D. Winsor wrote:

> I've also been looking at Cookshack options to, but I've got a plan to
> upgrade the Bradley and then utilise the smoke generator on an old but
> functioning fridge to make a true cold smoker. Besides, Crappy Tire puts
> the basic Bradley on sale here regularly for $289 CDN. What with Crappy
> Tire points and money I can buy the smoker unit for about the $200 CDN they
> want for just the smoke generator. I thinking about the Bradley as my first
> electric smoker. Perhaps it'll be my first indoor vented smoker too.

That's what I use the Bradley for too... cold smoking with
just the smoke generator. It's makes for the best cold smoker
on the market right now, bar none. Expensive, about a $1/hour
USD to run, but superior in every way.

Now, if you're using the full Bradley unit, i.e. with the
oven chamber, and you're in a really cold/windy area, you might
end up with a cold smoker whether you like it or not. Crank
the oven up to max, and it's still basically a cold
smoker

If you're cost conscious, do some math and make sure you
know how much it will cost you to use in the long run, which
is what really counts. For the Bradley I spend about $1000+ USD
per year on expendables (read: goddamn pucks), but it more
than pays for itself in labor savings. The pucks are tax
deductable to me.

My first Bradley smoke box wasn't a fridge or anything, it
was made out of sheetrock and duct tape. Took about 15
minutes to build, and it worked like a charm. It was years
before I felt the need to build something more permanent.

> A smoke ring looks so damn good on brisket. I may give the powder trick a
> try when I take the plunge. I'm learning a lot from Nonymous and his
> posting right now. I seem to be also paralleling his sausage making
> efforts.

The "powdered puck" solution seems a bit convoluted to
me. You pay a lot for the puck things, then you have
to bend over backwards to get the rig to burn charcoal
along with the pucks? Worst of both worlds it would seem.

You could just get a conventional electric box smoker
that employs a wood box. Put the charcoal in the wood
box along with the wood. Problem solved, for a lot less
money (dont't forget: pucks = recurring costs).

But if you really want the Bradley for it's other features,
I can sure understand not wanting to own two units. If you
try the powdered puck thing please us know how it works.
One caveat I'd have is that you risk gumming up the
generator with the dust. Be advised they're not very
robust.

--
Reg