# Pellet smoker VS Bradley smoker?



## radio

thoughts and suggestions please.  Although I love my stick burners,  summer sausage is a pain to get consistent results with as temp is difficult to maintain at 190 or so.
I've looked at Bradley smokers for a while, but the newer generation of pellet smokers are mighty tempting.
I just fear that I will be disappointed with the smoke ring and the delicate smoke flavor I hear pellets create.

Any input appreciated


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## ross77

I went from a WSM to an electric MES and I'm currently using a RecTec 680 pellet smoker.  The WSM produced excellent flavor but it was ultimately too much of a pain to use IMO.  The MES had a lot of smoke flavor but it was an acrid smoke flavor that I didn't care for.  The pellet smoker does not have overwhelming smoke flavor.  I would call it a cleaner flavor, I don't belch up smoke the next day...

I think the smoke preference varies by person.  I like the output from my pellet smoker.  Some prefer to use a smoker tube for added smoke.

I get good flavor from 100% hickory pellets for most meat and I use a pecan/oak blend for brisket.  Reverse seared ribeyes are fantastic.  My smoke rings are very nice on the pellet smoker.

I can't help you on the Bradley.  I've never tried food smoked on one.


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## chef jimmyj

The pellet smoker will give a smoke ring but generally light on smoke flavor, especially at settings over 225 with no smoke to speak of at 300+. Pellet grills have multiple uses because of the broad temp range that you can choose. The Bradley will never give a smoke ring, not enough wood burning. Smoke flavor is good but the proprietary Pucks you have to use are dumped every 20 minutes 90% unburned. They are not cheap and considering 3 pucks per hour X 16 hours for the average butt? Makes them one of the most expensive smokers to operate...JJ


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## radio

Thanks ross77 and chef Jimmyj!

Great info on the Bradley, so I doubt one will be in my future.

Too many choices on pellet smoker to rush in.  I don't need WiFi, but built in probes would be nice, especially if would go into a warming mode when a preset temp was reached.  Looking pretty hard at Green Mountain though.  Price certainly needs to be 1K or less and $600-$700 even better if it has meat probes


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## ron forst

Ive been in the same boat as you. I have a small gas smoker, really not good, so i did the mailbox mod to use the amazin smoker. Worked " ok" but small area and hard to hold temp. I have a 4x8 smokehouse for the big smokes, but wanted something to do small batches. Finally pulled the trigger on a woodwind, sans the seer box as I have a nice Weber gas grill which I can quickly seer on. I also was concerned about the amount or lack of smoke on the woodwind. My plan is to try it out and if I need more smoke will put my amzin smoker in as well. Cant wait


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## zeddy

IF you are on the fence, Green Mountain has a huge sale on for the next few days. I just bought a JB with WIFI. it was 300 off.


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## radio

zeddy said:


> IF you are on the fence, Green Mountain has a huge sale on for the next few days. I just bought a JB with WIFI. it was 300 off.


The Jim Bowie is looking mighty tempting.  I wasn't going to buy this year, but the specials are tempting me to warm up the credit card


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## zeddy

This won't help....


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## smokin218r

I tried to use a puck shooter we had at work a couple of times.
In my opinion, it was hard to control the temp and smoke. 
Didn't care for it at all. 
I'm sure with time and practice they are fine.
As JJ said you can only use their pucks....
I really enjoy my Rec tec and don't find any ash tray taste as others have mentioned even when I add smoke with a tube.


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## radio

zeddy said:


> This won't help....
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> View attachment 346053
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:eek::eek::eek::eek:  WOW!  what brand is that?!?!  Please message me if you don't want to post it.
That one would be returned as quick as I could load the thing up and take, or ship it back!!!


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## radio

Really liking the Magnum from Cabela's, but made for them by Camp Chef.  Probably would not have seriously considered it, but reading through the questions and answers, this caught my eye and made me lean strongly towards this one.

"Lifetime Guarantee
Cabela’s-brand merchandise is guaranteed for the life of the product against defects in workmanship under normal wear and tear conditions.

For more information please visit: 
http://www.cabelas.com/custserv/cus..." 

the same Camp Chef branded smoker has a factory warranty of 3 years


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## ross77

How are the Cabelas pellets?  Any good?


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## radio

ross77 said:


> How are the Cabelas pellets?  Any good?


I have no idea as I do not have a pellet smoker.....yet:D  I'm sure they are quite good as Cabela's has always used the best suppliers for their Cabela's branded merchandise.


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## lwestby

ross77 said:


> How are the Cabelas pellets?  Any good?


They are re-branded Lumberjack pellets. . . . . . very good pellets.


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## dooch

Hated my Bradley, pucks got stuck, half burn't, did a pork shoulder and grease was running out the bottom. terrible temps, used a couple of times, cleaned it up, and sold it online to someone else. Lost money, but learned that sometimes we learn from experience.


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## Phil Chart

I've got a Bradley it's ok but the pucks are way to much $$ for what they are. Bradleys customer service is the best I have ever dealt with.
I love it for smoking my home made summer sausage but if I want good ribs or chicken or pork butt I use my UDS or Weber kettle


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## myownidaho

I’ve been using a Bradley Digital for five years now. It’s a decent smoker but the pucks are pricey. After awhile, the feeder becomes less reliable as well. There’s a reason Bradley sells new smoke units separately. The temperature swing can also be pretty wide. That said, I’ve smoked a lot of meat in mine and have had great results. Because of the downsides, I plan on upgrading next spring. My smoker of choice is the Smokin-It 3D.


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## tbrtt1

zeddy said:


> This won't help....
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Looks like you are using bad pellets. I had dust once on a cook and it was the pellets. 

