New owner of Bradley...no previous experience smoking

[CaptnTony]

Just bought myself a Bradley for Christmas and getting ready to smoke my first 10lbs of bacon this weekend. :)

I'm sure I'll be asking a lot of questions as I don't have any background in smoking meat (have the cold smoke attachment too for hams) but am looking forward to hours of eating enjoyment.

[KyNola]

Welcome Captn!  I noticed that you mentioned that you had no background in smoking meat.  Do you have any background in curing meat such as pork belly to make into bacon?  The reason I ask is curing meat properly is very important to your safety and everyone else who may consume the bacon.

Let us know if we can help.

[beefmann]

welcome aboard tony,

a few things to remember is to have your  top vent  wide open when you  smoke / cook in it.... pre heat your smoker to 225... take your bacon to at least an internal temp of 145... if you  have  it use either apple or maple  smoke
for 2 to 3 hours and make adjustments from there.

also be aware when you  add meat into a pre heated smoker the  temp will drop significantly and take a while for  heat recovery takes a while and may never get back to 225 before the meat is cooked. Do not try to adjust the heater to make it  hotter,,, let it be and you will be fine.

Also ask questions there are many on here that are more then happy to answer questions

[CaptnTony]

Nope, T-O-T-A-L noob.

Any and all tips are welcomed.  I'm reading, nightly, about curing and am about half way through the Charcuterie book. LOADS to learn.  But more than willing to put the time in to do it properly.

I have noticed, on youtube, many different ways to prepare the pork bellies.  I chose to put a cure (with pink salt) onto each and place them in a 2.5 gal bag.   Been flipping them for 7 days now and will do so for 3 more.  Then, in accordance to the recipe I am following, I'll let them set for another day or two at the specified fridge temperature (I REALLY need to get a dedicated fridge for this!  One:  my shelves are already too full of 'regular stuff' and Two:  Must have precise temp control in fridge from what I'm reading.)

[mikecorn.1]

Welcome to the forum!


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[KyNola]

Nope, T-O-T-A-L noob.
Any and all tips are welcomed.  I'm reading, nightly, about curing and am about half way through the Charcuterie book. LOADS to learn.  But more than willing to put the time in to do it properly.
I have noticed, on youtube, many different ways to prepare the pork bellies.  I chose to put a cure (with pink salt) onto each and place them in a 2.5 gal bag.   

Glad to see you are reading and trying to learn.  For more reference here is a link to a great bacon thread, start to finish. http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6770.0

[Ketch22]

Welcome to the forum  :)

[beefmann]

Nope, T-O-T-A-L noob.

Any and all tips are welcomed.  I'm reading, nightly, about curing and am about half way through the Charcuterie book. LOADS to learn.  But more than willing to put the time in to do it properly.

I have noticed, on youtube, many different ways to prepare the pork bellies.  I chose to put a cure (with pink salt) onto each and place them in a 2.5 gal bag.   Been flipping them for 7 days now and will do so for 3 more.  Then, in accordance to the recipe I am following, I'll let them set for another day or two at the specified fridge temperature (I REALLY need to get a dedicated fridge for this!  One:  my shelves are already too full of 'regular stuff' and Two:  Must have precise temp control in fridge from what I'm reading.)

great way to start,,, also get a remote thermometer  and  smoke / cook till an it of 145.. and  remove from smoker

[DaveT261]

Welcome to the forum CaptnTony, you won't be disappointed in purchasing a Bradley smoker.  The members of this forum are more than happy to help you in any way they can, anything they tell you its pretty much like money in the bank. In some ways not having any experience in smoking can be an advantage especially if you use this forum's recipes, they have been mastered by some of the best smokers on earth.  I have several smokers and no two cook the same, so I can be at a disadvantage, what works for one may not work on the other.  The Bradley is easy to use, 90% of the work is done in preparation, all you really have to do is load up the Bradley, check it from time to time, follow the recipes and advice and you will be eating some of the best smoked meat you ever tasted.

[Alanfromwis]

  Welcome CaptnTony to the forum. You will get some great pointers here.

[BAM1]

Welcome.  If you haven't started your cure yet check out 10.5's maple cure recipe.  It's a sure deal

[SiFumar]

Welcome to the forum!  Remember we like pictures!

[buttburner]

When its done it will look like this

[rexster]

Or this......

[cackler69]

Ahoy matey  ;D  I'm just about as new here.....these guys are sweet  :o (sure they'll appreciate that) and helpful. I used info from here, and put in my first batch of wild duck jerky this morning <3

Welcome.

Mrs. C  :-*