Not Set-It-Forget-It

[NePaSmoKer]

This past year our forum has had many new members. Some have said, I want a set it and forget it smoker.

The Bradley is a great smoker but it is not a set it forget it smoker.

Case in point.

Doing sticks and SS today and the brisket i have been going from the back deck to garage. I was walking to garage and noticed a large amount of smoke billowing from the garage. Glancing at the 6 rack was a plume of smoke?.....HUH

Not right.

Open the door to just catch a grease fire starting on the smoking puck. Screwdriver in and puck in the water.

Upon looking, there was grease dripping from the v tray hole and along the bottom of the V dripping on the puck. This is from not cleaning the v tray good.

Saved smoker and even garage.  Besides a major A$$ kicking from Mrs if the garage burnt down......DO'H

NEVER EVER think set it forget it.

[classicrockgriller]

A good point.

The V-tray needs to be cleaned along with your racks after each smoke.

Or at least scraped.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Good save, and a valuable lesson for all of us.

Thanks, Rick!

[justpete]

Wake up call for all of us.

Thanks for sharing the experience. Glad you caught it.

[KyNola]

Great save and an extremely valuable lesson for us all.  Makes one ponder those overnight smokes and no one around to watch the smoker.

[punchlock]

Good catch Nepas, glad it turned out to be an inexpensive lesson. I wonder how long one would be in the doghouse for, after burning down a garage?.....

[ArnieM]

Yeah, good catch Rick.  The Bradley is surely low maintenance but it's not no maintenance.

[lumpy]

As automatic the Bradley is..........for us seasoned smokers, it is not a set it and forget it.
I'm sure all of us can tell a story......I know I can.

Lumpy

[TestRocket]

Good eye and lesson for us all! I know I need to clean my v-tray right now...or before I use the OBS again! Thanks for the reminder! And I'm glad you spotted the warning signs in time!

[Tenpoint5]

Something tells me Miss Chrystal would not find the humor in the garage going up in flames at all. Thanks for the reminder to all of us.

[Sailor]

So glad you caught it in time.  The engineering on the Bradley is top notch and is designed to keep things like this from happening.  We had a saying in the firefighting business.  You can build a concrete building and it will be fire PROOF but you put a human in it and it can burn down.  Guess that we need to keep those V trays cleaned up.  Thanks for posting a reminder to us.

[beefmann]

agrees  with cleaning all the  racks, v tray, and the box to remove all the excessive grease and if that is done, the bradley is still as close to a  set it and  forget it smoking and cooking process as you  can get

nothing is 100% set it and  forget it Bradley is 99% set it  and forget it smoking / cooker.

a good cleaning is a different story

[bears fan]

Dog house video
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1543292789?bctid=3130509001

[squirtthecat]

A good investment...  One you hope you never have to use.

[KyNola]

Only STC can do a public service announcement and manage to take the pic so his new MAK is in the photo. :D