New to the Bradley - Advise please.

[runner1717]

Hi all,

My poor Lil Chief finally bought the big one. Loved that little smoker. Everybody said the Bradley was the way to go. Since it's new to me, a couple of questions:

I brine cure my meat. With the old smoker I'd load it up and burn 3 pans of chips during the process. It would take around 12-16 hours for the jerky to get done.

Since the Bradley has this bisket feeder how many biskets do I need and how long should I smoke? I usually got around 160 degrees on the old smoker. Does this sound about right for the new one?

What the heck is the water bowl for? The burned biskets? Do I really need to fill it with water? I am trying to dry the product, not wet it.

Will my drying times still be about the same? (12-16 hours)

Any quick advise would be appreciated as I have cured product I need to get smoking!!!

Thanks!

Mike

[beefmann]

as for the smoking id start off with 2 hours  till i get it  dialed in , typically the pucks burn from 20 to 30  minutes,,, the older  units are 20  minutes,,, i  just  replaced my  smoke generator motor and it is now at  30 minutes,
have a  box temp of 150 to 160 F would be  good to start  off with

the water bowl is used to  extinguish the pucks after there burnt

also keep the top  vent open, and give it a  run on doing  jerky  start off  with the  same  plan of 12 to 16 hours make adjustments as nessary

[Saber 4]

Beefmann has you going in the right direction, you can remove the bowl of water after the smoke is done or some people transfer the smoked jerky to a dehydrator to finish drying.

[KyNola]

Short answer, No it will not take 12-16 hours to dry your jerky in the Bradley. much less. It will be dependent on how thick your jerky is, what meat you are using and whether it is whole muscle or ground meat.  As for the water bowl, yes you need it unless you're good with acrid tasting jerky and the possibility of a grease fire.  The Bradley pucks or "biskits" produce a much purer, cleaner, concentrated smoke than wood chips.  Allowing the pucks to smolder unextinguished will produce a very nasty tasting product.

Just my uneducated opinion.  You do what you feel good about.

[runner1717]

Thanks for all the replies! I just got back from a 100 mile drive with a Brand New Bradley Digital. After talking to the very nice lady at Bradley it seemed well worth the extra $100 for digital.

Things make much more sense once you have the unit in front of you. I impressed, very impressed at the quality build of this unit!. WOW!

I'm excited! I'm seasoning the unit right now. The automation is unreal and man does this thing make smoke!

I'm going to start a full batch tomorrow. It's thick cut round (1/2") (I ordered 1/4"). Gonna smoke for 4 hours and see where I'm at after 6 hours or so. It sounds like this thing will do the job quite a bit quicker.

Mike

[Saber 4]

Keep your vent open and go by doneness and not time and your patience will be rewarded

[ragweed]

First off, welcome to the forum from Nebraska.  I smoke for 2 hrs at 150 F then finish in the dehydrators.  Takes about 6-7 hrs total.  But Saber's right, go by doneness, not time.