A few questions as I wait for the BS to arrive.

[Brisket Lover]

Hello, my names Dan.  I've been reading for about a month.  I used to live in TX and had a great neighbor that would smoke meat all the time.  When I visited him last month we smoked a brisket that was just awesome.  The problem is you can't find good BBQ, specifically brisket where I now live, MD. 

My newly engaged bride to be decided to get me a smoker for Christmas and found out about the BS from reviews on Amazon which led to here.  This has to be the best Christmas present I have ever received since I was a child. I have a few questions.

1. I have a wood deck and a patio underneath the deck.  The deck would be more convenient, but is this a fire hazard?  I would hate to leave it to smoke overnight if there is a chance of a fire. I will have to smoke in the driveway at first because I don't have electric on the deck yet, and now know not to use extension cords.

2. What is a good wireless thermometer? I would like to not open the door as much as possible so I figure I need one of these.

3. Is there a guide to which bisquettes go with what kind of meat?  I know I like pecan, but apple and cherry have peaked my interest.  I know it is a personal preference but looking for a bit of guidance for when I do my first smoke. 

4. Is it possible to hot smoke with temperatures in the mid 30's to 40's and windy?

5. If I wanted to place the smoker in an attached garage would I just have to run a duct or pipe out of the roof?  I see some people have used fans in there mods. I have a man door in the garage that leads outside but no windows.  It is not a finished garage, and does have ridge vents, but I can't imagine it would be good to just let the smoke go into the garage without any air circulation.

I can't wait to do my first smoke and use the advice and recipes from this great forum.

Thank you,

Dan

[firerescueman]

Hey Dan and welcome to the forums!


Congratulations on your new smoker!   You will learn alot from these guys if you just stick around......

As far as types of wood goes,  it is really a personal preference.  You will develop a taste for what you like through trial and error,  but typically you will use the fruity woods on meats such as poultry,  fish,  etc.......   The hardwoods such as hickory,  oak,  pecan,  etc... are more commonly used for pork and beef.  And there is one lonely guy from Texas who has smoked a little too much of "something" and will try to convince you that there is only one type of wood for smoking everything.......  (mesquite,  perhaps?)


You should be fine using the bradley on you deck.  The outside of the unit doesn't really get that hot.  You SHOULD KNOW,  HOWEVER,  that the Bradley is very safe to use but it is still like any other appliance and should be treated with care.  Under the right circumstances,  you CAN have a fire in the box.  This is rare,  but proper installation of the "V" tray and regularly changing the water on those long smokes can go a long way in preventing a fire.  I would NEVER operate the unit on a cheap extension cord!


Just browse the forums and be sure to check out the recipe site!  You will learn alot here!


Good luck and let us know how your first smoke goes!


Jeff

[Brisket Lover]

Thank you, reading this thread has made me re-think the overnight smoke idea I was having.  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7516.0

[Gizmo]

1.  As with any cooking appliance, improper use or accidental mis-use can have adverse affects.  As you can gather from that thread, there have been a couple close calls but some good practices should keep you in the safe zone.  There are several here that have thiers mounted in the garage. 
Place the V tray in correctly and the slots properly maintained, keep the unit fairly level, keep the water bowl filled with water, use the vent correctly (at least 1/4 open), and those will drastically reduce the change of a fire.
Keeping the unit level, or slighly tilted to toward the back will keep any moisture in the bottom of the unit from running out the front.

2.    Here is a post on the recipe site for wood:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=26

3.  Many use the Maverick Redi Check ET 73, but there are many more out there.

4.  Yes it is possible to hot smoke in the 30s.  This is not from experienced but there are many here who get the job done in sub zero.  You can also finish in the oven as you will not be rolling smoke during the entire cooking process.  I usually only use the bradley for up to 4 hours then off to the oven or grill for the finish I desire.

5.  No experience here either but from reading the posts of those who have, you should have no problem but the fan could help draw smoke out, have to be carefull to not pull the smoke out of the bradley reducing its effectiveness.  I would not allow the smoke to vent into the garage without some kind of vent pulling it out unless you like everthing to have that wonderful aroma but then too much of that can be a bit much even for a die hard smoker.
:D

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Dan;

Welcome to the forum.

