Obtaining a 500 watt heater element for the OBS in Toronto.

[Smokey the Bear.]

Well next time you go into Canadian Tire complain to the store manager and I will as well. I will even get my wife to call into the manager and complain as well. As you know the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Good luck on your smoking today and remember to keep well hydrated during the long process. ;)

Have you considered doing the modifications to the smoker such as adding another element or using a PID. I am going to call about getting another heater element since i really wanted to be able to smoke on most days not only the days such as today. I could have really used the temp upgrade yesterday.

[Carter]

Sounds like a plan.  There's a little brown hydration bottle with my name on it right now actually.  Maybe even a couple.

Speak to you in the future I'm sure.  Time to enjoy the day.

Carter

[Mr Walleye]

Smokey

Habs and myself are just working on the write up for the additional heater mod. Once it's complete it will be posted on the recipe site. We should be done with it fairly soon, just going over shopping lists, tools requires, and a few other final details.

Mike

[Smokey the Bear.]

Excellent, it has been 3 hours since i started smoking and the temps on the smoker are about 230 deg F. Much better results today for sure, but an additional heater element is a plus any way you look at it. I will be watching for the write-up. Thanks.

[Gizmo]

Smokey,
I didn't notice a reply to the question if the heating element was glowing red?
Your temperatures could have been just from the smoke generator. 
If the heating element is not glowing red, check you power connections.  Unplug and replug several times to ensure there is a good tight connection.
If the heating element is glowing red, remove the v-tray with the rest of the unit empty and see how quickly the box temperature raises up to over 250 deg.  If it raises quickly, try opening the vent slots in the V-tray.

[sdg]

Hi All

Decided to reply on this thread because of the "Toronto" discussion.  I have a two-day-new OBS and live in Mississauga (right next door to Toronto for those out of town).

Seasoned for a couple hours yesterday, in the wind, in a partially door-down garage, and did Ribs today in the much nicer weather.

They were just 'ok', lots to learn and read through on this forum.

Couple of quick questions - perhaps off topic given the heater element discussion.

1) didn't notice to afterwards that my "bowl" had gone dry.  Is this common ?  Is this a problem  (other than the mess of the burned pucks)

2) I had to have the heat fairly high to get holding 210 F on the door gauge.  Then after 4.25 hours the ribs were barely done (with instant-read) but somewhat dry.  Specific pointers or if there is a good thread to read, please point me to it.

3) How often do you open the door during your smoking of something like ribs.  I only peeked once during, at about the 2hr mark.

The experiment was edible, and will only lead to more...   :)

sdg

[Mr Walleye]

Hi All

Decided to reply on this thread because of the "Toronto" discussion.  I have a two-day-new OBS and live in Mississauga (right next door to Toronto for those out of town).

Seasoned for a couple hours yesterday, in the wind, in a partially door-down garage, and did Ribs today in the much nicer weather.

They were just 'ok', lots to learn and read through on this forum.

Couple of quick questions - perhaps off topic given the heater element discussion.

1) didn't notice to afterwards that my "bowl" had gone dry.  Is this common ?  Is this a problem  (other than the mess of the burned pucks)

2) I had to have the heat fairly high to get holding 210 F on the door gauge.  Then after 4.25 hours the ribs were barely done (with instant-read) but somewhat dry.  Specific pointers or if there is a good thread to read, please point me to it.

3) How often do you open the door during your smoking of something like ribs.  I only peeked once during, at about the 2hr mark.

The experiment was edible, and will only lead to more...   :)

sdg

Hi SDG and welcome to the forum.

I'll try to answer your questions...

1) You do want to keep water in your water bowl. The pucks get extinguished when they drop into it. You also have to remember the V-pan drips any grease dropping off the meat into this bowl as well. You don't want the grease dripping onto hot live coals as this can cause a fire. When I do a long smoke such as a butt I will typically apply 4 hours of smoke, once the smoke portion of the cook is complete I will empty the water bowl and refill it with hot water. This next bowl of water will typically last the rest of the cook because the grease will form a thin layer on the top of the water in the bowl which slows down the evaporation.

2) The door thermometer is not that accurate. Most of the members here use a thermometer like the Maverick ET73. It's a dual probe thermometer (one for your meat and one for reading the tower temp) and has a remote that can be used at a distance to monitor you temps.

