A quick note to the New Members and Visitor's

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Steve;

Welcome to the forum.

I don't use that high of a temperature for my belly bacon, unless I am cooking fresh belly. There could be a few reasons, so more information on where you placed the cabinet, and meat probe(s) would be helpful.

One is that you could have bee cooking at a much higher temperature then 200°F. Where were the cabinet probes of the Maverick and W&S located at, and how close were they to the bacon.

Two; the bacon may have been thinner than most, and/or very lean? Where you monitoring withe internal temperature with one or two probes? If you were using one probe, you may have not had the probe in the middle point of the thickness of the meat. For thin cuts of meat it is better to insert the probe through the side of the bacon. Also it the temperature is reached that quickly, you should move the probe slowly in or out, to see if the temperature drops.

Third; if one probe was used to monitor the bacon, it may have been giving a false reading. Test your probe for accuracy, and make sure your batteries are fresh.

[Karellin]

Thanks for the welcome, Keymaster. The bacon was on the bottom two racks, totalling 3 lbs.

Steve

[Karellin]

Thanks for replying, Habanero. The bacon, 3 lbs., was on the bottom two racks. I put the Maverick and W&S IT probes three inches apart in the thickest part of the bacon on the lowest rack. The Maverick OT probe I put hanging below the lowest rack off to the right side, so nothing would drip on it. I noticed that the Maverick OT probe consistently read 10F cooler than the Bradley OT.

The belly on the upper rack was indeed very thin. The meat on the lowest rack was at most 1" thick. I suppose I should shoot for meat around 3" thick next time?

Thanks,

Steve

[KyNola]

I think Habs hit it right on the head.  The location of the belly being on the bottom two racks and the racks being in the lowest positions contributed to the quick cooking time.  I regularly smoke belly bacon at an oven temp of 200 to an IT of 150 and it normally takes 2-3 hours to achieve the 150 IT.  Granted, I hang the bellies in the tower but placing the racks on the upper two positions or the middle positions should help you.  I have attached a couple of photos so you can see what I'm talking about by hanging the bellies.


Don't give up.  You'll get the hang of it and we're all here to help you.

[Karellin]

Hi, Kynola,

Thanks for the assistance and for the pix. I am getting the idea. I am going to try your suggestions.

Steve

[Money Mike]

Hello all I'm a newbie to smoking but really looking forward to a new enjoyment of food.  My 4 rack original is being shipped today and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions.  Thanks to all who take the time to help the little people ;D

[mikecorn.1]

Hello all I'm a newbie to smoking but really looking forward to a new enjoyment of food.  My 4 rack original is being shipped today and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions.  Thanks to all who take the time to help the little people ;D

Welcome aboard $$ Mike. This forum also has another site where you can find all kinds of recipes and FAQs. Its been down for about a week due to some knuckleheads hacking it but hopefully it will be back up soon. It is full of great info. Make sure that you have some bisquettes so when it arrives you can start the seasoning process. You should also invest in a remote thermometer to monitor the meat and cabin temps more accurately. I will also keep you from having to open the door and sticking the meat to check the temp. Lots of members here use  the Maverick et732. Here is a link to a Bradley Forum Members special going on right now. yardandpool.com may forum special

[Phoenix63]

Hey
everybody hello from Nova Scotia! I'm new to the world of smoking and looking very forward to your recipes, comments etc.

[Jerry Nelson]

Hello all,  I am from Douglas WY just  seasoned my new Digital Smoker today.  Will be trying it out tomorrow.  This forum and it's members helped me decide which type of electric smoker I would buy.  I have been using my Weber Kettle with a smokenator for the last 12 months, love it just got tired of tending the fire during long smokes.  Thanks for all you help.

Welcome from just up the road in Casper.

[TedEbear]

Welcome from just up the road in Casper.

Welcome aboard, Jerry. 

Casper, eh?  I've done some bicycle riding in that area.  The climb up the Big Horns via Rt. 14A (the old, alternate route) from Cody to Sheridan is one I'll never forget.   :)

[hoover]

Hi, I've had a Bradley 4 rack original since christmas and have made a lot of good stuff.  However I have temp issues all the time.  If its cold out around 20 to 30 i can't get my temp up past 150.  I'm smoking jerky today (which is awsome) peheated for 1hr t0 250+ put in 5.5lbs of muscle jerky 1/4 thick temp will stay at 150 to 160 for the first 2.5 hrs.  I leave my meat out for 1 hr before i put it in I leave the vent wide open.  I've replace the seal, temp probe what else can I do.  I love using it and for jerky its ok because I only have to get to about 160ish but for anything else i can't get a hi enough heat.  I love doing ribs but it will take 3 plus hrs to get to 225.....

any ideas help

[TedEbear]

If its cold out around 20 to 30 i can't get my temp up past 150.

With cold outdoor temps the single 500W element Bradley struggles to reach the setpoint.  You have several options.

1. Make a "house" for your smoker so it is not directly exposed to the cold weather.  Some members have posted pics of some real nice ones they made with a smoke vent, insulated walls, lights and more.  Keeping it out of the wind will help the temp rise faster.  Some insulated blanket material attached to the outside walls helps if you don't want to build a whole enclosure.

My New Smoker Home

My Smoker Just Got A New Home

Winter Time Smoking

When/If It Gets Cold Out

Hot Smoke in Cold Temps

2.  Add a second element for 1000W total or replace the single 500W element with a 900W finned element.  Both are popular upgrades on the forum.  It is highly recommended to get a PID controller if you add wattage to the original design.

Additional Heating Element Modification

Additional Heating Element for OBS with On/Off Control

PID Controller

Auber Plug & Play PIDs

[breadman1]

I'm new to my Bradley but have been smoking with other products for years. My first go at it turned out not so great. My ribs were a little well done on the short ends. I'm used to going about 7 hours but it was a little long. Time to make some adjustments.

[Oakland_Smoke]

I have a new Bradley smoker, and I'm just starting out with it. It was these forums that convinced me to buy one, actually -- I was Googling questions about barbecue, and came across wonderful, thoughtful, helpful posts in this forum from people who really seemed to know what they were talking about.

I'm an avid home cook both indoors and out. I've done slow smoking in a kettle Weber and over gas through many years of experimentation. I'm already getting better results with the Bradley than I ever did, and I'm looking forward to more.

So far:

1 brisket-flat, in hickory -- excellent slicing/sandwich barbecue.

1 4-lb bone-in pork butt, in hickory -- EIGHTEEN HOURS in the smoker before the collagen fully melted. Three AM it was finally done. But by that time it was hard to get out of the smoker because it was falling apart on the fork. Best pulled pork I've ever made.

1 6-pound turkey breast, in alder -- no fuss, no muss, didn't brine or anything just bought it on a whim last week and threw it in in butter and salt. 5.5 hours. It's fantastic.

I've got a 7-lb pork butt sitting in rub in the fridge right now, I'm waiting till evening to start it overnight.

Ogling recipes for cured smoked goose breast (spikgans) and cold-smoked cured salmon.

[Ribman Mike]

Thank you. It's good to be here. I set up my smoker and seasoned it today! My first meal is salmon, tomorrow! I might not be able to sleep tonight...