Showing posts with label electric bbq grill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric bbq grill. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Santa Fe QM2R 900-Watt Quesadilla Maker

Santa Fe QM2R 900-Watt Quesadilla MakerThis Quesadilla maker lets you get creative with your quesadillas. Of course you can make quesadillas on the stove-top in a pan like some reviewers suggested...but this makes it easy, no-mess and you don't have to stand at the stove top to flip, so you can bring it to the table and have a tabletop party.

What I love is that I can make quesadillas with very little oil in this maker as opposed to stove top. The quesadillas come out crispy and with distinct segments that I can quickly cut with a pizza cutter. I love serving the wedges as snacks at cocktail parties, especially as they come out crispy and sealed and can be served as a finger food.

There is also no end to fillings. My favorites 1) spinach/sundried tomatoes/cheese or 2)mushrooms/red peppers/grilled chicken/provolone cheese or 3)mashed potatoes seasoned with red onions/green chilli/cilantro/a dash of any good spice mix/a light sprinkling of cheese 4) roasted corn/red pepper/black beans/cheese 5) broccoli/chicken/cheese 6) spicy turkey mince cooked Indian "keema" style with green peas and tomatoesas you can see the list of yummy ingredients goes on and on.

I just prep the surfaces with a quick spray of olive/canola oil and don't use much cheese. So much better than the calorie rich quesadillas you get in restaurants. You can even use any tasty leftovers/casseroles as stuffing for the quesadillas. My family and friends simply love the quesadilla parties where I lay out many ingredients and they can mix and match and make their own quesadillas.

Some tips: If you use cheese try using the natural cheese which creates less mess than the melting processed variety. Also buy the bigger tortillas so that the whole surface is covered and the edges are neatly sealed. If you must use a small tortilla, put less filling right in the center and go very easy on the cheese, or it will seep out and create a mess. If you do get a mess, it is very easy to clean it off with a damp paper towel right after you take out your quesadilla.

Napoleon Dynamite's grandma would be proud to own one of these! Works great. One little tip before you head to the grocery store... you must use the LARGE "burrito size" tortillas with this. If you try to use smaller tortillas like "taco size" or "fajita size," they won't extend out to the part of the grilling surface that seals the edges and your melting cheese will flow out the sides. The instructions say you must use a 10" diameter torilla. That's usually sold as "burrito size." I agree with Diane that an on/off switch would have been a nice feature, but it still works wonderfully.

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I love this product! Try it with the flavored tortilla wraps they have out now, I had a great spinach tortilla quesadilla with green chilis, awesome, after that I had to buy one for myself and I don't regret it. It preheats within five minutes, flop a full-size burrito tortilla or wrap on there, load it with fillings, throw another one on close the lid, let it heat and there you are: lunch in under fifteen minutes, it's that easy. Since I am very lazy about any sort of cooking, this has made my lunches so much more fulfilling. Another note, so far, none of the fillings I've used have stuck to the nonstick surface and it is easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge. Just don't overfill the tortillas or they won't seal at the edges and the fillings will leak out.

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I have a cheese quesadilla fanatic for a husband and never could get his approval when it came to making his favorite at home. Tried the oven and broiler method and just ended up with either a soggy mess or a burnt beyond edible trash can item. Well, I happened to stumble upon this handy little item. Wow, has this made my life easier. Better yet, He can now make his own. It makes the most wonderful quesadillas ever. Just a few minutes in the machine and you have the perfect snack. They are sealed and have the perfect consistancy. And don't know why but stay warmer longer than others. I figure this is due to the sealing of the tortilla. I also love the separations in the cooker. It makes it so easy to serve and gives it a real professional look. I have also tried a few of the recipes that come along with the machine and they were just great. Give this maker a try. It really will make your life easier, whether it's for your quesadilla fanatic or for the kids afterschool snacks. Also, Stands on end so it's easy to store.

