Newbie to this forum

[theboatguy]

Thanks guys,

I will try again.  When I started this morning, I did not open the door for the first three hours.  Still it did not get over 140 during that time.  I think I will trash this batch and start over. I am concerned that the meat has been at such a low temp all day that it may be bad.  Also, how is Bradley in customer support calls? Are there any better info than their owners  guide?

[West Coast Kansan]

 8) It is hard to be patient for that length of time.  A couple of helps is a good preheat of the tower to maybe 20-30 degrees above your anticipated cook temp. I usually (when i am thinking) start mine about an hour before I load it.

Use hot water in the water bowl to help provide some mass that is already warm

While the tower is preheating set your meat on the counter to bring it up to room temperature. 

Go ahead and start the puck burner ahead of time.  It will be 40 minutes before the first puck hits the burner (my unit cycles once immediately when you turn it ON. So could turn it on for the preheat and then load the puck after that to start making smoke at the 1 hour point. 

Try real hard not to peek - everytime you open the door you loose a lot of heat and add time to the temperature recovery. 

When you do put your meat into the tower the temp will drop. That is normal.  The temp recovery time will vary with the mass of the load you are smoking.

Closing the vent as said below traps moisture and moisture consumes heat.  Adjust the vent so zero smoke is detected between the tower and smoke generator.  Your DBS does NOT like smoke in the generator.

You have a nice load, the chicken is full of moisture and requires a well opened vent.  It will also take on smoke flavor faster than your other meats.  May be a little smokey unless you pull it out and finish in some other manner. 

Some ideas, some of which are repeated but they will help. Have Fun and post your results!  ;)

[Gizmo]

Boats,
From the posts here on the Forum, Bradley customer support is second to none.  Actually one member did get a newbie on the phone and received some bad information but that was quickly changed.  Keep the folks here up to date on your progress and let us know if you have any problems.

[LilSmoker]

Hi and welcome theboatguy, congrats on the new BS, as Giz says, Bradley customer service will look after you in the event of any probs ;)

LilSmoker

[Habanero Smoker]

That is a pretty good size load, but the recovery rate still seems a little slow. Like I mentioned earlier, I have had smoke loads that took up to 6 hours to get to 190°F, but the times and temperatures you are posting are unusual. Your temperature sensor could be inaccurate. If you don't get any improvement in performance, check the cabinet temperature with a probe that you know is accurate.

One other thing; when you have an item in the cabinet that produces a lot of moisture, such as chicken, keeping the vent closed may not only damage your generator, but it also helps keep the temperature down. Opening the vent allow the moisture to escape, and your and your recovery rate will be somewhat faster.

[theboatguy]

Thanks to everyone, I really appreciate the help and information.  I am going to do a "test" preheat and see how long it takes to come up to a cooking temp this morning.  Again, thanks.

Mike

[Toker]

IM a newbie to and want to know if the cardboard box method is safe for the fire? eventhout the boxe doesnt touch the smoke generator box does the box material is safe enough? or an other material would be safer? thx

[Habanero Smoker]

I've been using the cardboard box method for some time and never had a problem with the box catching on fire. Just make sure that the box is on a stable surface and the slot you cut is wide enough so that it does not touch the cardboard. You can use other materials if you want. Some members have used metal, plywood or plastic to build their off-set smoke box.

[Toker]

thx man have one more question about this method pls, does the smoke come off the cardboard box hole where the smoke generator comes in? how much according to the experiences reported?

[Toker]

and at the same time if you know this one pls; i read somewhere on the net that on a other kind of smoke house (more industrial i think) to cold smoke a salmon you have to smoke it for about 12-14 hours why with bradley the required time never extended 4-6 hours what is the difference between the 2 way and what would happen if i smoke my salmon for this long period of time? thx

[LilSmoker]

and at the same time if you know this one pls; i read somewhere on the net that on a other kind of smoke house (more industrial i think) to cold smoke a salmon you have to smoke it for about 12-14 hours why with bradley the required time never extended 4-6 hours what is the difference between the 2 way and what would happen if i smoke my salmon for this long period of time? thx

I always use the carboard box chamber method for cold smoking, it works perfectly, as Habs says sit the generator on something suitable, and cut a big enough slot so it doesn't touch the sides of the cardboard.
I do quite a lot of cold smoked salmon nowdays, and usually i smoke for around 3 hours, sometimes more. What you have to remember is cold smoking with the BS is a different enviroment to the commercial smoke houses, as the cabinet is more confined, you'll get more smoke concentration, so should take less time.

It's best to experiment with smoke times as everybody's tastes are different. I also usually put some ice in the bottom tray in the cabinet, depending on the weather to keep temps down, i just make sure i'm under 80F all the way through, usually the cabinet temp is around 68F

Here's a couple of pics of my set up, i'm gonna build a permanent chamber when i get time, but for now the cardboard box is fine, a sheet of checker plate works fine as a base:



Some allu ducting with collars gives a snug fit at the cardboard, and the cabinet to ensure  no smoke leakage:



Anyway hope this might help...............LilSmoker

[Toker]

thx a million man! i didnt take smoke house seize under consideration before asking such question thx for your patience

[iceman]

A picture is worth a thousand words LS. Thanks for taking the time to post them for all to see. ;) Nice.

[IKnowWood]

I got to find a good Allu duct like that one.  My old ratty white one is dead...  brown and falling apart. 

[Habanero Smoker]

LS;

That's a nice setup you have.