Newbie

[SmokinBC]

Hello Bradley Family,  I am an avid outdoorsman and would love to get into smoking meats, fish etc... My Wife bought me the BCS this X-Mas and I have very limited experience in smoking.  I have been reading through the forums and see that there have been quite a few issues with the BCS.  I have not opened the box and was just wondering if I should return it and purchase a different model.  What would be a good model to buy for a newb that would not be too complicated.  Any advice anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
From Vancouver, Canada.

[dave01]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I've also read about some of the problems with this unit but don't really know that much about it. The one thing I do know is that it is very small compared to the other units and as you get smoking your going to want a bigger unit. That said I would probably get one of the Original units, they have good capacity and down the road can be upgraded with a PID, extra or bigger element and even a fan if you want one. They do work well right out of the box. Remember this is just my opinion, others will be along with theirs

[manfromplaid]

if you plan to smoke a lot of fish Bradley orig.  is the way to go as you will need tighter temp controls. a pid is in your future.

[ragweed]

Welcome to the forum from Nebraska.  I have both a BCS and an Original.  95 % of the time, I use the 4 rack original.  Lots more room.  I use my BCS for quick meals like chicken 1/4s or appetizers.  Much faster.  If I had to own only one, it would be the 4 rack Original with a PID added for temp control.  Like Dave01 said, just my opinion.

[seb bot]

Hey SmokinBC, welcome to the forum from Richmond!

I can't comment too much on the BCS as I am not too familiar with it, but it is a new product and there do seem to have been some issues with some of the units.
That being said, if you are planning on doing a lot of fish or anything, you would probably be better off with one of the regular 4 or 6 rack units simply for the larger capacity...

For the full size versions, there is the original 4 rack Bradley smoker (OBS) and a digital version (BDS) which is available as either a 4 rack or a 6 rack unit. All of them use the same smoke generator and heating element, though the digital is somewhat easier to set the temp and has a timer feature as well. ( I think the OBS is just off or on as far as the smoke generator and oven go, and uses a slide lever to set the temp.)
All stock versions of the Bradley will have somewhat wide temperature swings, which is why many people who do a lot of fish and sausage end up getting an aftermarket controller (the PID referred to in the other replies) as these foods require much tighter temperature control for best results.
The PID replaces the stock controls, so people who are planning on getting a PID usually just get the non-digital original to save a bit of money. The exception would be if one really wants the six rack, which is only available in digital.
All of the full size models will be fine in stock format for ribs, chicken, pulled pork etc..., the PID is really only needed for fish and sausage. ( And needed may be a bit strong of a word, lol, ;))
(Also, many people feel the stock heat output is  a little lacking and have installed second oven elements to help it get up to temp and recover faster when you open the door; this also requires getting a PID as the stock electronics are not designed for the extra power.)

My advice would be to get a full size Bradley as it will be a lot more versatile than the BCS. You would need to do some thinking as far as which model would best suit you, depending on what you think you will be smoking and how much you like to tinker with things... (The PID is a do it yourself project, there are some guide/how-to's on here if you look around...)


Hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have more questions, someone will answer them, this is a very friendly forum.

p.s. Just for reference, I knew nothing about smoking foods when I got my 4 rack digital a couple of years ago, and I've made some pretty darn good meals in it! Mine is still stock, I occasionally wish for a second element and supporting mods when it's cold or windy, but have pretty much decided it's fine the way it is :)

[beefmann]

welcome aboard and  enjoy

[Smoker John]

Welcome to the boards