New here

[dewy]

Hi all, Im new to the boards and looking for a little guidance.About 2 years ago I was given a charcoal smoker and started learning the basics of smoking.Only problem was it was kind of a piece of junk, almost impossible to keep any heat up and it seemed like I was constantly having to open it up to add wood and charcoal that wouldnt stay lit.

Next I found an electric heating element for it, it worked slightly better as it stayed on but the temp in it was dangerously low at all times and I gave up on it after a few weeks because I didnt really trust it and the meat took uch longer to cook.

Then I went to the opposite extreme and created my own with the existing smoker and the base off my propane turkey fryer.It worked great with a few modifications but it was almost to hot, it took tons of wood to keep the smoke up even after soaking it and the water pan boiled dry quite frequently.While it made great meat if you werent paying attention it could dry out fast and it wasnt the safest thing in the world to use.


This winter I bought all the equipment to make my own sausages out of the deer I shoot and made about 60 lbs of delicous brats and sausages and probably 10 lbs of jerkey.I wanted to smoke some of it badly but due to the problems I already stated didnt want to chance screwing up a large quantity of meat Id spent days preparing.Ive spent the last 3 months looking at smokers and it keeps leading me back to the bradley.Im looking at the original bradley right now quite seriously but wanted to see how well everyone liked theres and ask a few questions.

I camp quite often, are they portable enough to haul around without a lot of hassle?

Are they as easy to use as they look like?I dont mind spending the money for the smoker and the wood disks but dont want to wind up with another 300$ headache I gotta check on every ten minutes.

How much meat can they hold?Generally I dont need to smoke a lot of meat for the family, a few racks of ribs or brisket now and then or a couple deer loins but as I said, Im starting to get into sausage making and would like to be able to do a larger quantity of meat on occasion.10 maybe 20 lbs at a time.

Hoping to get some feedback on this as Im wanting to purchase one before the weather warms up.

Thanks
Dewy

[LilSmoker]

Hi Dewy and welcome here, yes the Bradleys are very easy to use, sure like everything else there is a learning curve, and a little patience is needed until you become familiar with this way of smoking/cooking.

You can put 20lbs of meat in the Bradley and more np.
This forum has a lot's of experienced members who are only too willing to give help and advice, so you're already in the right place.

There are a few versions of the Brasley available, the original, the digital, and digital 6 rack for even more capacity, there's even a propane Bradley available (great for camping).
I have the original 4 rack, i love it to bits and would never go back to my old smoker, the Bradley will produce some real amazing food and is fun to use, so my advice to you is yes, get yourself a bradley, and don't be a stranger here ;)

Regards........LilSmoker

[NePaSmoKer]

Welcome Dewy

A Bradley smoker won't let you down whatever model you choose. Over the past 20 years I too went from this to that smoker until 2 years ago i found the Bradley. It has out perfromed my cookshack, little chief, offset and weber many times over. I have an original BS 4 rack and love it. I have smoked 4 butts at a time each weighing between 5/6 pnds. Jerky is done great in the BS and i do alot of it.

Plenty of nice folks here on the forum and a hell of alot of great tips and advice. Its like family.

Hope this helps some........ welcome again and enjoy  ;D

nepas

[SmokinScott]

Get the bradley its a great smoker and very easy to use.  I have the digital but if I were to do it over again I would just get the original because of having to reset the digital every 9 hours 40 mins. 

[dewy]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.I gueese I forgot my main question and the biggest problem Ive had so far with the others ;D

Does the temp in these stay relatively stable after they hit you desired temp?

Been reading some of the other posts, sure making me hungry :D

[Tiny Tim]

I have an Original and love it.  As long as you have power where you're going, it isn't any worse than travelling with a decent sized cooler, so that shouldn't be much of an issue.  Doesn't require any tending other than looking at a thermometer for meat temps and cabinet temps once in a while....I only check on mine about every hour when smoking...if my remote thermometer works (only tried it in the oven so far), I won't even have to check it that often.  Building a PID controller to set the temperature, since I like to set at a certain number instead of making a guess on a rheostat and make adjustments due to outside temps.  It stays fairly consistant, but I like to set at a number instead of a position.

So far, I've only used 1 rack in mine each time I smoked (2 the time I made jerky)...I'd rather smoke a small batch (+/- 5#) every week or two rather than 25# at once.

[acords]

I do quite a bit of sausage in mine.  Getting the 6 rack DBS may be a better way to go if you plan on hanging your sausage.  I have OBS and have had no problems with it, but the extra space would be nice.  Just my 2 cents

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum Dewy.  You will find a Bradley (regardless of which model) is the smart choice and this forum an even better choice.

[hillbillysmoker]

Welcome to the forum Dewy.  I agree...whatever BS you select will make you very happy.  The only thing that compares to the joy of owning a Bradley is the friendship shown by the Bradley owners on this forum. Their advice and friendship have helped me through many uncertain and confusing times.

[West Coast Kansan]

Welcome as well Dewy,  :) Yes they are easy.  I have said before it is like early retirement with regard to smoking. You will see some temp fluctuations in the Digital ... they are not as stable as the origional. As a DBS user I would say it is not meaningful over the time of most low and slow smokes but may be a problem with sausage. I don't do sausage often but noticed you did mention it... ;) recurring 7 degree overshoot may render fat if you push for 150+ setting. Welcome again  ;D

[Gizmo]

Welcome Dewy,
The folks here have pretty much said it all except on key point,
Bradley Customer service has been proven over and over again to be number one.  They stand behind their product and from the posts here, customer satisfaction is number one. 

Caution, You mentioned not needing to smoke very much for family.  Most here have found out that after Bradley, your family gets extended quite quickly. ;D  Make and they will eat it.

[Scotty-G]

Hey Dewey,
Welcome and happy smokin...
Everyone's summed it up nice.
Everytime I smoke something I get a new "convert" to the joys and tastes of smoked foods.

I've got the original bradley and I love it.  Accessories I've got are a PID contoller and wireless temp monitor.  I've been considering adding a fan.  Which ever model you pick read up on what mods forum members have made to give you some insite about the model you select.

Keep us posted on your experiences.

[coyote]

Welcome aboard Dewy, For the love of good smoked food and good people..This is THEE place to be.

                                                                            Good smokin' ,
                                                                                         Coyote

[dewy]

Thanks everyone, I ordered my smoker last night, went with the OBS.Should be warm enough to go outside and use it by te time it gets here I  hope ;D

[LilSmoker]

That's great news dewy!, now you can start planning your first Bradley smoke session, after you've seasoned it of course!  ;)