Bradley Smoker BTDS76P 4-Rack Outdoor Natural Draft Digital Vertical Smoker

I've been through many versions of smokers including my brother using Traeger's in the past, my Sister using grills with smoking functions, and me using the vertical smokers with front glass window. The last one was a real hassle to clean after use also. My Sister and Brother eventually went over the Bradley vertical racks with non-digital and then my Sister upgraded to the digital. Based on their rave reviews over a couple years, I decided to spend the "big" money on the Bradley digital also and am so pleased with it. I don't have to worry about trying to keep the temperature just right with a dial, and the puck system is clean and easy to use. It is an easy clean up after smoking. I was concerned about the cost of pucks at first since I smoke for 10-12 hours, but realized with my brother that we only need to use the pucks for the first 2-3 hours, then continue the meat in the smoker without the smoke, since it has a separate heating system that doesn't depend on the smoking/chips/pucks like my older smokers did. My hesitation about spending the extra money for the digital versus non-digital was relieved after just a couple uses and I highly recommend the digital if you can swing it. You won't be disappointed. Bonus that with this vertical system, it takes up much less space on the deck than previous smokers.

What a great smoker! And a great price, I was at Cabelas and was about to but for there "SALE" price of $400 + tax! then I thought to check here! not only did I get this amazing smoker but I got the combo deal and got the smoker, bradley cover! and a 48 pack of Apple wood for $385! So glad I came here. Smoked my first set of ribs today and man were they better than any I've made before in the over, grill, or even the ones at BBQ joints. The unit is very easy to use, smokes great, it's size is a bit small I wish it was a bit larger on the sides so you could fit a full rack of ribs, I had to cut the rack in half to fit them, but with 4 racks in the smoker you could fir one slab on each of the racks for a total of 4 total slabs of ribs! Or like I'm doing tomorrow, a whole chicken, baby back ribs, sausage. They smoker is amazing! And if that's not enough, you can buy the cold smoker attachment and cold smoke! It's Amazing, man turning a cheap block of cheese into a amazing piece of cheese with cold smoking is the best. With the cold smoker, I smoke my cheese, nuts, salmon, salt, veggies, and anything that you want to have a nice smokey flavor. If your like me and like kosher or sea salt, use the cold smoker to add a great flavor to your seasoning. Nothing beats the Bradley digital smoker! It's worth every penny!

I am still using this model that I purchased here 14 years ago! I love this thing. It is very simple to use with excellent results every time. I’m not an expert but I love smokey barbecue and the Bradley smoker delivers. No, I do not work for them and was not paid for this review. I write plenty of negative reviews, this is not one of them. Just happy to report on a quality product, which is rare nowadays.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Love everything about this smoker, but only after the DIY heater element upgrade to the 900 watt heater element. Otherwise, it takes too long to reach the proper temperature, and too long to recover after opening the door. You can google Bradley heat element upgrade and find a youtube video on how to do it. It's pretty simple, if your mechanically inclined. What I like about this smoker is it is truly sealed. No smoke escapes, but through the vent. The digital controls are great. It holds temperature good and steady, and the wood discs load automatically, and burn nicely. If you're looking for a true set it and forget it smoker, this is the one. However, if you don't upgrade the heat element, I don't recommend, especially if you live in a cold weather climate.

I was smoking chicken. I set the oven desired heat to 250 degrees F. I put the chicken in when the digital thermometer was reading 235 degrees F. I placed 2 chicken halves on the top tray and 2 chicken halves on the 2nd to the top tray. (total of 2 chickens). I placed 6 chicken thighs on the 3rd to top tray and 4 chicken thighs on the bottom tray. I also placed a removable oven thermometer that reads accurate to the, in the house oven, on the bottom of the smoker on the solid grease catch tray. At no point did any of the racks obscure the smoke rising through to the top. I shut the door and the temp on the digital display at that point read 200 degrees F This number (200) on the display did not change for 45 min even though the desired temperature was still set at 250. The internal removable thermometer that I had placed at the bottom of the unit read 240 at the 45 min check. At an hour the temperature on the digital display attached to the smoker was still reading 200 degrees F. When I opened the smoker, the internal removable thermometer read 250 degrees F. First problem: the digital display thermometer and the removable thermometer were reading different temperatures. The second Problem, the digital thermometer on the display has not reached the 250 mark which was the designated set temperature for the oven/smoker even after an hour. At the hour mark I moved the internal thermometer from the bottom shelf to the 2nd to top rack. (The one with two chicken halves.) At the one hour and 15 min mark I opened the smoker to mop the meat down. At that time the internal removable thermometer had dropped to 200 degrees F while the digital display thermometer read 210 degrees F. The chicken’s internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer was: chicken thigh on fourth/bottom rack- 125F, chicken drum on the second to top rack – 130F, Chicken breast on top rack- 132. After I finished mopping, I closed the door and left the unit closed for another 45 min. At the 2 hour mark the digital display thermometer was reading 240 (still not at the desired 250 mark I had set the oven at 2 hours prior). The internal removable thermometer, still on the 2nd to top shelf now read 175 degrees F. The chicken’s internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer was: chicken thigh on fourth/bottom rack- 143F, chicken drum on the second to top rack – 140F, Chicken breast on top rack- 140. At the 3 hour mark I opened it one more time to find that the digital display thermometer was reading 245 degrees F and the Internal removable thermometer was reading 175 degrees F. The chicken’s internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer was: chicken thigh on fourth/bottom rack- 154F, chicken drum on the second to top rack – 143F, Chicken breast on top rack- 145. So in conclusion 1. The digital display thermometer never actually reached the 250 mark and only got to 245 after 3 hours. 2. I don’t even know if the digital display thermometer is even accurate do to having another internal thermometer reading different temperatures 3. The chicken was never cooking at a consistent temperature, for the 3hrs that it was cooking due to the unit slowly creeping up to 245 but never reaching the 250 F mark that it was set to. This is according to the digital thermometer on the unit itself.

