Bradley Original 4 Rack Electric Smoker Review
As an avid outdoorsman, I’ve always appreciated the quality table fare that comes from a successful hunt. Venison steaks, ground burger, and jerky help feed my family throughout the year and provide one of the cleanest and healthiest protein sources available. Personal preference in preparation varies, but over the years, I have always returned to the incredible flavor of the smoked venison products that friends would create. Before I fully committed to investing in a smoker myself, I was contacted by Bradley Smokers and presented with an opportunity to put one of their Original 4 Rack Electric Smokers to the test. The following is my review, having used the smoker for roughly 50 hours so far.
As a first-timer in the world of smokers, I was pleased with the simplistic instructions and setup of my Bradley Smoker. Its construction reminded me of a standing dormitory fridge, equipped with a smoke dial generator and smoke tower attached to the side. The four internal racks provide more than enough room for the smoking I intend to use it for, and the integrated temperature gauge on the door offers a basic and efficient way to monitor your internal temperature. The physical dimensions of the smoker are 15’’W x 11.5’’D x 25.5’’HT – making it a smoker that takes up relatively little room.
What sets Bradley apart is their flavored bisquettes and conveyor belt-style burner system. Rather than monitoring and refilling pellets, the Bradley Smoker takes all the guesswork and monitoring out of the equation. Each of their flavored bisquettes burns for roughly 20 minutes, at which time the conveyor belt moves the burnt puck off into the drip bowl, transitioning a brand-new puck onto the burner. The feeder tube can hold enough briquettes to burn for roughly 9 hours without additional monitoring. Bradley also offers an incredibly diverse array of bisquettes on their website, including a wild game blend I plan to test this fall. Maintaining a consistent internal temperature was a breeze, even without a gauge with dedicated temperature ratings. This type of dial takes a little experimentation to adjust to, but even within the first session, I had a clear mental metric of where I needed to set the dial. The simplistic nature of the Bradley Original Smoker makes it an the ideal entry-level option.
I had relatively little faith in my first few experiments with my Bradley Smoker (I figured I was sure to screw something up) and was pleasantly surprised when the pork loin I smoked turned out beautifully. The flavor from the cherrywood bisquettes complemented the pork well, and the Hawaiian slider sandwiches we made have become a family favorite. The magic non-stick silicon mats make clean-up a breeze, and even after 50+ hours and countless messy meals seeing the racks, the smoker still looks almost brand new. As the fall hunting season progresses, I can’t wait to uphold the Bradley motto of “From the Woods to the Smoker”.
If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend considering Bradley Smokers. If you’d prefer to look under the hood before you buy, the Bradley Dealer Locator tool on their website, linked here, is very helpful. Many hardware stores and our local Scheels all carry Bradley products on hand. If you order online, don’t forget to use code “LANE10” for 10% off your order!
