pellets

[remyrichard]

after 20 minutes, the pellets are only 2/3 burnt hence I have less smoke.
Would it be advisable to remove all the pellets AFTER usage and store them in a dry area? mine remained in the unit which is stored in a garage.
Thank you.
Remy

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Remy;

Welcome to the forum.

Often pucks (bisquettes) will not fully burn. There could be a number of factors; moisture content of the bisquettes, some are more compressed than others, not enough voltage going to the bisquette burner, during cold smoking etc. If you feel there is a problem do to lack of heat from the bisquette burner, use an infrared thermometer, preheat the burner, and check the temperature. I should give you a reading of around 550°F.

It is always advisable to remove any unused (bisquettes) that are in the chute and on the tray, and place them in a sealed container. Even if you store you Bradley in a garage or shed.

I only load enough bisquettes for the amount of time I will be applying smoke, then add three  Bubba Puck/Puck Pushers.

[tskeeter]

Remy, I suspect part of the cause of your bisquettes not burning fully is your practice of leaving bisquettes in the feeder tube and smoke generator.  Left open to the atmosphere, the bisquettes will absorb moisture.  This is especially especially true if you live where it is humid at least part of the year.  If your bisquettes have absorbed a lot of moisture, it will take a lot of heat from the puck burner to heat up and dry out the bisquettes before the bisquettes will start to smoke.  A dry bisquettes will smoke more readily than a damp bisquettes.

A clear indication that it is important to protect bisquettes from moisture is the way that Bradley packages them.  In addition to the paper board box and plastic tray, each tray of bisquettes is sealed in plastic.  Even in a 120 count box, each tray is sealed in plastic.  Since no manufacturer spends money they don't need to, the pouch the tray is sealed in must serve a purpose.  The most obvious purpose for pouch around each and every tray is to protect the bisquettes from moisture.

So, keep em dry.  Use em soon.



When I buy a significant supply of bisquettes, as I did back when a fire at the bisquettes plant resulted in bisquette shortages, I add extra moisture barrier to any of the boxes that I won't use soon.  I either wrap the paper board box in heavy duty aluminum foil or in two or three layers of plastic wrap (metal is a better moisture barrier than plastic).  Note that it is possible to dry out bisquettes that have gotten damp.  A couple of hours or so on a cooling rack in about a 300 degree oven should do the trick.