hello all
just wanted to update all of you on the heater mod and how it preformed with 17 lbs of ham.
startes at 7:00 am with a 2 1/2 hour maple smoke.. from 9 30 till 4: 15 pm cooking at 190' f cook till the ham reached a 185 IT during the cook there was a small bread loaf tray infront of the blower half full of orange soda as the cooking went on the juices from the ham also filled the pan.
as for the design a major plus though a drip deflector slanted upwards from the heatrer is a must. if you use a 12 by 18 inch piece of steel just cut where the heater is to the front of the housing and bend it up at an angle while aiming the heat towards the back of the BS and it would have been perfect.
everyone might also consider a 500 or 750 watt finned heater the fins do aide a lot in maintaing the heat. also the main part of the heat starts at the far end of the heating element away from the electrical connections. design your accordingly. mine was not flawless however this mod has been a big improvement over the orginal heater in the bradley smoker with a very constant heat in the smoker as well as getting the heat to the desired tempture even with a cooler start and meat at a cooler temp.
