Temperature issues

[haffordite]

I bought a digital 4 rack a year or so ago but it sat in the box until yesterday. I set it up to smoke our first attempt at sausage. Smoker part worked perfectly-the oven not so much. I cannot preheat oven or get any heat in the cabinet to speak of. Element heats enough to burn my fingers but not enough to heat cabinet. I'm trying to smoke when ambient temp is -3 C so I have a sleeping bag wrapped around cabinet to retain heat to retain heat. Any suggestions as to what the problem is. I realize I'm probably asking a question that has been answered in other threads but any suggestions /ideas/solutions would be appreciated

[just a smokin]

  Hello , I was wondering , which type of smoker is it ? I mean is it the manual type and if so do you have the slide knob at the bottom slid over to the right hand side as you look at it asking for more heat .or is it the electric type and if you have it set right also ?where abouts do you have your vent set at the top, should be partial way open for my preference.

hope things work out for you

[BC Smoker]

There have been a lot of issues on this .....firstly try un-plugging and re-plugging your connections at the back of the smoker ( make sure the plugs are seated in well ) it may take a little force, secondly try to avoid using an extension cord ( if you need to, use the  shortest and appropriate gauge)  and yes, always keep your damper wide open. I'm sure other members will be along sometime soon to pass on their knowledge

[tskeeter]

Was it windy when you were smoking?  Although your ambient temp was low, it wasn't so low that it should be overly problematic.  But, exposing the vent to wind seems to suck the heat out of the smoker.

Some other thoughts.  Cold temps will require a longer preheat time.  About an hour wouldn't be unreasonable.  Using boiling water in your puck bowl helps with temperatures, especially during cold weather.  How much sausage were you smoking?  Large quantities of cold meat can mean that you exceed the smoker's heat recovery ability.

My preferred method is to smoke the sausage.  Finish cooking the sausage in a hot water bath (it's faster than in the smoker), cool the sausage to below 100F in an ice water bath, then bloom for an hour or so to develop color.

[Habanero Smoker]

A -3°C is not all that cold. At full power the heating element should be glowing red; except for the vary ends. Are you are not getting full power to the element (meaning is it glowing), or is it just hot enough to burn your fingers? As mentioned by BC Smoker, make sure all your connections are solidly plugged in. Also if there are two many appliances drawing power on that same circuit, your Bradley may not heat up properly.

If after unplugging and plugging the cords back in, there may be a loose wire inside the generator or cabinet. Click on the link below for further troubleshooting ideas.
Bradley FAQ's