going thru way to many pucks when i smoke in my 4 rack digital smoker

[popje]

i am trying to understand why i am going thru so  many pucks when i smoke in my digital smoker . i put in 10 pucks into the machine and then i watched it send 8 thru right away, any idea as to why this is happening . i have been getting frustrated with the wast of puck that never got used and end up in the water ,.. is there any way to use chunks of wood as flavoring instead on there special pucks     please advise

[TedEbear]

Hi and welcome aboard.

Each puck should take 20 minutes after it is pushed onto the burner before the next one pushes it into the water bowl.  If yours is doing this much faster you may have a stuck micro switch.  You can read some additional info on this here:

Why are the bisquettes continuously feeding and just being dumped into the water bowl

[Maximus1959]

Just went through this last weekend with my new 6 rack. My understanding; unplug the unit and plug it back in. If the problem persists, then call Bradley or return your smoker to the vendor you purchased it from. It means some sort of switch is messed up internally, if I am remembering correctly. I exchanged mine yesterday. I am not impressed with Bradley smokers thus far. Piece of crap IMO.

[renoman]

Can someone post a pic of a properly burned puck. Mine have always been burnt on the bottom but unburnt on the top.

[Habanero Smoker]

Can someone post a pic of a properly burned puck. Mine have always been burnt on the bottom but unburnt on the top.

I don't have a picture, but someone posted a picture of some burnt bisquettes just recently, and they showed various stages of being burnt. One looked like it was burning for too long, one looked like a complete burn, and the last one was only burnt on the bottom.

What they should look like depends on a few things. If the bisquette plate has a build up of residue, you may not get a complete burn. Bradley sometimes experiments with how much pressure they compact the bisquettes with. If they are heavily compacted, they will not fully burn. Also the type of wood makes a difference. Many of us notice when cold smoking, without the additional heat of the element they will not burn as completely as when you are using a temperature of 225°F.  When I'm smoking my hams and using a temperature 140°F or less, I do not get a complete burn. When I do not get a complete burn, only the bottom half is burnt, occasionally both the top and bottom will be charred, but the center will be unburnt. The moisture content of the bisquettes may be a factor.

Most of the time when I am using a cabinet temperature of 200°F or higher, I get a complete burn. What I mean by a complete burn, is the bisquette will maintain it original shape, except that it will shrink in size. It should be charred on all sides and completely through the center.

[renoman]

Mine look like this all the time but I haven't smoked at anything higher than 170.

[Habanero Smoker]

I can't see the sides of the bisquettes, but when I use a low cabinet temperature during the smoke application, my bisquettes are very similar. Maybe just a bit more burnt, but not much.

[Jkwellborn]

Mine usually look like the ones pictured, maybe a little more charred.

[Gafala]

Maybe I'm not the norm but mine burn all the way, even when cooled smoking even with the cooled attachment.

[pokermeister]

My pucks are completely charred all around, with a size loss of 30-35% in all directions. Hope this helps.