Unused pucks on my Bradley

[celica]

I just bought a Bradley 4 rack digital smoker. Works fantastic except for the puck usage. It would be nice to vary the discharge time. I find half the pucks don't get burnt up. I put a screen over my water bowl which catches the unsed pucks and allows them to burn a little more. Is there any way to modify the timer so you can vary the reload time? 20 minutes is too short. I initally made my own smoker out of a kitchen stove. It worked great but could not vary the temp. Would also be nice to have a meat probe. I am an elctronic guy and can build just about anything.

[beefmann]

Welcome aboard,,, In some cases people will run into pucks that have not burnt fully,,, most of the time, the puck burner has not came up to temp before starting to  smoke or there is to much of a  draft across the burner.. always allow 30 to 40 minute preheat prior to placing any  pucks onto the burner or meat into the  box

Hope this  helps

Beef

[devo]

If you like to play and build things and your warranty is finished you might like to do what this guy did.
You will have to use google translator to view his site but he clams he can adjust the times.

  http://korvoteknik.blogspot.se/search/label/Bradleysmoker

[pensrock]

There are several things that can cause not fully burned pucks. Now you do not want them to completely to turn to ash.
1) Puck burner was not preheated. Any burner needs to be preheated if expected to begin working right away.
2) Gunk buildup on the puck burner. (Yes GUNK is a technical term.) I always scrape my puck burner clean with a small putty knife or brass wire brush to clean the gunk off.
3) Some kinds of woods just do not burn as fast as others. I do not know if there is a list of which burn more slowly than others but it does happen.
I do agree, it would be nice if we had the ability to vary the puck burn time from 10-30 minutes.

[TedEbear]

Would also be nice to have a meat probe. I am an elctronic guy and can build just about anything.

For the meat probe, many people use the Maverick ET-732.  It has an excellent range and lots of features.  They now have a newer model out, the ET-733.

[Saber 4]

There are several things that can cause not fully burned pucks. Now you do not want them to completely to turn to ash.
1) Puck burner was not preheated. Any burner needs to be preheated if expected to begin working right away.
2) Gunk buildup on the puck burner. (Yes GUNK is a technical term.) I always scrape my puck burner clean with a small putty knife or brass wire brush to clean the gunk off.
3) Some kinds of woods just do not burn as fast as others. I do not know if there is a list of which burn more slowly than others but it does happen.
I do agree, it would be nice if we had the ability to vary the puck burn time from 10-30 minutes.

Agree with above and have to add that I have found that the humidity and the moisture content of the meat can affect the amount of puck that is burned in the 20 minutes allotted.

[Grouperman941]

I used to think this too -- like I was wasting wood. But now I figure the puck is supposed to make smoke for 20 minutes, and if there is extra, so be it. Now, if it was ash before 20 minutes, that's a problem.

Of course, if it's not making smoke for 20 minutes, that's a different story.

[KyNola]

Let's tell the truth here.  No, there is not a way to modify the time from 20 minutes to something longer without modifying your Bradley.  You need to remove that screen that keeps the pucks from going into the water bowl because you are asking for a grease fire.  The water bowl serves two purposes, one is to extinguish the burning pucks, the other is to collect grease so it won't ignite.  A smoldering puck sitting on a screen directly below the drain hole of the drip tray is a fire waiting to happen.

Relax, you're getting all the smoke you need.  The smoke that comes from the pucks is a much more cleaner, concentrated smoke than you will get from pellets, chips or a stick burner. 

[Saber 4]

Let's tell the truth here.  No, there is not a way to modify the time from 20 minutes to something longer without modifying your Bradley.  You need to remove that screen that keeps the pucks from going into the water bowl because you are asking for a grease fire.  The water bowl serves two purposes, one is to extinguish the burning pucks, the other is to collect grease so it won't ignite.  A smoldering puck sitting on a screen directly below the drain hole of the drip tray is a fire waiting to happen.

Relax, you're getting all the smoke you need.  The smoke that comes from the pucks is a much more cleaner, concentrated smoke than you will get from pellets, chips or a stick burner.

As usual Larry, you've cut to the chase and got the important info in print.