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Catch this machine when it is on sale! It is so worth it. We use it weekly and make the best dang quesadillas ever. The machine crisps and browns the torillas to perfection. Easy clean-up, too.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Charcoal Companion Nonstick Large Size Smoker Box with Hinged Lid

Charcoal Companion Nonstick Large Size Smoker Box with Hinged LidWorks great. Fits right under the grate above the flavorizer bars and produces a good amount of smoke. I like the black rather than the stainless because it does not discolor as bad after use. I also like the hinged lid because if it warps, it still opens and closes with ease unlike fitted lids. In addition, my experience has been that it produces more smoke than homemade packets of aluminum foil and is certainly more convenient. Very happy with this purchase.

This smoker is a good value. I use it every time I BBQ and the smoke flavor is great. Its very sturdy and well built. Very easy to clean. I have had good results with it even sitting on the grill, rather than the grates. I start this off for about 15 min before I put the meat on as it gives it time to smoke the wood. Once you try it, you will not grill with out it!

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I use this for my smoker. I wish it was more of a square box as my smoker flame is circular, but it works well none the less. The metal is a lot thinner than the cast iron box I was using, so the heat penetrates the metal a lot quicker and the smoking starts a lot sooner. I like this because the quicker the smoke hits the meat, the more it'll penetrate it. I've had it maybe 4 months now and been used about 10x's, still going strong. Will not last as long as a cast iron box, but it was cheap.

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Bought this to use with my Weber Genesis E-330. Fits perfectly under the grates and across the burner. Put some wet wood chips in and it does what it is supposed to do, create smoke. Very reasonably priced and seems like it will last a while.

UPDATE: 1-year later and still going stong.

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This smoker box is mainly for use with a gas grill, but it would work with a smoker. I purchased it for use in a Brinkmann electric smoker. The smoker box is well made and was shipped quickly. I am satisfied with the smoker box and recommend it.

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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Rutland Products 84 Hearth & Grill Conditioning

Rutland Products 84 Hearth & Grill ConditioningI don't often write reviews, but I really can't say enough good things about this product -it saved me a lot of time in keeping my wood stove insert window clean. I really enjoy making fires all winter long, and as a result, the window in my insert often winds up dirty. This stuff works so well, so easily, that I cleaned the window routinely throughout the year, and it was easy to do. It must have something in it that makes such cleaning easy, because before I would use other types of cleaners, such as windex or something similar, and it didn't do nearly as good a job on the heavy carbon buildup associated with burning fires. So if you are cleaning glass on a stove, look no further, this is the stuff to get.

We tried this after our previous brand was not available. It worked better no question. I can still be tough to get soot off that has been on for a long time but this makes it pretty easy.

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After using our wood burning fireplace insert w/blower the "glass" doors developed a heavy coat of soot, creosote. Whatever it's called. The instructions in the manual state to use glass cleaner, soapy water or for stubborn coatings dip newspaper or a paper towel in cool ashes and wipe it on the glass. These methods did not work. After spending time on the internet looking for solutions I tried using a razor blade. This was effective, but time consuming. Online a commercial solution was listed so I decided to try Amazon.com and found this product. I was skeptical, but after following the instructions on the bottle the "stuff" on the doors came off with minimal elbow grease. This product is amazing. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Read Best Reviews of Rutland Products 84 Hearth & Grill Conditioning Here

Rutland glass cleaner works. A nice thick paste that takes most soot off the glass without having to scrub too hard. This is one of the best products on the market for cleaning soot off a woodstove glass door.

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This is by far the best cleaner for the glass on your wood stove. It's easy to clean with and works great! I've tried other cleaners and this one definitely works the best.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Charcoal Companion Cedar Single Serving Wood Grilling Planks, Set of 4

Charcoal Companion Cedar Single Serving Wood Grilling Planks, Set of 4I bought these as gifts for my brother-in-laws. I missed the part about "single serving" size so they are 1/2-1/3 the size of a normal blank. I am not sure yet how they will hold up to multiple uses. Overall they were well received.

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Cuisipro Splatter Guard

Cuisipro 13-Inch Splatter Guardthey've really thought out this product. not only is it solidly constructed, but the mesh is extremely tight and the legs prevent it from sitting directly on the counter, so you don't get oil all over your countertop. because it is all stainless, it can go right in the dishwasher. the whole thing makes sense!

