Slow-cooked barbecue favorites like brisket, smoked sausages, lamb shoulder and smoked seafood require a lot of preparation and effort.
Worse, most smokers are only equipped to do hot smoking, which can limit the versatility of your at-home smoking abilities. With the added difficulty that comes from living in a condo or an apartment complex with strict fire regulation rules, having a delicious barbecue is almost out of reach.
Luckily, electric smokers like the Bradley Digital 4-Rack smoker are equipped to handle both hot and cold smoking (with the appropriate adapter).
It is a relatively simple, high-end smoker that has enough cooking space for up to six people. It’s major draw is that it is nearly entirely automated, which is great for anyone who is looking to have the delicious smokey flavor of a barbecue without too much time commitment.
Barbecuers who have a lot of experience with smoking may find the hands-off focus of this smoker to be disappointing. Additionally, because it is an electric smoker, it is not portable.
Key Features of the Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker
Cold Smoking: The most unique feature of this smoker compared to its competitors is the fact that it can easily be converted to a cold smoker using an attachment that is sold separately.
Cold smoking is a technique that works well for seafoods, like salmon. It can also be used with pre-cooked meats to give them a smokey flavor after they have been fully cooked.
If switching between heat smoking and cold smoking interests you, this smoker could be a good option, as it has the capabilities to do both.
Four Removable Racks: Another big draw for this Bradley smoker is that it has a lot of cooking space.
With four racks that can be removed according to what you are smoking, you have enough space to smoke larger meats, like turkeys, in addition to smaller cuts of meat, like ribs.
This versatility can be useful if you do not have any particular plans in mind for your smoker.
Electric: For those who do not want to deal with the hassle of a charcoal or propane smoker as well as those who live in places with fire restrictions, this electric smoker may be appealing.
Because this smoker is electric, the smokey flavor for your barbecue will need to come from the flavoring of the briquettes and from the seasoning of your meat.
Automated Briquette Dispenser: The key aspect of smoking is maintaining a constant temperature, and this Bradley smoker is designed to help you achieve this consistency via its automated briquette dispenser.
This dispenser can help you to maintain the internal temperature of your smoker because you will not need to open the door as frequently to feed the source of the smoke.
The briquette dispenser can be loaded with enough briquettes to keep your smoker running smoothly for up to nine hours, and the rate of the dispenser can be regulated before you begin your cook.
Pros
- Electric
- Good for cold smoking with the appropriate adaptor
- Automated briquette dispenser to minimize the amount of times that you need to open your smoker
Cons
- Only compatible with the expensive briquettes sold by Bradley Smokers
- Users experienced problems with the thermostat being up to 40F off of the actual temperature
- Poor overall insulation
Check out DeerGearTV’s review of the Bradly Digital 4-Rack Smoker below:
Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker Detailed Review
Design and Build Quality
The Bradly Digital 4-Rack smoker is rather unfussy, weighing in at fifty-seven pounds.
The key aspects of the Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker are its structure and its automated features. The smoker is simply an insulated, stainless steel box that is designed to trap heat and smoke in the interior to cook your barbecue.
The top of the smoker is also equipped with a damper, which allows you to control the amount of smoke that is trapped inside.
The interior of the smoking chamber is covered with an anti-rust paint, which can eventually chip over time. As this cover does chip away, the interior of the smoker has been known to rust fairly easily.
The automated features of this smoker include its temperature control, which is coupled with the briquette dispenser.
Unfortunately, it should be noted that the thermometer that comes with the smoker is not the most accurate. Some barbecuers have noticed that the thermometer reads as much as 40°F different than what the actual interior is.
This can be disastrous if you do intend to rely solely on the smoker to get your desired cook. You may have to invest in a third-party thermometer to monitor the temperature, and you may have to adjust the briquette dispenser speed as necessary to maintain your desired level of smoke.
Overall, the quality of this Bradley smoker is decent. It is built with high-grade materials, and so the problems with rusting over time come more with extended use than anything else.
Ease of Assembly
As with the other Bradley smokers, assembly is extraordinarily easy for this smoker.
The instructions are very thorough, and there are only fifteen parts that need to be assembled. You will most likely only need about half an hour to put this smoker together.
Ease of Use
The Bradley Digital 4-Rack smoker is designed to be as automated as possible, which means that it should be very intuitive and easy to use.
However, because of the faulty thermometer on the interior of the smoker, you may have a more difficult time with this smoker if you haven’t fixed this problem. Some people may be able to work around this faulty temperature reading, depending on their previous smoking experience.
Otherwise, so long as all the pieces are working correctly, this smoker is easy enough for beginners to use.
Quality of the Cook
Despite being an electric smoker that does not produce any inherent smoke from the heat source (as is the case with a charcoal fire, for instance), the cooking quality of the Bradley Digital 4-Rack smoker is excellent.
The flavor of your barbecue will come from the briquettes, which are sold by Bradley and come in a variety of flavors, and so you can have a lot of variety from this smoker.
If you’re looking for a quality cold smoker, other barbecuers have found that the results from cold smoking were more satisfying than the hot-smoked products.
Ease of Cleanup
With a painted, stainless steel interior, you will most likely only need to give the interior of the smoker a quick wipe-down between uses.
The open design of the front of this smoker means that there are no hard-to-reach spaces in this smoker. Additionally, all of the interior parts, from the four racks to the water bowl, are removable.
Price
For those who want to smoke without much of the work as well as for people who want to delve into the practice of cold smoking, the Bradley Digital 4-Rack smoker is great.
For its price range, it does deliver good results, particularly for cold smoking. However, the low price range of this smoker does show in that some of the parts are faulty and will need to be changed.
More experienced smokers might be disappointed because there is so little control in the cooking process with this smoker compared to a more traditional model.
How Does it Compare?
Let’s take a look at some of the Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker’s competition:
Weber Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker
A simple design that cranks out awesome barbecue, the Smokey Mountain has the quality and warranty you expect from Weber in an affordable package.
Check out our review here.
Bradley Smokers Original Smoker
The Bradley Original Smoker is a great option for those living in an apartment or condo with fire restrictions or those that want a simple and automated smoking process.
Check out our review here.
Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker
For those on a smaller budget looking for a very simple smoker, the Char-Broil American Gourmet Offset Smoker may be right for you.
Check out our review here.
Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Electric Smoker
No products found.An alternative to the Masterbuilt 40 Digital Electric Smoker, the Char-Broil Deluxe Digital Electric Smoker also offers a ton of cooking space along with a remote control for simple hands-off smoking.
Check out our review here.
Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker
For those looking for a simple electric smoker on a budget, the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker may be right for you.
Check out our review here.
