Advice

[chabrown]

Hello, my name is Charles and I am about to get my first smoker.

First of all, I am undecided whether to get the original smoker or the newer digital model.

Secondly, what is a PID PowerRaptor? What would that do for me and where do I order it if needed?

Hope you folks don't mind questions from a newbie.

Thank you,
Charles

[Tenpoint5]

Hello, my name is Charles and I am about to get my first smoker.

First of all, I am undecided whether to get the original smoker or the newer digital model.

Secondly, what is a PID PowerRaptor? What would that do for me and where do I order it if needed?

Hope you folks don't mind questions from a newbie.

Thank you,
Charles

Either one of the Smokers will do just fine. Myself I have a Digital 4 rack. As for the NEWBIE Questions your lucky Everyone on here was a NEWBIE at one time or another and have asked the same questions your asking. Someone else answered them and we will answer yours or point you in the direction to get the answer. Welcome Aboard Charles.

[NePaSmoKer]

Hello, my name is Charles and I am about to get my first smoker.

First of all, I am undecided whether to get the original smoker or the newer digital model.

Secondly, what is a PID PowerRaptor? What would that do for me and where do I order it if needed?

Hope you folks don't mind questions from a newbie.

Thank you,
Charles

A PID is much different than the Raptor.

Here is the PID site.  http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=72

IMHO the PID is much better than the Guru/Raptor which is not a PID.

BBQ Guru for the Guru/Raptor combo. http://www.thebbqguru.com/index.cfm

I have the programmable PID, very happy with it. I did have the Guru/Raptor combo served me well but the PID is a major upgrade.


nepas

[chabrown]

Tenpoint and Nepa:

Many thanks for your responses.

Sounds like I might be better off saving money and going with the Original Smoker with the PID. It seems like it would be a tighter temperature control.

Charles

[Habanero Smoker]

As NePas pointed out, the power raptor (which now comes in a choice of 3 digital temperature controllers) does not use the same algorithm as the PID. It uses a different algorithm to control the temperature, which I feel is better.

NePas had the Competitor, which only had a LED light display and was not digital. I had that model but upgraded to the DigiQ II, and it works fine for me. I don't need a programmable model. When I do fish or sausage and have to bring the cabinet temperature up gradually, I don't want to program it so that after so many hours it will go up so many degrees. I still like to check, and if need be manually shorten or lengthen the time period. But you can save money if you go with the PID.

[chabrown]

Hey Habanero Smoker:

Thanks for taking the time to give advice. Much appreciated.

I decided to go with the OBS. The more research I did on the DBS, the less I felt it wasn't worth the money. As a matter of fact, as I looked on Amazon, and other sites, there seemed to be a number of complaints about the DBS.

I am also going to supplement it with the PID. It seems like a pretty straight forward device for handling a variety of scenarios.

The only last thing I am considering is the Cold Smoke Adapter. However, I may add that on later on.

This forum is really great. I am learning a lot from everyone here.

Many thanks,
Charles

[Habanero Smoker]

The cold smoke box from Bradley is a good accessory, but if you plan to set it up and take it down more then once, you may find that the hose will tear, and there are limitations on how much it can be shaped. Hopefully they will come out with a better hose that is more flexible.

If you want to cold smoke with the generator detached; you can use a cardboard box. I used this method for many years before buying to cold smoke adapter.

Cold Smoking with the Bradley Smoker

[Caneyscud]

The cardboard box cold smoker is a great idea to see if you like cold smoking.  Cold smoking is highly dependent on ambient temperature.  If you are wanting to do lox and can't go above 75 deg smoke, if your ambient it 95 deg, it will be hard to get the cabinet temperature down.  Some use ice - but many just wait for the fall/winter/early spring to cold smoke.