Love this for all that it does. The feet keep it off the counter, and it's lightweight, yet stays in place.

My only thing is I need to get a smaller one as well for my 10 inch skillets. It's big on the 12 inch skillet (obviously) so make sure you're buying the size you need!

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Not a flimsy spatter screen. Sturdy and works great. Anticipate years of use.

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I've bought a lot of the cheaper ones and they fall apart, or rust. I haven't used this one much, but the feet are a great idea and I love the large size. No plastic here to melt, break, or fall apart. Could be used in the oven.

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Splatter guard is easy to use on both large and small pans, especially with the small 'legs' keeping the guard on the pan. Easy to wash and flat enough to store with other racks. Handle stays cool, too. Reduces liquid splatter to a mere quick wipe with a sponge. Now if we can only remember to use it...

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

All-Clad LTD 11-Inch Square Nonstick Grill Pan

All-Clad LTD 11-Inch Square Nonstick Grill PanI bought this pan after hearing my sister rave about it. It is terrific. I have grilled salmon, hamburgers, chicken breasts and pork tenderloin. Luckily, my sister gave me the secret to using the pan and easy clean up. Preheat the pan on Medium heat for ten minutes. DO NOT use any cooking spray or oil. This will ruin the pan. When you are done cooking, just fill the pan with soapy water and let soak for a few minutes. Rinse with water, scubbing lightly if necessary .

I would highly recommend this pan. It is like having a grill inside!

I've used a couple of other grill pans from other manufacturers and was never very impressed. But I decided to give it one more try with the All-Clad. What a difference. Everything I've made from fish to vegetables, soy burgers, steaks everything, has come out great. I've also found that it cleans up easily after a quick soaking. I don't use any spray and only oiled it as per the instructions the first time I used it. Northing sticks. Overall, a great pan I use several times a week.

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I've owned this grill pan for almost 2 years now and it does a great job of grilling everything from burgers to chicken, fish and thick steaks. It has the ability to heat up to a very high temperature, enabling me to nicely sear the outside of the meat. I can then pop the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking the inside of thick steaks or just to keep warm. As for clean up, the pan does need to sit and soak for a little while but after that, everything comes off with relative ease. No hard scrubbing involved. Overall, I love this product and highly recommend it.

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I have only owned this item for about 3 weeks and have used it at least 10 times already. What I like about it is that it is big enough to hold just about anything, leaves nice "grill marks", takes less energy and time to heat the pan, and it is very very easy to clean. If you find it hard to clean, it is probably because non-stick spray or even oil (not including butter) is being used. Don't do it. It is already "non-stick". Usually I put any oil that is needed on the meat or veggies first, then cook it. If you have a sticking problem, after cleaning the pan, rub a little soft scrub 0n the spot. This gets rid of any residue that may have caused the sticking to begin with. I think it is better than George Foreman, becuase the fat doesn't drain away which, in the end, saves the flavor.

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We recently purchased a new oven featuring 3 Induction heating sites. We bought the oven b/c it was the counterpart to the new Refrigerator we bought and we really didn't know much about the induction heating feature. B/c I didn't read the manual at first (in my defense, it was an oven I didn't expect to need to do much reading), none of our new cookware worked with the induction burners (but some of our old stuff that we had already packaged to give to Goodwill did) so I thought it was either broken or I was doing something wrong. After reading the manual, we realized the problem you need specific types of cookware to use induction heat.

I had just spent a fairly significant amount of money buying a complete set of higher end Calphalon cookware none of which ended up being induction compatible. So we went to Macy's to try to find some items that would. After some research, we saw there were specific lines of Calphalon that were compatible so I bought two more frying pans, and three pots. When we got them home though these ones didn't work either. When we returned them, the sales lady mentioned "All Clad". She said it was the best stuff you can find on the consumer market, and that it's all induction compatible. It's expensive she warned, but it's worth it. I had just spent close to 700.00 on the Calphalon stuff so the All Clad Price tag was enough to make me do a double take expensive it is. To that end, I decided to try a few pots, so we got a 6qt, a 4qt, 2qt, 1.5qt one and a few other all-clad misc items.