If the intended recipient of this smoker lives in an apartment or condo down town or is known for cooking but is not really much of an outside BBQ guy, or uses meat simply to compliment his entire meal you will be fine getting him this. He will likely love it and everyone will be happy. But if you think it's not that simple please read the below: I bought this awesome machine in coordination with my best buds wife for his birthday. I like technology and I am not a guy who cooks or even BBQ's or smokes.... I am the guy who knows which of his friends and family do those things amazingly and I offer to pay for the ingredients (so I can eat their cooking!). So here is the deal, my brother from another mother (who is not a technology lover), liked this thing, but mostly I think because he didn't want to disappoint his wife or me, AND they were living in a place which didn't allow him to use a real smoker (or even charcoal BBQ) at the time... so he made the best of it and he used it because he had no other option. I don't think he enjoyed it, but he did a great job and I ate the heck out of masterpieces he created in it. BUT please consider the below before you purchase this for a person who loves to smoke meat and has a backyard to do it in. Here is the rub (get it?), if your intended recipient is a real BBQ guy or a dude (all references to male gender should be read as gender neutral in this review, cause there are a lot of ladies who feel the same way about this subject) who has been smoking meat with charcoal smokers, you need to do some investigating to ensure your investment in this is a good one and will be well received. Ask yourself the following: * When having friends over for a BBQ, can you find him in front of the BBQ for 85% of the party (before it's lit and after people are already eating etc..) * Does he get nervous or try to cover up his annoyance when anyone approaches his BBQ who looks like they want to "assist" in its operation? * Do friends talk about his BBQ or smoking skills in a good way? * Do friends ever ask him to BBQ the food even when he is a guest at their event? * Has he ever started smoking a brisket at 8am or earlier? * Has he told friends (of any gender) that he couldn't do something with them because he was smoking something? * Does he have a beer in his hands when he BBQ's or smokes? * Does he BBQ or smoke regardless of the weather? * Does he buy specific type of wood chips for smoking? * Has he ever improvised and used small twigs or sticks of a particular type of tree wood he has collected instead of bagged wood chips? * When prepping for a BBQ does he prefer to marinate his meat for a good 4 to 8 hours (or more) prior to putting it on the grill? When does not have that kind of time, does he make sure to let everyone know that the hour he was able to marinate the meat is not sufficient (ie trying to lower expectations) * Has he ever watched any TV show about a BBQ or Smoking competition? * Does he personally smoke any type of tobacco (bad habit smoke, not meat smoking)? * How many different rubs has he invented or made up himself? * Does he make an attempt to go alone or take you or other close friends or family to any annual BBQ or Smoking events (Fair, annual picnic, local or national competition)? * Has he ever built his own smoker or improvised a BBQ to make a smoker, or built a smoke house? * Has he ever taken an electric smoker and converted it to charcoal? * When at the BBQ does he hold his son or have his son nearby to assist or discuss what he is doing (even if it's just "be careful BBQ's are hot")? * When he BBQ's does he drink 1 to 3 beers but no more than that (while the meat is on) * How much time does he spend prepping to smoke meat? * How many different types of meat has he smoked so far and has he ever talked about trying to smoke any specific type of meat he has not smoked before? * Has he ever complained that his current smoker is too small? * Has he ever smoked one or more whole briskets? How many racks of ribs has he smoked at one time? * Is he married or have a live in girlfriend? * Does he start a smoke job even knowing the time commitment will make him miss his favorite TV program? * During an average smoke job how much time does he spend just checking the meat or amount of smoke or just hanging out in the yard near the smoker versus in the house or doing chores or watching TV/Gaming/Surfing the web (remember, this is during the actual act of smoking meat)? If any three of those could be said about the person in question, I would recommend you just straight out ask him his thoughts on a digital automated smoker (or have a friend try to). At the end of the day the relationship some people have with smoking meat is tied to the process, the personal accomplishment, and enjoyment of the entire act of smoking meat. This digital smoker is pretty much automated and the guys who love to smoke meat usually are somewhat offended by the removal of their beloved tradition or the feeling of accomplishment after going through their own personal process. It should also be noted that many people get a lot of benefit from being outside engaging in this practice because it provides some level of peace and solitude, and at times is an important social space for him an his friends (even if it's just on the phone with them while he is near the smoker). So what's the point? The point is this smoker is awesome for some and not so much for others and it has nothing to do with the brand or quality. This is an awesome smoker but the issue of digital automation on a smoker should be considered before buying it for someone else.

