My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

I've been BBQing for years. I started out minding the fire for making
the coals for a large open pit BBQ under a shed. "Put a couple of
shovels full right there, lad." Every other Saturday, all spring and
summer, our closest neighbors (half mile away) had a "Musical".
Friends, relatives, and musicians came from miles around to eat, play,
and nip at the shine, and dance a few Jigs.

60 years on, I still have to have my BBQ'd ribs and brisket, with an
occasional pork butt thrown in.

I'm in the market for a simple to use BBQ setup that I can take on the
road. I've retired and I travel in a 5th wheel for months at a time.
I have just spent some time on Goggle groups researching past posts
here on the pros and cons of a Bradley Smoker, which seems to fit my
criteria for an easy to use, portable BBQ unit that will be used a
couple of times a month.

After all my research there are some questions that I haven't been
able to answer satisfactorily.

1) Aluminum Pucks? Obviously I'm missing something here. I don't
seem to understand how the feed mechanism works. Why do you waste 2
pucks each use?

2) As I understand it, even though it is a digital controller, it is
still basically an on/off setup with no PID control. When it reaches
the set point it kills power and then after a temperature drop of
several degrees it turns on again?

3) If this is the case, what kind of fluctuations are we talking
about?

4) Is the Digital model's temperature controlled better than the
Original?

5) Is temperature control in the original a problem?

And finally,

6) Anything I should know about that I haven't asked before I pick up
one of these units?

Thanks, in advance.
Jerry Osage

wrote:
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

Jerry, personally I'd consider the Weber Smokey Mountain -- WSM -- (
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ ) coupled with the BBQ Guru
(http://www.thebbqguru.com/). That combination will give you absolute
temperature control and you won't be stuck with "pucks"; you'll be able to
use any fuel you want to use: wood chunks, wood chips, briquettes, lump
charcoal, burnt-down wood coals. The BBQ Guru is wonderful. I recently
acquired one for my Kamado, and it made a good pit even more "set-N-forget"
than it already was. The BBQ Guru has a setup for the WSM.

You could also look at the home owner Cookhack line
(http://store.cookshack.com/c-64-cookshack.aspx). Again, you are not
dependent on proprietary wood "pucks". They are heavier and more expensive,
but are just as easy to use as a Bradley.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Dave Bugg" wrote in message
news:zCnVj.73$jk1.8@trndny05...
wrote:
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

Jerry, personally I'd consider the Weber Smokey Mountain -- WSM -- (
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ ) coupled with the BBQ Guru
(http://www.thebbqguru.com/). That combination will give you absolute
temperature control and you won't be stuck with "pucks"; you'll be able to
use any fuel you want to use: wood chunks, wood chips, briquettes, lump
charcoal, burnt-down wood coals. The BBQ Guru is wonderful. I recently
acquired one for my Kamado, and it made a good pit even more
"set-N-forget" than it already was. The BBQ Guru has a setup for the WSM.

You could also look at the home owner Cookhack line
(http://store.cookshack.com/c-64-cookshack.aspx). Again, you are not
dependent on proprietary wood "pucks". They are heavier and more
expensive, but are just as easy to use as a Bradley.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

I think, given his travel circumstances Jerry pretty much has to use an
electric smoker.

Kent

Kent wrote:

I think, given his travel circumstances Jerry pretty much has to use
an electric smoker.

I don't see that.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Dave Bugg" wrote:
Kent wrote:

I think, given his travel circumstances Jerry pretty much has to use
an electric smoker.

I don't see that.

Kent has a very long extension cord and high speed reel.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War. They
are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not
forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

"Dave Bugg" wrote in message
news:YAtVj.93$jk1.73@trndny05...
Kent wrote:

I think, given his travel circumstances Jerry pretty much has to use
an electric smoker.

I don't see that.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Dave, when you're a pre-geezer, 60 and above, and traveling in a 5th wheeler
you don't want to cart along a WSM, charcoal, and wood, and starter to use
twice a month. You can, in most parks, get an electrical outlet.

Kent

Kent wrote:
"Dave Bugg" wrote in message
news:YAtVj.93$jk1.73@trndny05...
Kent wrote:

I think, given his travel circumstances Jerry pretty much has to use
an electric smoker.

I don't see that.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Dave, when you're a pre-geezer, 60 and above, and traveling in a 5th
wheeler you don't want to cart along a WSM, charcoal, and wood, and
starter to use twice a month. You can, in most parks, get an
electrical outlet.

