FAQ's

[Habanero Smoker]

I'm working on a FAQ's section for the recipe site that I believe will be located in "The New Bradley Owner" section. I would appreciate any help that you can provide me in gathering this list together.

If you have any ideas of what should be included, please post the questions (along with the answers) that should be included. I'm already working on Wildcat's suggestion of the potential fire hazard.

PS
If you haven't notice already Olds added a "Leftovers" section on the recipe site. So if you have any recipes that use leftover smoked meat, fish, vegetable or cheese please post them on the recipe site.

[FLBentRider]

Q - what are bubba pucks ?
A - Aka "spacer pucks" Aka "puck savers" - You put 3 of these on top of the puck stack to push the last puck into the bowl when finished. This prevents the puck from burning too long and making acrid smoke.

[FLBentRider]

Q - What are all these acronyms ?
A -

FTC - Foil Towel Cooler
A resting / staging method of wrapping the product in Foil, then and old Towel, and Place in a Cooler. This keeps the product hot and allows flexibility in serving times. Most plan to get the food done early, then use FTC to hold the product until serving time.

IT - Internal Temperature
Using a meat thermometer if the food is of the desired temperature.

[FLBentRider]

Q - How do I season my new Smoker ?

A - There should be seasoning steps in the manual - page 6 . If I recall, it should be:

1. Wash /  dry all the racks.
2. Plug in smoker, turn on smoke generator, push temp slider control halfway to the right.
2. Use 3 pucks to 6 pucks of your favorite wood (if you purchased the variety pack, I would go with "special blend) and a 1/2 full water bowl.
3. Press the puck advance button until the puck is on the end of the burner.
4. Open the Top Vent slightly.
5. Smoker should be @ 150 F until the pucks run out - 3 pucks per hour - 6 pucks = 2 hours or so.

[Habanero Smoker]

FLBentRider;

Thanks. You got us off to a great start.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

I have some ideas for it but I'm at work and swamped right now. Hopefully I'll have time to think them through and post on it tonight.

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

Mike;

Thanks. No rush. It will take a while to gather the information, and figure how to fromat it.

[love the smoke]

What are the general temp/times for different meats


Ribs   6 hrs/180-190 ???
Butts  12-14 hrs  220 ???
briskets 16-18 hrs 190 ???


LTS

[FLBentRider]

What are the general temp/times for different meats


Ribs   6 hrs/180-190 ???
Butts  12-14 hrs  220 ???
briskets 16-18 hrs 190 ???


LTS

I would hesitate to post times, especially for the butts and brisket. It depends on the size and amount of connective tissue in the meat. I have had the same size load of butts vary by six hours or more; and have 2 of 4 butts finish hours before the other 2.

Even the cooking and internal temps are up for debate, some pull a butt @ 170, others 190, etc....

[westexasmoker]

Yep I agree with ya on that one, it varies from smoke to smoke and the cut, I don't think I've ever had a brisket be the same from one smoke to the next.....I guess though some basic guidlines is a good plan!  And we better add that section about using mesquite!!  ;D

C

[FLBentRider]

Q - What internal temperature should I cook to ?

A- There are 2 answers:
1 - The Objective "Food safety" answer - the minimum temps for safe cooking
2 - The subjective "Tenderness" answer - for example taking a pork butt or beef brisket to 190

{I would like to build a consolidated chart similar to this one}

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/MeatTemperatureChart.htm

[Wildcat]

Perhaps something regarding vent opening so as not to damage generator.  Vent opening also has an impact on temp control.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

I really think this is a great idea. It will really be helpful for anybody needing help or just looking for maintenance tips, etc.

Here are a few. You can do what ever you want with them and anybody else can feel free to make any corrections. Some other ones I never got around to were regarding heat problems, I was thinking of a point form check list for anyone having problems.

I was also thinking there should be some form of a statement at the start of it indicating that if your Bradley is still under warranty, in most cases, they should make a call to Bradley regarding it.




My Digital Bradley Smoker (DBS) starts ok then beeps and displays an E1 error on the screen.

