Customer Reviews

Bradley Smoker, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This unit really does a great job with providing a steady temperature all day long which you need to do real smoking. Anything with charcoal like the Weber another reviewer mentioned requires lots of attention. This device can run all day with a minimum of fuss. The digital temperature model is also nice although more money. The smoker wood pucks are about $15 for 50 or so and I rarely use more than 8 or 10 for a turkey or brisket.

Capacity is pretty generous. Again, not sure what the other reviewer was talking about. I've done 20+ lb turkeys, 2 12lb briskets, etc.

The only reason I didn't give this unit 5 stars is that the puck feeding mechanism can be finicky. If a lot of wood flakes or dirt get into the mechanism it can create problems with automatically feeding the pucks onto the smoking plate. That said, when my unit had that problem after a couple of years I found it straightforward to take the feeder apart and clean and lubricate where appropriate.

I store my unit outside year round and the optional cover makes that possible.

01.DEC.09
After almost 2.5 years, I'm still very happy with this smoker and use it often (also as a dehydrator). My review below is perhaps a little too enthusiastic. As noted in the comments, I have never run it without my homemade external temperature controller, so the temperature may vary quite a bit with the standard control. I've read that even the digital models can vary ±10°F. This is generally not a problem for barbeque, but for those who desire greater temperature stability, a separate PID controller can keep the temperature within a few degrees.

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I have a Weber grill with a smoker box. It's OK for giving a smoke flavor, but not really suited for serious smoking. For real smoking, this is it. Bradley's ingenious system produces great flavor with minimal attention. Since adding a Proportional/Integral/Derivative (PID) controller, I've just set the temperature, loaded the smoker and generator, and walked away. I have yet to make anything bad in it and have used it almost every weekend since I've bought it.

As far as models, the original Bradley smoker is OK but I prefer the stainless steel look. The digital models have more control out of the box, but you can build or buy an external controller, such as the PID, if better temperature control is desired. Lots of people are happy with the simple slider in the original models. Whichever model you choose, you won't go wrong with a Bradley smoker.

I purchased the Bradley Smoker as a Christmas present for my husband. I believe he had hoped for a "bullet type" smoker becuase he thought an electric smoker was not going to provide the results he wanted. After using it once, my husband is addicted to smoking on this grill! Seriously. It truly is a "set and forget" type grill. Since opening the box 3 weeks ago, we have smoked ribs 3 times, a pork roast once, and the famous buffalo atomic turds that you read about on the Bradley Forums. Everthing we make is great. Take advantage of the Bradley Forums you can find on the internet. When my husband is not using the Bradley, he is on the forums learning from other people. This is a unit that can be taken with you anywhere. LOVE IT!

I wanted to get an electric smoker because I really don't have the time or patience to attend to a charcoal or propane smoker. This smoker uses an advanced light bulb to regulate heat. There is a sliding switch that increases the power to the bulb thus raising the temp. I found this a bit cumbersome because you cannot tell what the temperature will be so you have to guess and monitor, you cant mark the temps either because other factors will affect the heat element as well, such as the smoke damper open or closed and the outside temperature. So much for my lack of attention.

The best part of the smoker is the automated delivery of wood pucks that you have to buy, they are expensive but work wonderfully. Besides the wood pucks you don't have to worry about ashes floating up on to your meat. They get pushed into a bowl of water that you place into the smoker, which comes with the unit.

The company has a great online forum where you can ask questions and get quick answers from other owners, they share recipes and advice. My first 3 recipes where chicken, ribs and brisket. The chicken and ribs where very good and the brisket was ok. The issue was the operator, I just got to do a better job of temperature control, the temperature does stay steady once you dial it in.

We use the smoker often. My husband is a hunter and we always have a difficult time preparing the duck, pheasant, quail, etc in a way that we like it. We cook all of this in the smoker now and love it. It makes everything taste great. We have also done pork, ribs, turkey, salmon. All turned out excellent!!

Not worth the money, There are othere units of similar style that are large and won't cause the headaches.

Limited capacity is another minus, cost of proprietary wood is quite expensive.

This thing is so bad that after 4 months I bit the bullet and purchased a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Less than half the price and woeks every time.