Looking At New 4 Rack Bradley Smoker

Corey06 · July 21, 2015, 07:50:09 AM

Hey guys new to the forum and just had a couple quick questions. Right now I have a smoker and it is a Cajun injector smoker I had bought 4 or 5 years ago. It still works great but noticed that a local store has the Bradley 4 rack smoker on sale for $450. It's the digital 4 rack one with the stainless door on it, I read some bad reviews on the Bradley smokers and now am not sure if I want to buy one. A couple of things I read that I didn't like was that people are having issues with the burners burning out, my Cajun injector also has a lot of bad reviews on that and I haven't had any problems. Another thing is it says that it only goes up to 250*F, the one I have now goes up to 280*F and I can get it hotter if I want when adding woodchips which can be a pain when your trying to keep the temps steady, I figured it would be able to go higher then 250, and I heard it takes a long time to get up to and hold temp. I also read people having issues with it just continuously feeding pucks, and people having issues with there doors breaking off. So my question, is it worth buying a Bradley smoker? I like the idea of them since you can cold smoke but after seeing all these issues I don't want to spend all that money and regret it. I seen a lot of people modifying these things but how hard is it to upgrade the burner and stuff, and what is a PID? Any help would be appreciated guys as this sale ends in a few days.
Thanks

beefmann · July 21, 2015, 01:47:37 PM

welcome to the forum

yes there has been issues with the heating elements, puck burner and advance motor, some of the plastic on the door breaking . what you don't hear is all the hundreds of happy bradley users that are around... i have had my bradley since 2007 and in the last year to 18 months i have had to replace the advance motor, the micro switch, door gasket and reinforce the bottom of the door at the hinge, Also back in early 2008 did a heater upgrade with blower and it has never failed me to date...

As for what a PID is,, its a multi function heater controller.. it also has many other uses .. most here use it to help control the heat inside the box.. some make sausages which needs to be brought up in steps a step pid can do that automatically for you... also the pid once programmed generall keeps the temperature with in a couple of degrees of set temp..

another thing to be aware of is on larger loads 15 lbs plus .. the load will take out a lot of the heat just to cook and the box temp will be low.. this is normal.. just let the smoker work and you will be fine

bradleys do have issues most are trouble free,

im not trying sell you a bradley,, look around at all the smokers see whats out there and make what you think the best decision is for you and your family

tskeeter · July 21, 2015, 03:27:14 PM

Corey, some of the information that you have been reading is outdated. There was a bad batch of heat elements three or four years ago. Once that batch of elements got out of the system, I haven't heard complaints about heating elements. Haven't heard complaints about door problems in the last year and a half or two years, either. You should be aware that Bradley customer service is among the best I've ever seen. If something is wrong, they will make every effort to help.

One of the things that I think buyers need to be aware of is to understand what you are buying. The Bradley was designed as a low and slow smoker. So it has a 500 watt main heating element and a 125 watt puck burner. Not a ton of heating capacity. So, a Bradley won't cook like your oven. You should anticipate a maximum temperature around 270 degrees. Patience is a virtue. I usually run my smoker between 180F and 225F.

Some owners have upgraded the heating system in their smokers to speed up heat recovery when the door has been opened and to help bring food up to temperature more quickly. Many other owners have been using their Bradley dead stock for years. Heating element mods are pretty simple to do. If you should choose to go that direction, there are some good instructions to show you what to do. A few owners have also added circulating fans to their smokers. Those folks have also shared pictures and instructions for their modifications.

Bradleys, including the digitals, are subject to fairly wide temperature swings. Especially when loaded with large quantities of cold food (the swings get smaller as the food gets warmer). Swings of 20 degrees +/- your temperature set point are not unusual. For most smoking projects, the temperature swings aren't an issue. However, sausage, fish, and cheese can benefit from tighter temperature control.

