Daddy Dee Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I've been searching the forum archives looking to see who it was that bought a Bradley (electric bbq) Smoker. Couldn't locate the posts, which I thought were around. Anyway, I'm in the market again. The heating element (I think) has failed on my Masterbuilt Smokehouse. I didn't realize it but they only have a 90 day warranty, and that's on their new units. Not alot of confidence in their gear. Turns out Masterbuilt customer service won't have a replacement part until at least April. The Bradley 6 rack smoker is what i'm interested in checking out. Wondering if I just need to take the plunge and invest in a pro cookshack or smokintex. They are really pricey, but built to last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Hi Daddy Dee I have had a Bradley for about six months now. Seems to work quite well. However they are built rather lightly and after reading the forums on the Bradley website, it seems they have their share of problems. Customer service appears to be top notch. You do have to buy the wood smoking pucks from a dealer ( or online) and I don't know how handy that will be in your case. One thing to note...because there is no actual combustion of the wood, there will be no noticeable pink "smoke ring" on your finished meat. No noticeable difference in taste. Garth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thanks Garth. bad news on the MB relacement heating element $189.99 plus shipping. They call it a "kit" which the whole darn smoker, less door, racks, etc. advice to anyone. The MB is ok for home use as long as protected by extended warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 You might want to check out the sausagemaker website. They have several to look at. http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Here is a serious smoker/griller from Traeger. They seem to have nice products. They employ wood pellets. I am thinking of getting a scaled down model. http://www.crawfordsupplyco.com/index.php/www/pellet_grills/home_grills/bbq150_-_stationary_smoker_grill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 You guys are Killing me, an electric smoker? Go with at least a Brinkman Pittmaster http://www.brinkmann.net/Shop/Detail.aspx?category=Outdoor+Cooking&subcategory=Charcoal+Smokers+%26+Grills&sku=805-2101-W&seriesname=Pitmaster&seriessku=OUT-1001-9&id=2807 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Go with something that makes the pink smoke ring!!!!! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Electric smokers are easy and convienant . But they do take away the labor of love factor to smoking meat . Getting up before dawn and tending to the firebox all day makes the finished product that much more enjoyable . Just get an old barrel , cut it in half , strap a fire box on the side and enjoy the good life . I'll bet you have a good assortment of hardwood available there in Arkansas . Take advantage of it . BTW - we switched to an electric smoker where I work a couple of years ago and the results aren't nearly as good . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I agree that a real wood fire does add someting special. But the conveniance of the Bradley is appealing, especially when it is -20 outside[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 It also depends on what type of smoking you are doing. If you are COLD smoking such as in the 70 to 100F range, you really can not do that with a smoker that has a firebox attached. These smoke houses normaly have a fire pit located some distance from the smoke house and have a pipe to deliver the smoke into the smoke house thus you get cold smoke, an electric smoker should be able to do this. If on the other hand, you are BBQing, that is smoking at a temp of 190 to 250F, then a unit with a built in fire box is better. You can hot smoke or BBQ say a chicken in about 4 hours while cold smoking will take days, weeks or months and is normaly used for items such as country hams and bacon etc. You need to be VERY carefull cold smoking as yo can run into health problems very fast if you don't know what you are doing. Hot smoking or BBQ on the other hand, is something anyone can do in their back yard with a modest investment, you can even do it in a Webber grill if you know how. As to doing it at -20F, I would think that LP would be much more cost effective than electric as the cost of fuel is much less expensive, at least it is here in So Cal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 15, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 15, 2009 Dee it's all because you got the digital smoker, the tube smoker would have never had that problem ! [] Gaspr, - 20 I don't think you can smoke frozen meat very well. [:#] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Here is a serious smoker/griller from Traeger. They seem to have nice products. They employ wood pellets. I am thinking of getting a scaled down model. http://www.crawfordsupplyco.com/index.php/www/pellet_grills/home_grills/bbq150_-_stationary_smoker_grill I agree Traegers are pretty nice, temp controll is a no brainer with these. Their strong point though is also their downside..you must use the pellets as your only source of fuel. But they work really well. I hope ot get mine this year. Here is another site for them: http://www.traegeroutlet.com/?xtr=adwords1&gclid=CNS-l43EnJQCFQUHQQodmBXCtQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Dee it's all because you got the digital smoker, the tube smoker would have never had that problem ! Gaspr, - 20 I don't think you can smoke frozen meat very well. The real option would have been to go with an active unit vs a passive one[8-|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I say an electric smoker is fine . If you live in the north , or say , California [] . Oh yeah , smoked meat is not good for the heart , it's good for the soul ! Anyone have a reccomendation on a good steamer that will make my food really healthy and bland ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderbender Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Daddy Dee, I am a chef and have a full scale catering operation......we use the bradley smoker units that we have installed into small-medium sized smoke houses... Even though they are not commercial units the quality is excellent....the one we use to make smoked salmon produces about 200 sides per week The wood biscuits are excellent and provide very even cold smoke in a wide variety of flavors For cold smoking I highly recommend the Bradley products Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 15, 2009 Moderators Share Posted January 15, 2009 Anyone have a reccomendation on a good steamer that will make my food really healthy and bland ? YES any of them ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I know this isn't what you requested but I use this unit http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3342508 and have for several years. It has served me well. It holds a lot of food. Last year I bought a brisket and I had to cut it in two pieces because it was too big for 1 rack. I wanted a lot of leftovers also I loaded sausage which I smoke for a couple of hours and grill at the end a beer can chicken and I think I had 4 or 6 racks of ribs in it at the same time as well. Just an option you may want to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
customsteve01 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Dee, You didn't say what you use your smoker for and how often or how much you want to spend. I have a Klose pit http://www.bbqpits.com/ I have the 42" backyard smoker with 2 doors. Dave makes some really nice pits but they are not cheap, but they are built to last a lifetime. A friend of mine has had one for over 12 years and its still in good shape. That Smokey Mountain Smoker is not a bad inexpencive gas smoker. When it doesn't cost too much it doesn't hurt when it weres out. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Steve, My other smoker is a Klose! Seriously. You've got one of the finest log burning cookers out there. About ten years ago after burning through several El Cheapo smokers I decided to get something more durable. I started looking and the style and varieties and prices were all over the place. I took smoker selection as a matter of study and read internet postings about all kinds of smokers and came to notice something. I read all kinds of posting about people choosing something or other before discovering what really worked well for them. I never read on post that said I bought a Dave Klose cooker and was sorry about it. I found a Klose owner who was getting a bigger cooker, so was able to snag a 48" double door cooker. Dave Klose is one of the best welders I've ever run across. He's a fun and hospitible type guy, too. My checking out the electric cooker is pure laziness. Smoking meat requires just three things. Smoke, low heat, and time. If I want to make a production out of it for a festive day, I still fire up the Klose. If I just want to put something on the cooker and go to work or go to bed the electric is easy, easy easy. I'd like to spend less than $600. But realize anything in that price range will be pretty light weight. Still wondering. If there were a good deal on a commercial cookshack on Ebay and close by, too. Maybe that would be the ticket on the electric side of things. BTW, Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. Most interesting. Thanks for the recs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 If money was no object I'd either get a Klose or a Stumps. Ever check out a Stumps? Stumps don't make no junk. [], That's what they say. But it'll cost ya. Check out a Stumps. Kinda takes the fun outa stick burning, but they win lots of contests and are very efficient and only require charcoal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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