Smoker is not heating up......again!

[sir_smokes_alot]

Hello everyone,

I've enjoyed using my Bradley 4 rack classic smoker about 6 times before the unit stopped heating up.  This happened right out of warranty, too.  It sat in my garage for about a year after some basic troubleshooting, and I concluded that it might be the heating element.  So today, I just replaced the heating element and damn thing STILL won't heat up!  I was wondering if anyone had any advice or experienced this issue before. I'll likely call tech support next week, but I'm pissed that this didn't fix the problem.  I was looking forward to smoking tomorrow...oh well.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that there's no smoke ring on the meats smoked in these smokers??  I figured this might be a result of the "clean" smoke generated as a result of the wood chip "pucks" not burning too hot.  Any thoughts on this?

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi sir_smokes_alot,

Welcome to the forum.

With the OBS (classic) there is a simple way to determine if the element is bad. If the heat indicator light works, and you have not heat, it is most likely your heating element. The heating element can also be tested by an OHM meter. Detach the wiring from the element, and when you test it you should get an OHM reading between 27 - 32 ohms.

Bradley FAQ's may be useful, for further trouble shooting.

As far as the smoke ring is concerned, it is not visible smoke that produced the smoke ring. You can produce a smoke ring in a gas oven, as long as you use the low & slow method of cooking, and the meat is uncovered. Outside barbeque and backyard cooking, it is often called a pink ring. The following is copied from the Bradley FAQ section on the recipe site.

" "Smoke ring" is a reddish/pink coloration just under the surface of the meat. It can be considered a sign that the meat was properly barbecued, but this ring can also be artificially produced. It does not add any flavor to the meat. The "smoke ring" can only occur using the low and slow method of cooking. The term "smoke ring" is misleading, and in other circles it is often referred to as "pink ring". The ring is not cause by a chemical reaction of the smoke with the meat, but by the chemical reaction caused by nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is a byproduct of burning organic fuels such as wood, charcoal, natural gas, and propane gas.

Although the bisquette fall into the category of organic fuel; to produce nitrogen dioxide in sufficient quantities, the fuel must be burned at a much higher temperature then the bisquettes that smolder on the hot plate. Once the nitrogen dioxide comes in contact with the meat's surface it converts to nitric oxide, which then reacts to the pigment (myoglobin) in the meat to form a "pink ring" (similar to what sodium nitrite does when in comes in contact with meat). This reaction can penetrate to a depth of 1/4 to 3/8 inch (8-10 mm). The irony of it; you can produce a "pink ring" using the Bradley propane smoker, but not in any of Bradley's electric smokers."

On the other hand just because you use an organic fuel, does not mean you will always get a "smoke" ring. I have a charcoal cooker, that when I use that equipment makes it very difficult to get a ring. It also should be noted, the more moisture in your cabinet, the greater the possibility of getting a ring.

[sir_smokes_alot]

Thanks for the quick reply Habanero Smoker.  I'll try checking the heating element that I just bought to see if maybe it's not functioning correctly.  I replaced my old one and still have issues with it not heating.  I wonder is something else could be wrong.  I don't think the light turns on when the element should be heating.

[Habanero Smoker]

Sorry to hear you couldn't get it working for the weekend. If the heat indicator light does not come on, then power is not flowing to the heating element. Have you plugged the cabinet directly into a wall socket. If the element works, then the problem is in the generator. If it doesn't work it could be your inline fuse which is located in the back of the cabinet, or your high temperature sensor. You will have to remove the back cover, to replace either of those parts. Sometimes when the high temperature sensor trips, it will not reset. Sometimes holding a ice cube on the sensor will reset it. The high temperature sensor is that quarter size disc that is located inside the cabinet. You can't visually check to see if the inline fuse is good. If you have a multimeter you can run a continuity test to see if it is good. Also when changing the element, if you pull the wires out too far it is possible that a wire may have been disconnected from the plug.