We immediately tried a few of them out and my wife was amazed at how well it worked. Not only was the heat immediate (which you get with induction) but everything cooked up really well. Even though it's not like traditional teflon (or even calphalon) the non-stick aspect was phenomenal. She was so thrilled with it, that she talked me into getting a few frying pans (at this point it was way too late to return the Calphalon set I had bought for Christmas so we figured we'd have them both use the Calphalon for the regular burners, use the All-Clad for the induction ones). (I know get to the point). Well , this item was one of the 4 frying pans we bought (and strangely enough, was the only one that wasn't induction compatible).

The only thing negative about it, (and maybe I'm being unfair I should have done a little more homework, but I was told that *all* AllClad items were induction compatible) is that it didn't work with the induction heat. However, it was superb in every other respect so definitely decided to keep it.

Short of intentionally trying to get something to cake on to it by like frying glue and paint in it, I don't think you can get anything to stick to it. We're still getting used to the over so have burned a few things and even when we did, nothing stuck to it. We made cheeseburgers and a lot of the shredded cheese fell over the side. With the calphalon it's not much of a problem, one wipe will get it off. But we could use the spray from the faucet to get off everything burned on it. The cooking surface is quite large and the pan itself is quite sturdy. Because of its depth, even if there are grease splatters, the splatters are largely contained in the pan.

You have room to cook a tremendous amount of food and can easily cook completely different items in the quadrants of the pan (like Eggs on one side, burgers on the other) Because of its size it lends itself very well to using the "Dual" feature of the burners. It's balanced perfectly so despite its weight, you can easily lift it and move it around without having to use anything to protect your hand from the heat.

This particular pan was also considerably cheaper than all of the other AllClad items we had bought, in fact I think it was right in line with a typical Calphalon pan so that may be why it wasn't induction compatible. Also, although I did criticize it for not working with induction it wasn't the company that told us it would, it was the saleslady and it's certainly understandable that she may have just been confused.

The look and feel are testimony to how well it's built. We're new to this product but I think it's safe to assume it'll go out of style long before it'll need replaced. Functionally, the way that it distributes heat is really impressive even if all of the heat is focused on the middle part of the pan, the outer aspects still conduct heat to a very similar extent. If you use the Dual feature, things just cook faster but the heat stay evenly distributed in either case.

Finally, the packaging was really nice (All Clad takes a lot of care with their packaging reminiscent of what you'd see if Apple made frying pans), it arrived early and other than the induction issue, it's pretty much perfect. It is very easy to cook with. It distributes heat extremely well. It has a broad cooking area which is complimented by deep sides allowing you to use to for many different cooking scenarios. It's perfectly balanced so despite the weight, even an elderly person with arthritis would have little problem using it. To top all of that off, the handle, although made of polished metal, doesn't conduct heat so irrespective of how hot the pan gets, the handle never gets hot. From start to finish it's a well crafted product that's definitely worth the price.

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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Char-Broil Pro-Sear Adjustable Porcelain Grid

Char-Broil 3585138 Pro-Sear 21-Inch Adjustable Porcelain GridWhen the cooking surface of our grill got rusty I went to the grill's website to get a replacement. Unfortunately they did not have one for our model so I came looking on amazon.com. This adjustable grid was perfect, and it was shipped quickly with great packaging care. It was easy to adjust and fits perfectly. The smooth surface is easy to clean and maintain. I'd recommend this to anyone.

In the product details, it says that this grate is 14.2 x 25 x 0.7 inches. However, when the product arrived, it would not fit in my grill so I measured it and found it to be 25.5 inches wide. After measuring it, I noticed it clearly states on the label that it is 14.5 x 25.5 inches. The dimensions listed here are not correct.

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The adjustable porcelain grid is not perfect, but it does work and is surprising steady. It has given my sister's 1960's charcoal grill new life and an extended lifetime. The original grid was down to wire thickness after over fifty years of use.

