NEW 6 Rack NEED HELP!

[Maximus1959]

Hey everyone!
This evening I purchased a digital 6 rack from Cabela's. So far I am frusterated. I cannot seem to get the temp over 90 degrees. Couple of questions....

1) Do I turn the smoker and the oven on at the same time or are these seperate cooking methods?
2) How do you preheat the unit?
3) I was told this is the top of the line smoker on the market. I have no problem going low n slow. My issue is the instructions. They are not very helpful. Tonight I am simply trying to smoke 3 chicken breasts to get a feel for the unit. The cook book says to preheat for 20 min, set the temp at 250 degrees, and cook/smoke for 40 minutes. How can I do that if I cannot get the temp over 90 degrees and the recipe calls for 250 degrees?

So far I am disappointed. For $600 plus everything I purchased to go with it; I expected this thing to blow me away. I want to keep it. Just need get some advice on how to use it. Instructions are garbage.

[GusRobin]

Sounds like you are only cooking with the heat from the puck burner. Is your eating element glowing red?
Re-check all your cables, unplug them and replug them, making sure they are well seated. Sometimes they look like they are but aren't.
When you cook your chicken, leave the top vent open.

[Maximus1959]

Thanks Gus
I re checked my cables. I beleive you are exactly right. I noticed my temp immediately went from 86 degrees to over 101 degrees in less than 3 minutes. My vent is wide open. Thanks for helping me out.

[GusRobin]

welcome to the forum. Glad it worked out.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Maximus1959;

Welcome to the forum.

There is a useful troubleshooting guide:
Bradley FAQ's

[Bdogggut34]

Glad to hear you could finally get started.

I'm pretty new but so far have found that preheating for 20-30min is good. I turn both the oven and smoker on...but I wait to fully advance a puck onto the burner until I out the meat in. It'll get smoking fast so no need to waste any pucks.

I also highly recommend you getting a Maverick ET732 wireless thermometer to monitor temperatures. The Bradley does fluctuate temps quite a bit which is not an issue for meats like pork, ribs and chicken but you still want to know that you are up to temperature and know when the meat is up to the proper temp.

[Maximus1959]

Great feedback. Thanks everyone!