buying a bradley!

[miked129]

Hello ALL!

My name is Mike and I am addicted to bbq.

I have travelled throughout the USA and fell in love with BBQ, KC put a dent in my belt. I live in Canada and nothing comes close. So for Christmas I am going to buy myself a Bradley smoker! However I am debating digital or standard, any suggestions or perks of either one? Anyways do these units work well in the cold? It's -6F currently, but two days ago it was around 30F.  What's a good for a first smoke? I will check out the recipe section for rubs but does anyone have any favorites they buy?  Oh, The forum is awesome and the people seem super helpful!

Thanks!

[beefmann]

welcome aboard Mike

yes this is a good site with lots of good people and help.

when it comes to buying a  smoker a few things to consider , how many people am i going to be smoking for?  what am i gonna be  smoking?  ... With the number of people and what is gonna be  smoked  decided on first it  will help point you to the size f smoker you  should get,  I have a 4 rack smoker and have smoked tri tip for 45 people all  at  once while the rest of the meal was in crock pots, if i tried to do baby back ribs for that many people i would have needed the 6 rack.

also considering the - 6 F temp after you  get the  smoker , season it and run it a  while, then consider  doing a heater  mod with either a 900 watt finned element and blower or duel 500 watt elements with a Pid controller

other items that would be good to have if you   do not have yet is
thermometer, like a ET 732,

[Jim O]

Welcome aboard !!

I've used an un-modified, BD4 for about 3 years in temps such as you mentioned,and have had no problems. Mind you, I use my smoker in my garage,vented out a window. IMHO,wind is the big culprit. Cold temps only mean more warn- up and recovery time.

Happy smokin'.

Jim O

[Silvergrizz]

Welcome aboard Mike from a fellow Canadian from the east.


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[mikecorn.1]

Welcome to the forum!


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[tskeeter]

Miked, some thoughts on which smoker to consider.

I went digital for a couple of reasons.  First, I wanted a bigger cabinet than my old Masterbuilt had.  So I went with the six rack, which is only available in digital.  Second, I'm lazy, so I wanted something that would manage changes in wind conditions and temperature without me checking it every half hour.  (Here, on the eastern slope of the Sierra's, you can go from dead still to a 30 mph breeze in just a few minutes.  And it happens nearly every day.)

[pokermeister]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum. I have unmodified BS611 and used it about 25 times since July. Only things I would add is a brick for recovery time, Maverick remote thermometer, frog mats, and Bubba pucks (3). This is a great forum, and you can get a wealth of info on anything about smoking.

[SiFumar]

Welcome to the forum! For first smoke my choice is chicken(3 1/2- 4 hrs).  Ribs (5-6 hrs)  Of course time is approximate as you should go by internal temp(IT).  A pork butt is very forgiving,  but can take 12-16 hrs depending on size.  When you get ready to get smoke come and ask questions!  Remember we like pictures too!

[Keymaster]

Welcome aboard Mike!!!

[Ketch22]

Welcome to the forum!