Bradley Smoker?

I have a new Bradley Smoker and gave it a try this past weekend. It smoked real well but the temp only ran around 100 degrees. I had baby back ribs in it for 6 hours with very little cooking taking place. It was cool out this weekend but I think it should get to at least 200 degrees. I set a thremometer inside near the meat and it read 130 degrees.

Just looking for thoughts on this. Should I take it back and try another? Should I try a different brand? I have read many reports from others who are happy with their Bradely but some also say they do not cook very well. I really don’t want to box this thing up and haul it back to Cabela’s but I will if it doesn’t cook. Thoughts?

Somethings not right. The element must not be heating properly.

For ribs you will want to smoke at about 225 for 6 hours.

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seen it a few times with bradley smokers.

hopefully you threw away the ribs after sitting in 130 degree temps for 6 hours.

Thanks for the info and fast response! I will gladly do that.

My bradley will get to about 130 with only the smoke element on. Make sure the lever at the bottom is turned all the way up to high and try adjusting from there. I can pack mine full and then it usually struggles to get hot but will still get to at least 160. I have the smaller bradley with the side stack, it is not digital. I have had a few struggles with it but only used it about a half dozen times or so but everything seems good. I have smoked things during the winter as well and it still gets above 200, either something is wrong or you didn’t have it set properly. Try it without meat a few times and see if anything works, otherwise back to Cabela’s it goes!

I’m just thinking here,,,
Getting meat form 40 degrees to 140 degrees in 4 hours. Thought that was an important thing?

Return it and get a Weber smokey mountain or just a plain old Weber kettle. Join the world of charcoal/wood smoking and dont look back. I’ll be smoking a brisket this weekend on my kettle. Cant wait

crappie55369 wrote:

Return it and get a Weber smokey mountain or just a plain old Weber kettle. Join the world of charcoal/wood smoking and dont look back. I’ll be smoking a brisket this weekend on my kettle. Cant wait

Or better yet, a pellet smoker. All-in-one.

Although I do sometimes like good old charcoal flavor.

.

Carlton Duncan wrote:

Here is a link for anyone having this problem. This is a video of how to upgrade the heating element. It made a world of difference on mine.

How’d you find this thread from 8 years ago?

Worst 500 bucks ever spent on this smoker. Worked for two months and broke . I had to set a timer every twenty minutes to make sure a new puck kicked in and usually it did not . Then the smoker quit working and the oven temp would go up but not down, called customer service they told me for fifty dollars they would send me a new control panel. I told them I’m going to to cut a hole in the side and plumb in a fish house wood stove and toss the rest in the trash.id rather put the fifty bucks twords a new propane smoker. Junk oh ya there junk

My previous complaint about pellet smokers were that they were only single grate. There are now some very nice looking vertical pellet smokers coming on the market with multiple grates. Take a look at the Louisiana vertical pellet smoker.

Check to make sure that the electrical cords in the back are tightly plugged in. Try not to use an extension cord to connect to the outlet either. I had this issue.

I assume you are using the one with the knob and not the digital temp control. Make sure you crank it all the way to max before your put your meat on. You lose a lot of heat when you put the meat on helps the smoker rebound. Then you can dial it in.

jrrendler wrote:

I have a new Bradley Smoker and gave it a try this past weekend. It smoked real well but the temp only ran around 100 degrees. I had baby back ribs in it for 6 hours with very little cooking taking place. It was cool out this weekend but I think it should get to at least 200 degrees. I set a thremometer inside near the meat and it read 130 degrees.

Just looking for thoughts on this. Should I take it back and try another? Should I try a different brand? I have read many reports from others who are happy with their Bradely but some also say they do not cook very well. I really don’t want to box this thing up and haul it back to Cabela’s but I will if it doesn’t cook. Thoughts?