That's pretty presumptive and a broad characterization. As someone who is 55
and have spent a lot of time traveling, I don't see the WSM as all that much
of hassle.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

On Sat, 10 May 2008 20:31:27 GMT, "Dave Bugg"
wrote:

wrote:
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

Jerry, personally I'd consider the Weber Smokey Mountain -- WSM -- (
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ ) coupled with the BBQ Guru
(http://www.thebbqguru.com/). That combination will give you absolute
temperature control and you won't be stuck with "pucks"; you'll be able to
use any fuel you want to use: wood chunks, wood chips, briquettes, lump
charcoal, burnt-down wood coals. The BBQ Guru is wonderful. I recently
acquired one for my Kamado, and it made a good pit even more "set-N-forget"
than it already was. The BBQ Guru has a setup for the WSM.


Thanks, Dave.

I have been considering a WSM. A plus for the WSM is that I don't
need electricity for heat. And the small amount of electricity for the
BBQ Guru is well within the capability of my batteries and converter
to supply.

Tell me a little more about the BBQ Guru. If I understand it right, a
small fan is mounted to a bottom vent and its variable speed controls
the draft and therefore the temperature. I assume that the smallest
(4cfm) fan unit and a WSM adapter would be what I need.

How long should I be able to leave the WSM with a BBQ Guru unattended?
Thanks,
Jerry O.

wrote:
On Sat, 10 May 2008 20:31:27 GMT, "Dave Bugg"
wrote:

wrote:
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good
information passed around here. And some interesting recipes too.
Thanks.

Jerry, personally I'd consider the Weber Smokey Mountain -- WSM -- (
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ ) coupled with the BBQ Guru
(http://www.thebbqguru.com/). That combination will give you absolute
temperature control and you won't be stuck with "pucks"; you'll be
able to use any fuel you want to use: wood chunks, wood chips,
briquettes, lump charcoal, burnt-down wood coals. The BBQ Guru is
wonderful. I recently acquired one for my Kamado, and it made a good
pit even more "set-N-forget" than it already was. The BBQ Guru has a
setup for the WSM.


Thanks, Dave.

I have been considering a WSM. A plus for the WSM is that I don't
need electricity for heat. And the small amount of electricity for the
BBQ Guru is well within the capability of my batteries and converter
to supply.

Absolutely.

Tell me a little more about the BBQ Guru. If I understand it right, a
small fan is mounted to a bottom vent and its variable speed controls
the draft and therefore the temperature. I assume that the smallest
(4cfm) fan unit and a WSM adapter would be what I need.

That's basically it. I'm not sure which fan would be ideal, but I'm guessing
that it would be the 4 cfm unit. I use the 10 CFM with my Kamado. Also, you
can fine tune the amount of airlow with the fan damper, which is a small
sliding door that can close off the vent. It is useful when you want to kill
a fire after cooking.

How long should I be able to leave the WSM with a BBQ Guru unattended?

With the Kamado, I have easily gone 18 hours. With the WSM, using the minion
method of fuel stacking, you should get 9 to 12 hours. Of course, it may
take a bit of practice to determine what works best.

Thanks,

Glad to help.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

wrote in message
...
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

I've been BBQing for years. I started out minding the fire for making
the coals for a large open pit BBQ under a shed. "Put a couple of
shovels full right there, lad." Every other Saturday, all spring and
summer, our closest neighbors (half mile away) had a "Musical".
Friends, relatives, and musicians came from miles around to eat, play,
and nip at the shine, and dance a few Jigs.

60 years on, I still have to have my BBQ'd ribs and brisket, with an
occasional pork butt thrown in.

I'm in the market for a simple to use BBQ setup that I can take on the
road. I've retired and I travel in a 5th wheel for months at a time.
I have just spent some time on Goggle groups researching past posts
here on the pros and cons of a Bradley Smoker, which seems to fit my
criteria for an easy to use, portable BBQ unit that will be used a
couple of times a month.

After all my research there are some questions that I haven't been
able to answer satisfactorily.

1) Aluminum Pucks? Obviously I'm missing something here. I don't
seem to understand how the feed mechanism works. Why do you waste 2
pucks each use?

