Today I’d like to talk about one of the most important tools for any BBQ enthusiasts which are Barbeque Smokers. Even the best bbq recipe in the world will do you no good if you cannot cook the meat properly. Of course that means low and slow my friends…. low temperatures allow the meat to cook slowly over longer periods of time. Some briskets and large pork butts require 24 hour cooking times or longer to reach perfection.
Now over the years I have been fortunate enough to use some very nice barbecue smokers. But regardless of how fancy they are, one thing you must always keep in mind is that various wood burning smokers often require round-the-clock monitoring. Even those fancy rigs must have the wood replaced every hour or so to maintain the proper cooking temperature. The unfortunate result is that many BBQers simply don’t have the time and/or patience to make their favorite recipes.
Since I was born and raised in Texas, I know first-hand that any “simple” smokers such as the electric versions are largely frowned upon by old-timers (who’ve never really tried them). However, I must tell you that a couple of years ago I secretly tried one out myself. I say in secret because I didn’t want to have to listen to some of my “BBQ Purist” friends belittle me LOL
Well, in a nutshell, I’ve been proudly using one ever since =)
Anytime I am going to smoke some ‘cue that requires 12 or more hours it goes into my Bradley. This thing is so simple to use it makes me wonder how I ever spent those long nights poking coals and replacing wood every hour on the hour. I can literally set it and forget it until I know it’s ready… even if that is going to be 30 hours for a couple of large bbq briskets.
The Bradley Smoker looks like a small modified black refrigerator sitting out on my porch. I say modified because there is an attachment on the left side that allows you to automatically feed smoke bisquettes into the cooking chamber to give it the right amount of smoke flavor. You only need to fill the feed chute with enough wood bisquettes for the meat you are cooking… there are several flavors to choose from and you can even experiment with a mixture if you like.
Now, the old purist in me would never talk anyone out of buying one of the large, fancy Barbeque Smokers if that is what they really want. If they can afford to spend the Big Bucks (often in the thousands) then more power to em. But I can guarantee you that the BBQ I make in my little Bradley can meet or beat anything they’ll ever produce in their “Big Boy Rig”… and I’ll be inside watching a movie or getting some shut-eye while they are slamming down the coffee and trying to keep their units running 
So, in short, if you are looking for the best BBQ Smoker for the money and don’t mind a few funny glances at the “weird black fridge thingie” sitting outside your house - you cannot do better than the Original Bradley Smoker
I hope this helps some of you and as always, if you like what you find here please use the nifty little bookmark thing below and I’ll keep bringing you the best BBQ Recipes and advice I can.
Your Friend-in-BBQ,
Scott (aka. Big Pappa)
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