Where those mesquite pellets, by chance?


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## zeddy

tbrtt1 said:


> Looks like you are using bad pellets. I had dust once on a cook and it was the pellets.
> 
> Where those mesquite pellets, by chance?


Those were GMG gold blend. It's a bad picture. It not pellet dust, it's dried rub, the thick skin does't allow it to absorb into the meat.


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## SonnyE

I have a Bradley I grafted onto my Brinkman Smoke N Grill.
I only do small batches anyway, so the combination worked well for me, and still does.
But I want to shift to pellets because the pucks are getting cost prohibitive.
And have to be ordered.

I'm on the fence and pondering my next move. Best would be a pellet smoker.
The fuel is available many places around me. And I'm over due to get something more modern.
But it seems I'm basically the only one who really enjoys smoked delights here.
So I got a bag of Hickory pellets and have been experimenting with them.

The Bradley was good for me, and I used a dry catch pan so the pucks would finish burning.
But they've priced themselves out of my market.
I'm leaning towards a Green Mountain Grill Pellet popper.


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## yahoot

Bradley pucks are just too expensive. Not enough competition to get the price down. 
We have a variety of smokers. 

I really like the little Louisiana smoker I keep at the house (pellet burner from danson). The burn design is like Yoder - No auger fires, great control. 

We had an old MES that rarely got used. Not enough smoke. However, I ran into Todd Johnson at a trade show and he gave me an A-MAZE-N smoke maze, which he designed it specifically for the MES (fits perfectly). It worked well enough that the MES went to my daughter's shed so I can use it when we visit. 
Then I discovered the MES  cold smoker attachment. Burns chips, not pellets, but it puts out a LOT of smoke. Despite its name, you can use it in regular cook mode, not just for cold smoking. Turned that old MES into a smoking dream.


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## ross77

I liked the MES cold smoker attachment until the creosote built up and wood chips would constantly get stuck.


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## yahoot

ross77 said:


> I liked the MES cold smoker attachment until the creosote built up and wood chips would constantly get stuck.


Interesting. We have used it at least a hundred times and have had no creosote issues. I wonder whether it is maybe humidity? (high and dry in the rockies vs. MN?).


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## bregent

yahoot said:


> Interesting. We have used it at least a hundred times and have had no creosote issues. I wonder whether it is maybe humidity? (high and dry in the rockies vs. MN?).



For me, the problem was related to the type of chips used. The Little Chief chips I first used, which are very fine, burned very quickly and caused creosote issues, resulting in a mess and the chips not falling. Switching to larger size chips, and even chunks, dramatically improved things.


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## jbellard

For you guys with the Bradley’s, instead of using the pucks, out a handful of pellets on the burn tray and see how that works for ya. I do that all the time and just add pellets when it stops smoking 45 min to an hour.


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## chad d

I’ve been using a basic old Bradley for a few years now.  It did suck to use, until I put a second element in it, and added an Auber PID.  Upsized all wiring to 14 ga., as it’s now a 1000 watt machine.  The Auber unit is great.  Holds temps within a couple of degrees, and the cook profiles are easy to program.  

Would I take it over my Traeger Timberline?    Nope.  But it sure did serve its purpose for quite some time.


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## idahopz

I've been using the OBS for quite a few years and am now only doing cheese, salmon, and jerky on the unit. The puck unit stopped working and I'm manually adding pucks every 45 minutes or so (puck burner still works) when I use pucks. Maintaining temperature in winter is not successful because the heating element is so weak. Open the door to rotate racks, etc., and you might as well be trying to cook with a hair dryer. Occasionally I use a 6-inch tube smoker in the Bradley, but it tends to make the cheese a bit on the ashtray side of flavor, so I stick with the pucks, which appear to deliver a milder smoke for the amount of time I keep the puck on the burner. For what I now cook in the unit, it works very well.

I'll use a pellet cooker for anything that requires steady heat.


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## SonnyE

jbellard said:


> For you guys with the Bradley’s, instead of using the pucks, out a handful of pellets on the burn tray and see how that works for ya. I do that all the time and just add pellets when it stops smoking 45 min to an hour.



My thoughts are a way to feed the pellets to the burner. I still prefer cold smoking my Salmon, and the little poop pusher of the Bradley still works. So my thoughts are towards a modification that pushes a small pile of pellets onto the heater.
Or a pellet poop shooter to just dribble pellets onto the burner. Because the element is so small, it cold smokes to my liking.

I got the 1500 watt heating element for my Brinkman years ago, but didn't really use until lately. It does not have a control, but heats the chamber to ~220-230 and seems to hold it there. (I don't actually cook in my smoker, Per-Sey, I smoke in it)
But, if I set the smaller pan on the big element it will burn pellets fine, as long as I spoon feed it. Call me lazy, but I'd like something to do that for me.
So I'm in my pondering stage. Thinking about ways I can build a pellet pooper to add to my gercozoline mochine.

And that... is why I'm day dreamin about a different smoker. o_O


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## SonnyE

idahopz said:


> Occasionally I use a 6-inch tube smoker in the Bradley, but it tends to make the cheese a bit on the ashtray side of flavor,



LOL! Blech! :(


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## radio

The indecision is over!  The super buy I found on a Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone was more than I could pass up.  Today is smoked Venison  sausage logs for the trial run.


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## ab canuck

Glad to hear you made a purchase, Looking forward to some Q-view


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## joshuat

I just picked up a Bradley at a thrift store. Cleaned it up and looks good. Might have to run a side by side with my gmg JB wifi. The Bradley was less than a bag of pellets lol.


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