About to purchase my 1st Bradley. Looking for advice

[boosterjuice]

Good moring from Calgary, AB!  This forum looks great.  I'm excited to start smoking the "bradley" way.

I'm about to purchase my first Bradley Smoker and would love some input.  I'm currently using an electric bullet smoker.  This smoker is really old and has difficulties getting hot enough.  It's also a pain in the ass as I have to soak the wood chips, place them in tin foil packets, poke holes in the packets, place the packets directly on the element, and then do the whole process over again in an hour.    I'm also worried about the potential fire hazard of this old smoker so I would never leave it unattended.

I'm looking for the easiest method to smoke.  Canadian Tire has a sale on the Bradley Smokers.  $100 off.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2/OutdoorLiving/BBQs/Smokers/PRDOVR~0851780P/Bradley+Digital+Smoker.jsp?locale=en

This seems like a great deal due to the discount.


A few questions:


-Is this the easiest/most user friendly model to use?

-What is the largest type of meat that one could fit in this smoker? 

-I've seen a few threads where people are smoking for long time periods. ie 30hrs.  Do you have to stay somewhat near your smoker for the entire time?  What if you want to go play tennis or something?  How long can you leave the house for?

-Is there a good thread for FAQs for newbs like me?

-I sometimes host dinner parties for up to 14 adults and would love to "wow" them with something.  Any recommendations of what meat to cook for a larger dinner party?

Thank you.  I'm looking forward to getting my first Bradley.

[beefmann]

the digital  unit is a good unit though the time on it for cooking is around 10 hours before having to reset

in this 4 rack largest single piece of meat depends on how it is cut though a few have  smoked a ham that was in the 25 pound range while i have smoked / cooked 43 pounds of tri tip and the  smoker was pretty full. so it  would  depend on the cut of meat.

as for smoking times it can go for as long as 30 hours, considering  that most of these smokers  typically  are set at 225 F and let go till the meat reaches its desired internal temp and there is a  stall about half way through for  several hours which adds to the cook times and makes the meat more tender.

as for remaining  close to the smoker no you do not have to, though leaving it alone for the entire smoke / cook process is not a good idea either, If you  get a  remote wireless thermometer  and watch the internal temps of the meat it  will help allowing you to go play tennis, visit with friends and family.


here is a  link with recipes and a lot of good information,
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?180-Our-Time-Tested-and-Proven-Recipes

as for types of meat, i would practice a  few times and get use to the smoker  first,  try out different cuts of meat,, i would recommend doing a  pork shoulder or butt... some baby back ribs, country  ribs, then some cheap cuts of beef to practice on first , then move on to something bigger and better.

and  welcome to the forum. if you  have more questions ,,, ask there is a  lot of good information here.

[mikecorn.1]

That's good info you got. Welcome to the forum.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[boosterjuice]

Thanks Beefman!

Those recipes look awesome.

I have a dual probe wireless thermometer that I plan to use with the Bradley.

[KyNola]

Let's be certain we're talking about the same thing.  I don't know anyone who runs smoke in a Bradley for 30 hours but certainly a combined smoking/cooking time may reach 30 hours depending on the load that is in the Bradley.  30 hours of smoke would equate to 90 Bradley pucks.

In my personal opinion 30 hours of smoke in a Bradley would be hugely excessive and a waste of pucks.  Note that is just my personal opinion.  Others will come along that are more knowledgeable than me and give you better and more accurate info.

[TedEbear]

-I've seen a few threads where people are smoking for long time periods. ie 30hrs.  Do you have to stay somewhat near your smoker for the entire time?  What if you want to go play tennis or something?  How long can you leave the house for?

On the 30 hours, although the Bradley is officially a smoker the actual smoking time is more like 3-4 hours, depending on what you're cooking.  The rest of the time is just cooking the meat.

I can't think of anything that takes 30 hours total cook time although I've had a few stubborn pork butts that have taken 18 hours to reach 195*F internal temp.

I don't recommend leaving the smoker unattended.  You can switch people around to be there in case of a grease fire or something.  I do an occasional overnight smoke and go to bed but I have alarms in place to warn me if the chamber temp goes above a certain limit (fire) or below a certain temp, indicating a general power failure or heating element failure.

[sjmcdowall]

I gotta believe the 30 hours was just a "typo" -- and he meant a 30 hour total cook time (which would still be a lot, but maybe 4 full packer briskets could take that long) ...

IMHO -- do a nice butt !  That is generally foolproof if you follow any of the advice here -- and it's going to be better than just about anything you've ever had in a BBQ joint !


Ribs are also easy / good to start with .. but for 14, a butt or two would do the trick instead of 14 racks of ribs (if they eat like I do! LOL )..

Heck, if you want my advice (since you asked in general) maybe do this:

-- Season the smoker (don't forget!!)

-- Do a batch of "3-2-1" ribs to get your feet wet and extra season the smoker and get a handle on it ...

-- Do a butt or two for the "big event" ...

A brisket of course would work too -- but they are, in the best of times, a bit more tricky animal to pull off to "perfection" ... so a few batches of goodness first maybe a good idea ..

Anyway, welcome aboard and most of all

DON'T PANIC!  :)

[GusRobin]

I can't think of anything that takes 30 hours total cook time although I've had a few stubborn pork butts that have taken 18 hours to reach 195*F internal temp.

I had a full pig leg made into a ham that took 30+ hours; I have had 2 8lb butts take 22+ hrs; and 2 butts and a 14# brisket take 26. So it all depends on the meat, the quantity, and cooking temp ( I use 225*)

[beefmann]

after reading my  post and other inputs 30 hours of smoke is a lot of  smoke and generally  not  done, I  smoke for 3 to 4 hours while cooking  at 225 till the meat is done till desired Internal temp. generally 140 to 205 internal temp. While this difference is huge it will add  time as well as surrounding conditions such as 30' f compared to 90'f .. So the " 30 hour" time is the cook and smoke time combined and most likely smoking process is done and  completed at the beginning and continues cooking  till the meat is cooked

[boosterjuice]

Thank you everyone for all of the advice/tips.  This forum is amazing!  I'll get a one of these smokers just to be on these forums.

In regards to smoking for 30 hrs, I meant total cooking time of 30 hrs.  I've seen a few comments on this forum where the combined cooking and smoking time is nearly 30hrs.

[Smoker John]

Welcome to the boards boosterjuice. I smoked a couple of briskets at separate times one took 14 hours and the other 17 but I only smoked them for about the first 4 hours. Typically most other things that require less time to cook, I smoke for about half the estimated cooking time but that may also depend on how smoky you like it. Everytime I try something it's an experiment until you find what works best for you.

[beefmann]

booster, your on the right track now .. and have gotten a  lot of good information.