Bradley Smoker As An Oven

[Fallow Buck]

Hi Guys,

Has anyone out there used the bradley Smoker as a Slow Oven at all?

I was thinking of getting one but they aren't really all that cheap. Then I thought it could double up as a slow oven to cook meat/sausages and potato's etc, in for the shooting syndicate on shoot days. If that was a viable option then I think I can more than justify it as I would need to buy an electric oven anyway....

I currently use slow cookers which I set up in the morning. Then we go out shooting and when we get back from the last drive at 2pm it has had a few hours and is cooked. Unfortunately this only allows me to cook stews and stuff so a slow roasted joint in the bradley would be great if it is feasable. What sport of temperature will it heat upto?

thanks for any info,

FB

[Heather]

Hi FB, I have a Bradley but have only used it for cold and hot smoking. I'm sure it can be used as an oven too. Does the bradley website offer any guidance?

[georgebaker]

Hi
I used to use my slow cooker for slow roasting chicken portions. Now I use it to roast bacon joints, slow cook beef joints in pasarta and slow cook lamb joints with potatoes

so you don't only have to do stews.


From what you say--

I would keep game from one shoot 'til the next and slow roast it. Serve with fresh bread and what ever you drink whilst or after shooting.

OR

Slow cook pheasents on a bed of apples (or onions {or both}) in some cider, rip apart stir in cream to the liquid before serving with cider and bread

Which part of the country are you in? What do you shoot


George

[welsh wizard]

Hi FB

The Bradley has a hole in the side to take the smoker feed unit that would have to either be blocked up or the feeder would have to be attached when using. I am not to sure of the temp but I will have a look for you tomorrow. The Bradley is in effect a fridge sized unit with a heating element placed in the bottom which is variable so you could in effect slow cook almost anything. However how cost efficient it is may be another matter. It does hot smoke food very well and with a few adjustments it cold smokes food brilliantly. You are correct in saying it is expensive for what it is but if you have ever smoked before and constantly had to go out and monitior the smoke and temp you will know that sometimes this can be a pain but with the Bradley the feed is automatic and the temprature is constant. which is spot on. I hot smoke more pheasant crowns than I care to comment on during our shooting season and I have no shortage of takers, and if we are lucky enough to bag a couple of brace of duck they are sublime when hot smoked. The Bradley is light, very portable and is in effect self monitoring and for me is top sausage!

Cheers WW

[Fallow Buck]

Wizard/George,

Thanks for that. I'd be gratefull to know what sort of temp it can go to. The idea of hot smoking Pheasant crowns sounds great!!! We shoot about 150 pheasants and 250 ducks each year on our small shoot. We also get a lot of venison from the shoot. Usually about 20 beasts/year from there and double that from other bits of ground. This year has been a bit slow on our side though. We've only taken a half dozen so far on this shoot.

The idea would be to smoke the game and venison and use it to keep neighbours and ssome landowners happy with what we do.

On shoot days I usually have to do dinner for about 15-20 people with beaters and guns all in. I thought about using the slow cookers to pot roast whole joints of venison butr haven't tried it yet. what I really wan is to be able to do like a big Kleftiko in an oven. I was going to buy an electric cooker/oven second hand for this but thought that if I take the �150 this would cost and put it towards the Bradley then I could smoke 2 birds with one oven ...

Thanks,
FB

[welsh wizard]

Hi FB

Well I have just been up the garden and had a look at the temp. It goes up to 220c / 400f which is plenty hot enough for me!

I hot smoke all things gamey and with different flavoured woods. I find meat like venison is spot on when smoked with cherry and pheasant goes well with maple, and homemade smoked sausages with oak are yum yum! anyway I am starting to get hungry now! Time to fill the swelly belly

Cheers WW

PS did you get my PM?

[welsh wizard]

Hi FB

Just read your post again, now I have a little more time, and you and I seem to be quite similar in what we do and the amount we shoot, that is apart from the deer. I cater for about the same amount of people as well at the end of the day and depending on the weather we often have a BBQ in the open, around a good fire with not too little of the belley distending fluids. I have in the past cooked a goodley joint of meat in the morning, wrapped it in tin foil and taken it to the shoot in my freezer box. After some 6 hours later the joint is still warm and we tend to have this with lots of bread and pickle. Anyway, I am sure farmers and land owners would be delighted with a smoked offering if you do consider the Bradley worth while. Breakfast time now.....I wonder what Ill have?????

[georgebaker]

Hi FB, Wizard

If you have an excess and you are near enough I will buy some of it off you later in the year

George

[Wohoki]

A nice way of serving a cooked joint still warm after 6-8 hours is to cover the joint in a 2.5" layer of plain-flour paste (just water, plain flour and salt, made up to heavy pastry consistency) and cook it overnight (9-12 hours) at, say, 95C. Take it out and wrap it in two or three layers of foil and put it in a box full of straw. The paste crust is diguarded, and the meat will have reabsorbed the juices and be tender and rich. Even better if you can brown it on a BBQ just before serving.
I did it with a leg of real mutton studded with garlic, black pepper and lots of Rosemary for a picnic last year: superb.

[Fallow Buck]

Hi George..... Unfortunately I am a long way from you being based in south london, otherwise you would be welcome to some game. Mind you there is never much excess around as people queue up for it!!

I think that I'll probably go for one of the bradley's as with the smoke unit attached but not smoking I won't have a "hole" in the unit. at 220C It will roast anything and most of the time I'd be looking to slow cook at much lower temps.

I suppose the next thing on the list is a plucking machine to process al the pheasants I'm going to be smoking in there!!!


Thanks for all the info on this. I'll be back for the recipie on those pheasant crowns!!

Wohoki, That leg of mutton idea sounds excellent. I might try it with a haunch of venison. Would you think it would need some back fat wrapped around the meat before the paste was put on to it?

Regards,
FB

[welsh wizard]

Hi George.

I live a fair way away from you also otherwise you would be more than welcome to come and get some game. Why dont you look at getting some closer to home? Just make a call to a local gun shop and ask if they minded telling you the number of a local keeper and make contact with him. I expect he will be more than glad to help you out if he has any spare.

If the gun shop is funny about giving out names and phone numbers just leave yours - you never know they may contact you!

Cheers WW

[Wohoki]

I get a lot of game simply by phoning local shoots: you should be able to get phone numbers from a gun-shop notice board, a shooting magazine or even the phone book. Bunnies and such are easy: check the phone book for "Pest control," it's surprising what they turn up: I got a brace of hare for a fiver a couple of months ago just by calling.

[Rik vonTrense]

If you want rabbits then these are the people to contact.......their boneless casserole frozen rabbit is ideal for sausages or pies....@ �4 per kilo.

http://www.woldsway.co.uk/acatalog/Bone_In_Portions.htm

[georgebaker]

Hi Guys
thanks for the info, I don't even know if there is a local gun shop.

I asked around at work and from what I hear the locals tend to use handguns on each other but no game shooting close to here although there may be bunnies to be had in the south of Manchester

George

[Fallow Buck]

George,

Are you far from bolton?

Target sports of bolton might be a start? you can find them on google.

FB