I recommend this product, but purchasing it as a replacement is still an order and hope it fits/works process. I wish the product description and photos were more detailed to ensure it will work as a replacement grid before ordering.

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First, if you want it to adjust in two directions, get the GrillPro 50335 Porcelain Coated Cooking Grid or a similar item. I'm not sure why people think this adjusts in two directions. You can clearly see the adjustable end in the photo, and according to the product descriptions it "FITS castings 25-1/2-Inch to 29-1/2-Inch wide. Sidebars TELESCOPE from 14-1/4-Inch to 16-3/4-Inch for ideal fit." So if your grate width is 27.5", you will have about a 1" gap on either end (assuming it's centered) or if it's pushed to one side or the other, a 2" gap. My grill is 24.5" wide, so I had to get the 21" model. I do have the gaps on the side but it's not a big deal. The adjustable bar works great. I could see a stability problem if it's extended to the max. I have no problem with food sticking (if it's seared properly), easy to clean, and no chipping or rust to date. I've had it almost 3 years, and it's been used a lot. It's not the most amazing grate in the world that's why it's $18 but for $18 it's great.

Update 12-2012: It finally started showing wear and rusting. I got a new grate that was designed for my grill and saved this one as a spare for whatever reason. This made the rusting worse so I trashed this one. It was good while it lasted and still worth the money.

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I returned this item. Although it appeared to be well-made, it did not fit my space. Essentially, the item is 25" x 14". Only the 14" side is adjustable, and if you adjust to a larger size, the additional space is unusable.

The description of the dimensions and picture were somewhat lacking when I ordered this item. I think they have since been improved. Read the other reviews carefully to see if it will fit your space. I was looking for something to fit my unusual built-in grill which measures 25 x 21. This didn't work.

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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Stainless Steel Grilling Kabob Skewers, Set of 6 (3/8-in

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Signature Stainless Steel Grilling Kabob Skewers, Set of 6If you like grilling kabobs these are great skewers for you. Basically, there are two main types of skewers available in the market. Metal and Wooden. Wooden ones can be made of bamboo or other wood types and often are round shape. The problem with wood skewers is that they can get burnt if the grill is quite hot so you have to soak the skewers in water before use. Also, because they are round, it's difficult to "flip" the skewer so that you can evenly grill the kabobs or whatever else you are grilling.

The metal skewers generally available in market are round. You don't have to soak them in water but they still have problem with flipping the skewer for even cooking. Flat metal skewers are perhaps the best. They are not burnt by heat and you can flip the skewer easily for even cooking. The only thing you have to be careful about is that metal gets hot after being on grill, so hand gloves are a must with these.

I bought weber flat flat skewers before I bought these. The weber ones are not as wide and perhaps not as sturdy as these. These skewers are also available in 5/8 inch and 7/8 inch widths besides the 3/8 inch width. I bought all three width skewers from amazon but I think for most purposes 3/8 inch size is best.

I am giving these four stars because when I hand washed them I could bend the skewer while washing and I think they could be made sturdier.

For the price, I think I got an excellent product.

I bought several different sized sets of these skewers so I could try them all, including the widest so I could cook ground beef.

These stainless steel jems are simply the best........ The quality and workmanship is excellent. Unlike water soaked bamboo skewers that will burn up, you can cook your kabobs on very hot fires and get that crusty exterior that makes em taste great. These skewers are flat and can be turned with tongs or even pliers. The meat and veggies will not spin. They are dish washer safe.

I shortened several of the skewers by 2" making them the perfect length to fit in a Large Big Green Egg. Left at full length they are fine for a 22" Webber.

I also used a file to sharpen the points to make the food literally glide on the skewers. (Take care when using the skewers if you sharpen them)

I'd give these a 6 out of 5 if I could.