The E1 error is usually an issue with the TC wire (small wire between generator and tower). If you unplug and re-plug it a couple of times or even unplug and reverse it, it will usually help. I found that the problem only happened a couple of times. Once I had unplugged and re-plugged a couple of times it seemed to resolve it. It was almost like it had some rough cast plastic in the pin part of the connector or something.




My Digital Bradley Smoker (DBS)  won't turn on. (either the smoke generator or the main cabinet)

Once you have plugged it in, you have to turn on the tower heater on the right hand of the display and you have to turn on the smoke generator on the left hand side of the display. Some people have problems pushing the button/micro switch hard enough. Sometimes it's either not pushing hard enough or also having big fingers can be a problem because the pressure sensitive portion of the switch is in the very centre of the button.




My Original Bradley Smoker (OBS) has a crack in the plastic face plate that houses the temperature slider.

(Compliments of Habanero Smoker)
If you are referring to the plastic housing that houses the temperature control that is a common defect. If your smoker is new notify Bradley for a new housing.

One member believes that this is a design error, and the crack happens due to the stress cause by the weight of meat loaded in the cabinet. He suggested taking the stress off the front of the smoker. The best way is to raise the front of the smoker by about 1/4". Raise the cabinet at a point where the weight will be resting on the bottom of the smoker; behind the legs. Also raising it will help prevent moisture from leaking out of the bottom of the door, and possibly seeping into the area that houses the temperature circuit board. I did this after replacing mine, and haven't had a problem since.

In the mean time, you can seal it with a silicon sealer. I believe the one that DAP makes is safe for incidental food contact.




My Original Bradley Smoker (OBS) my puck advance button stuck completely on and is dumping pucks into the water bowl.

This compliments of Habanero Smoker
For a permanent solution I had to glue the top of push pin on the button. Lubricants and silicon sprays will work short term, but they are not an immediate fix. As mentioned above, if you don't have any fingernails, needle nose pliers will work. On my generator enough of the button protrudes that the pliers will grip it. But gluing on the push pin as a knob, you don't have to fumble around picking up the pliers.

This compliments of Iceman
I've run into this a few times up here and found the hole cut in the metal was to small causing the button to stick. I removed the button and filed the hole out a bit and that solved the problem. Just another thing to check out for the sticking problem.




What can I do to help my Bradley Smoker temperatures recover when opening the door to spritz or open the door to rotate racks?

One of the things you can do is to use a larger water container for catching the spent pucks such as a roaster pan or tin foil roaster pan. The added volume of water acts as a heat sink and will help to recover to your operating temperature quicker.

The other thing you can do is add a brick or two. The brick can be located right beside the water bowl. The brick also acts as a heat sink and will help to recover to your operating temperature quicker.




What parts should I clean on my Bradley Smoker?

Clean racks, water bowl, the V drip tray, and the bottom tray the water bowl sits on. Usually a soak in some hot soapy water will do it. I have used oven cleaner on the V-pan when it gets really bad. The other thing you want to wipe off is the door gasket and it's mating surface. I use a rag and soapy water wipe it down. If you don't wipe down the door gasket it may stick to the mating surface and over time, tear the gasket. After a number of smokes you will also notice a build up on the vent on top of the smoker. This can be cleaned by taking the screw out and wiping it down with denatured alcohol.



Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

Q - What internal temperature should I cook to ?

A- There are 2 answers:
1 - The Objective "Food safety" answer - the minimum temps for safe cooking
2 - The subjective "Tenderness" answer - for example taking a pork butt or beef brisket to 190

{I would like to build a consolidated chart similar to this one}

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/MeatTemperatureChart.htm

Good question to include. Thanks

I do have a two part article "When Is Meat Done" that will be posted on the recipe site; that has most if not all that the information. It also include a chart that has the USDA/FSIS recommended temperatures, and the more common temperatures used by most chef's. There is some information about tough cuts of meat, but I may expand on that in the future. I hope to have that posted soon.

[Habanero Smoker]

What are the general temp/times for different meats


Ribs   6 hrs/180-190 ???
Butts  12-14 hrs  220 ???
briskets 16-18 hrs 190 ???


LTS

LTS;

Good question. That question is often ask and should be apart of the FAQ's. The answer would be what FLBentRider, and westexasmoker had posted.

Thanks.