Digital Bradley

[Oldman]

Nice to see a positive post regarding the (4 rack) digital model.  ;D

That makes this the second positive report on the 4 rank unit.  It will be nice when more folks post about the new units.
Olds

[Suds]

I recieved my 4 rack digital a couple of days ago and smoked my first salmon today.  Now, I will say that I am no expert, but compared to my old True North smoker this BDS (Bradley Digital Smoker) is a dream.  The temperature fluctuated initially but after the first 30 minutes of operation I got between 152-168 with the oven set at 150F.  I had three full size fillets in and the timer ran precisely 4 hours.  Soon, I will be doing a 10 hour brisket, so I'll see if the timer stops on me.

Like I said, I am not expert.  I smoke food more as a means of enjoyment and the satifaction in seeing and tasting my creation, but I really like my BDS4.

Cheers,

Suds :)

[Oldman]

Well that makes 3  positive reports on the 4 rank unit.
Olds

[ValFitzAndrew]

What is the difference between the 4 and 6 rack models that makes for a problem? Is the problem only temp fluctuation or something more?

[West Coast Kansan]

Greetings, My 4 rack digital arrived May 15. Since that time I have been able to complete a half dozen smokes.  My experience follows: If your new to smoking - this is the way to go, price for what you get is excellent and the learning curve is near zero. If your an experienced smoker and being a purest is not the fun it used to be ... this is the way to go - the blinking lights are much easier on the eyes and fingers than fire box ashes and hot metal, If your past included the origional BS unit ... this is the way to go - tired of the sun coming up and the wind direction changing adding significant heat to your smoke... nothing frustrates your early morning california yoga sets more than those pesky ambiant changes and having to stop and adjust the silly slide control. 

If your trying to decide what to buy and reading the forum for tips on performance - remember the source and what you are doing. A few degrees of temperature swing above and below the set point is meaningless over the period of a typical smoke. Probably better for the perfusion of jucies through the meat anyway. It takes time to get the juice to form and move and you dont want to have it all go at once.  A smoke time limited to 9 hours plus is not an issue for most, at least not important to me ... I can't even remember the last time I got to sleep more than 5 hours with out having to get up and pee. Maybe a 20 hour smoke is real to some but think about the size of meats and rest of the load that would justify it. . . and your not going to check on a load that cost that kind of money once every 9 hours? I just wanna see the lights more often than that! A lot of the comments are nothing more than feeling out the technology in the smoker...not real problems.

If your making buying decisions based on what you read in the forum, the first decision you need to make is which of the writers are smarter and which are dummer than the puck you load in the feed tube.  There are some of each posting here by my read.

Customer service is excellent! Silly questions and troubleshooting are included, comments regarding a desire to stand behind the product were immediate from both ChezBubba and Bradley Smoker even before they knew if I had a problem.  I didnt even get to explain my situation to a live person before I was supported!

Ask me about the Smoked Oysters I enjoyed earlier. There is no way to make them turn out the way they did with out a Bradley. The clean smoke they talk about really shows up on some of the foods. Cant baffle the smoke on ANY chunk wood smoker, charcoal or gas powered and get a result like I got on this unit.

[manxman]

Welcome to the forum West Coast Kansan, good to see a well written and objective post in favour of the 4 rack digital model.  :)

[Oldman]

Welcome to the forum West Coast Kansan, good to see a well written and objective post in favour of the 4 rack digital model.

<--need I say more?
Olds

[Bassman]

Welcome WCK!
So how about those oysters? How did you make them?

[iceman]

WCK, Welcome to the forum. Very glad to hear your positive experiances with the new smoker. I have to agree with the support part 100 percent. Do tell about the smoked oysters when you get a chance, they sound good.

[gpsmoker]

WCK, welcome to the forum, and I must agree with you on the oysters! Did a batch for my Father's 80th Birthday a couple weeks back, and there is simply no way to get them that good without the Bradley. I use an original unit, but I am pleased to hear that the new digital is getting good reviews. Makes me think about the next one down the line.

Regards,
Greg

[rhodhse]

Glad to see another positive experience with the 4 rack.   On an earlier post I said smoking should not be a science project, and quickly I was reminded that all cooking is a science....just ask Alton Brown....and there are so many different ways to find your smoking path....it is about what you like, what you feel passion about....the guru raptor is worth every penny if that is what makes the persons (smoker) heart beat a little faster, and feel the enjoyment of sharing the food and the experience.....for my money the digital is worth every penney...I now have an original, and a digital....I purchased the digital from the right place...Chez Bubba...and I had the "appropriate" expectations of a brand new product and willing to participate in the experience to help Bradley get better, someone has to buy one....if Bradley had made a $1000 digital then I would have expected $1000 of value...however the New dBS are are just maybe $100 bucks more...with Chez and Bradley it will never be a bad purchase unless you expect more than what you pay for....

[West Coast Kansan]

Those Oysters were something else ... just when I thought I had them reeled in along side the boat and was bending over with my dip net there was a splash behind me. I turned - na sorry thats a different story.

Oysters, I abuse in a couple of ways but my favorite is cooking on the half shell so there are no worries about falling through the rack.  They can also be smoked a little longer because they wont get too hot and dry out as fast as trying to cook on a finer mesh or cheese cloth approach.  They are also exposed just fine to pick up a nice smoke petina appearance.

The shells also make nice little bowls allowing you to pour on a little sauce while they are smoking (shells are reusable and dishwasher safe - na sorry that's a different story).  My sauce is easy ... a little melted butter, smashed garlic and onion, and just a touch of horse radish for bite. you can use a little lemon or lime juice as a degreaser if that suits your taste.

Again, you dont want too much glaze sauce (just a little around the edge for moisture) cause the smoke has to get to them and you need to leave them alone while they smoke.  I haven't played with my Bradley Digital that much yet but it just makes sense looking at it - the best place is the top rack as far from the heat as you can get.  I like to smoke everything too long if there is a such a thing and I put the oysters in during a pork loin and pork sholder smoke.

They give me something to look forward to while I was waiting on the rest of the load to finish. Kind of like a reward for myself, you know for giving the little lady a couple of days off from cooking cuz I spent all those hours working to produce those smoked meats (na very very sorry, that really is a different story).

Bottom line is they smoked LONG, never got all dried out, and tasted amazingly like I always thought a smoked oyster was supposed to taste like ... not the eating a wet log taste experience you get from chunk wood smokers.  The icon on the post is a picture of the three out of ten that survived long enough to have a picture taken. Have a nice day WCK

[Oldman]

I bet that your smoked oysters would make a good mix with T2 recipe for Oysters On The Grill.

Here is a image of T2 finished product:
Click To Enlarge Image


EDITED to fix the link...

[West Coast Kansan]

Anything is possible but I am not sure I am smart enough to do them on a grill.  You must have cooked them with an indirect heat approach or was do you cook them fast?  They sure look good arranged on the platter!

[Oldman]

West Coast Kansan

I fixed the link above your last posting.  Click on it and look at T2's recipe.  My thought was a little more on the line of his toppings on your smoked oysters.
Olds