Bradley Newbie!!

[Stevo19]

I'm excited to join this group! Been smoking meats for years, but until this past weekend, never with a Bradley! My "go to" unit up until now is a Char Griller Akorn Kamado. No complaints ... love it's versatility. But sometimes I just don't have the time to spend with it and have been searching for a decent "plug n go" smoker. A Bradley Original popped up on craigslist, so I'm now the proud owner ... and it sits next to my Akorn.

For the most part it will sit outside under and overhang, so I amazoned a cover and a 24 pack of bisquetts to get me going. Took all of the racks, drip pan, and water bowl out to run them clean thru my dishwasher. Fired up the box (empty) set to full temp to see how hot and how long it takes. In about 25 minutes I was up to 290 degrees per my Ivation probe (not the faulty one on the door) so I'm a happy guy! I'm gonna be curious how much heat I'll lose when I have the racks filled ... maybe this weekend?

I might tweak this with a PID controller after a few cooking sessions, but don't want to shell out Aubry money $$$$$ to do so. There are many digital temp controllers out there for way less money than an Aubry - so my question for you guys n gals:

-  Is the PID controlling a solid state relay that powers the 500 watt heater?

As for the smoking process, is the water bowl's sole purpose to catch and cool the spent pucks? How many pucks can that water bowl hold?

The vented/pitched drip pan seems to run everything thru its' single hole to the water bowl. How do I collect meat drippings without having charred pucks in the mix?

I like adding moisture to the smoking process and using the drippings to form a gravy. Do I have to dedicate 1 of the 4 racks to do this?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice ... I'm looking forward to this new adventure and promise to contribute as much as I can!

[Grouperman941]

Welcome to the forum. It is not very active here these days, but I'd suggest reading through all the relevant old posts. There is no better source for Bradley info.

Sometimes the experts show up and answer questions, though. And some of the wannabe experts like me.

The water bowl is to extinguish pucks. Some people use other liquids and think that can help with flavor. Using boiling water in the bowl helps hold temps.

If you want drippings, you need to use a pan on a lower rack. Don't cover the v-tray with a pan.

You can do a lot of things without a PID. I got one after doing a ton of smokes to do salmon, thinking i'd eventually do sausage. The temp control you get is great, and I now use it for everything. I have this one, which has SSR: http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=380

Some advice: Don't get too hung up on high temps. You don't need more than 250F to cook. Low and slow; Don't overload. You will know when you do it. Keep the vent open. Almost always. Getting moisture and cool air out, and having convection are important; Experiment. I smoked anything I could fit on the racks at first. Everything was edible. Most was good. It helped understand the smoker.

Good luck!

[Edward176]

Welcome to the Forum Stevo19. I've been smoking for 2 years and still learning from guys like Grouperman, who seems to have covered it all. Welcome and enjoy!

[Smoker John]

Welcome aboard