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Dave Bugg Dave Bugg is offline
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Default Bradley smokers?

modom (palindrome guy) wrote:
> Anybody have experience and opinions about these?
> http://www.bradleysmoker.com/main-pa...=products.html


As someone who has used virtually every bbq pit out there, including
commercial pits, I honestly don't like the Bradely. A number of folks who
have used them have ended up selling them.

You are stuck with their proprietary 'biscuits' as fuel. The biscuits are
expensive, and have been the source of numerous problems. They must be
carefully stored. If they swell due to humidity, or if the have sawdust or
chips stuck to them, etc. they can get stuck in the feeder. They are sold
as a 'set and forget' machine, but they only hold eight hours worth of
biscuits; not sufficient for the typical sized pork butt or briskets.

I also find that they tend not to be as consistent as one would think it
would be about the bbq it produces. If not monitored closely, sometimes the
smoke flavoring is non-existent, at other times it can be overpowering. It
needs to be watched in order to get it to perform its best, which takes away
from one of the major selling points.

As with any device, there are fanatic Bradely proponents. They are
enthusiastic about the machine.

But for me, the Bradely is too gimicky for my taste. It is too expensive to
run compared to a WSM, and it really isn't much more convenient. It is too
prone to potential problems and inconsistent cooking to make me feel
comfortable about leaving it alone during cooking.

--
Dave
www.davebbq.com