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These skewers are great they make cooking kebabs easier and hence more enjoyable to me. They really are flat so they don't rotate. By hand these are easy to clean and I haven't had any rust problems (I don't own a dishwasher). I don't own a grill either so I make all of my kebabs under a gas broiler. I make a *lot* of kebabs (from Indian to Vietnamese to BBQ, see images for an example) and I went through soaking bamboo skewers like lots of other people. I also wasted money on those metal skewers with the "B B Q" on the ends (available on Amazon). They're terrible (I reviewed those as well). Finally I bought all 3 sizes of the Steven Raichlen skewers together with a mandoline slicer and got the cheapest one free by the 4-for-3 promotion. At first I found it a little difficult to get the skewers through certain types of meat, and I poked myself a few times (nothing serious). I decided to sharpen the ends of the skewers myself. I have to be more careful now, but ultimately I think it's safer since the skewers just glide through the meat and I don't have to force them and they don't slip (similar to why sharp knives are safer than dull ones). I uploaded an image of a sharpened versus nonsharpened skewer end.

Kebabs are a great food in my opinion -delicious yet easy, fast and fairly inexpensive (depending on the meat you choose, of course!). It usually takes me about 30 minutes to get a marinade together and prepare the meat, then I let them sit in the fridge for a day or so. Cooking kebabs under the broiler is quick and easy, cleanup is a snap, and a citrus splash, some dipping sauce (either a chutney or the rest of the marinade cooked down to a paste) and a simple side dish (from homemade potato salad to a green salad to other, various veggie kebabs) complete the meal. Wash it down with a homemade ginger kombucha and finish with an espresso for dessert. I am an avid cook and have bought lots of equipment and cookbooks on Amazon. Eventually I will review all of them, especially the cookbooks, so you can see which kebab recipes I like for whatever it's worth.

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The actual skewer is wonderful to use, keeping the meat and veggies from moving around. However, after putting them in the dishwasher to clean they came out with rust on them, so are they actually stainless steel. I recommend hand washing.

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Just what you need for Turkish style kebabs and vegetables that would otherwise be hard to handle on the grill. The flat design means no rolling around and the food is held better than with the cheap round skewers. However, you need barbecue gloves to handle these safely.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Bradley Digital Electric Smoker

Bradley Digital 4-Rack SmokerIt looks like a very small refrigerator.

Every piece of sheet metal is sanded on the edges, no cuts from sharp edges.

Easy to put together, no more difficult than putting together a refrigerator.

Quiet as a refrigerator too.

Read the instructions and season it first as directed.

You will need extra wood pellets. It does not come with any in the box, so order some extras. Each pellet lasts about 20 minutes.Bradley Apple Bisquettes 48 pack

NOTE: you have to put at least 4 pellets in the stacker to get it to burn 1 pellet. Just the way it works. I put in two pellets and nothing smoked. It needs 4 pellets to push the pellets along the tray to the burner. Not a problem, just try to remember that 3 of the pellets won't burn.

So, if you want to cook for 4 hours you need: 3 pellets per hours x 4 hours = 12 pellets + 3 pellets to get them to burn plate = 15 pellets.

I tested a Butterball Turkey Breast first. I followed the Bradley instructions in their cookbook Bradley Recipe Book Volume 1 for the turkey cooking temperatures. I used their glaze recipe under the skin. I also used a wireless remote meat thermometer Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer feed the probe wire through the roof vent of the smoker. I used the apple pellets from Bradley Apple Bisquettes 120 pack

I sat back and waited. A few hour later the Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer began to chirp "almost done" "Almost done". The wireless thermometer is great because I was smoking the week of Thanksgiving and it was in the 30's outside so not having walk out to the smoker to check the meat was ideal. (My wife was concerned about the smoker being able to maintain cooking temperature in the cold outside. This smoker was stable, the temperature stayed steady. the outside of the unit did not get hot to the touch, except around the smoke vent which is to be expected.)

I used a Taylor Analog Instant-Read Dial Thermometer to verify the temperature of the meat when the wireless told me it was done. Both thermometers were within a degree of each other.

I took the turkey breast out of the smoker and let it rest for about an hour. The color was extremely golden skin. Not black or Smokey but as if was dipped in golden lacquer. A gorgeous turkey breast. No burnt places, not excess smoke, perfect. When I carved the Turkey breast it was as moist as a wet sponge. Unbelievably tasty, nothing like store bought smoked turkey. The taste of the turkey was like that of caviar compared to fish sticks, it was rich, smooth and wonderful.