In a nutshell; the puck burner plate is several puck widths away from the
puck feed tube. The way the puck advance mechanism works, the pucks push
each other. One by one, the wood pucks drop down the feed tube, and then
are pushed forward by a small mechanism that is timed at 20 minute
intervals. The first puck is dropped down, then pushed forward, then
another puck drops down and again is pushed forward, and so on. It takes
several pucks feeding through in order to push the pucks out onto the burn
plate. Once the supply of pucks is exhausted, the puck advance mechanism
continues to advance every 20 minutes, but if there are no pucks to push,
the whole process stops. Because the feed tube is several puck widths away
from the burner, when the supply of pucks is gone, the last couple pucks
don't actually make it to the burner plate because there are no pucks left
to push them. They remain next to the burner plate where they get hot
enough to smolder a bit and are wasted. Say you want to smoke something
for 2 hours, if you were to only load in 6 pucks (each one burns 20 minutes)
you would actually only get 1 hr and 20 minutes of smoke because the last
two pucks wouldn't ever make it to the burn plate. Instead they would
remain next to the burn plate and would partially smolder and be wasted. So
the way the Bradley is currently configured, if you want to smoke for 2
hours, you really have to load in 8 wood pucks, one or two of which would be
simply be wasted in the process. This is where the aluminum pucks come in
handy and save you pucks. You load three of them on top of your last wood
pucks, they then feed through pushing all the wood pucks through. When all
the wood pucks are burned, only the aluminum pucks remain on and next to the
burner. No half burned wasted wood pucks. This makes sure all the wood
pucks are burned completely and then extinguished into the water bowl as
intended. It prevents you from having to load extra wood pucks which would
just get wasted.


2) As I understand it, even though it is a digital controller, it is
still basically an on/off setup with no PID control. When it reaches
the set point it kills power and then after a temperature drop of
several degrees it turns on again?

Correct. Instead of the Digital Bradley, I would recommend going with the
Original (non-digital) model and then using a home-built or ebay bought PID
controller. This method will cost you the same as a Digital Bradley while
giving you better, more stable temp control. There are now plug and play
PID's available on ebay designed for the Bradley. Or there are plans
available on the net for building your own PID for the Bradley.



3) If this is the case, what kind of fluctuations are we talking
about?

4) Is the Digital model's temperature controlled better than the
Original?

The Original simply has a slider control to control the heat. When the knob
is to the left, it makes not heat, slide it to the right, it makes heat.
You have to adjust it as the process goes along, but once the temps
stabilize, not a whole lot needs to be done. The digital model uses the
same heating element, but it has a built in thermostat that will turn on/off
the element to control the heat. But again, it is not PID, and because of
the nature of the heating element the temp does fluctuate a bit, more than
some folks prefer. While probably a step up from the Original Bradley when
it comes to temp control, it is still far from perfect. That is why I still
would recommend an Original Bradley with a PID controller for a truly set it
and forget it smoker. You can even get programmable PID controllers that
will alow you to set variable time/temps for the ultimate control.


5) Is temperature control in the original a problem?

No, I've been using my original Bradley for almost two years now. I do
everything from cold smoking cheese for 1 hour to several briskets at a time
for 20 hours. I do over night smokes a lot for things like briskets and
butts with my original with no problem. Like I said, once the temps
stabilize there isn't whole lot of messing with it. I'm happy with my
Original as is, but I will be picking up a PID in the near future. I have
two small children, a 1 year old and a 3 year old and it can be a bit of a
chore tending to the smoker while also keeping an eye on them too. So to
make my life a bit easier I'm going for a more set it and forget it approach
by adding a PID to my set up.

And finally,

6) Anything I should know about that I haven't asked before I pick up
one of these units?

Some people will try to talk you out of the Bradley saying that the wood
pucks are too expensive, etc... but it's really not. All smokers cost $ to
operate and I find the Bradley very reasonable. Where I get my wood pucks,
it costs me $1 per hour of smoke to use my Bradley. When I'm smoking a
couple butts or brisket for instance, it may take 12 to 16 hours in the
Bradley, but I usually only use smoke on them for the first 4-5 hours, after
that it is just heat, no smoke. It's not like you have to smoke/burn pucks
the whole 12-16 hours. That's another benefit of the Bradley, you can
control how much or how little smoke. When you aren't burning wood pucks,
the Bradley acts just like an oven.

I would also think long and hard about picking up a Maverick ET-73 smoker
thermometer for use with your Bradley, along with the aluminum pucks. Check
ebay for the aluminum pucks, they are all the same so go for the cheapest
price. And again, I'd opt for three of them.

