Electric Smokers

[Corinna]

Do you have specific concerns about fish and chicken?

I had read some comments that the Bradley doesn't get hot enough to smoke poultry properly, but I have also seen pics and heard stories of it being successful. Does the skin get crispy?

[scubadoo97]

Do you have specific concerns about fish and chicken?

I had read some comments that the Bradley doesn't get hot enough to smoke poultry properly, but I have also seen pics and heard stories of it being successful. Does the skin get crispy?

I don't own a Bradley but can only assume that the reason the Bradley and most electric smokers don't do a good job on poultry is that they don't get hot enough to crisp the skin. Outside of that they do a fine job of the basic low and slow smoking of poultry and fish for that matter. For fish the problem is often the opposite. trying to keep it low enough and still get smoke. The passive smoke generators like the A Maze N smoker or similar can get around that problem.

[LoftyNotions]

My personal experience with smoking chicken in the Bradley is that the skin doesn't get crisp. If you want crisp skin, you'll probably want to finish it on your grill. Most Bradley based chicken recipes call for temps around 210F. Modernist Cuisine calls for even lower temperatures, around 170F. MC also mentions that smoked poultry skin can be problematic in that it starts turning tough and leathery due to chemicals in the smoke.

Fish smoke better at lower temperatures, with hot smoking temperatures typically being in the range of 150F. One plus for the Bradley is that the puck burner is separate from the cabinet heater, so if you leave the cabinet heater off, the puck burner will only raise the cabinet temperature in the neighborhood of 70F above ambient. Cold smoking is a different matter. See my post #25.

Edited to add: There is no problem with smoking poultry. You can get anything as smokey as you could possibly want it.

Here is a LINK to what a lot of Bradley users use for salmon.

HTH,

Larry

Edited June 1, 2011 by LoftyNotions (log)

[Richard Scearcy]

Like a lot of others here, I have a Bradley digital to which, because of the wild inaccuracy of the internal thermometer, I've added an Auber PID. I also use my Auber for sous vide cooking in a rice cooker. Actually, I have a newer version PID which I "used" to use for sous vide. That is, before my mother-in-law bought me a Sous Vide Supreme. True, the Bradley doesn't do chicken skin any favors, so I normally grill chicken on my gas grill, throwing in some apple or hickory chips for smoke if I want it. The Bradley is a phenomenal smoker that can produce many types of kick-butt smoked food. I especially like to cold smoke salmon in the winter.

I do miss the smoke ring that can't be produced in an electric smoker. A few months ago, I met my first ceramic kamado smoker and I fell in love. Still, I couldn't justify in my mind buying a second smoker, when I already have an excellent Bradley. But, then I reconsidered. There are things the Bradley can do that a kamado smoker can't. And, there are things a kamado can do that a Bradley can't. So, after some quick but exhaustive research I settled on a large Grill Dome kamado smoker. It should arrive in a day or two.

My wife and I are hosting our end of year Rotary president's kickout party and we're smoking spare ribs and grilling chicken. We need a dozen racks of ribs, so I'll end up using both smokers and some rib racks to fit them all in at once. It'll be interesting to see how the ribs compare between electric and charcoal smoking. I'll probably use apple and hickory in a 3 to 1 ratio. I've done ribs in the Bradley several times and they always come out lip-smackin' great.

Best of smokin' to you

rscearcy

[Kerry Beal]

Like a lot of others here, I have a Bradley digital to which, because of the wild inaccuracy of the internal thermometer, I've added an Auber PID. I also use my Auber for sous vide cooking in a rice cooker. Actually, I have a newer version PID which I "used" to use for sous vide. That is, before my mother-in-law bought me a Sous Vide Supreme. True, the Bradley doesn't do chicken skin any favors, so I normally grill chicken on my gas grill, throwing in some apple or hickory chips for smoke if I want it. The Bradley is a phenomenal smoker that can produce many types of kick-butt smoked food. I especially like to cold smoke salmon in the winter.

I do miss the smoke ring that can't be produced in an electric smoker. A few months ago, I met my first ceramic kamado smoker and I fell in love. Still, I couldn't justify in my mind buying a second smoker, when I already have an excellent Bradley. But, then I reconsidered. There are things the Bradley can do that a kamado smoker can't. And, there are things a kamado can do that a Bradley can't. So, after some quick but exhaustive research I settled on a large Grill Dome kamado smoker. It should arrive in a day or two.

My wife and I are hosting our end of year Rotary president's kickout party and we're smoking spare ribs and grilling chicken. We need a dozen racks of ribs, so I'll end up using both smokers and some rib racks to fit them all in at once. It'll be interesting to see how the ribs compare between electric and charcoal smoking. I'll probably use apple and hickory in a 3 to 1 ratio. I've done ribs in the Bradley several times and they always come out lip-smackin' great.

