Temp stuck ar 137

[jddhardy]

All, I am at 3:20 mins into smoke. Also i preheated for an hour prior to adding ribs. My cabinet temp never got above 137. Checked with on unit temp gauge and a digital probe thru the vents. I dont have a guage with leads so I am getting only the top part of the temp. Thrid time using the dbs. Also its producing a ton of smoke. I am using 2 cherry for one hickory. Any idea on why the temp is so low? And btw I used hot water in the pan.

[devo]

OK so I am guessing on this one but if your element is toast than your element from your smoke generator will bring the temp up to about 125 - 135 degrees depending on the temp outside. Sounds stupid but can you feel any heat from the cabinet element? If not its burnt up and needs replacing.

[KyNola]

Yep,sounds likeyou may have an element issue but the element may not be shot.  Check all of your exterior connections.  Unplug and firmly plug them all back in.  Also, check the connections inside the smoke generator.  It won't void your warranty.  Turn the generator upside  down and remove the 8 perimeter screws.  Don't remove the screws in the middle.  Open the generator clamshell style and check all of the connections there.  Put the generator back together.

If the heat doesn't begin to climb, you most likely have a bad element and should contact Bradley customer service.  They will fix you right up.

[jddhardy]

It finally got up to 157 after 4 1/2 of smoke. Normally i would have shut off the smoke at 3 but the temps conserned me. Ribs are wrapped and back in for 2 hrs. I am going to let the ribs show me when they are done. I will run up the dbs with only the oven on with no meat to see what temp it will get.

[Bear1968]

If it were me and my BDS was acting up and there were no other smokers available ... I am assuming thats your only smoker, I would pre-heat my oven in the kitchen to 220 and let the tent go for 2 hours and check. then finish on the Grill.
You already have your smoke but at this rate if ya leave them in the smoker they may not get hot enough to break the meat down and not be as tender as I am sure you will want.
:'(

[jddhardy]

Yup element went out. After I shut off the smoker side temp fell hard. Grill is going and I am forced to tent them on thr grill. House over broke last week. Parts on order for it. I will call Bradley tomorrow. Sucks this was the third smoke using it. My plans on turkey breast is not going to happen this week. Oh well.

[Bear1968]

Don't worry ... I had an Element go bad a few weeks ago and they shipped me one out the next day. They are good about that.

[jddhardy]

Update: so i started to unhook the element when I pausedto check resistance across the element. 29.3 ohms so it should be good. Reinstalled it and turned it on. It works like a champ! Not sure what happened  but I am glad it works.Also I finished the ribs on the grill while it was covered:. I couldnt get the grill lower than 160 but them seemed to come out fine. Im going to warm them up and eat them tomorrow.

[KyNola]

Do you move your smoker from storage to where you use it?  If so, it is possible that something simply jarred loose while being moved.  Regardless, I'm glad it's working again for you.

[jddhardy]

Nope never moved it. Ended up burning the ribs on the grill. Total rib failure. Oh well i will try try try again!

[Bear1968]

Sorry about all of that ... I Hope you have better luck on the next batch. It is a tough pill to swallow when ya know it was not your fault.  :(

[TedEbear]

Ended up burning the ribs on the grill. Total rib failure. Oh well i will try try try again!

Just because they were cooked on the grill doesn't mean they should end up burnt.  I have better luck on the grill with ribs than in the Bradley using these techniques:  Amazing Ribs

[drunknimortal]

I would be concerned about eating something that was cooked at that low of a temp for so long.