Has anyone got a Bradley Smoker?
Discussion
I’m really into BBQ and smoking but always struggle maintaining the temperature. While looking around the net I came across this http://www.bradleysmoker.co.uk/. Seems too good to be true, turn on, put pork inside and a few hours later lovely pulled pork! All the taste and none of the hassle!
Only down side is the £300+ price tag!
Only down side is the £300+ price tag!
I looked at the Bradley smokers quite seriously before I eventually built my own smoker.
On the up side they are extremely well constructed and if you want ease of use and consistent results they are definitely right up there.
On the down side apart from price, you are restricted to using their pre-pressed wood briquettes in the smoke generator. The decider for me was that they are not particularly suited to cold smoking, yes you can do it but the way the smoke generator couples to the main smoker made it difficult to cool the smoke sufficiently.
If you want to do pulled pork that is consistent every time then they are perfect if pricy. If you are more interested in cold smoking salmon then build your own smokehouse with a detached firebox, cooling, humidity control and circulating fans - it will cost about the same.
On the up side they are extremely well constructed and if you want ease of use and consistent results they are definitely right up there.
On the down side apart from price, you are restricted to using their pre-pressed wood briquettes in the smoke generator. The decider for me was that they are not particularly suited to cold smoking, yes you can do it but the way the smoke generator couples to the main smoker made it difficult to cool the smoke sufficiently.
If you want to do pulled pork that is consistent every time then they are perfect if pricy. If you are more interested in cold smoking salmon then build your own smokehouse with a detached firebox, cooling, humidity control and circulating fans - it will cost about the same.
Built your own smoker? Now that is a post I want to see!!!
To be honest the thought did cross my mind, problem is I’m not very handy and I’m saving calling in the favours from mates that are until I need something major done!
I’m not too worried about cold smoking though it would be something nice to do in the future, there is an accessory the detaches the smoker box from the main unit but relies on ambient temperature so probably won’t call the smoke that well.
The other down side as you say is being restricted to those briquettes, would be a nightmare if the company went under and you were stuck with a piece of useless kit (though I suppose you could modify it if necessary).
I am mainly interested in pulled pork / ribs / chicken etc, prehaps it will be better to buy a better BBQ than I have already, something like a Weber one touch and stick with the normal method.
To be honest the thought did cross my mind, problem is I’m not very handy and I’m saving calling in the favours from mates that are until I need something major done!
I’m not too worried about cold smoking though it would be something nice to do in the future, there is an accessory the detaches the smoker box from the main unit but relies on ambient temperature so probably won’t call the smoke that well.
The other down side as you say is being restricted to those briquettes, would be a nightmare if the company went under and you were stuck with a piece of useless kit (though I suppose you could modify it if necessary).
I am mainly interested in pulled pork / ribs / chicken etc, prehaps it will be better to buy a better BBQ than I have already, something like a Weber one touch and stick with the normal method.
It wasn't a massively interesting project though it gets a lot of use.
It is a stainless glass fronted "oven" box with an electric heating element in the bottom and thermostat at the top controlling the element through a cheap PID controller. There is also a removable water container with an ultrasonic mister and a humidity sensor through another chanell on the PID controller and a couple of small circulating fans. The smoke generator is a large tube attached to the side with a removable bottom for lighting and a removable top for filling. The smoke generator has a pipe from the top that runs through a water cooling jacket and a condensation trap to chill and dry the smoke before pumping into the bottom of the smokebox.
It is a bit susceptible to ambient temperatures if it is very hot outside but I can generally get anything from a cold smoke at 25 degrees up to the final roast on a hot smoked chicken at 240 degrees and a humidity range form about 20% to 90%. The box is big enough for 4 whole chickens to hang or a couple of cured pork bellies for bacon. Although I developed it over a period I guess that it probably cost about the same as an equivalent size Bradley, around £300 ish.
It is a stainless glass fronted "oven" box with an electric heating element in the bottom and thermostat at the top controlling the element through a cheap PID controller. There is also a removable water container with an ultrasonic mister and a humidity sensor through another chanell on the PID controller and a couple of small circulating fans. The smoke generator is a large tube attached to the side with a removable bottom for lighting and a removable top for filling. The smoke generator has a pipe from the top that runs through a water cooling jacket and a condensation trap to chill and dry the smoke before pumping into the bottom of the smokebox.
It is a bit susceptible to ambient temperatures if it is very hot outside but I can generally get anything from a cold smoke at 25 degrees up to the final roast on a hot smoked chicken at 240 degrees and a humidity range form about 20% to 90%. The box is big enough for 4 whole chickens to hang or a couple of cured pork bellies for bacon. Although I developed it over a period I guess that it probably cost about the same as an equivalent size Bradley, around £300 ish.
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