Thanks, in advance.
Jerry Osage


good luck,
Matt

Matt wrote:

Some people will try to talk you out of the Bradley saying that the
wood pucks are too expensive, etc... but it's really not.

I won't argue about the results of the bbq a Bradley can produce. I just
want to make that clear. Like most any pit, it can do tasty bbq. I try to
talk people out of it because of the inflexibility of the Bradley regarding
fuel -- pucks only. I feel the same way about pellet-poopers. There have
also been problems reported by numerous folks about jamming of pucks due to
absorbtion of moisture during storage. That may or may not be an issue for
many users, but it has been for some.

All smokers cost $ to operate and I find the Bradley very reasonable.
Where I get my wood pucks, it costs me $1 per hour of smoke to use my
Bradley.

Cost is really not the issue as I see it.

When I'm smoking a couple butts or brisket for instance, it may take 12
to 16 hours in the Bradley, but I usually only use smoke on them for the
first 4-5hours, after that it is just heat, no smoke. It's not like you
have to smoke/burn pucks the whole 12-16 hours. That's another benefit of
the Bradley, you control how much or how little smoke.

All pits can be controlled for how much or how little smoke is produced. But
I like to have a constant exposure during cooking from coals that have burnt
down.

When you aren't burning wood pucks, the Bradley acts just like an oven.
I would also think long and hard about picking up a Maverick ET-73
smoker thermometer for use with your Bradley, along with the aluminum
pucks. Check ebay for the aluminum pucks, they are all the same so
go for the cheapest price. And again, I'd opt for three of them.

--
Dave www.davebbq.com

What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Matt wrote:
wrote in message
...
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

I've been BBQing for years. I started out minding the fire for making
the coals for a large open pit BBQ under a shed. "Put a couple of
shovels full right there, lad." Every other Saturday, all spring and
summer, our closest neighbors (half mile away) had a "Musical".
Friends, relatives, and musicians came from miles around to eat, play,
and nip at the shine, and dance a few Jigs.

60 years on, I still have to have my BBQ'd ribs and brisket, with an
occasional pork butt thrown in.

I'm in the market for a simple to use BBQ setup that I can take on the
road. I've retired and I travel in a 5th wheel for months at a time.
I have just spent some time on Goggle groups researching past posts
here on the pros and cons of a Bradley Smoker, which seems to fit my
criteria for an easy to use, portable BBQ unit that will be used a
couple of times a month.

After all my research there are some questions that I haven't been
able to answer satisfactorily.

1) Aluminum Pucks? Obviously I'm missing something here. I don't
seem to understand how the feed mechanism works. Why do you waste 2
pucks each use?

In a nutshell; the puck burner plate is several puck widths away from the
puck feed tube. The way the puck advance mechanism works, the pucks push
each other. One by one, the wood pucks drop down the feed tube, and then
are pushed forward by a small mechanism that is timed at 20 minute
intervals. The first puck is dropped down, then pushed forward, then
another puck drops down and again is pushed forward, and so on. It takes
several pucks feeding through in order to push the pucks out onto the burn
plate. Once the supply of pucks is exhausted, the puck advance mechanism
continues to advance every 20 minutes, but if there are no pucks to push,
the whole process stops. Because the feed tube is several puck widths away
from the burner, when the supply of pucks is gone, the last couple pucks
don't actually make it to the burner plate because there are no pucks left
to push them. They remain next to the burner plate where they get hot
enough to smolder a bit and are wasted. Say you want to smoke something
for 2 hours, if you were to only load in 6 pucks (each one burns 20 minutes)
you would actually only get 1 hr and 20 minutes of smoke because the last
two pucks wouldn't ever make it to the burn plate. Instead they would
remain next to the burn plate and would partially smolder and be wasted. So
the way the Bradley is currently configured, if you want to smoke for 2
hours, you really have to load in 8 wood pucks, one or two of which would be
simply be wasted in the process. This is where the aluminum pucks come in
handy and save you pucks. You load three of them on top of your last wood
pucks, they then feed through pushing all the wood pucks through. When all
the wood pucks are burned, only the aluminum pucks remain on and next to the
burner. No half burned wasted wood pucks. This makes sure all the wood
pucks are burned completely and then extinguished into the water bowl as
intended. It prevents you from having to load extra wood pucks which would
just get wasted.