Just to add to the excellent advice you already received. Smoking/cooking in the 30's is not problem, but combined that with wind, and you may not get up to your targeted cabinet temperature.

Here is a link to Bradley Smoker FAQ's

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum brisket_lover!

I see Habs has pointed you to the FAQ's, the others have you hooked up with good info. Although I have mine on an extention cord, I have not had any problems.

[IKnowWood]

As a fellow MD owner I must say the winds are your challenge.  On the Eastern-Shore the winds are a constant, other than in Summer when it gets sweltering.  But the advice thus far is correct.  I ended up moving into the Garage with a Range Hood, but that does not take all the smoke out.  I will either open the Garage door, back door.  Or when its cold and doing long night smoke, Open another window with a fan and push the remaining smoke out.  It still gets a bit smoky but its all good.  Just don't store furniture in there.  As my boss on Kent Island found out the hard way.

The ET-73 is fine.  I end up using just about any Wireless one now, I got a Temp Controller I build from the Love TS controller that maintains cabinet for me sufficiently.  Course I made three of them thus far.  One to Boss, one that bit the dust during a power accident, and the new one that is on a surge protector and re-wired better.

Woods you use will be a learning and tasting process for you.  I personally use Pecan most of the time, except for some Beef items, then is the unspeakable but tasty wood. 

As temps go, with wind in control I can handle smoking anytime.  Cold enough for cheese and bacon spicing soon.

Good luck.

-Johnny

[beefmann]

hi Dan and welcome to the forum.ve thw.. the others have you hooked up and you will enjoy your bradley smoker... just let the smoker do the work and  if you have questions .. please ask someone will have the awnser or will point you  in the right  direction.


good luck

beefmann

[Brisket Lover]

Wow, thanks for all of the replies.  After further reading this morning it looks like a food saver would be a good investment. Time to see if I can find a good deal on one, or a used one.

[deb415611]

Brisket_lover

I had an email from foodsaver today  foodsaver.com  25% off & free shipping using code X8FEAAA.   I won't be using it, not sure if it's good for more than one use or not.  You might want to start looking there.  It's good for orders until Dec 18 12pm est

I use my foodsaver all the time. 


Deb

[Smoking Duck]

If you can afford the V3840 or V3440, I highly recommend it.  Easy to use and save a lot of counter space.

Here's a link to the models I'm referring to:

http://www.foodsaver.com/Category.aspx?id=c&cid=87

Truly though, any of the vac sealers will do the job you need it to.  I love mine and would never want to be without one again.

SD

[Brisket Lover]

Brisket_lover

I had an email from foodsaver today  foodsaver.com  25% off & free shipping using code X8FEAAA.   I won't be using it, not sure if it's good for more than one use or not.  You might want to start looking there.  It's good for orders until Dec 18 12pm est

I use my foodsaver all the time. 


Deb

Thank you

If you can afford the V3840 or V3440, I highly recommend it.  Easy to use and save a lot of counter space.

Here's a link to the models I'm referring to:

http://www.foodsaver.com/Category.aspx?id=c&cid=87

Truly though, any of the vac sealers will do the job you need it to.  I love mine and would never want to be without one again.

SD

Is food saver the only brand?

[Smokin Soon]

Costco in this area has the new model now. $149.95

[Scotty-G]

Hey Brisket_Lover,
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of smoking with a bradley.

Thank you, reading this thread has made me re-think the overnight smoke idea I was having.  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7516.0

Just to let you know, with some common sense, little prep cleaning before hand and a PID Controller, you could do overnight smokes quite easily.  I've done several that I start at 9 - 10pm and by late day the next day, have a great brisket or pork shoulder ready to FTC for 2 hrs until dinner time.  Granted I am smoking 2 full briskets at a time.

Good luck and enjoy your OBS

Scotty-G
(A Former Marylander)

[Brisket Lover]

Just to let you know, with some common sense, little prep cleaning before hand and a PID Controller, you could do overnight smokes quite easily. 

Good luck and enjoy your OBS

Scotty-G
(A Former Marylander)

Hey thanks!

Like most I am at work right now, but I keep sneaking in to read a bit.  Is there someplace that talks about PIDs a little more that you could point me to?  I think I understand it as a controller for temperature, but I don't know exactly what or how it does it.