Smoker advice wanted

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

Looking for the best option for smoking on a gas grill. “buy a bge” is not the response I am looking for.

A friend has a built in smoker for the gas grill that works great. I tried the silly little chip cylinder thing but that didn’t work well. Should I get a small electric smoker?

Advice and rec’s please…

2

I tried the smoker thing with my Holland gas grill several time. Never could get the result i wanted.

About a month ago i got a Bradley smoker. WOW, I love it!!

Here is a thread her on WB about them. Not the cheapest in the world, but damn it is easy.

The Smoker Thread - recipes, techniques, ideas - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a link to the Bradley website. I have the Digital 4 rack. I can do roughly 7-8 racks of babybacks per smoking.

http://bradleysmoker.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I ordered mine thru amazon.com with the prime second day shipping it was cheaper than the bradley site.

Good luck in your search.

John

3

Thanks for the reply and link. The Bradley looks pretty nice. Probably a little more then i want to spend but from that thread, it looks like it gives good results.

4

when i used my gas grill, I used to put soaked wood chunks right on the burners. was the best i could get

5

Definatly not the cheapest route to go, but I had been struggling with ribs and pork shoulder on the grill and in the oven for years. I knew i did not want the charcoal, and had limited space on the porch. So I bit the bullet.

Wife really was not happy untill I slapped some babybacks on the table one weekend. Now she is asking me to smoke brisket, chicken, even jalapenos.

6

Oops, I thought this was a thread I could help on in regards to cigarettes and cigars. Cooking is absolutely not my forte, though I maintain a Brinkman smoker grill at the store for Berserker offlines and drop-ins. [cheers.gif]

7

Is that an invitation Randy?

8

Rob,

Here’s what I use. It’s probably the “anti-Bradley”!

http://www.chargriller.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=34&osCsid=d81e716c52debeea7d2fba958488764d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

With the side-fire box (which is a must), it’s probably a $225 investment. It’s not a set it and forget it unit like a Traeger or Bradley, but you also have a lot of flexibility with it. I can get hardwood smoldering in the fire box, and it will keep the main chamber at 200-230 for hours. You can also use it as charcoal grill when not smoking.

It’s not pretty, but it’s extremely flexible and has multiple uses. And, it’s pretty darn cheap compared to anything else you might end up with.

9

I’d buy a BGE [cheers.gif] [oops.gif]

10

I got a Bradley as well. I still will tinker with smoking stuff on the weber, but if you balance ease with the end result, I love the Bradley. I have the same one - 4 rack digital.

11

John - I have yet to do ribs on it, can you post your recipe here? Maybe I’ll give that a whirl this weekend

12

Did some spareribs this weekend. Did not like them. Maybe wrong rub or what, but they were tough.

Babybacks rock the Bradley. I just use storebought rub the night before. Saran wrap and fridge. Day of set them out to raise temp. Apple or hickory smoke until the meat pulls away from the end of the bone about 1/4-1/2 inch. About 4 hours at 225. Vent open with 2 hours smoke. Very easy.

Did stuffed jalapenos yesterday. They rocked!!! Stuffed with cream cheese/ bacon mix. With bacon on top.

13

If you are simply looking to smoke something on a gas grill, it is really pretty easy. Soak whatever wood chips you’ve selected (cherry, apple, hickory, etc.) and then set them on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold the foil around the chips so you make a relatively flat sealed pillow with the foil. Then, poke some small holes into the top of the foil/chip pillow. Put your meat on one side of the grill with the burners either off or on low. On the other side, with the burners on medium, place the chip pillow, the side with the holes pointing upward, and close the top of the grill. I wouldn’t kid yourself that you are going to wind up with smoker/BGE-like slow-and-low results, but it will produce a lot of smoke. Regardless of what I’m cooking on my BGE, I don’t like too much smoke. My suggestion, if you are doing a shoulder or ribs, just smoke it for 30-45 minutes (maybe have two foil pillows in case one goes quickly) on your grill and then bring inside to finish in your oven at 225-250 degrees.

14

I'll Smoke Anything" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

15

I use a electric Brinkman!!

NameBright - Coming Soon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Paul

16

Sounds to me like they were not cooked long enough. I know, with my Weber charcoal, depending on weather conditions it can take anywhere from 4-7 hours.

17

This month’s Cooks Illustrated (received yesterday) rates the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker (18½-Inch) better than the BGE and the $60 Brinkmann.

My wife Dianne bought me the non-digital Bradley for my most recent birthday and I am really happy with it. Smoking salmon with a wet rub and marinated flank steak (london broil) with various dry rubs are killer. The salmon is ALWAYS a hit whenever we bring it. Brined pork tenderloin with a Cooks Illustrated dry rub (toasted herbs) is also outstanding. Buy the “hockey pucks” on ebay by the case and save big.

18

Another vote for the Bradley…great smoker

19

Of course. We always keep a package of hot dogs and a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, just in case a Berserker drops in. [cheers.gif]

20

Just rec’d the Bradley digital as a father’s day gift. I was really excited about the unit until I started reading the user’s manual. One of the points was “do not expose the unit to rain”. Bear in mind that I live in lovely Seattle. While the rest of the USA is deep into summer weather we have yet to break the 75 degree mark and have had rain for what seems like months. To my point what has your experience been with the Bradley with regard to exposure to rain and the elements? I’m still hoping to get the unit seasoned and in action this week but have paused given the “caution”. Any advice??