Could use some advice

[RonR]

     Hey guys!  I have been reading this forum for several months.  I have to say that this is one hell of a community.  You guys are very encouraging and helpful.  I do not own a Bradley yet but have borrowed a friends' and done chicken once and 5 boston butts.  I followed the recipes that you guys gave on the site.  I have to say my wife and I love the pulled pork. 
     Anyway, here is my problem.  My wife just gave me the o.k. to "buy whatever you need".  I was looking really hard at the 4 rack digital smoker.  But, was wondering if the 4 rack original with a controller like the Power Raptor competitor would be better.  Do any of you guys use that particular brand of controller?  Or, is there a better one out there.  It seems really easy to install and use.  My other question is,  Does the 6 rack bradley have a large temp difference  between the top of the cabinet and the bottom?  Is a fan necessary in the 6 rack model?  Is a fan recommended in the 4 rack model as well?  Sorry for all the questions, I just got excited that I can finally buy my smoker.  If money really isn't the deciding factor, I would love to hear from you experts on what you would order or put together to make the Bradley the best smoker it can be. 

Thanks in advance for the great advice ;D


p.s. I know it will eventually come down to what I want, man thats a tough decision to make. LoL.

[MRH]

RonR,

I have a original 4 rack that I added a PID to control the temps.  I really like it, I can't answer any of your other questions, but thought I would let you know  what little I know.  Here is a couple links about the PID controllers from a while back.  There are more if you do a search.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=2739.0
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.phptopic=3345.msg30297#msg30297

Good luck and I am sure you will be happy with whatever you decide.

Mark

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

RonR,

Welcome to the heat and smoke here. ;D

I have the original BS with a home-grown PID controller. Even before the controller, the BS was fairly easy to get to the temp you want and hold. Cannot speak to the digital unit, but a number of members here now have it.  I think you cannot go wrong either way, and you will reach hero status quickly.

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Habanero Smoker]

I use the Raptor/Guru, and love it. You have an integrated unit that monitors the meat and cabinet temperatures. You can use what is called the "Ramp" mode. This feature will gradually lower the cabinet temperature to the meat set point temperature when the meat is within 25°F of being done, and will hold the cabinet temperature at the meat set point for as long as you want. I am also planning on purchasing a charcoal smoke, and with added accessories I can use this same device with other smokers. It lacks a digital readout, but that is not necessary. As for your questions on the digital, I can't answer. One other thing you should consider if you plan on cold smoking the original you can detach the smoke generator from the cabinet, I don't believe you can do that with the digital. The last time I tested, the accuracy was within plus or minus 2°F.

Here is a more complete review.
http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29

[RonR]

Thanks for the advice so far guys.  I would consider a homemade PID controller but am not electrically inclined at all. 

Habanero Smoker, do you use the ramp mode alot?  Will that mess with the slow and low philosophy?  Just wondering if it cooks at too high of a temperature at the beginning of the smoke?  Keep the advice coming guys, don't want to order the wrong thing.  Also, anyone know much about the 6 rack models?


Thanks

[Habanero Smoker]

I use the ramp mode occasionally. Usually if I know I won't be around when the food will be finished, or if things are not going right and it taking an extended period of time to cook and I don't want to be awaken at night to take the food out of the smoker, or if I want to hold the food at that temperature for awhile. If you use the ramp mode regularly, you will find that it extends the smoking/cooking time by quite a bit. On power up, the default is ramp mode. You can disable the ramp mode by turning the meat control dial to off before powering on.

I forgot, there is an error in the review. The ramp mode never goes over your set cabinet temperature. Once you set the cabinet temperature, such as 220°F, it will keep the cabinet temperature at 220°F; until your internal meat temperature gets within 25°F of the set temperature. So lets say your meat temperature is 185°F; the Competitor (Guru) will start to lower the cabinet temperature when the meat temperature reaches 160°F. The Competitor (Guru) will continue to slowly decrease the cabinet temperature until the cabinet and meat temperatures are at 185°F, and will hold the meat at that temperature.