Bradley vs Cookshack

Howdee · August 16, 2004, 09:38:10 PM

Pardon the question you all probably get all to often. I couldn't find it in the archives.
Hardwood chips and sawdust are a waste product for me that I would prefer using rather than having the additional cost of pucs.
I would appreciate any info comparing the 2 units.
Is there some feature/ advantage etc. about the Bradley that makes it worth the added fuel cost?

nsxbill · August 17, 2004, 12:00:55 AM

Convenience and not having to screw with sawdust and wood.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pardon the question you all probably get all to often. I couldn't find it in the archives.
Hardwood chips and sawdust are a waste product for me that I would prefer using rather than having the additional cost of pucs.
I would appreciate any info comparing the 2 units.
Is there some feature/ advantage etc. about the Bradley that makes it worth the added fuel cost?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Pick the one that is right for you. Since this is a Bradley forum, I don't think you are going to find many fans of doing it differently.

I think it is pretty clear to me anyway that you are shopping. Perhaps you should contact the competing companies and flat out ask why their product is better than the other. There are numerous smokers out there. Pick the one that is right for you.

The folks on this list have made that comparison for themselves and have chosen the B.S. Time for you to choose.

Bill

BigSmoker · August 17, 2004, 01:28:43 AM

I like my SSBS for ease of use and it's just plain fun. I like the pucks for smoke because I can control the amount of smoke almost to a science. I also like I can mix the pucks. Sometimes I like to use hickory and a fruit wood together. I have never had anything that wasn't good from my Bradley. Good luck on your decision.[:D]

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

Chez Bubba · August 17, 2004, 02:05:57 AM

Howdee,

Try http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=381&SearchTerms=cookshack

or

http://www.bradleysmoker.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=75&SearchTerms=cookshack

There are some others, just don't check the archived box. I don't believe any posts have been archived yet & that limits your search to only archived stuff.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

Oldman · August 17, 2004, 08:16:57 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Is there some feature/ advantage etc. about the Bradley that makes it worth the added fuel cost?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If #1.11 per hour cost factor is out of your budget I cannot think of another system to compair to the Bradley that will do what the Bradley offers. I've been smokin' food now for over 45 years. If it is out there I 've owned it, or built it. Nothing compairs to the Bradley.

End of story. Hope you purchase the Bradley. If not then maybe someday you will come across someone who has one and then you will say: Gee I could have had a V8 instead of this everyday soda!

Howdee · August 17, 2004, 08:53:53 PM

It's not that I can't afford the pucs... It's just a shame I am generating all these harwood scraps that will continue to go to waste. I am leaning toward the Bradley anyway. I think it will cold smoke better and do better eith poultry.
Thanks for the help

Oldman · August 17, 2004, 09:31:20 PM

You are welcome...now take all of those wood piece, chip them up fine add alot of green matter to them (grass etc.) and build a great compost pile~~! [:D]

pedally · August 18, 2004, 12:02:21 AM

I was watching Good Eats on the Food Channel one time and Alton Brown (the host of the show) made a smoker by getting a hot plate, a pie pan, a couple wooden dowells, an old grate, a cardboard box and saw dust from a cabinet shop. (they use hardwood to make cabinets, not softwood).

He poked holes into the side of the box where you would like to place your meat and stuck the dowells through the holes to hold the grill in the box.
He then cut a flap in the side of the box at its bottom and placed the hot plate and sawdust filled pie pan into it. (Make sure it's accessable because you may have to add more saw dustlater)

when he had the right amount of smoke and temp from the hotplate he put his meat on the rack, placed it inside the box on top of the dowells and folded the box top closed to allow a little bit of smoke to escape. He had one thermometer probe in his food and another probe stuck through the side of the box to get accurate readings. (He was probably using a Maverick, but that's another show.)

Another episode he used a terra cotta flower pot and saucer as a smoker (roaster oven) if you want to try that let me know although I'm not sure he used saw dust in that episode.

Good Luck!

Chez Bubba · August 18, 2004, 01:45:52 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by pedally
 I was watching Good Eats on the Food Channel one time and Alton Brown<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That guy is definately entertaining to watch and comes up with some really ingenious solutions. Cheap & interesting solutions, just not all that practical or more important to me, CONVENIENT.

