Electric Smokers ... Bradley vs Masterbuilt????

[bigmeat5242]

Just looking for some opinions ... trying to get an idea of the pros / cons of a Bradley Electrice Smoker vs. Masterbuilt Electric?

Thoughts?  If you cold smoke to you need additional attachments for both?  Thanks much! 

 

[browneyesvictim]

You can smoke things in either one. What you want to do with it is the real question. You are really only going to get opinions here, but the biggest difference to me is the use of the pucks with the Bradley, and is a proprietary thing. For that alone I am not a fan. However it is capable of 320" as a Masterbuilt cannot go that high (275 max). This is enviable for certain smokes.

Why is it you have it narrowed down to just comparing those two brands?

 

[dabigbozman]

Seems to be many more masterbuilts around here, but like asked above why have you narrowed your choices to the 2?

 

[bigmeat5242]

Thanks for the reply.  It doesn't necessarily have to be those two brands ... I have a Weber Smokey Mtn now that I really like ... just wanted to get an electric smoker so I could set it and forget it ... too many kids/too busy to tend to it.  Would like a good size electric smoker that will hold up over time ... looking for suggestions ... I would like to do some cold smoking ... nuts, salmon, cheese ... haven't done much of that yet, but if I could do both that would be ideal!  

I agree with you about the "pucks" - not crazy about feature either 

 

[jp61]

 
Thanks for the reply.  It doesn't necessarily have to be those two brands ... I have a Weber Smokey Mtn now that I really like ... just wanted to get an electric smoker so I could set it and forget it ... too many kids/too busy to tend to it.  Would like a good size electric smoker that will hold up over time ... looking for suggestions ... I would like to do some cold smoking ... nuts, salmon, cheese ... haven't done much of that yet, but if I could do both that would be ideal!  

I agree with you about the "pucks" - not crazy about feature either 

Everyone and their situation is different but, I think you may be a little disappointed mainly in the quality of taste (they're both good but different and one is better that the other imo) going to an electric from the WSM. For cold smoking, keep an eye on craigslist or if you want new, I'd go with Masterbuilt.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Perhaps its not so obvious... but what makes you think you can't cold smoke in your WSM? Even with a Bradley or a Masterbuilt you wont be heating with it. Why not try putting a smoke generator in your WSM? I get it if you are just looking for a larger smoker. What size Smokey Mountan do you have? In any case you would need to use an added smoke generator of some type to a Masterbuilt or Bradley anyway.

For what its worth... I recently finished my WSM mini build and installed a BBQ Guru PartyQ controller to it. This made that smoker less fussy and more set it and forget it than the Masterbuilt I have!  With the Masterbuilt, or most any other electric smoker you will need to tend to adding chips if you are using the chip loader. It will also have temp variances to work with you need to adjust to.  It seems most will forsake the chip loader in favor of an AMNPS pellet tray (recommended) or another type smoke generator. What I am trying to say is a Masterbuilt (and likely most others) aren't as set-and-forget out of the box as you might think.

Just some BBQ for thought...

 

[oddegan]

I just purchased my first electric smoker for pretty much the same reasons you stated. Set it and forget it. I went with the Masterbuilt simply because I can get wood chips anywhere and I did not want to be locked into the pucks.

 

[myownidaho]

I own a Bradley digital and it's been fairly decent. One issue is that the thermostat isn't always reliable. A Maverick probe has taken care of that problem for me. The other issue is that I don't cold smoke because the price of the pucks make it prohibitively expensive. I'm looking to upgrade to a Smokin-It 3D this summer.

 

[randyrayd]

I recently bought a 40" MES (never owned a Bradley), and I'm starting to love it but only have in 3 smokes.

You could get an Auber PID controller for your WSM. Mine seems more accurate than my oven.  I got one for my Akorn ever since I went for a six pack and my temp shot up over 100* in a little over 10 min.

rd

 

[GaryHibbert]

I own a Bradley digital and it's been fairly decent. One issue is that the thermostat isn't always reliable. A Maverick probe has taken care of that problem for me.

I have a MES 30 Gen 1 and I love it.

A Bradley therm might be unreliable sometimes, but the main therm and meat probe on my MES are pure garbage. A Maverick digital therm cured that.

For cold smoking, I did a mailbox mod with an AMNPS and its a breeze. I also use this setup when hot smoking, unless I want to use a wood that's unavailable in pellets. Then I use the chip tray.

Masterbuilt also has fantastic customer service.

Gary

 

[remsr]

Can't get a full packer in a Bradly and I like the option of wood chips usining the cold smoker or the AMNPS for pellets. I have a MES gen 2.5 40" and a WSM 22.5" with a IQ 130 temp controller that alows me to set it and forget it.

Randy.

 

[texanmichael]

Perhaps its not so obvious... but what makes you think you can't cold smoke in your WSM? Even with a Bradley or a Masterbuilt you wont be heating with it. Why not try putting a smoke generator in your WSM? I get it if you are just looking for a larger smoker. What size Smokey Mountan do you have? In any case you would need to use an added smoke generator of some type to a Masterbuilt or Bradley anyway.

For what its worth... I recently finished my WSM mini build and installed a BBQ Guru PartyQ controller to it. This made that smoker less fussy and more set it and forget it than the Masterbuilt I have!  With the Masterbuilt, or most any other electric smoker you will need to tend to adding chips if you are using the chip loader. It will also have temp variances to work with you need to adjust to.  It seems most will forsake the chip loader in favor of an AMNPS pellet tray (recommended) or another type smoke generator. What I am trying to say is a Masterbuilt (and likely most others) aren't as set-and-forget out of the box as you might think.

Just some BBQ for thought...

Bradley will cold smoke without any additional accessories and MasterBuilt I only have to add pellets 1 additional time over a 5 hour BB rib smoke

 

[dward51]

If you want "set and forget" and have a WSM, add a power draft such as a BBQ Guru.  It will hold the set temp for as long as you have fuel to burn.  I have had one on mine since 2006 and love it.  I don't think anything about sleeping during an overnight smoke of butts for pulled pork with the Guru minding the WSM.

As to cold smoking.  I took an extra WSM body door and installed an electric element under PID control to make a e-WSM that worked great.  I wanted more rack space as the 2 racks in my 18.5" maxed out at 5 pounds of sticks, and ended up modifying a MES Elite 30 Analog into a "MES Custom SS" for my cold smokes recently (the SS stands for Sticks and Sausage).  I'm very pleased with that build/modification and use it weekly for sticks or jerky. Here are the threads on both of those builds:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/183999/the-e-wsm-mod-a-convertable-electric-charcoal-wsm-smoker

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/233628/e-wsm-gets-an-upgrade-to-digital

Search the forum for "e-WSM" and you will find my cooks in that unit.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/264396/mes-custom-ss-model-mods-pic-heavy

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/264649/mes-custom-ss-maiden-test-smoke-is-done

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/264745/chipolte-wildfire-in-the-mes-custom-ss-first-stick-run