New Bradley owner

[J_L_Smoker]

Hello everyone.
New to the forum, have a bradley 4 rack digital smoker. Attempting to do a pork butt this weekend, but want to do it overnight. Any suggestions on the water pan replacement? has anyone made an adjustment with a foil pan that can hold more water?

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi J_L_Smoker;

Welcome to the forum.

Pork butt is one of those cuts of meat that you definately will want to replace the water, due to it's high fat content.

In the Bradley I smoke/cook my butts at a lower temperature than most; 200F. So it may take 18 hours or more for a 9 lb. butt. For my Original Bradley I used the bowl that came with the smoker. I would change the water after the smoking was completed. I would use 4 hours of smoke. That is twelve bisquettes that will completley fill the bowl, and the stack of bisquettes come very close to the heating element, so you want to be sure to change it at that time. I also will change the water bowl, just prior to retiring for the night. I try to have these two events occur at the same time, so I only have to change the water bowl once, before going to bed. I don't go beyond six hours of sleep, so when I wake up I change the water again. This seems sufficient, though you should check the bowl every 4 - 6 hours after that.

Many use a foil pan that can hold more water, I've never have. You still want to make sure that the liquid remaining in the pan is water and not just fat drippings, and after the smoking cycle is done, make sure that the spent bisquettes are not piled up in close proxiemity of the heating element.

Let us know how your pork butt turned out.

[watchdog56]

I make sure to change the water every 4 hours. I also use a foil pan for the pucks but after the smoke I have also put a foil pan under the butt on a rack so I can move it easy to catch the grease. One time I changed the water after 4-5 hours at 3;30 am everything was fine but at 7;30 my wife says she hears beeping going on in the garage. My thermometer went off. Because it was real cold I had a moving blanket around the smoker and luckily I did because it snuffed out the fire. So keep an eye on it. My guess is when I put the butts back in after rotating the racks some of the grease went down the back wall and into the heating elements.

[betterwound]

Hello everyone.
New to the forum, have a bradley 4 rack digital smoker. Attempting to do a pork butt this weekend, but want to do it overnight. Any suggestions on the water pan replacement? has anyone made an adjustment with a foil pan that can hold more water?

Even if you use a foil pan, you still have to change the water, and I changed it every 4 hours
dordle

[ulnaoperating]

Hi J_L_Smoker;

Welcome to the forum.

Pork butt is one of those cuts of meat that you definately will want to replace the water, due to it's high fat content.

In the Bradley I smoke/cook my butts at a lower temperature than most; 200F. So it may take 18 hours or more for a 9 lb. butt. For my Original Bradley I used the bowl that came with the smoker. I would change the water after the smoking was completed. I would use 4 hours of smoke. That is twelve bisquettes that will completley fill the bowl, and the stack of bisquettes come very close to the heating element, so you want to be sure to change it at that time. I also will change the water bowl, just prior to retiring for the night. I try to have these two events occur at the same time, so I only have to change the water bowl once, before going to bed. I don't go beyond six hours of sleep, so when I wake up I change the water again. This seems sufficient, though you should check the bowl every 4 - 6 hours after that.

 

Changing the water is something that needs to be done regardless of whether or not you are using a foil pan; I ensured that it was done every four hours.

[Vight1961]

You can use a larger pan of water which can help maintain humidity for a longer period of time. I see many people often do this by placing a larger foil pan on the bottom rack to increase the water capacity. This can help you avoid having to refill the water pan frequently.

[Edward176]

Greetings J_L_Smoker Welcome to the forum   

[Lucy Coffee]

Hello and welcome to the forum! It is common practice for smokers to use aluminum foil pans instead of water pans in Bradley smokers. You can certainly use a larger foil tray to hold more water, which will help maintain humidity and regulate temperature throughout the smoking process, especially for overnight cooking like pork butts. Four hour water changes are recommended