need help with details

Check out this recent forum forr starters. It's Cookshack vs Bradley.

http://forum.cookshackamerica.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cg...t_topic;f=1;t=000895

1. Sawdust would be a bit hard to use, maybe could be put in a foil packet. Fairly large shavings like from a planer might be useful for cold smoking. Scrap from 1" or bigger lumber would be fine. Remember, you only need a few ounces of wood per session.

2. Loaded right, should be able to finish just about anything without adding wood. I just did a ham for 14 hours and still had a bit of wood left. If smoking at low temperature, one trick is to use some little chips to get smoking right away and some large chunks that last longer.

3. Dry wood seems to work best. If you have green, you can dry it in a month or less by splitting and sawing it into usable chunks while green.

4. There's a thermostat that turns the burner on and off. It's not real precise, but it works - maybe better that way.

5. I put a piece of sheet metal over if it's raining more than a drizzle. A foil tent'll work or could get a lot fancier.

6. Short answer, yes, but look in the forum for various methods.

7. True, that's just the way it works. However, if you want crispy skin, take a look at the forum for crisping with a grill/broiler/blowtorch.

tjr, about the heating element, is it the same unit that burns the wood that is also adjusted to set the temp? Doesn't a low setting of say,225 deg. cause the wood to take forever to start?
I've read the Bradley uses a puc burner for smoke and a light for the ambient heat source. but I dont see anything about being able to set the temp via thermostat with theirs.
thanks for the help

Howdee - There is only one burner in the 008/9. It is under the firebox (for holding the wood), and both ignites the wood, and cooks the product. Smoke typically starts within 10-15 minutes of turning the unit on.

bob

The heating element is directly below the wood box. It gets much hotter than the rest of the smoker and thus ignites the wood. The heating element cycles on and off to average to the set point and keep the wood burning at the same time.

Richard

Ditto. If you need smoke fast at like the 100F setting, that's where the chips or shavings work well.

I just finished my first turkey breast today. It came out with the consistency of wet leather. However, 5 minutes under the broiler and it was crispy and browned, not to mention delicious. This is the worst result I have had from my 008, and I would still rate it a 9+ out of 10.

As far as smoke generation is concerned, 3-4oz of wood will give 8-10 hours of smoke when cooking a butt at 225*. This device produces and uses smoke very efficiently. I would not use green wood personally.

My unit dosen't seem to have a problem with rain. I cooked all the way through the hurricane driven rains of the past weekend without problems. I just placed a half sheet pan over the unit to deflect the majority of the water away from the thermostat.

I haven't tried cold smoking with the CS cold smoking attachment, but I did do the "box on top" method last week with excellent results. This method uses the smoke exhaust from the top of the CS routed through an ordinary cardboard box. I smoked cheese and salmon and was very pleased by both. Could not have been easier.

It's difficult to really give good answers to your questions. The best response I can give is to tell you that I have owned several smokers. I almost purchased another smoker the day I bought my CS. I would have been guilty of "over thinking" if I had done so. The CS has turned out to be one of the best purchases I have ever made. See my earlier post about "Should I be having buyer's remorse" from about a week ago.

http://forum.cookshackamerica.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cg...t_topic;f=1;t=000927

Have fun.

If you so choose to buy a cookshack it will in fact produce the best product and make you look good as well. Along with this, these forums are chock full of advise an answers to all questions. Plus! the recipes (usually given in great detail) certainly add to the products effectiveness. You CANNOT go wrong with a COOKSHACK. Period.


Kamots
Proud owner of a CS009