New from VA

[JohnD]

All,  I'm new to the forum and new to dedicated smokers, although not new to the concept of cooking/smoking tasty items on a Weber kettle grill.  I am a charcoal bigot when it comes to my grilling (I just can't get propane to turn out an acceptable product), but I see the overwhelming sense and advantage of a digital electric smoker given the longer cooking times and need for more precise control of temperature. 

Now that we've established that I am totally out of my element and a noob in the smoking world, I need to understand what I'm getting into.  After looking at the multiple options, the Bradley 4-rack digital Smoker seems to be a good starting point.  Ease of use, a decent warranty, a great forum for question and answer, and out of the box productivity, but I'm concerned or stumped by some of the comments and terms I have seen here.  Any advice, commentary, or experienced observations would be appreciated before I actually make the plunge and order my Bradley.

-  Seems like there is an inordinate number of folks who have issues with connections or the smoker stopping halfway through a 10-hr smoke, both the external power plugs as well as internal components.  Is it common for such things to work their way loose because of rising and falling temperatures, or am I just seeing a vocal minority of folks trying to work out their specific problem?  Is it a quality-control issue with Bradley, or electric smokers in general?

-  Seems like there is a wide temperature swing in the oven portion of the Bradley Smoker.  Many say it isn't material, but there also seem to be an awful lot of folks who purchase additional controllers, regulators, probes, etc.  Is this really required to use the smoker effectively or is it the concept of a hobby gone wild?  I do that with my fishing gear, so am all too familiar with the concept.  If that is the case, would you recommend doing the stock configuration for a bit and then adding components as needed, or going with the additional components from the beginning?

-  I've seen some comments about extension cords.  The only plug I will have available to me is on the back of the house.  Filling the house with good smelling smoke is not an option, based on discussions with the wife.  Can I put a 20' cord on the smoker and still get close to spec performance or am I limited to whatever comes on the smoker?  How long is the cord that comes stock, by the way?

-  One of the attractions of the Bradley is the bisquette feeding system that seemingly makes it a set & forget system.  Is that the way it really works?  I'm not above sitting around watching smoke with an adult beverage or two or three, but want to know what kind of time commitment we are talking about.

-  Lastly, kind of an open-ended question.....  What would you do differently at the beginning of your smoking addiction/hobby, now that you have some experience under your belt?

Pending the answers provided, I will be setting up shop in scenic downtown Bumpass, VA on the shores of Lake Anna.  If you're nearby, give a shout.


JD

[beefmann]

hi JD
welcome to the forum... there is a  lot of good information on the forum. While the bradley is an electric smoker it will NOT give you  the charcoal flavoring at all,, it  will give you  a  smoked flavor the strong smoking  woods are  misquete and hickory generally most  use 4 hours max and continue cooking in the bradley till finished,,

Yes there has been issues  with Bradleys stopping half way through a smoke / cook for various reasons, element gone bad.. blown fuse, tripped breaker, loose connection if digital the  digital going bad or turning off are some of the  reasons and may not be all, and yes you  can use an cord to move it away from any door  or window,,, 14 gage cord is minimum  12 gage is recommended  up to 50 foot.

the temperature swings in a bradley are normal for various reasons,,, meat  load, humidity in the cabinet, vent  not opened wide  enough, and it is normal to  preheat to 225 F  for 30 mins or  so place your mead in .. the  box temp drops to 180 - 190 and just hangs there and  slowly  climbs this is  normal with a  500 watt element ... not a  lot of heat being  generated but it will get the job  done,,, if you  leave the  smoke generator on you  get an additional 125 watts of heat

the  smoke generator advances the pucks  every 20 mins automatically and generally  dont have to watch it,,, other then emptying the bowl after the smoke. The first few smokes  you  can have a  few beverages and watch how the bradley  works at the same time let it do the work and cook for you ,,,  no peaking .

as for the smoking hobby pretty  much  nothing The bradley 4 rack has served me  well for 8  years, Though i have  done  a few mods on it,,, just  wish i did my  lost  mod the first time around , that  is  live and  learn on my part,


a few items to put on your  want / need  list  would be
maverick et 732 remote thermometer
frog mats

Hope this helps and  enjoy,,, if you  have more  questions ask... that  is what makes this forum so great

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum JD. Beefmann has you covered on your questions. I prefer charcoal and/or wood to cook with also. I have a couple of gas burners that rarely get used.

I just want to add a couple of comments. The Bradley will work as is right out of the box and other than some minor purchases, (good meat and cabinet temp monitoring instruments like the Maverick, bubba pucks, frog mats) I would recommend you use it right out of the box for awhile to get used to it. I also recommend that you go with the original vice digital. I have noticed more electronic problems being posted about the digital than the original. Also, the original is less expensive and you can always add a PID to control temps if you later decide you want tighter control and it probably will not cost you any more in the long run than if you had purchased the digital. I realize that there are a lot of posts with folks having problems of some type or another. In reality it is a small percentage when compared to the total Bradley's out there. I have the original (almost 6 years now) and so far have had no problems. Many on here want to obtain faster heat recovery after opening the door or loading and want more even cooking between the shelves so they add an extra heating element and/or circulating fan, etc. It really is not needed just wanted. Kind of like furnishing a house - do you want what you need to live comfortably or do you want fancy or luxury?

When the smoker is new, sometimes the electrical connections are tight and may not fully seat unless you take the time to make sure they are fully in. This will become less of a problem as time goes on.

[Ketch22]

Welcome to the forum  :)

[fuzzy1]

Welcome from Montana

[mahto]

welcome to the forum an yes beefman has answers as he's help me with mine an i have been enjoying the flavors of what i have smoked

[JohnD]

Thanks everyone for the advice and welcome.  New Bradley is in-house waiting to be seasoned today.  Ribs ready to go for Saturday.

JD

[pokermeister]

Hi JohnD, and welcome to the forum.
In answer to the open-ended question: Maverick 732 remote thermometer keeps you from opening the cabinet, and gives accurate smoker and food temperatures. Frog mats, sprayed with some nonstick spray or oil, will make for a quick cleanup. Bubba pucks keep you from stacking extra wood pucks that won't get used. They pay for themselves after about 20 smoking sessions. Last thing- do not wait to try non-meat items in your smoker; cheese, nuts, spices, potato chips, hard boiled eggs, chex mix, and the list goes on and on. You are thinking correctly when you go into a supermarket and ask "Can I smoke that"? Have not tried smoking fruits or vegetables yet, but I want to try. Hope this helps.