DBS 6-Rack will not go above 225!

[LLSmoker]

I was smoking some wild turkey breasts last night, my first try at something other then fish. I was trying to get the temp up to 250 and it just wouldn't get there?! Is this normal? I have it going right now with nothing in the smoker and using an external temp gauge and it will still not go above 225. I have the temp set at 320, the element is glowing all the way across... Do I need to add the second element mod?

I just bought a Auber PID, and also the fan mod from Smoke And Stuff. So if I am going to need the second element I might as well do it all at once.

Any advice would be helpful!

[KyNola]

A couple of things come to mind.  If your element is glowing all the way across, the temp should easily get to 250.  Do you have the vent opened or closed?  If it is closed, open it.  What is the ambient air temp right now?  Is it windy?  If it is windy and the vent is open the wind will have a tendency to suck the heat right out of your smoker so you may need to devise some sort of wind block to prevent the wind from blowing across the top of the vent.

[LLSmoker]

KyNola,

Thanks for the response, it was not windy out last night while I was smoking the turkey. I had the vent 3/4 open and the temperature outside was around 65. It is windy right now while I am doing the empty test and I just shut down the vent to 1/4 open to see if this would help bring it up.

I just went out and checked it since I closed the vent a little and it is now reading 246, so that is positive news. I did the same thing last night with the turkey, closed the vent to about 1/4, and it would not budge.

Would a second element allow me to easily achieve 250 with a full load?

[rexster]

Second element or the 900w conversion is the way to go. Faster heatup times, faster recovery, and higher temps although I don't go over 260⁰ for any kind of cooking. Since you've got the Auber already, you're almost good to go.

[Tenpoint5]

If your element is glowing all the way across your doing just fine. NO element mod needed. You were doing POULTRY which has a very HIGH MOISTURE content. Moisture is your enemy in the smoker. That is why most everyone will tell you to leave the vent wide open or almost wide open. Closing the vent traps the moisture inside the cabinet. Trapping the moisture causes a couple of things. One your element now has to heat up the moisture in the air inside the cabinet as well as the meat so longer recovery times and cook times. Two you will get a build up of ceosote in the vent of your smoker. As the moisture levels increase that foul tasting creosote will drip down onto your meats. "Black Rain". You might even get a black liquid running out the front door of your smoker. On the original OBS this means the liquid runs into the rheostat slider. Moisture electronics you get the picture.

As for the heating. Most people seem to forget that the heating element in the Bradley Smoker is basically not much more than cooking with a 500 watt LIGHTBULB.

The majority of folks here on the forum hardly ever cook above the temp of 225º. So if your 6 rack is reaching that with a full load (Turkey). Your doing fine and should have many more great smokes in your future.

[KyNola]

Ditto what 10.5 said about the moisture, particularly from poultry.

[NePaSmoKer]

Why would you need more than 225? Might as well use the grill or oven  :o

[Habanero Smoker]

KyNola,

Thanks for the response, it was not windy out last night while I was smoking the turkey. I had the vent 3/4 open and the temperature outside was around 65. It is windy right now while I am doing the empty test and I just shut down the vent to 1/4 open to see if this would help bring it up.

I just went out and checked it since I closed the vent a little and it is now reading 246, so that is positive news. I did the same thing last night with the turkey, closed the vent to about 1/4, and it would not budge.

Would a second element allow me to easily achieve 250 with a full load?

Vent openings can be a little tricky. With poultry with skin, they do have a high moisture content, and at least at the beginning of your cook, you should keep the vent 3/4 to fully opened. Such as you did with your vent settings; at the beginning and during the smoke/cook. After a lot of the moisture has been expelled during the cook, you can experiment with adjusting the your vent to a smaller setting. This often will increase your temperature.

[Habanero Smoker]

Experiment with your vent openings. With poultry with skin, they do have a high moisture content, and at least at the beginning of your cook, you should keep the vent 3/4 to fully opened. Such as you did with your vent settings at the beginning and  adjusting it during the smoke/cook. After a lot of the moisture has been expelled during the cook, you can experiment with adjusting the your vent to a smaller setting. This often will increase your temperature.

Adding a second element will give you the capability to get to 250°F quickly and maintain that temperature. I have a second element, and I smoke/cook my poultry at 250°F in my Bradley.