Best of smokin' to you

rscearcy

Welcome Richard.

You know you can get a little ProQ cold smoker generator that will allow you to cold smoke in either of your Kamodo's.

[Alex]

OK, this is the summer I break out my Masterbuilt (bought before last summer and, for one reason or another, never used). One of my goals is to smoke some U-10 scallops. I don't have an A-Maze-N smoke generator or home-built cold smoking apparatus (yet). Can this be done using the hot smoking method? If so, do you have any tips, tricks, suggestions, etc?

[pastameshugana]

Ok, considering the Bradley and adding a PID, where do I look for directions/etc for doing this right?

[LoftyNotions]

Ok, considering the Bradley and adding a PID, where do I look for directions/etc for doing this right?

I went the easy route and bought a ready made PID controller from Auber Instruments. I bought a WS1500CPH which also will control a roaster that I use as a sous vide cooker. Using this approach you just plug the controller in to the wall outlet and the smoker in to the controller. Put the temperature probe in the smoker, set your times and temperatures, and walk away.

If you want to save some money and build your own controller, here is a LINK to one solution.

HTH,

Larry

[scubadoo97]

OK, this is the summer I break out my Masterbuilt (bought before last summer and, for one reason or another, never used). One of my goals is to smoke some U-10 scallops. I don't have an A-Maze-N smoke generator or home-built cold smoking apparatus (yet). Can this be done using the hot smoking method? If so, do you have any tips, tricks, suggestions, etc?

I haven't done scallops on my smoker but I don't think you are going to eat them raw so cold smoking isn't needed. I would set the temp low like maybe 150 and get them in there while they are very cold and when the smoker is cold. You will get good smoke until you reach your set temp and then the element will kick off and you you can coast with your wood giving you thin blue smoke at that point. Pull them when ever you want and you should have some definite smoke flavor at that point.

[ScottyBoy]

Looked for a topic to post this in, figured this would be best. Finally got my indoor rig going.

[rotuts]

Wow! pls more details!

[GlowingGhoul]

That's awesome!

[ScottyBoy]

There was a gas heater in my new place. I wasn't about to try and heat a 1600sq/ft loft with one little heater in the corner. So i took it out, put in the cabinate and smoker. The ducting for the heater goes into the next room and out the roof. Just bought a bendable pipe, fixed the bottom of a small punger on the bottom and the smoke just shoots straight up.

I'm excited, one of the last things I wanted in my kitchen setup!

[scubadoo97]

I've been using a 30" MES for the last 5-6 yrs now. They are not without issues. The biggest being some electrical connector failures that I don't think they have resolved well enough. The new models have a small access panel to these connectors. Overall they are inexpensive and very functional smokers. I use mine quite often for hot as well as cold smoking. I'd like to move up to a Cookshack or a Smokin Tex but the damn thing won't die (I rewired mine when I first got it after reading about the numerous failures) and as long as its working I'll save some $

[Anglina410]

I am new here i need some information about electric smoker anyone can guide me about electric smoker

[palo]

I'm sure there are people here who can give specific places to look but a good starting point is to use the search function at the top right corner and btw welcome to our haven (heaven?) I'm sure you'll get the help you need 💗

 

p

[kayb]

I have a small electric Masterbilt (two shelves, one is deep enough to hold a beer-can-style chicken). I got it from Amazon, in their warehouse deals section, for less than $100. It's done what I need it to do.

 

[Joe Blowe]

https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/how-buy-smoker/electric-smokers/

[Barrytm]

The top names in electric smokers are cooking shack and smokinit ,  and a few others.  Most electric smokers only have a few parts - a heating element, a temperature controller,  and a box, and wiring.  On low end smokers, the metal is thin, and is not stainless, there is not much insulation, the seals may be pretty weak, and the temperature controller may have wild swings, and the wiring may be fairly thin.  As you go up in price, you get stainless construction of the box, thicker steel, a better seal, more insulation, heavy duty wiring, and a better controller - typically PID meaning it can maintain a set temp within a few degrees.  All of that means it will last a lot longer. 

 

 Once you have pick a maker, then as you go up in size, the price increases.  IMO, in general, if you go with a smaller unit, you may be able to fit in all the meat you may want to cook, but you may have greater variations in doneness depending on where the item is located in the smoker - as you get a bigger box, assuming you are smoking the same amount of meat, you will have less variation in doneness, since most of the meat will be in the middle of the oven. 

[scamhi]

I have a Cookshack SM045.

It  keeps accurate temperature up to 300 degrees and a probe to monitor meat temp. Most meat smokes are at 225-235 degrees.

[Barrytm]

That is a nice looking smoker.