Advice please

[Scallywag]

The wife and I have been trying to make healthier decisions when it comes to food, not extreme things like vegan or anything.. just trying to cut out as much processed food as possible. I have made bacon on my Mak but want to venture into sausages and hams etc. I have the equpiment for sausage making but dont think my Mak is the right tool for large cold smokes and was thinking of buying a Bradley smoker.. any suggestions as to what model to get and what accesories I might need. Thanks in advance.

[squirtthecat]

Look into using the MAK warming box..   I know they make an extension box that goes on top of it, but you might be able to have one fabbed and save yourself some Canadian $$.

[Scallywag]

Look into using the MAK warming box..   I know they make an extension box that goes on top of it, but you might be able to have one fabbed and save yourself some Canadian $$.

Looked at thae Mak option but at 599.00 US plus shipping and brokerage fees puts it near 799.00 and it looks like it has less capacity than the Bradley.. Never thought to looking at getting one fabbed though.. will look into that. thanks Squirt...

[Saber 4]

I love my Bradley 4 rack digital and I've done sausage in it a couple of times even though I don't have a PID to control the temp swings better. I just picked up an electric turkey roaster for $14 bucks that I plan on using as a water bath to finish off my sausages so I don't have to get a PID hopefully. I may put an aquarium pump in it to circulate the water better. Just my 2 cents for what it's worth.

[sparky]

I've been looking st the masterbuild smokers myself.  Look at sausage maker has some smokers.

[BAM1]

Hey Robert I'd still consider that PID.  After It really showed me how scary the stock Bradley temp swings are.  Mine controls +/- 2 degrees which gives me ease of mind when making anything with cure in the product

[Sailor1]

I have the 4 rack OBS Bradley and while I mostly do sausage in it and have been happy with it ...... if I were to do it over again I would purchase something else besides the Bradley.  The Bradley only has a 500 watt element and it is attached to the back wall which creates hot spots to the rear and you have to either put a fan in it or rotate the product to heat evenly.  The Bradley uses pucks which can get expensive....I have been using the AMAZNPS for about 2 years now in the Bradley and no longer use the pucks.  I purchased a PID to control the cabinet temp and would recommend that no matter what smoker you get to smoke sausage you should get a PID.

There are other smokers that are less in price that will do just fine for smoking sausage.  The masterbuilt http://www.masterbuilt.com/index.php/products/smokers/30-electric-smokehouse.html would work just fine and it is $179.00.  The Smokin-it #2 and #3 http://www.smokin-it.com/Smoker_p/smkmdl2.htm would be another choice that I would really consider.  The thing about sausage smoking is that you want a cabinet that has plenty of height so you can hang your sausage.  Because the Bradley uses the V-tray system it cuts down the inside height and restricts the length of your sausage.

I guess the bottom line is to look for a smoker that has at least 24 inches or more in inside height and has a heating element that is centered on the bottom.  You will most likely have to add a PID to any electric smoker so you need to figure that into your cost.

[Saber 4]

Hey Robert I'd still consider that PID.  After It really showed me how scary the stock Bradley temp swings are.  Mine controls +/- 2 degrees which gives me ease of mind when making anything with cure in the product

It's still in the mental mix and it's a money thing for sure, I'm hoping to get by with a smoke period in the Bradley and then straight to the water bath before the temp gets critical in the Bradley.....At least that's the plan, always glad for advice from you guy's with more experience than I have.

[Scallywag]

I've been looking st the masterbuild smokers myself.  Look at sausage maker has some smokers.

Seeing mixed reviews on the Masterbuild.. I like the price and the fact it runs on wood chips though. Anybody have any experience with one?

[smokendevo]

The Cuisinart® Electric Smoker is a knock off of the Masterbuilt I believe. A friend of mine bought one  two years ago and loves it. They are available from Canadian Tire for $299.99 at their regular price. If you can get one on sale that would be great. I have the bradley digital 4 rack, and if I knew all the trouble I would have with it I would never have bought one. The customer service is excellent but after your one year warranty is up your on your own. I have replace many parts on mine, mostly broken plastic parts. As Sailer said the pucks are expensive and the heating element sucks. The temp swings are big if you live in a cold climate. The Cuisinart® Electric Smoker I think comes with a 750 watt element which would help with cold weather smoking and recovery times. I have seen them on sale for $199

[HighOnSmoke]

I've been looking st the masterbuild smokers myself.  Look at sausage maker has some smokers.

Seeing mixed reviews on the Masterbuild.. I like the price and the fact it runs on wood chips though. Anybody have any experience with one?

My first smoker was the Masterbuilt. It was okay, but I had to mod it considerably to get it to smoke.  Temp swings weren't that bad, but I
wanted something better and this started my journey on buying smokers.  I bought it 4 years ago and 2 years ago I gave it to my son
who was using it quite frequently until the element burnt out.  Not bad for a 4 year old smoker and only needing a new element and
some modding to the burning pot to get more air.

[muebe]

I say get a Bradley 6 rack. Try any get a non-digital model and use the difference in price to get a PID for it. When making sausage I know that temp control can be more critical.

I have a 4 rack that has lots of mods. It is my goto cold smoker. And I have a convection fan mod so it makes a great dehydrator also

[pz]

I've a Bradley original, and like the plug and play nature of adding an Auber dual probe.  The temperature control is precise and flawless.  Not long ago I'd set the programming to go 1 hour smoke, another couple of hours at a higher temperature, and then one additional hour at an even higher temperature.  After getting it started, I spent the morning in the hot tub with my sweetie, and when I went out later that day, the Auber indicated that the program had completed - the fish was absolutely perfect.

With that said, If I had to do it over, I'd probably build something from scratch - metal box of some kind for the food chamber, a smaller metal box plus ducting for a cold smoke adapter (using an A-Maze-N tube smoker).  If I wanted to make it more like the Bradley, I'd opt for a Bradley smoke generator @ $179