Rain

psdubl07 · February 03, 2005, 09:29:05 PM

OK, not that it would EVER rain up here in Seattle, but has anyone used their smoker in the rain?

Here's the deal: Doing a whole brisket for tomorrow night's dinner. Gonna get the sucker in the smoker around 11pm tonight which should give me time to FTC it after it's done. Normally when it's raining I put the Bradley at the edge of my garage and put a fan in front of it to blow the smoke outside. Since I don't really want to leave my garage open all night, (what a travesty it would be if someone stole my 1/2 cooked brisket), [:(] I'll have to do it on the back deck. Forecast tonight is for clouds moving in and rain tomorrow.
Is there any danger to the powercord area etc... when using it in the rain? Should I try to setup a tarp over it?

Kummok · February 03, 2005, 09:43:12 PM

Know what you mean..it NEVER rains here in Homer either[;)]

I do all my smoking outdoors regardless of weather (although I'm not doing any this week w/ 3°F temps outside). I've had no problem with high humidity of our marine climate, but I DEFINITELY keep the Bradley outta the rain, under a large eve.....exposed electrical circuits are one concern, soggy pucks are as bad when they become an unrecognizable pile of sawdust[:0] Don't know how the rain would effect the proper venting [?]

Somewhere in the 03/04 posts are some pretty cool tips and pics for smoking in the garage without smoking UP the garage interior. I recall that the flexible metal 3" or 4" vent ducting was fixed over the top vent and routed to the outside.

Kummok @ Homer, AK USA

psdubl07 · February 03, 2005, 09:54:49 PM

Thanks Kummok. I didn't even think about the pucks getting soggy. [xx(] YUK
What I might do is let er rip on the deck tonight, then quickly move it into the garage in the morning before the rain starts.

BTW, I did your salmon recipe for x-mas giveaways...BIG hit w/ all.
If you haven't tried it, whip up a batch w/ Hickory. It doesn't end up overpowering like you might think and surprisingly, wasn't all that different from the Alder IMO. Everyone liked both. [:D]

nsxbill · February 03, 2005, 11:23:05 PM

You don't want to fry you Bradley or yourself. I keep my Bradley outside on covered enclosed porch. It faces humidity, without getting wet. We don't need one of our smokers to become psdubl07 flambé. I guess it would be OK for the extension cord to get wet, if it is an outdoor model, but the BS has to be used covered and protected.

I keep all my pucks inside except in the summer months. The humidity would deteriorate them in my opinion.

Bill

There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.

Cutterone · February 05, 2005, 05:02:30 PM

If it is raining when I want to smoke, I put my smoker in the corner of my deck and then I park my barbeque next to it and I have a 3 foot by 4 foot piece of plywood that I lay across from the barbeque to the railing of the deck, giving the smoker its own roof. If it is raining hard (or snowing)then I usually put a tarp across the front and onto the top of the "roof" and weigh it down with some pieces of wood. This keeps the moisture away from the unit for me.[;)]

From a tiny spark bursts a mighty flame, but from a cloud of grey, emerges a great taste.

JJC · February 06, 2005, 03:40:27 AM

Hi Paul,

Not that it ever rains or snows in Boston, either, but I would heed the advice from others that the BS shouldn't get rained or snowed on directly. A tarp or shield of some sort is useful if the BS isn't under a covered porch or in the doorway of a garage. If you do need to use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated one. If you're plugged into a GFI outlet you'll have another level of protection since it will shut down if water gets in the electrical system.

John
Newton MA

psdubl07 · February 08, 2005, 10:15:03 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone. I ended up setting it up facing out the back door of the garage (leads to our backyard) with a fan for assistance. I figured that was safe since you'd have to go through the gate to see the door. Although that smell could pull anyone in [:p]
The brisket turned out really nice. It was a wee bit dry, especially on the ends, but overall very good. BTW, anybody else have that problem of a whole brisket (flat and point) being too big for the rack? How did you solve it? I just kind of crammed it in with 1 1/2 inches curling up at each end.

