New Bradley model Raven 1200w and Bluetooth for P10

[RockyMtnGuy]

Hi, I'm a newb on this form, was searching Bradley online and found this product brochure;
https://www.bradley-smoker.fi/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2008_REDUCED-SIZE-ONLINE-Bradley-Product-Guide-2020-FInal-Rev_Single-Pages.pdf

Two things caught my attention, there was a chart of products and features, there was a higher end model I'm not familiar with called the Raven, 1200 watts, looks like puck feeder mounted internally on door, and said it was Bluetooth enabled.  Second the brochure said bluetooth coming on P10!  Since I just ordered a new P10 that was very interesting to me. A very prolific informed and knowledgeable poster nicknamed Hab posted on the P10 forum that he thought/hoped that the essentials were already in the P10 and could be enabled with a fIrmware update via the USB drive when the bugs were worked out.
Bluetooth control not a biggie for me, but interested in any info.  Seems like it's an issue for Bradley, as it does not seem the "Smart" Bradley was not a huge success and the Bluetooth may have been a factor that delayed the P10 release since it was initially announced as bluetooth enabled in the early marketing literature.

Not sure about this brochure, looks like it was created for 2020 so it may be bogus and you all may have already seen and discussed this. Thanks

Anyone have any more information on the P10 blueftooth question?  Thanks

[Habanero Smoker]

Interesting information. First time I'm seeing this. If I recall correctly the brochure for the P10 was first "leaked" by a retailer prior to it being published on the Bradley site. That had to be close to a year before the P10 was actually released. Like you have mentioned, the first brochure advertised that the P10 had Bluetooth technology, but that was dropped prior to the P10 being placed on the market. That is why I'm hoping the technology already exist in the current models. If not I'm wondering if Bradley will replace the control panel for the current users, or offer the replacement for a minimal charge. Replacing the control panel looks like it can be easily done by the user.

The Raven looks interesting, and much larger rack size than the P10.

[RockyMtnGuy]

Don't think I'll need anything more than the P10 for awhile.
I will keep my fingers crossed for the Bluetooth upgrade if and when it becomes available and try to keep up here on the forum. Probably will not be an early adopter though but will wait til they get some of the bugs out. There will be so many recipes to try as I learn how to best use the new smoker.

[Habanero Smoker]

I agree. The P10 will probably be my last Bradley smoker purchase. The 1200w is a little overkill, especially when the maximum temperature is the same as the P10. But the rack size is better for hosting small gatherings etc..

[RockyMtnGuy]

In one of your numerous posts you mentioned you use a disposable aluminum lasagna pan under fatty meats to catch some of the grease to prevent overflow of the grease pan at the bottom. Your description was  12 3/4"L x 10 3/8"W x 4 1/4"H .  Where do you source these from. I only found a few 12x10x2.5 on Amazon, the most common size was 9x13".  Do you think a 2.5 depth will overflow ever?  I do believe the 4"depth would be beneficial just to move to dispose contents with less chance of spilling. I frequently did the same technique with my masterbuilt but used whatever disposable pans I had.

[Habanero Smoker]

The size you have will be fine.

I just remeasured the pan, and the height is actually about 1 3/4". I believe some places call these pan medium deep half size steam table pans. The measurements I had posted were from the website that sells those pans; so they had the height wrong. I think that site gave the height of a half size steam table pan.

The pans you found will work great. The 2.5" is deep enough probably for all your cooks. The 12x10 is more closer to the size of the rack, without blocking too much heat and smoke. I use them mainly to keep the drip pan as clean as possible. I don't use any water in the pan, but if I have a cut that releases a lot of fat, I will swap the pan out if I notice the drippings begin to build up. But usually if it is one butt, I haven't found a need to change the pan. I've done two trays of chicken parts and didn't have to swap the pan out. This is something you will learn as you use the pans.

I get them from a wholesale club called BJ's. You need a membership, and it is a small chain here on the east coast. Below is a link to these pans, but it looks as if they will not restock these. So I better get one more package of them. I also use them for when I smoke salt, and or other seasonings. I now cook my chicken parts in these pans for easy cleanup. Some time this week I plan on smoking some lard it those pans. I use these because the low sides allow for the smoke to more readily flow over the sides to get to the stuff that I'm smoking.

Berkley Jensen Lasagna Pans

[RockyMtnGuy]

Thanks for your kind response. Will order a pack, I think they come in packs of 30.

[Habanero Smoker]

Let us know how you make out with your P10.

[RockyMtnGuy]

Will do, very excited because it's actually going to be delivered today according to fedex 5 days earlier than promised!  Cooling off here in Denver, first freeze last night so we'll see how the 1000watts does to maintain temps. Hopefully will at least get it set up and burned in depending on if and when it arrives. Crazy I'm like a little kid at Christmas waiting for Santa.   

[Habanero Smoker]

Have you had a chance to season the P10, and have you decided what your first cook will be?

[RockyMtnGuy]

Setup and Seasoning went great Wednesday PM. Heated quickly and Shout out to my vendor who promised delivery
within a week but actual arrival within 72 hours of placing my online order smoker and bisquettes.
Impressed how quickly it heated and held temp in cold weather ~45 F, and held steady, and recovered after opening to look inside during seasoning. Have a couple of whole trout thawing I will brine today and plan to smoke for dinner tomorrow.  Picked up some pork loins and whole chickens to break-in and learn about the P10 (relatively inexpensive protein).  I also purchased a set of Spanek vertical roasters I'm dying to try out. Any suggestions for crispy skin for chicken?, was going to try to turn temp up to 320F towards end of cook to see if that works instead of moving bird to oven.  Also saw video of using salt and baking powder as a dry brine overnight prior to rub and cook to increase skin crispness for a turkey, do you have experience with this technique?
A rather dumb question, can you change P10 temperature during cook? Also can more time be added or do I need to wait for program to finish or shut off power switch? Was also thinking about trying some apples today since I have a bunch ripe on trees in my yard.  Thanks for asking!  Tonight have a great piece of tuna to lightly sear outside only on grill (would smoke something but want to use the tuna ASAP).

[Habanero Smoker]

I have the Spanek vertical roasters set, and they work great. Roasting vertically decreases cook time, and improves the skin texture. I've haven't tried crisping up the skin in the Bradley. I have a vertical charcoal smoker that I smoke/cook chicken at 300°F, and that temperature does not crisp the skin, but does render the fat in the skin so that the skin is bite through. I haven't tried it at 320°F.

I have tried dry brining with salt and baking powder (using a recipe over at Serious Eats), that does improve the texture and gets the skin crisp using high temperatures, but I haven't had success trying to crisp the skin at lower temperatures. Just don't use too much baking powder, it will give the chicken an off metallic taste. Other methods are pricking the skin being careful not to penetrate the meat. That helps the fat render out. Roasting vertically helps the fat render. Some say using corn starch in your rub helps crisp the skin, but I haven't tried that in the Bradley.

You can change any setting at any time, you just need to disengage the "Child Proof Lock" by holding the rotary knob for several seconds.

PS
I forgot to mention to leave the vent wide open to allow as much moisture as possible to escape from the cabinet.