This smoking robot works. Just add a Oregon Scientific AW131 Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer to you don't have to walk outside and let it do its job.

Also, we ran the smoker on our back porch, about 10 feet from the house. It only exhausts a small amount of smoke while working. It did not look like a fire at the, just a little smoke, less than the steam from a tea kettle. If you cheat and peak while it is cooking you will get your clothes smoked and have to change for dinner, but the smoke from the smoker did not get into the house otherwise.

Easy to setup, easy to control and easy to cook with. Oh, the trays are 11x15 so you could put a 12-14 pound turkey in it. Next is a Roast, Ribs and some Cheeses. The Bradley Recipe Book Volume 1 also includes recipes for cheese, fruit, and more. Just follow the instructions and be patient. It can do both hot and cold smoking.

This is a very slick little unit with a digital temperature control and automatic smoke generator, using a wood chip biscuit feeder. Technically it should be hands off. More on that later.

It is made in the Orient and resembles one of those small inexpensive refrigerators complete with plastic trim. The interior is lined with very thin gauge Stainless Steel, and has 4 thin gauge racks. It is fairly light weight especially without the smoke generator attached. Assembly was fairly straight forward and is easy to move around.

The smoke generator uses lightly packed disks consisting of small wood chips. These are distributed by Bradley in various wood types. The smoke generator heats them individually on a small plate until they smoke. After 20 minutes another is indexed into place, pushing the used up bisquette as a blackened disk into a water tray, just short of rendering it to ashes. A tubular magazine holds enough bisquettes to last for many many hours.

The main issue I have with it is it's very poor temperature control. The key to smoking meat is to keep the temperature low and slow. This unit struggles with that, deviating considerably from the set temperature, specifically going higher. There is a 500W heating element in the smoke tower that comes on once the thermostat drops 10 degrees below the set temperature. The actual temperature in the smoke tower rises rapidly once the heater comes on but the thermostat lags way behind, allowing the actual temperature to rise well above what is desired. The temperature could be some 40 degrees or more above the thermostat reads. This is an especially serious problem if you are using a sugar based rub, because it will start to burn above 240 to 250F. Not to mention the fact that the meat will cook too rapidly.

Also being that the smoke tower has so little mass there isn't much to hold the heat, so opening the door to check on the status or baste causes the temperature to drop rapidly.

The other issue I have is that after 3 hours of smoking, I was surprised to see that the meat showed little evidence of smoking. The taste was there somewhat but seemed weak.

In my final analysis I would say you get what you pay for. Conceptually it has a lot to offer, and it's design seems very well thought out, but in practice falls short. With just a little more effort in the way of a better thermostat it would be immensely better. Also I'm not convinced it needs a 500W heater, it's possible a 250W unit could keep up and improve heat versus thermostat control.

Update: It's Superbowl Sunday 2012 and I'm using my Smoker for some Chicken Thighs. It's only the 4th time I've used it in just short of a year from when initially purchased it. It heated up initially but then packed it in after about 30 minutes. The heating element has failed. I now get to check out their customer service.

Update: Customer service is so far excellent.

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I've owned the OBS for about a momth now and have smoked all kinds of meat. It's so simple and easy that I know I will be using it far more frequently than a standard smoker just because it's easy. I'm able to run it on my deck without worry of torching the house since it cooks with electric element.

One of the cons of this product as I was researching it is that you have to buy Bradley's wood chips (biscuits) to use in the feeder mechanism and the cost associated with that. I don't see that as a problem at all since you'd be spending money for charcoal and or standard wood chips anyway. True that running this unit would be a bit more expensive than another electric smoker. But, it's well worth the additional operating cost to be able to run an overnight smoke without having to get up in the middle of the night several times to add wood for smoke or stoke a fire.