The automatic puck feeder is one of the key benefits of a Bradley. It's why I have one. But some folks have had issues with their puck feeders. Continuous feeding or periodic failure to advance pucks. It seems that most of these problems are corrected by either replacing the puck feeder motor or the micro switch that controls the motor. I did experience some puck feeder problems after my smoker had been in use for about three years. I believe that I caused the problems when I put the smoker in a shed that did not allow adequate ventilation and shut the shed door. I think smoke backed up into the smoker generator and gummed things up. Otherwise, if you get six or seven years before you have to work on your puck feeder, you might look at it similar to long term repairs on your car. Replacing things like EGR valves, starters, or alternators at 100K+ miles isn't fun. But you do expect to have to do some of those things after a while.

For me, the ability to do over night smokes without babysitting a chip hopper is why I have a Bradley. Put in a couple of pork shoulders mid evening, and they are ready to pull and eat mid afternoon the next day. And I got a full night of sleep while the pork smoked.

Corey06 · July 21, 2015, 06:05:38 PM

Alright thanks guys!! SO I was doing some reading and was thinking it would be worth it for me to get the PID since it seems like you can do a lot of stuff with them like set heat temps for certain times and have it adjust automatically which would be nice for jerky and fish since the temps start low and increase slightly over the cook time. But if I am going to get the PID would I not be better to just get the original 4 rack smoker which isn't digital and add the PID, since it seems like the PID does everything the digital can plus more? Or is the 4 rack digital smoker with the stainless door better quality then the original smoker which is all black?

beefmann · July 22, 2015, 06:19:53 AM

yes it would be cheaper to go with the non digital unit then the digital unit... take your time with the install of the pid, it can be frustrating to program... read the instructions,,, do the install then do the programming.. in other words do one thing at a time... also if you need a unit to have a set temp for a set time... then changes to another temp for another duration you would need the RAMP and SOAK unit PID from auber inst. ot equivalent

Corey06 · July 22, 2015, 09:51:17 AM

Quote from: beefmann on July 22, 2015, 06:19:53 AM
yes it would be cheaper to go with the non digital unit then the digital unit... take your time with the install of the pid, it can be frustrating to program... read the instructions,,, do the install then do the programming.. in other words do one thing at a time... also if you need a unit to have a set temp for a set time... then changes to another temp for another duration you would need the RAMP and SOAK unit PID from auber inst. ot equivalent

Alright I was looking at the PID's, and found the one your were talking about that had the RAMP and SOAK, but they don't come with any probes? Wouldn't the Auber dual probe PID for the Bradley smoker allow me to do the same thing? It says in the description that it had the ability to adjust the temperatures after certain durations of time and it came with two probes, one to monitor the cabinet temp and another probe you could use to monitor food internal temp. Here is the link to the one I thought I was going to need, if this one would work could you let me know? Thanks.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_28&products_id=380

beefmann · July 22, 2015, 10:01:26 AM

that unit also would work. Auber does make may different pid units alogn with units like the one you have chosen.. with that unit it is plug and play,, also just programming the default settings you wish..

also do not rush any decision you make... be sure to make the best decision for you

Grouperman941 · July 22, 2015, 10:48:25 AM

Dual probe plug and play works great. An OBS with this PID is the most cost effective. Also, you can do a ton of cooking without a PID, so unless sausage and fish and jerky are on your list of things to do right away, you can delay the PID decision until you have some experience.

Corey06 · July 22, 2015, 03:32:54 PM

I think I am going to just get the original bradley black smoker with the knob for temp and get the dual probe PID. I was reading the instructions on the PID and it does seem a bit confusing to set up, but I am sure I will get it figured out. I think it will work best for the fish and jerky, with the smoker I have now its kind of a pain always having to watch and adjust temperature. So there are no big advantages over the digital smoker compared to the original as in quality wise?

