New in Silicon Valley

[sieler]

Hi,

I'm in Cupertino (the heart of Silicon Valley) ...
Just got a DBS (D6R) for Christmas.

Short term goals: whole chicken, pork shoulder, brisket.

Intend to eventually get a cold smoker adapter so I can do lox.

So far, I did my seasoning and I've smoked some hamburger patties (which
I finished off on the grill a bit) ... excellent.

Initial questions I'll be searching the forum for:

  - what's the difference between bradleysmoker.com and susanminor.org?

  - DBS arrived with small dent in right middle of the door ...
    should I care, other than cosmetics?

  - can I use Pam (non-stick spray) on the drip tray?

  - are there any good whole-chicken recipes that don't call for brining?

  - what wireless thermometers are recommended?

:)

thanks,

Stan Sieler
sieler at me.com

[GusRobin]

Welcome 

Intend to eventually get a cold smoker adapter so I can do lox.

Or you can make one relatively easy.

- what's the difference between bradleysmoker.com and susanminor.org?

Bradley is a discussion type forum; the other is basically the recipe site

- DBS arrived with small dent in right middle of the door ...
    should I care, other than cosmetics?

I would. Probably cosmetic but if I pay a few hundred for an item I expect it to arrive intact, not dented. Don't know where you got I but I would contact them and get something -either a replacement door or a discount. Since you used it, may be too late depending on where you bought it

 

- can I use Pam (non-stick spray) on the drip tray?

Yes but I found it doesn't do that much, still need to soak and/or scrub

 

- are there any good whole-chicken recipes that don't call for brining?

You don't have to brine. Some believe it adds flavor and/or makes it more moist in the end.

- what wireless thermometers are recommended?

I would go with the Maverick 732

[DTAggie]

Welcome Sieler, call Bradley and have a door sent.  I agree with Gus.  He covered your other questions quite well.

[Habanero Smoker]

Just to clarify the difference in the two forums. This forum is the official forum for Bradley Technologies. The recipe site on http://www.susanminor.org/forums/index.php, is a site funded by Raye Minor for the member of this site. It hosts many of the recipes, tips and articles that members have posted on this forum, and past issues of Bradley Smoker Forum Member's Newsletter‏, by Tenpoint5. This helps to make retrieving favorite recipes much easier, and you can also download all of the recipes in an easy to use reader.

[SoCalBuilder]

Seiler, welcome to the wonderful world of Bradley. What Gus said has you covered. I do spray my v-tray with Pam and it cleans up beautifully, although trying to clean the smoke off the bottom of it is a bit futile. As far as chicken is concerned, I just cut the spine out and flatten them out (Butterfly?) or some word I think these guys here made up... Spatchcock the bird. The breasts always come out moist when I pull them at an IT of 165*. That's where the Maverick pays for itself.

Enjoy the smoke - Randy

[smoker pete]

Welcome to the forum Sieler.  Nice to see more smokers from the Bay Area.  I'm in Ripon - about 70 miles East.  After all the rain we had we are starting to see fog like the old days.  Right now we only have about 50 yards visibility!!  I really hate fog  >:(

Actually the word "Spatchcock" has been around since the 18th century.  I too once thought it was a word that the illustrious Bradley smokers made up but when I googled it I found otherwise.  Here's a quick and dirty link that shows how to Spatchcock a chicken.  http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm  There is also a link on that web page that makes for interesting reading about the word.

I did a test to see if I should have the spatchcock chicken breast up or down.  Here's a link to that test http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=18537.msg225309#msg225309

Here's a link to a whole chicken where I used a vertical chicken roaster.  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=18809.msg228634#msg228634

I always smoke my chickens/turkeys at a temp of 250ºF and I always leave the vent fully open to allow the moisture to escape the smoker.  Have yet to brine my poultry but that's a personal preference.  It's all good  ;D ;D

[sieler]

Thanks for the answers!

I'll be trying a non-brined spatchcock chicken later today.

Stan

[beefmann]

welcome to the forum and the above people have you  covered

[TestRocket]

Welcome sieler,

Looks like you have a game plan, so good luck!

The only thing I really can add is, we really like PICS!  ;D
So try this link to get your pictures going!

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum sieler!

[SouthernSmoked]

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum...Enjoy!

http://www.susanminor.org

Remember we like pic's!!