Was able to find Worcestershire Powder at a local spice shop, so whipped up a batch of Bassman's rub from Paul Kirk's book.
//http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1013&SearchTerms=brisket,rub //

I decided to use 2 hours of Mesquite and 2 hours of Hickory, alternating each bisquette. The brisket (about 10lbs trimmed) went in at 11pm, with the smoker staying in the 200 range the whole time, took until 4:45 the next day to come up to 192. Did the FTC method for about 2 hours, then made sandwiches w/ onion buns and KC Style Struttin Sauce from Smoke and Spice. Delicious!
I could have actually handled more smoke flavor, but only used 4 hours worth based on what I've read here about that being the maximum amount of smoke flavor it would take on.
I did take a couple pics and will try to get those up. For anybody who hasn't done a brisket yet, the time put in is worth it in the end. Was going to use leftovers for ABTs, but they're all gone already! [:0]

BigSmoker · February 09, 2005, 01:39:40 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
The brisket turned out really nice. BTW, anybody else have that problem of a whole brisket (flat and point) being too big for the rack? How did you solve it? I just kind of crammed it in with 1 1/2 inches curling up at each end.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

With the ends cramed against the smoker walls so to speak I think thats why they were a little overdone IMHO. Next time if you will seperate the flat and the point and cook on different racks you shouldn't have that problem[:D]. Put the point on top and the flat underneath and give it a try. Glad it all turned out great. Happy Smokin'.

Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com

[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

tsquared · February 09, 2005, 03:18:41 AM

I put a 12 lb brisket in resting it against a rack that I had leaning against the side at about a 60 degree angle. Seemed to work fine.
Tom

psdubl07 · February 09, 2005, 04:30:11 PM

Yeah, I thought about separating the flat and point, but that kind of seemed like it would have defeated the purpose of buying the whole thing. I had read about keeping them together to get the benefit of the fat vein etc... But I'm sure that's why the ends were a bit dry too. (Jamming it in there)
We really enjoyed the flat, so I may just buy a flat next time anyway, plus then it won't require quite as long a cooking time.
Also, I followed the advice from the website someone posted a link to, I think it's Paul Kirk's site. Fat side up for the first 1/2, and down for the 2nd 1/2. Seems a bit counterintuitive, but the theory is that it keeps the underside from drying out. I may do it the opposite way next time just to see if it's any different.

BTW, any opinions as to if it would have taken on more smoke after 4 hours? I would have liked it smokier.

BigSmoker · February 09, 2005, 04:56:02 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
BTW, any opinions as to if it would have taken on more smoke after 4 hours? I would have liked it smokier.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The general consensus is after 140°f the meat won't take on a considerble amount more smoke flavor. I feel sure after 4 hrs of slow cooking your brisket was not at 140°f so throw the smoke to it for 6-8 hrs if you want. No problem. As far as the whole brisket seperating the flat and point is not a waste and will actually produce great results. The point cooked on top will keep the leaner flat moist just like using bacon. Chop the point for Q with sauce and slice the flat for the plated meat or sandwiches[:D]. I normally just cook a flat because a whole brisket is more food than my family needs.

Jeff
//www.bbqshopping.com

[/url]
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

psdubl07 · February 09, 2005, 07:18:06 PM

Interestingly enough, at 5:30 the next morning (roughly 6 hours cook time), the meat temp was in the low 170s. This surprised me a bit for 10lbs worth of brisket because the smoker was at 204 when I went to bed, after recovering initial heat loss and stabilizing, and 193 when I got up.
But, the meat temp then dropped a few degrees before going back into the low 170s and hitting a plateau for a few hours. Makes me wonder if the smoker temp jumped for some reason during the night while I was dreaming about brisket.....

xcowell · February 09, 2005, 07:19:21 PM

I tired of smoking by weather prediction. I mounted a 20 inch box fan in a garage window,placed the BS in front of it,no ducting. Now I smoke night or day,rain or shine. Use the Guru to stabilize the box temperature,and a remote single probe thermometer to advise when done.
snip

Somewhere in the 03/04 posts are some pretty cool tips and pics for smoking in the garage without smoking UP the garage interior. I recall that the flexible metal 3" or 4" vent ducting was fixed over the top vent and routed to the outside.

Kummok @ Homer, AK USA
[/quote]

psdubl07 · February 09, 2005, 10:56:28 PM

Normally I just have the door open and blow the smoke out w/ a fan. I just didn't want to leave the garage door open all night. The backdoor thing worked pretty good though.
As far as the Guru, I've looked at them a bit on their website. The Procom4 (sp) looks pretty cool, but I can't justify shelling out another 600 bucks.....maybe when I get sick of monitoring the temp, I dunno.

xcowell · February 10, 2005, 06:00:01 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
 Normally I just have the door open and blow the smoke out w/ a fan. I just didn't want to leave the garage door open all night. The backdoor thing worked pretty good though.
As far as the Guru, I've looked at them a bit on their website. The Procom4 (sp) looks pretty cool, but I can't justify shelling out another 600 bucks.....maybe when I get sick of monitoring the temp, I dunno.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Basic Guru setup and single probe remote 260.00,performs same basic function !