New User - General Questions

Mardi · November 23, 2004, 07:18:50 PM

Hi All:

Today I am setting up my new Bradley. I have read a lot on these forums, but I do have some questions.

One of the reasons why I purchased a Bradley was because I didn't want to have to babysit my smoker. I own a Kamado and it makes wonderful barbecue. But, it takes a lot of babysitting. I didn't like to cook anything that would need to cook overnight because I didn't want to have to get up every 3 hours to check to see that the temperature was accurate or that the fire was not going out.

So, now I am reading on these forums that the Bradley is not very good at maintaining an accurate temperature (hence the need for a guru). I really don't want to invest another $250 into this project so I am hoping that I can actually cook something like pulled pork, overnight, without having to get up and check on things.

So, my first question is...can you go to bed and have faith that the Bradley will stay within a temperature range where you are not facing possible overcooking or possible spoilage because the temperature dropped too low?

Is it possible to cook good barbecue without having an add-on like the guru?

And, my last question is...does anyone have experience with making Chipotle's on the Bradley. That is actually the other reason why I purchased the Bradley. I was making Chipotle's on a Little Chief and it died. I was looking to replace it when I ran into the Bradley. Is the Bradley going to be able to maintain a low enough temperature to smoke the chiles without cooking them?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Mardi

BigSmoker · November 23, 2004, 07:42:45 PM

Mardi,
Welcome aboard. Is your Kamado one of those tiled monsters?
I think you will find your Bradley to be a great hot and cold smoker.
I have overnight smoked brisket and pork butt with fantastic results. I have never had any real problem keeping the temp steady in my Bradley. You will take a hit in cabinet temp after you first put your food in but once the temp has recovered you should feel confident that the temp will stay there. Just make sure your stable with your temp before you go to bed. I would recommend using a Polder or Maverick thermometer with dual probes one probe for the product and one for cabinet temp just so you don't get any surprises. Lots of people use the one with the remote alarm or an old set of baby monitors work too.
For cold smoking you will need to open the top vent all the way.
Unplug the cabinet from the smoke generator(the bulb will generate a small amount of heat even when the slider is all the way to the left)and use ice in the water bowl that catches the pucks. If that still isn't cool enough you can either use more ice on the shelves or detach the smoke generator and by using a cardboard box and a flexible dryer type metal vent hose actually pipe the smoke back into the cabinet. HTH. What are you doing with the peppers?

P.S. I have loaded my Egg with lump and let her crank at 225°-250° for 18+ hours. Just takes some gettin' used to. I do use a Guru on the ceramic cooker now just because I like toys and will be ordering the raptor attachment at some point[:D]

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

Mardi · November 23, 2004, 07:54:10 PM

I use my Chipotles for just about everything. I love them in salsas, sauces and even soups. I always smoke them until they are just starting to get hard, then I freeze them. I like them much better if I leave them a little soft than if I cook them until they are dry.

I was never able to get my Kamado (yes, that tiled monster) to maintain a steady heat without babysitting it. I had one of the older models that had a problem with the bands not staying tight. I still use it to grill and bake roasts. But, I think I'm going to do most of my smoking on the Bradley. My first cook is going to be a 10 pound turkey and two cornish game hens.

BigSmoker · November 23, 2004, 08:20:09 PM

Mardi,
I think you will be pleased by the results of the Bradley. Once the smoke starts it is constant. No waiting for the next chunk in the charcoal to start to burn. I have cold smoked cheese by just using some trays of ice. If you really want to keep it cool you could find some trays that fit where the racks go. You could load the trays full of ice and put the racks on top of the trays. What type of wood do you use for smoking the jalapenos?

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

Ian · November 23, 2004, 11:40:53 PM

Good evening Mardi: Funny you should be asking about chipotles, just finished up the last of mine right at the end of October, I really liked doing them in the Bradley verses the Weber Bullet although I did reference their website (http://virtualweberbullet.com/index.html)
Anyhow used the top three racks, just laid them out so they weren't touching to badly, ran the top vent wide open or next to it, this would depend on what temperature you are working at, keep in mind there will be alot of moisture and run it at about 160 for 7 hours or so or when done to your liking. I give it 4 hours of cherry and I found our end product to be quite sweet with that ending bite in the back of the throat, I hope this helps you out[8D]

Ian (GO STEELERS!!!)

Ian · November 23, 2004, 11:46:45 PM

P.S. Mardi, I forgot to mention to rotate the racks atleast twice during the 7 hours, anyhow cheers, Ian

Oldman · November 24, 2004, 12:13:59 AM

I've done many "roasted" peppers and never a problem with baby sitting so your chipotles will not be a problem.

