Newbie & OBS Purchase

[flynztone]

Hi All,
I'm a newbie here and seriously considering a new 4 rack OBS. I've been smoking the past couple years on a Char-Broil Texas Smoker w/offset firebox and turned out many a nice slab of ribs & brisket. The biggest drawback being having to man the unit all day and I have a busy schedule. I am considering the OBS initially without the single or dual PID as I will primarily be smoking Ribs, Brisket & Chicken in the near future. Sausage being one of my favorite foods on the planet I will be diving into sausage making though.

My questions are;

• Does this sound like a logical way to go?
• I've read on the forums that the Digital 6 Rack is the way to go for sausage. Does this mean you can't do sausage on the OBS?
• Is there a recommended probe for IT that is reasonably priced?

This forum has been a wonderful source of info and I'm just trying to get the most bang for my buck and still be able to have small gatherings and feed the gremlins. One more thing, with (2) Home Depot Rib Racks and my slabs cut in half I am only able to get (6) slabs at a time on my Char-Broil. What would the max be with the eight rack upgrade for the OBS?
Thanks

[KyNola]

Welcome to the forum.  You absolutely can do sausages in the OBS.  Some folkd like the 6 rack digital simply because the tower is taller and you can hang longer sausages there.

Many of us use the Maverick ET-732.  It will monitor the temp in the tower as well as the IT of whatever you are smoking and send the info to a wireless receiver that you can carry around with you if necessary.  Eventually you will want a PID when you delve into sausage making.

Have fun and hang around with us.

[GBIceman]

I would go with the dual PID anyway. The temp control is so impressive, otherwise you need to man the unit all day to make sure the temp stays where you want it. Since I got mine and added the second heating element I have had a more relaxing experience.

[ghost9mm]

What they said...with gusto.. :D

[flynztone]

Thanks for all the replies and in comparing the price of the Maverick ET-732 with the Auber Dual Probe PID and knowing that I'm going to have to have it eventually I am going to bite the bullet and get the PID. I want to try this thing out for a bit before making any modifications i.e. adding dual heating elements or retrofitting with extra racks however I'm certainly one to modify things so it's probably inevitable that I will.

After much reading on this forum and elswhere I've concluded that the OBS with the PID is the best bang for the buck and if you need a PID anyway then purchasing the digital unit is a waste unless of course you wanted the 6 rack for more room. In which case I would rather buy a smoke generator and retrofit an old refrigerator and I will probably end up doing that too.

[squirtthecat]

You'll fit right in around here! 

[beefmann]

welcome aboard

[flynztone]

Ordered my new OBS today & the Dual PID from Auber. Also picked up 180 assorted wood pucks, a cover for the OBS, (3) bubba pucks, a (4) rack add on for the OBS and the Peace, Love & BBQ book for good measure. I'm new to the Bradley but I've been smokin & BBQing for years but I'm never to old or knowledeable to learn something new.

Can't wait to get into sausage making and Andouille would be my first goal. Can somebody recommend a good meat grinder/sausage stuffer that won't break the bank as I just invested $600.00 in the above mentioned products.

Thanks

[HitLines]

I love the gusto flynztone. Nothing like pushing a habit as far as you can. Or so they say.

[ghost9mm]

Cabelas carries a good group of food grinders that come with stuffers, if you are going to be doing a lot of sausage, take your time and shop around,don't make the mistake of buying something inexpensive and have buyer remorse after you get it...

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse/_/N-1101293?WTz_l=SBC%3BMM