One last thing....if you're comparing the Original Bradley to the Digital Bradley; buy the Original and purchase the Auber digital PID with it instead of buying the Digital Bradley. The Auber digital component is a plug and play digital temp control unit that is much more accurate than what is provided with the Digital Bradley. I find on the Bradley forum that many who bought the Digital Bradley end up purchasing the Auber PID to override the standard Bradley digital component anyway.

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I have one and I love it. Its effortless with the smallest amount of maintenance so far, just keeping that box clean and free of debris is the most youll have to do. As for the smoke, the flavor is spot on. When it comes to smoking birds, youll never get the thing up high enough to crisp the skin like a charcoal smoker. Yes sometimes a smoker wants high temps. This little baby will never do it, not on its own. But when it comes to cold smoking or smoking at 220ish to 240, this baby cant be beat for the ease of use and perfect meat flavor. If you got the cash pick her up.

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Note, comments relate to the 6-rack digital but I believe are largely applicable to all the Bradley Smokers

I was really excited to get this product and spent over a year trying to get it to work. After a year and a bunch of research I came to the conclusion that the product is crap. You are welcome to do your own research but I think what you will find is that this product is very easy to use. However, the ease of use comes at the cost of a smoker that does an unsatisfactory job of actually smoking. As you know the key to good smoking is maintaing conistant heat and the Bradley is simply not designed to do this.

My list of issues are as follows:

1) The six rack smoker has the same heating element as the four rack smoker. So while it is significanlty larger it has no more power than the smaller model. I believe its heating element is only like 500 watts and I believe my wifes hair dryer has more power than that.

2) The heating element in the smoker is way underpowered for the six rack unit (and I suspect the four rack one as well). It takes over an hour to heat up to 200 degrees and then drops way down when you open it up to put the food in and takes well in excess of another hour to get back up to tempeture. It was so under powered that I would just leave the unit set at its highest setting, like 300 degrees, and I do not think I ever got the unit up past 250 degrees. Since it was so underpowered it took very long cook so that towards the end of my use with it, after the smoke had set, I would take the food out and put it on the gas barbque at 250 degrees to finish off.

3) Owing to the design every time you have to open the unit to check on the food you loss all of the heat (i.e. there is no effective heat sink) which then takes for ever heat up. Think about it, to service the unit you have to open the door competely allows all the heat to escape.

4) the design of the heating element creates hot spots along the back of unit and it is significanly hotter at the bottom than it is at the top. Bradley themselves recommend rotating the racks front to back and top to bottom to get an even cooking. This means you need to open the door which allows all the heat to escape.

5) the digital thermostat is located just above the heating element so it reads high. The spread between the tempeture reading on the digital unit and one taken manually from the top of the unit is like 30 degrees.

6) the digital thermostat has like a 20 degree varience between starting and stoping when it is at tempature. Do research, I read that people recommend buying the orginal and an after market digital thermostat which is far superiour and overall cheaper than buying the digital Bradley.

7) An electric smoker will not give you a smoke ring. The smoke ring comes from a chemical reaction related to the carbon burning off from charcol or wood. The smoke ring is a sign of good smoked food.

My reasoning for giving it 2 stars is because the smoke generator works wonderfully well.

The cons in my humble opinion so far out weight the pro's that a cheap guy like me gave the Bradley away. Spending almost $500 on a smoker to dump it becasue it does not do a good job hurts, expecially when all of the issues that I listed above are well documented on the net and I failed to do the detailed research before hand.

Rather than trying to modify the Bradley to try to get it to work I decided to buy a Weber Smokey Mountain. While WSM is lacking the electronics it is wonderful to use. It maintins the heat like an oven, I actually cannot believe how fast it heats up and how long it will maintain a constant tempeture without any adjustment. There is lots of support for the WSM on the internet and I really do not see it being any harder to use. Personally, I also like the idea of cooking with charcoal, it just adds to the mistique of smoking food and impresses the neighbors.

This product in my mind is just a gimmick which produces an unsatisfactory product. Please, do yourselves a favour and read the Bradley sites on the net and you will see all of the issue I mention above are documented and the modifications people are doing to deal with heat and tempeture issues. Knowledge is power.

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