new black origanal smoker

[smitty 45]

Hey guys, just bought my first Bradley smoker and so far very disappointed in the product. It just wont heat up to temp. started it at 1:00 and it took an hour to get to 200 degrees totally empty. added small pan of water and one rack of ribs. after one and a half hrs it made it to 200 degrees when im trying to get to 250 degrees. called Bradley and they said open vents to increase heat so I did. Added a 5lb chicken at 3:30 (temp was 200) and now its 5:00 and temp still at only 150 degrees has not rose since I added chicken. Any ideas or did I get garbage. this is a brand new unit out of the box last week.

[mikeradio]

It sounds like the main heater element is not working, and just the smoke generator is heating up the smoker.
If you open the door you should see the element on the back wall glowing red.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi smitty 45;

Sorry to welcome you under these circumstances.

Your Bradley is using a 500 watt element, so it will take some time for it to get up to your desired cooking temperature. The larger the load the longer it will take to return to you ideal cooking temperature. If you are getting temperatures above 140°F with food in the smoker, your main element is probably working. If you are using the cabinet temperature probe, and the tip of the probe is near the chicken, you will get a much lower reading. Most of us use a third party temperature probe, and place that probe below the lowest rack away from the meat. Many purchase the Maverick ET-732, but if you are on a budget; any digital probe will help monitor your temperatures.

There are many things you can do to improve your temperature management of your cabinet. The below link my be useful.

Bradley Smoker FAQ's

There is a lot of information in the above link, but some general rules for the Original;

1- keep the temperature adjuster all the way to the right.

2-Preheat the cabinet, turn on the generator the same time you, and keep it on for extra heat. It is best to preheat at least 25 degrees higher then you plan to cook at. When you open the door, you will loose a lot of heat.

3-It looks like you preheated your cabinet, but next time have the filled water bowl in the cabinet during preheating, and start with hot water.

4-Let the meat warm 1 - 2 hours at room temperature prior to cooking.

5-Avoid opening the door; while the food is cooking. Opening the door, you loose a lot of heat and you increase your cooking time.

6-Go to the above link for more information.