2) As I understand it, even though it is a digital controller, it is
still basically an on/off setup with no PID control. When it reaches
the set point it kills power and then after a temperature drop of
several degrees it turns on again?

Correct. Instead of the Digital Bradley, I would recommend going with the
Original (non-digital) model and then using a home-built or ebay bought PID
controller. This method will cost you the same as a Digital Bradley while
giving you better, more stable temp control. There are now plug and play
PID's available on ebay designed for the Bradley. Or there are plans
available on the net for building your own PID for the Bradley.


3) If this is the case, what kind of fluctuations are we talking
about?

4) Is the Digital model's temperature controlled better than the
Original?

The Original simply has a slider control to control the heat. When the knob
is to the left, it makes not heat, slide it to the right, it makes heat.
You have to adjust it as the process goes along, but once the temps
stabilize, not a whole lot needs to be done. The digital model uses the
same heating element, but it has a built in thermostat that will turn on/off
the element to control the heat. But again, it is not PID, and because of
the nature of the heating element the temp does fluctuate a bit, more than
some folks prefer. While probably a step up from the Original Bradley when
it comes to temp control, it is still far from perfect. That is why I still
would recommend an Original Bradley with a PID controller for a truly set it
and forget it smoker. You can even get programmable PID controllers that
will alow you to set variable time/temps for the ultimate control.

5) Is temperature control in the original a problem?

No, I've been using my original Bradley for almost two years now. I do
everything from cold smoking cheese for 1 hour to several briskets at a time
for 20 hours. I do over night smokes a lot for things like briskets and
butts with my original with no problem. Like I said, once the temps
stabilize there isn't whole lot of messing with it. I'm happy with my
Original as is, but I will be picking up a PID in the near future. I have
two small children, a 1 year old and a 3 year old and it can be a bit of a
chore tending to the smoker while also keeping an eye on them too. So to
make my life a bit easier I'm going for a more set it and forget it approach
by adding a PID to my set up.
And finally,

6) Anything I should know about that I haven't asked before I pick up
one of these units?

Some people will try to talk you out of the Bradley saying that the wood
pucks are too expensive, etc... but it's really not. All smokers cost $ to
operate and I find the Bradley very reasonable. Where I get my wood pucks,
it costs me $1 per hour of smoke to use my Bradley. When I'm smoking a
couple butts or brisket for instance, it may take 12 to 16 hours in the
Bradley, but I usually only use smoke on them for the first 4-5 hours, after
that it is just heat, no smoke. It's not like you have to smoke/burn pucks
the whole 12-16 hours. That's another benefit of the Bradley, you can
control how much or how little smoke. When you aren't burning wood pucks,
the Bradley acts just like an oven.

I would also think long and hard about picking up a Maverick ET-73 smoker
thermometer for use with your Bradley, along with the aluminum pucks. Check
ebay for the aluminum pucks, they are all the same so go for the cheapest
price. And again, I'd opt for three of them.


I agree totally with Matt's comments. In my case, I cannot recommend
the solution sold by the good folk at Barbecue Guru. It is a digital
differential thermostat setup with a PLL controller that regulates the
interior temperature of the Bradley from the level of the grates. In
addition to virtually no temperature swings (latency), it has a probe
that's inserted in the meat. As the meat temperature reaches 25f of the
desired interior temperature, the cooking temperature is reduced by the
controller gradually, until they meet at the meat's desired interior
temperature.

http://secure.thebbqguru.com/Product...ic_smokers.asp

I liked mine so much I got a similar setup for my son's Bradley. It's
literally a set and forget installation, and consistently cranks out
excellent 'Q.

I'd say that consistency is the biggest plus for the Bradley smoker with
the Power Raptor installed. With experience, you can learn how long to
smoke independently of how long to cook foods, since smoke production is
independent of the heating/cooking function.

As for the aluminum pucks, IMHO they dramatize the main "problem" with
the Bradley. All that I've encountered will occasionally fail to feed
pucks. The problem seems to stem from a weak feed mechanism coupled
with a high coefficient of friction between the pucks. A tall stack of
pucks, coupled with 2-3 aluminum pucks simply weighs too much and is too
'sticky' for the weak feed mechanism. I solve that problem here by only
placing 6-8 pucks in the stack at a time, and waiting until the end of a
smoke before adding the aluminum pucks.

