Hello from Ontario

vjvl51 · June 20, 2012, 12:43:34 PM

I got my husband a used Bradley Smoker for Christmas. The original owner won it as a door prize and threw out the manual since he never reads them anyway. He tried smoking once and decided to sell it at less than half price since he didn't like it. His loss - my gain.

This week, I've been learning how to smoke. I did pork chops and pork tenderloin with apple smoke. I should have taken the chops out earlier as they were a little dry but the terderloin was very good.

Today, I'm working on ribs. When I took them out to put the barbecue sauce on, the bones were falling out of the meat. I put a note in my cookbook, not to cook so long next time.

I was able to find some wood and sauces at a local store which is nice. Ordering on line is OK but getting a sauce and then stopping on the way home for meat is the way to go.

No comments now. My husband has always talked of having a smoker but I'm not willing to let it sit and be looked at. I want it used!!!

MidKnightRider · June 20, 2012, 12:47:00 PM

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you got a great deal on the smoker!
Check out the companion site http://www.susanminor.org/forums/index.php
Lots of sauce and rubs over there.

vjvl51 · June 20, 2012, 01:19:55 PM

Thanks MidKnightRider. IMO It was a good deal. $200 for a Bradley digital 4 rack - almost new.

I'll check out that other site. Making your own sauces from scratch is more work but over time it allows you to tweak to your tastes. Right now it is an adventure with each thing I try to cook.

Kahunas · June 20, 2012, 01:21:53 PM

Hello and welcome,
Now get yourself a good thermometer to check them chops with and they will never (hopefully) be dry again. Sounds like a great deal on your smoker, you will have a great time with it.

vjvl51 · June 20, 2012, 02:29:07 PM

@ Kahunas - That was what we did yesterday. We were able to find a remote thermometer at a local store. The brand name is GrillPro. We'll have to figure out a way of verifying how close to the actual temp it is reading - probably by boiling water and using a temp probe. We just haven't had time yet.

So many recipes to try and not enough time.

mikecorn.1 · June 20, 2012, 03:27:28 PM

Welcome to the forum. You can use the 3-2-1 guide to make them. You can alter it to fit your preference. I like to tweak it to 2-2-.5 or .25 and or 2-3-.5. Its up to you to see what works best. If you dont mind, how did you make the ribs and what where they. BB or Spare. Just curious. We also like pics ;D
How to make ribs in a Bradley

ghost9mm · June 20, 2012, 03:45:14 PM

Hello and welcome to a really great forum...

Smoker John · June 20, 2012, 08:01:35 PM

Welcome to the boards & congrats on your purchase, you'll enjoy it

SiFumar · June 20, 2012, 09:23:12 PM

Welcome!! Stay awhile!

slowpoke · June 21, 2012, 01:11:56 PM

Welcome,Lots to learn here,you'll have fun.

vjvl51 · June 21, 2012, 04:30:04 PM

Quote from: mikecorn.1 on June 20, 2012, 03:27:28 PM
Welcome to the forum. You can use the 3-2-1 guide to make them. You can alter it to fit your preference. I like to tweak it to 2-2-.5 or .25 and or 2-3-.5. Its up to you to see what works best. If you dont mind, how did you make the ribs and what where they. BB or Spare. Just curious. We also like pics ;D
How to make ribs in a Bradley

I used the directions from here - http://www.bradleysmoker.com/recipes/pork-spare-ribs/ and the sauce from here - http://www.bradleysmoker.com/recipes/pork-side-spareribs/

Since I didn't get around to a rub to start, I used freshly ground pepper and garlic spice mix with smokey sea salt rubbed into the ribs about 30 minutes before putting into the smoker. The ribs were baby ribs which may be why they were so well done.

What's the 3-2-1??? 3 hrs of smoke, 2 hrs of heat in foil, 1 hr of sauce???

vjvl51 · June 21, 2012, 04:38:14 PM

How do you post a photo? I'm not used to this type of forum.

sjmcdowall · June 22, 2012, 11:38:03 AM

Quote from: vjvl51 on June 21, 2012, 04:38:14 PM
How do you post a photo? I'm not used to this type of forum.

You need to get a Photobucket (or similar) account to post the pics to there - -and then include the link via an [img] tag (the thing below the B bold button on the menu) ..

There are a lot of good instructions on 3-2-1 type things (and yes, for BB's it's generally 1 hour less than 3-2-1 somewhere... LOL) .. Here is a link to a good article on that technique too :

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/best_BBQ_ribs_ever.html

This is a great technique and useful for many many things on the smoker ...

Welcome aboard!

Smoker John · June 22, 2012, 11:39:38 AM

This link may help with picture posting as sjm said.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=768#post768

vjvl51 · June 22, 2012, 02:16:27 PM

Thanks to both of you. More reading/learning! ;D

Looks like I'll have to sign up for a Photobucket account as well.

I know what I'll be doing after supper.