Next up to this point I have not used anything fancy aka a guru. I found that once the heat in the box is stable when the food is in it that there is no need to baby-sit it. Of course you have to be somewhat knowledgeable about cooking/ smoking times. For example if you want a prime rib done rare or a 15 pound fresh/cured ham done and are cluelesss as to the timeline then you need to baby sit and get an education. If this is the case it is not a Bradley short-coming.

Welcome to the boards.
Olds

http://rminor.com

BigSmoker · November 24, 2004, 12:30:44 AM

I bought a kit to make homemade bologna and the first step to cooking at 120°f for 1 hour. I plugged up the Bradley smoke generator only and cabinet pegged at 145°f for more than an hour. Outside temp tonight is rainy and about 62°f. I put one pie pan of ice(just the bottom of the pan covered) on the 3rd shelf down with the bologna on the second shelf down and temp is stable at around the 120°f mark. I don't know at what temp you smoke the peppers but maybe this gives a little insight. I bet if you smoked them until the point that they were still soft enough to slice you could make some killer ABT's with them[:D].

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

nsxbill · November 24, 2004, 01:16:29 AM

Prior to getting the GURU RAPTOR combo, I was able to get the Bradley at temp and pretty stable after the initial warm up. It wasn't trouble free, and I worried about it and checked the temp a lot. Don't worry about that any longer with the GURU. With a kumodo and a fan assembly you could use the GURU on either smoker...BS has to have a Raptor. Drop some hints if you have someone looking to find that special gift for Christmas! The Guru, to me, is priceless and a necessity.

Bill

Mardi · November 24, 2004, 08:11:38 PM

"What type of wood do you use for smoking the jalapenos?"

I use fruit woods for the chipotle's. I like the sweet hint in the smoke.

Thanks all for your hints and advice. I am now doing the "break-in". I will be doing a Turkey next Sunday for my non-traditional turkey feast with friends. I may not have my dual probe thermometer by that time so I think I might just smoke it for some time in the Bradley and finish cooking it in the oven so that I can keep an eye on the doneness. Has anyone done that...starting a turkey in the Bradley and finishing in the oven? Several times I finished pulled pork in the oven when I was using my Kamado. That way I didn't have to worry about the fire going out over night.

MallardWacker · November 24, 2004, 09:45:28 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mardi
 "What type of wood do you use for smoking the jalapenos?"
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Personally I like Hickory, BUT~~ I don't like hickory for much anything else. Pecan would hold a very close second. I started using Pecan and Maple and I have been spoiled with those two woods. However I will be sending caution to the wind this Thanksgiving, I will be using Apple on my two briskets.(4 hours worth) Have a great Holiday.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

BigSmoker · November 24, 2004, 10:18:03 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mardi
Has anyone done that...starting a turkey in the Bradley and finishing in the oven?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I haven't done that but I'm sure it wouldn't be any problem[:)].

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

Mardi · November 25, 2004, 12:22:53 AM

Ok, either I am doing something wrong or there is something wrong with my Bradley. I loaded 3 biscuits into the hopper, advanced so that one was sitting on the heat unit and started things going. An hour later the first biscuit was ash and the second was half burned, but nothing had moved. Then I advanced the next biscuit and added a "home made" puck (a biscuit wrapped in foil) to the end thinking that would push things along. In the end I had two fully burned biscuits still sitting on the tray thingie and the "puck". Nothing ever moved. Am I doing something wrong or does it sound like my burner unit thingie is defective?

BigSmoker · November 25, 2004, 01:14:34 AM

Mardi,
If I'm understanding right you only used three pucks. If this is correct there were no puck following them to push one off and load the next one. You always need two extra(i.e. bubba pucks) to keep the process going. HTH.

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

Sam Cade · November 26, 2004, 04:04:00 PM

Mardi/Ian,

In regards to your comments on chipolte peppers. Need the following clarification. Last night I smoked to trays of sliced, seeds removed, jalepeno peppers. Cold smoked for about 7 hours using pecan.

They came out slightly brown, firm but soft...plan on freezing and using in salsas, beans, sauces, etc. Would believe its not terribly important to remove the skin. Again, lots of effort to do so...in addition most of what I make will be pureed into a sauce....

Most internet sites talk about their preference using dried vs canned. Would think in this situation...will still get the exotic and smoky flavour with my method and use.
Regards,Sam[^]

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