Still, it's a good package and both Bradley and the Barbecue Guru folk
stand behind their products.

--
Nonny

Nonnymus
Never believe a person who is
Drunk, Horny or Running for Office.

On Mon, 12 May 2008 09:41:56 -0400, "Matt"
wrote:


SNIP

I would also think long and hard about picking up a Maverick ET-73 smoker
thermometer for use with your Bradley, along with the aluminum pucks. Check
ebay for the aluminum pucks, they are all the same so go for the cheapest
price. And again, I'd opt for three of them.

Thanks, in advance.
Jerry Osage


good luck,
Matt

Thanks, Matt. Every question answered, and some good advice too.
I just Found the Maverick ET-73 for
Now I just have to make up my mind.

Jerry O.

On Mon, 12 May 2008 14:02:07 -0700, Nonnymus wrote:

SNIP

Still, it's a good package and both Bradley and the Barbecue Guru folk
stand behind their products.

Thanks, Nonnymus, I appreciate the input.

Jerry O.

"Nonnymus" wrote in message
news
Matt wrote:
wrote in message
...
My name is Jerry and I lurk here. There is a lot of good information
passed around here. And some interesting recipes too. Thanks.

I've been BBQing for years. I started out minding the fire for making
the coals for a large open pit BBQ under a shed. "Put a couple of
shovels full right there, lad." Every other Saturday, all spring and
summer, our closest neighbors (half mile away) had a "Musical".
Friends, relatives, and musicians came from miles around to eat, play,
and nip at the shine, and dance a few Jigs.

60 years on, I still have to have my BBQ'd ribs and brisket, with an
occasional pork butt thrown in.

I'm in the market for a simple to use BBQ setup that I can take on the
road. I've retired and I travel in a 5th wheel for months at a time.
I have just spent some time on Goggle groups researching past posts
here on the pros and cons of a Bradley Smoker, which seems to fit my
criteria for an easy to use, portable BBQ unit that will be used a
couple of times a month.

After all my research there are some questions that I haven't been
able to answer satisfactorily.

1) Aluminum Pucks? Obviously I'm missing something here. I don't
seem to understand how the feed mechanism works. Why do you waste 2
pucks each use?

In a nutshell; the puck burner plate is several puck widths away from
the puck feed tube. The way the puck advance mechanism works, the pucks
push each other. One by one, the wood pucks drop down the feed tube, and
then are pushed forward by a small mechanism that is timed at 20 minute
intervals. The first puck is dropped down, then pushed forward, then
another puck drops down and again is pushed forward, and so on. It takes
several pucks feeding through in order to push the pucks out onto the
burn plate. Once the supply of pucks is exhausted, the puck advance
mechanism continues to advance every 20 minutes, but if there are no
pucks to push, the whole process stops. Because the feed tube is several
puck widths away from the burner, when the supply of pucks is gone, the
last couple pucks don't actually make it to the burner plate because
there are no pucks left to push them. They remain next to the burner
plate where they get hot enough to smolder a bit and are wasted. Say
you want to smoke something for 2 hours, if you were to only load in 6
pucks (each one burns 20 minutes) you would actually only get 1 hr and 20
minutes of smoke because the last two pucks wouldn't ever make it to the
burn plate. Instead they would remain next to the burn plate and would
partially smolder and be wasted. So the way the Bradley is currently
configured, if you want to smoke for 2 hours, you really have to load in
8 wood pucks, one or two of which would be simply be wasted in the
process. This is where the aluminum pucks come in handy and save you
pucks. You load three of them on top of your last wood pucks, they then
feed through pushing all the wood pucks through. When all the wood pucks
are burned, only the aluminum pucks remain on and next to the burner. No
half burned wasted wood pucks. This makes sure all the wood pucks are
burned completely and then extinguished into the water bowl as intended.
It prevents you from having to load extra wood pucks which would just get
wasted.


2) As I understand it, even though it is a digital controller, it is
still basically an on/off setup with no PID control. When it reaches
the set point it kills power and then after a temperature drop of
several degrees it turns on again?

Correct. Instead of the Digital Bradley, I would recommend going with
the Original (non-digital) model and then using a home-built or ebay
bought PID controller. This method will cost you the same as a Digital
Bradley while giving you better, more stable temp control. There are now
plug and play PID's available on ebay designed for the Bradley. Or there
are plans available on the net for building your own PID for the Bradley.


