

It sounds like only the smoke generator hotplate is generating heat.  Check the connections where you plug the cords into the back of the tower and SG.  They have to be plugged pretty snug.  Also, do not use an extension cord with the Bradley.  It doesn't like them.

Finally, is the little red power light next to the slider temp control coming on at all?

[grego]

Thanks for the reply Guys,
Slider is all the way to the right
all lights are on and the element is glowing red
Fish is both below and above the thermometer, I have the extra 4 racks in there and it all loaded up with fish. Just noticed the lower fish has somewhat burnt.
Yes the red light showing there power is on as well

Could it be that it has too much fish in it?

[GusRobin]

most likely the its the thermometer. It will read low if it is above the meat/fish since the heat is blocked. The fish below it are probably seeing a much higher temp. Most folks buy a remote thermometer and put the temp probe below the lowest rack that has stuff on it. Maverick 732 is one model but there are also cheaper ones out there.

[JZ]

I am guessing that you have 4 racks of fish in the smoker and the temp you are referring to is the reading you get on the door thermometer. If that is the case then what you are experiencing is normal. I went through the same thing with my OBS when I did full loads of salmon.

I forgot to ask what is the outside temperature --- that will have a big effect on the internal temps.

I am no expert and don't have a lot of experience with the OBS but there are many others on this forum that have a ton of experience and I am sure they will chime in soon. I asked the same questions before and was told not to rely on the door therm for reliable temps. What I did was leave the temp slider all the way to the right (high) and just keep smoking. You will find that the fish on the rear of the bottom rack will dry much faster than the fish on the upper racks. To address this you will need to rotate the racks and this presents another issue. When you open the door you will loose heat and it will take awhile for the smoker to recover. Just keep smoking with the slider on high and after a few hours more check the fish and take the rack (racks) that are done. Then rotate the racks and keep on smoking.

There are all kinds of threads here where people describe what they have done to remedy the heat recovery issue and to monitor the internal temps. After you get through this smoke, check out the threads.

Don't worry the fish will turn out fine, but might take a little longer than you planned.

Good luck

[grego]

what is the outside temperature --- that will have a big effect on the internal temps.
Its about 6degress celsius not too cold and its in a sheltered place too
I think,  like Gus says, the heat is being blocked by all the fish, the fan thing sounds like a good idea for circulation, wonder why bradley doesnt have one already in place for a $400 smoker.
Need the 200 degrees F to feel safe with fish so the right temp is a great help, I'll rotate racks to make sure

Thank for alll your input guys your help is greatly appreciated

[M.Dean]

Hi, just joined the forum, I have a Bradley Smoker also, I live in B.C. Canada. I've done lot's of Salmon with mine, and maybe your heat problem could be you have the fish packed too close together, what will happen is the bottom racks will get all the heat, burning the lower back rack first, they both bottom racks will be over cooked in just a short time. I try to leave a good inch of free space on all the racks at the back, and every time I do check the Fish or Deer Jerky in the smoker, I take out each rack and take the top rack and put it at the bottom etc, and also turn each rack around, making sure the meat or fish get's the heat and smoke evenly.