An ideal smoker for entertaining, the Bradley four-rack digital smoker makes it easy to roast, smoke, and barbecue without constantly monitoring your smoking tools. The digital smoker includes all of the features of Bradley's original smoker, but adds the benefits of digital technology. With a digital control panel that lets you manipulate temperature, time, and smoke down to the smallest degree, you can decide how much smoke you want, how long you're going to smoke your food, and at what temperature.

Smoking with a Bradley

The digital smoker is about the size of a small fridge. View larger).

The self-contained, clean-burning digital smoker is easy to use. The smoker works by burning Bradley flavor bisquettes for 20 minutes at a consistent temperature in the smoke generator, and then automatically advancing them off the burner. By maintaining a consistent, reasonable temperature, the smoker eliminates the high-temperature gases, acids, and resins that can distort the appearance and flavor of smoked food. The process is so clean that it produces no aftertaste, so guests will taste the natural flavors of the food first and foremost.

The digital smoker offers two smoking methods: hot and cold. In hot smoking, temperatures generally range between 180 and 250 degrees F, making it ideal for cooking meats or fish. The smoking time varies depending on what you're trying to accomplish and the type of food being smoked. Cold smoking is a longer process and is frequently combined with salt-curing foods like ham, bacon, and some methods of fish smoking. Cold smoking temperatures usually range between 60 and 80 degrees F. The digital smoker also excels as a slow cooker or slow roasting oven.

Construction and Appearance

The smoker includes 4 adjustable racks, a rectangular tray, and a drip bowl. View larger).

The digital smoker is made of powder epoxy steel with a polished stainless-steel interior, helping it hold up to heavy use. Inside the smokehouse sits a traditional hot plate with a very low heating element, along with an elaborate feeding system for the bisquettes, which are made of cube-cut, not-too-fine sawdust. The bisquettes are the key to the clean smoke, as they don't burn down to an ash, need very little heat energy, and can easily be extinguished in the integrated water bath. Finally, the smoker includes a secondary heating element to control the smokehouse temperature.

The smoker's digital control panel manages temperature, time, and smoke settings. View larger).

The smoker accommodates plenty of food thanks to the 2,288-cubic-inch volume and four adjustable racks, which measure 11 by 13 inches each. And at 17 by 31 by 14 inches (W x H x D)--not including the side generator--the digital smoker is about the size of a small fridge. Additional features include a 500-watt cooking element, a 125-watt smoking element, a max temperature of 280 degrees, a rectangular tray, a drip bowl, and a recipe booklet (bisquettes are not included).

Weighing in at 42 pounds, the smoker is light enough to carry around the patio or even to take to a friend's house for a summer get-together. The digital smoker carries a 12-month manufacturer's warranty from the date of original purchase.