3) If this is the case, what kind of fluctuations are we talking
about?

4) Is the Digital model's temperature controlled better than the
Original?

The Original simply has a slider control to control the heat. When the
knob is to the left, it makes not heat, slide it to the right, it makes
heat. You have to adjust it as the process goes along, but once the temps
stabilize, not a whole lot needs to be done. The digital model uses the
same heating element, but it has a built in thermostat that will turn
on/off the element to control the heat. But again, it is not PID, and
because of the nature of the heating element the temp does fluctuate a
bit, more than some folks prefer. While probably a step up from the
Original Bradley when it comes to temp control, it is still far from
perfect. That is why I still would recommend an Original Bradley with a
PID controller for a truly set it and forget it smoker. You can even get
programmable PID controllers that will alow you to set variable
time/temps for the ultimate control.

5) Is temperature control in the original a problem?

No, I've been using my original Bradley for almost two years now. I do
everything from cold smoking cheese for 1 hour to several briskets at a
time for 20 hours. I do over night smokes a lot for things like briskets
and butts with my original with no problem. Like I said, once the temps
stabilize there isn't whole lot of messing with it. I'm happy with my
Original as is, but I will be picking up a PID in the near future. I
have two small children, a 1 year old and a 3 year old and it can be a
bit of a chore tending to the smoker while also keeping an eye on them
too. So to make my life a bit easier I'm going for a more set it and
forget it approach by adding a PID to my set up.
And finally,

6) Anything I should know about that I haven't asked before I pick up
one of these units?

Some people will try to talk you out of the Bradley saying that the wood
pucks are too expensive, etc... but it's really not. All smokers cost $
to operate and I find the Bradley very reasonable. Where I get my wood
pucks, it costs me $1 per hour of smoke to use my Bradley. When I'm
smoking a couple butts or brisket for instance, it may take 12 to 16
hours in the Bradley, but I usually only use smoke on them for the first
4-5 hours, after that it is just heat, no smoke. It's not like you have
to smoke/burn pucks the whole 12-16 hours. That's another benefit of the
Bradley, you can control how much or how little smoke. When you aren't
burning wood pucks, the Bradley acts just like an oven.

I would also think long and hard about picking up a Maverick ET-73 smoker
thermometer for use with your Bradley, along with the aluminum pucks.
Check ebay for the aluminum pucks, they are all the same so go for the
cheapest price. And again, I'd opt for three of them.


I agree totally with Matt's comments. In my case, I cannot recommend the
solution sold by the good folk at Barbecue Guru. It is a digital
differential thermostat setup with a PLL controller that regulates the
interior temperature of the Bradley from the level of the grates. In
addition to virtually no temperature swings (latency), it has a probe
that's inserted in the meat. As the meat temperature reaches 25f of the
desired interior temperature, the cooking temperature is reduced by the
controller gradually, until they meet at the meat's desired interior
temperature.

http://secure.thebbqguru.com/Product...ic_smokers.asp

I liked mine so much I got a similar setup for my son's Bradley. It's
literally a set and forget installation, and consistently cranks out
excellent 'Q.

I'd say that consistency is the biggest plus for the Bradley smoker with
the Power Raptor installed. With experience, you can learn how long to
smoke independently of how long to cook foods, since smoke production is
independent of the heating/cooking function.

As for the aluminum pucks, IMHO they dramatize the main "problem" with the
Bradley. All that I've encountered will occasionally fail to feed pucks.
The problem seems to stem from a weak feed mechanism coupled with a high
coefficient of friction between the pucks. A tall stack of pucks, coupled
with 2-3 aluminum pucks simply weighs too much and is too 'sticky' for the
weak feed mechanism. I solve that problem here by only placing 6-8 pucks
in the stack at a time, and waiting until the end of a smoke before adding
the aluminum pucks.


Nonny, I do the same with my aluminum pucks, I don't load them until the
wood pucks are almost gone. I've been using my Bradley for almost two years
now, and personally, I haven't had a single malfunction of the puck feeder
yet. (knock on wood) If the puck feeder ever were to fail, at least I know
I can get replacement motors for $10-$15 online, if necessary. It's just a
microwave turn-table motor.

Matt



Still, it's a good package and both Bradley and the Barbecue Guru folk
stand behind their products.

--
Nonny

Nonnymus
Never believe a person who is
Drunk, Horny or Running for Office.