This device has reaffirmed my outdoor cooking ego. It took some research to determine that this was the optimal smoker type for me. I decided that I wanted: 1. Portability, 2. Ease of use / minimal monitoring needed, 3. Easy temperature control, 4. Low fire risk / easy smoke source storage / wide variety of smoke sources. This led me to the Bradley, which uses 'bisquettes' as the smoke source. These are like little hockey pucks made of compressed wood chips. They claim to be cleaner / healthier than other wood chips / pellets with less creosote. The first four meals I cooked were jerk chicken with Caribbean bisquettes, brisket with jim beam bourbon bisquettes, pork butt with applewood smoke, and 'coldsmoked' salmon with alder smoke. Each was simple and delicious. The Bradley is easy to install - it took less than 10 minutes. 'Priming' the device took a couple of hours, and is recommended to be done a day or more prior to the first cookoff. The degree of control over this device is a big selling point. I set the time on the smoker and place 3 bisquettes per hour of smoking. I also bought the spacers, which help me save 1 or more bisquettes at the end that would otherwise be partially burnt. The bisquette are directed onto a coveyer belt that moves them one-by-one onto an igniter, where they sit and smoke until they are pushed into a bowl of water to distinguish them. The oven has its own settings, where I control time and temperature. The display lets me know the internal oven temperature too, which is essential for outdoor cooking. Despite all this I highly advise using a continuous monitoring thermometer. This will reduce the number of times you're tempted to open the door to check on your meat baby, which of course drops the oven temperature and lets out the smoke. I am hoping the Bradley gives me many years of enjoyment as the online recipe cache would suggest it will. It has definitely given me a new hobby with terrific early results.

My first venture into smoking, and I have to say this unit made it seem easy. Heard friend's complain about their propane/electric thin-wall sheet metal smokers, and the temperature control issues, so I grabbed this one and called it good. Brined a 20 lb turkey for 24 hours (12 in fridge; 12 at room temp); placed compound butter under the skin (2 sticks butter, oregano, garlic, rosemary and packet of Italian dressing - all processed in food processor); rubbed outside with same butter; made a cheesecloth sling to hang the bird and hung it from a bar clamp set across 2x4s on top, with wire hanger through the vent hole. Put neck up so the smoke could enter through the rear, and the sling kept the legs and wings tight against the body. Did 5 hrs of smoke in total with alternating cherry and apple pucks, changing the water bowl every two hours. Did 2.5 hrs set at 250F (actual smoke temp of 245F); did 1.5 hrs set at 300F (actual smoke temp of 275F; as I was getting nervous about making temp in time); then did the last hour back at 250F set temp. Outside air temp ranged from 55-65F during the smoke. I think 250F set temp would have been fine for the duration, but I'm new at this and it was looking rather raw at hour 2 still. Took it out at hour 5, when it had reached 135F internal temp, removed cheesecloth sling, and finished it in the oven at 350F for 2 hrs covered by foil tent (as skin had already become perfectly browned in smoker). Hit 160F on the nose at hour 7. Rested for an hour and carved. I had read many posts on smoker forums, where it was said you can't do 20 lb birds with much success, or the skin is rubbery in smoker. Quite the contrary, the skin was crisp and brown, and not rubbery in the slightest, and everyone at the table raved about the flavor. So maybe those other folks have weak smokers. I'm sold on this one. All meat is going in the smoker from now on. Can experiment with all kinds of rubs, marinades, and seasonings, and I don't think you can go wrong with this smoker. Plus you can cold smoke in this unit. I thought you had to by the add-on cold smoker box, but I guess that's for the analog models. An interior hanger eyelet or hook rack across the top is about the only improvement I can think of (may have to fabricate something, or see if it's offered as an aftermarket item).

Ce fumoir numérique est vraiment une super trouvaille ! C'est tellement facile à utiliser, Les résultats sont constants et incroyables à chaque fois, mes amis sont toujours impressionnés. J'adore pouvoir régler la température précisément et laisser la machine faire le reste. Je recommande vivement cet appareil à tous les amateurs de grillades et de fumage.

This smoker never gets a break for salmon, to pork to beef no stop Bradley smokers are great. Yes I have a 4 rack Bradley now a 6 rack Bradley.

Der Räucherofen ist nicht schlecht. Nur das Räuchern in den kalten Jahreszeiten ist schwierig. Temperatur verliert sich durch die Wende.

Great for beginners, easy to clean and everything we’ve prepared using it turns out great. Doesn’t require much work throughout the cooking process other than refilling water every 2 hours. Would recommend an external thermometer as you can lose a lot of heat when you open the door, especially in the winter. The preheating process can take a bit long in colder weather but it seems to maintain temperature pretty well. Overall, very happy with this purchase !! *hunters blend bisquettes, smell and taste amazing !!

Smoking sausage