Volume ??? in an Original Bradley 4 rack

[pokerdave]

Well, I already posted I'm doing a Brisket and some ribs... thought I had thawed a 2 rack pack, but it's 3...  I have only once tried to cook a lot of meat in this guy ( can't remember if it was 3 or 4 racks, but it struggled to get over 190 and took a LONG time to get there. In hindsight I don't think I had the damper open all the way and got some condensation that ran out the bottom... at the time I seriously considered some of the mods people have done to get some more heat but never have...

So, I'll run wide open this time. It's summer which helps. Can I do 3 racks on the bottom 3 shelves and a 4 lb brisket up top?

I cooked 2 racks a few weeks ago and on full it got up to around 235, which is as high as I've ever seen my Bradley...

Hoping it will top out at a nice 215-220 and be just right... thoughts?

I plan to tent and apple juice the ribs part way through then FTC at the end... have yet to just really impress myself with fall off the bone tenderness yet...

[classicrockgriller]

Something you might want to consider.

Say you are doing a 3-2-1 on the ribs, but want to give the Brisket more smoke.

Do the 3 hour smoke on the ribs and then foil them and put in a pre-heated oven.

Move you brisket down a rack and then let the Brisket ride.

When you get the draw back you like on the ribs and if you are going to sauce them,

you can finish them in the oven uncovered or under the broiler or finish on a grill.

[Habanero Smoker]

You can do that, but the ribs will be done way sooner then the brisket. You should also rotate the racks of ribs every 1.5 - 2 hours, top - bottom and front - back to prevent the lower racks from cooking to fast.

As for your cabinet temperatures, what are you using to monitor the temperature - 190°F seem really low for a high temperature. If you are using the door thermometer, that does not give an accurate reading when you have a lot of meat in the smoker. It is best to use a probe and place it under the lowest rack. As you stated if you have any liquid leaking out of the door, you had your vent closed too much and that will keep temperatures down if enough moisture cannot escape.