Preheating

[Habanero Smoker]

Thats what I love about this forum...I've been doing big feeds lately, and have the problem of getting the temp. back to form.  That bricks idea is great...will be doing that next weekend, with 4 racks of babybacks and probably a pork shoulder....

Thanks again all....

Swany

You will have the opposite effect. Water pulls a lot of energy (heat) out of the air during the process of evaporation, so you will find that it will keep you cabinet temperature lower.

[asa]

This thread got me to do some thinking.  I sometimes use a aluminum roaster pan of water like others have pointed out vs. the standard water bowl.  Do you suppose this allows for better heat retention?  I figure once you get that large amount of water up to temp. it must hold better and make the unit easier to reheat.

If you do this and use bricks for more heat rentention, maybe it is even faster?  Also, are there better items than bricks? thoughts?

I suggest you start with boiling water in the bowl/roaster pan. That way you don't have to heat it up in the BS, and it (the water) will help heat the air inside the smoker. Just get a stovetop tea kettle for efficient heating of your water. It will heat to a boil very rapidly, in much less time than water will warm up inside the smoker.

[Swany777]

well, so much for my knowledge of basic science...thanks for the info.  Babybacks coming this weekend, man I can almost taste them.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

well, so much for my knowledge of basic science...thanks for the info.  Babybacks coming this weekend, man I can almost taste them.

Swany777,

Hang around long enough and you will learn the steam tables :D :D :D

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Swany777]

Steam Tables...I'm guessing that has nothing to do with that little cubbie in my gym's locker room.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Steam Tables...I'm guessing that has nothing to do with that little cubbie in my gym's locker room.

Well, in an indirect way, it does. The steam tables are what engineers (mostly mechanical) learn in thermodynamics. It is a table of various thermodynamic parameters of water at various temperatures and pressures. Most of the areas of interest are when water is in vapor conditions (thus the moniker: steam tables).

As an aside, steam is invisible. What you normally see is when you think you see steam is some water that has condensed out.

Arcin' & Sparkin' 8)

[Sleepydrakos]

Hello,

Just bought my Bradley couple days ago. Temp seems to be inaccurate.  The inside is extremly smoky and temp 190.  Wondering about the bricks.  Will any brick do?  How do I season them? Would I place them alone in the Bradley for how long?


Appreciate all responses,

David

[Habanero Smoker]

Hello,

Just bought my Bradley couple days ago. Temp seems to be inaccurate.  The inside is extremly smoky and temp 190.  Wondering about the bricks.  Will any brick do?  How do I season them? Would I place them alone in the Bradley for how long?


Appreciate all responses,

David

I'm not quite sure what you mean by extremely smokey inside. Are you referring to the wall of the cabinet. If so, that's a good sign. Your BS is seasoned and it will get much darker as you use it. About the 190 degrees, are you saying that is as high as your BS will go? If you are using the door thermometer that is not the most accurate thermometer to monitor the cabinet temperature. You should invest in a probe thermometer.

As for the brick, I would guess any brick would do, as long as it fits. I found a brick that was small enough to fit beside the water pan, and the cabinet wall. The brick will not increase the cabinet temperature, but helps the cabinet recover from loss of heat due to load time, and load amount. I just gave my brick a good scrubbing with soap and hot water and placed it in the cabinet.

[asa]

It seems to me the best brick to get would be one with a high capacity for storing heat. If you know any local potters, or have a local supplier for potters, ask for a couple of "hard" kiln bricks (as opposed to insulating bricks). The hard bricks are very dense while the soft bricks are are much lighter (containing more air in a looser structure). Ordinary house bricks are sort of intermediate between those two as far as hardness is concerned. They should hold more heat than soft bricks, but not as much as hard kiln bricks. I'm guessing that most people who use bricks in the smoker use ordinary house bricks. I suggest that if you can find them, kiln hard bricks might perform even better at maintaining temps. And starting with boiling water in the bowl should help things heat up faster too.

[jaeger]

Hello,

Just bought my Bradley couple days ago. Temp seems to be inaccurate.  The inside is extremly smoky and temp 190.  Wondering about the bricks.  Will any brick do?  How do I season them? Would I place them alone in the Bradley for how long?


Appreciate all responses,

David

Welcome to the forum Sleepy!
Good idea regarding the brick and it sounds like you were given some good advice.
I would not use the brick method until you are sure your temp is working properly. Check over your break in/seasoning instuctions and try again. I would either borrow an oven thermometer or pick up a $5 dollar version at the supermarket and give the temp test again. NO PEEKING!!! DON'T OPEN THE DOOR! Everytime you open the door you lose a lot of heat and it takes a while to build back up. If you opened the door to much during your first test you may have had a faulty report.
Try it again. I would put the thermometer on a shelf close to the door thermometer so you can have an accurate comparison.
Let us know your results.