Great show though, it's on my watch list.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

PAsmoker · August 18, 2004, 03:40:47 PM

Howdee, I saw you on the cookshack forums asking for comparisons. If you did a search on that site, you'll notice that the cookshack folks report having big temp swings with their thermostats. Usually in the range of -25 to +25 degrees and sometimes more. That's a HUGE temp swing. I really don't have that problem with the Bradley. As for the wood, if you have chunks (not shavings, but they may work)why not set them on the puck-burner plate and let them go. I'm experimenting with cherry pits on my plate as we "speak." They're smokin' away. Of course they won't last as long as throwing a bunch of pucks in the tube, but I'm playing right now. Big draw back would be opening the door. I'm gonna try some maple chunks this weekend and see how long it'll smoke.

Oldman · August 18, 2004, 10:26:07 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I was watching Good Eats on the Food Channel one time and Alton Brown (the host of the show) made a smoker by getting a hot plate, a pie pan, a couple wooden dowells, an old grate, a cardboard box and saw dust from a cabinet shop<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Seen that. Done that. What a pain in the shorts.

Howdee · August 18, 2004, 11:05:08 PM

PA, yes I thought about that, Also maybe making solid pucs from cherry, oak etc. Wouldn't take but a few seconds per piece to cut. Don't know if they would be to dense though, guess its worth a try, About the CS temp fluxuations, the CS has a thermostat you set at the temp you want. Am i correct that the Bradley has only a slide control without temps labeled. You look at the door guage or an aftermarket thermo to monitor temps after the fact and learn where to set the slide by trial and error?.

bologna man · August 19, 2004, 12:01:06 AM

I tried the solid wood pucks I cut them out with a hole saw. This did not work to well because when the solid pucks went on the burn tray it took to long for them to start to smoke and by the time they were just starting to smoke good another puck advanced and pushed it in the catch pan and extinguished it. I guess the reason the Bradley pucks work is the air space in the wood chips. It seems that if the cycle time could have been doubled the solid ones may have worked. Since I don't know how to change the electronics of the advancement bar I scraped the idea.
Rod

Rod

BigSmoker · August 19, 2004, 12:49:40 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Am i correct that the Bradley has only a slide control without temps labeled. You look at the door guage or an aftermarket thermo to monitor temps after the fact and learn where to set the slide by trial and error?.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
This is correct. I have had little if any trouble keeping the temp. exactly where I want it with the slide control. After the first couple of cooks no problems.[;)] I use a Polder thermometer with my unit right now. It measures only the meat temp. I use the thermometer thats built into the Bradley unit to measure my internal chamber temp. I have found it best to start a little early and get the Bradley up to smokin' temp while my meat is coming to room temp or I'm working around the house, etc. Some I guess would find this inconvenient but for me its prior planning. I once read if you don't have the time to cook low-n-slow then put if off until you do. I find the whole process relaxing as I can enjoy some of my favorite bourbon watch some sports but still have some fun checking on my smoker. I'm sure you can find fault with any smoker/grill I have never seen a perfect one yet. I wouldn't trade my Bradley for any other cooker/smoker that I've seen so far. Happy Smokin'.

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

Oldman · August 19, 2004, 03:58:58 AM

Howdee

A thermostat swings up and down unless you are in an upper end commercial unit. Your own home oven swings 10-20 degress both ways. That is why thermostats don't work well for our need to be constant. Once you have the Bradley at the temp you want with your food in it the element is constant thus no swings.

I just read one of the threads you started over on the CookShack forums. One of the replies was:
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The heating element is directly below the wood box. It gets much hotter than the rest of the smoker and thus ignites the wood. The heating element cycles on and off to average to the set point and keep the wood burning at the same time.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> Man if that is not temp swingin' I better sell my Bradley and go get a gas grill.

After reading that thread and this one over again I'm having a hard time picturing just what you are looking for in a smoker.

I will say this and not repost this thread again. If I was to use a smoker with swings I would lose the fat in my sauage. The Bradley is a refined smoker. It is not for everyone.
Olds