bullsfury81 · July 22, 2015, 05:07:13 PM

That's the same route that I am taking. Got my OBS on father's day. Was gonna jump right into getting the auber PID dual probe for precise temp range. Decided to hold off on the auber and grab the Mav 733 dual temp probe. Kind of wish I just went with auber. Not so much for the preciseness, because I do want to learn my smoker first without the auber assistance and it's my first smoker, but more so I don't make a redundancy purchase with the thermometer as the auber performs the same task. Only difference I am aware of is the OBS temp gauge is a rheostat ( the knob adjusts the amount of juice to element) and the digital is a thermostat (dial in your temp and it get's close to that range). Auber bypasses the thermostat in the digital so it's a pointless cost upgrade compared to the OBS. At least that's what I interpret it as.
And I know I can also use the Mav 733 as 2 extra meat probes so I can be monitoring 3 different slabs of goodness in one smoke so I guess it is a good redundancy :o

Corey06 · July 23, 2015, 10:50:31 AM

Which probe should I get? The have the one that just hangs there, they have a wall mount one and a clip on one?

Toker · July 23, 2015, 02:26:03 PM

Don't take the wall mount, take the free hang.

tskeeter · July 23, 2015, 02:45:26 PM

Quote from: bullsfury81 on July 22, 2015, 05:07:13 PM
That's the same route that I am taking. Got my OBS on father's day. Was gonna jump right into getting the auber PID dual probe for precise temp range. Decided to hold off on the auber and grab the Mav 733 dual temp probe. Kind of wish I just went with auber. Not so much for the preciseness, because I do want to learn my smoker first without the auber assistance and it's my first smoker, but more so I don't make a redundancy purchase with the thermometer as the auber performs the same task. Only difference I am aware of is the OBS temp gauge is a rheostat ( the knob adjusts the amount of juice to element) and the digital is a thermostat (dial in your temp and it get's close to that range). Auber bypasses the thermostat in the digital so it's a pointless cost upgrade compared to the OBS. At least that's what I interpret it as.
And I know I can also use the Mav 733 as 2 extra meat probes so I can be monitoring 3 different slabs of goodness in one smoke so I guess it is a good redundancy :o

I use both an Auber PID and a Maverick thermometer. The PID provides tight temp control in the smoker cabinet and the Maverick tells me how the cooking is progressing as I lounge in the recliner. As soon as Auber makes my PID talk to my cell phone, I suppose I won't need the Maverick as much.

Gafala · July 23, 2015, 03:44:47 PM

Quote from: tskeeter on July 23, 2015, 02:45:26 PM
Quote from: bullsfury81 on July 22, 2015, 05:07:13 PM
That's the same route that I am taking. Got my OBS on father's day. Was gonna jump right into getting the auber PID dual probe for precise temp range. Decided to hold off on the auber and grab the Mav 733 dual temp probe. Kind of wish I just went with auber. Not so much for the preciseness, because I do want to learn my smoker first without the auber assistance and it's my first smoker, but more so I don't make a redundancy purchase with the thermometer as the auber performs the same task. Only difference I am aware of is the OBS temp gauge is a rheostat ( the knob adjusts the amount of juice to element) and the digital is a thermostat (dial in your temp and it get's close to that range). Auber bypasses the thermostat in the digital so it's a pointless cost upgrade compared to the OBS. At least that's what I interpret it as.
And I know I can also use the Mav 733 as 2 extra meat probes so I can be monitoring 3 different slabs of goodness in one smoke so I guess it is a good redundancy :o

I use both an Auber PID and a Maverick thermometer. The PID provides tight temp control in the smoker cabinet and the Maverick tells me how the cooking is progressing as I lounge in the recliner. As soon as Auber makes my PID talk to my cell phone, I suppose I won't need the Maverick as much.

I use the Auber PID and the Maverick I love the control I have. It would be nice to have the PID to talk to my cell phone.

Salmonsmoker · July 24, 2015, 07:10:07 AM

Quote from: Toker on July 23, 2015, 02:26:03 PM
Don't take the wall mount, take the free hang.

What Toker said........... The wall mount is a fixed position probe and not always where the food is in the smoker. Free hanging probe allows you to place the probe where the food is. Just keep the probe from touching racks or food to avoid an erroneous temp. reading.