3) As few times as possible. "If your lookin' ya ain't cookin'"!  ;D


Everybody's definition of "tender" ribs is slightly different. I like mine pretty tender.

I usually cut each rack of back ribs in half and remove the membrane the night before. Next I give them a rub with olive oil, then hit them with the rub, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge till the next day. The next day I usually spray my racks with Pam and put the ribs on bone side down. I usually apply smoke for 3 hours at 220 degrees, then let them go 1 more hour without smoke at 220 degrees (total of 4 hours). Next I put the ribs in a tin foil roster pan with a shot of apple juice and cover with foil. I throw them back into the smoker at 220 degrees for 3 more hours (this part can be done in the oven as well). Next I take them out of the foil and fire them on the grill just long enough to sauce them. Next.... fill your face! 

Like I said everybody's idea of tender is different. You may also want to rotate racks, top to bottom and front to back, once during the half way through the first 4 hours and also once halfway through the 3 hours in the foil. The lower rack in the cabinet may cook a little faster.


Mike

[Smokey the Bear.]

To answer your question Gizmo, yes the main heater was glowing red. In order to get the temperatures (on sunday  and Saturday ) i had the heater control on max for the whole time. I cooked the pork shoulder for a total of 9 hours, it tasted great as i was pulling it. Tonight i will bag it and freeze the portions in ziploc bags for tasty lunches. I also made a great barbecue sauce and the beans turned out great as well. I was surprised but my wife actually had a sample of everything,she loved the beans so much we had them for dinner with toast.

[Carter]

Hi SDG,

Welcome to the forum.  Nice to see another Toronto/GTA member.

I've had my OBS since April 2007 and love it.  This forum site is really what makes the Bradley shine.

Ribs are trickey, but I keep this thread saved in my favourites for just such an occassion.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6529.0;topicseen.

I think it's a must read for Bradley Ribs.

Carter

[lumpy]

Hey GTA guys,
Lumpy here from Kitchener!

I'm waiting for Mr. walleye to come out with his tutorial about modifying the Bradley to add an additional heater, or even bump it up.
I also have found that the current element is slow and underpowered for our cold climates, especially if you fill it with room temperature meat.

In waiting........
Lumpy

[Habanero Smoker]

Hey GTA guys,
Lumpy here from Kitchener!

I'm waiting for Mr. walleye to come out with his tutorial about modifying the Bradley to add an additional heater, or even bump it up.
I also have found that the current element is slow and underpowered for our cold climates, especially if you fill it with room temperature meat.

In waiting........
Lumpy

The tutorial will be posted soon. I haven't done my mod yet. The couple of appliance repair places I've tried were unwilling to sell me high temperature wire, and connectors. Maybe they are concerned about liability. There are a few more places, so I should be able to purchase some locally.

[Carter]

Hi Lump.

Just a short drive down the 401.  Both my brother and I went to Laurier actually so are very familiar with the area.

Maker a Laker.

Carter

[carnie1]

Hey GTA guys,
Lumpy here from Kitchener!

I'm waiting for Mr. walleye to come out with his tutorial about modifying the Bradley to add an additional heater, or even bump it up.
I also have found that the current element is slow and underpowered for our cold climates, especially if you fill it with room temperature meat.

In waiting........
Lumpy

The tutorial will be posted soon. I haven't done my mod yet. The couple of appliance repair places I've tried were unwilling to sell me high temperature wire, and connectors. Maybe they are concerned about liability. There are a few more places, so I should be able to purchase some locally.

Hab, most electric supply houses should be able to supply hi temp wire, or if you have any old quartz light fixtures you can steal the wire out of them if they are junk, also you might try here as they sell a lot of appliance parts  johnstonesupply.com

[Habanero Smoker]

Carnie;

Thanks for the leads and information. I wish I still had my old quartz light fixture.

I still haven't exhausted all the possible places in my area. I'm also thinking as a last resort, I will go to a salvage yard, and ask the owner if I can take apart an electric stove or oven to get the wire. But just in case I bookmarked the link you provided.

John Stone Supply

[Smokey the Bear.]

Go for a drive and see if anyone is throwing out an old stove, go to an electronics surplus store.