Original Bradley Smoker Review

I bought my first smoker in 2018. A cheap offset charcoal model that looked cool but turned every cook into a six-hour babysitting session.

I sold it three months later.

Then my neighbor showed up with this weird refrigerator-looking thing—the Original Bradley Smoker. I watched him load some wood pucks into a side tube, twist a dial, and go inside to watch football.

Four hours later, his ribs were better than anything I’d made in my three months of charcoal hell.

I bought the Original Bradley Smoker BS611 the next week. That was three years ago. I’ve used it at least twice a month since then, and it’s changed how I think about cooking outdoors.

This isn’t a review where I gush about every feature. I’ll tell you what works, what doesn’t, and whether you should spend your money on it.

What Makes Original Bradley Smoker Different?

Most smokers make you work for your food.

You’re chopping wood. You’re managing fire temperatures. You’re adjusting vents every twenty minutes. You’re basically camping in your backyard, but with more anxiety and less s’mores.

Bradley took a different approach. They asked a simple question: what if smoking didn’t have to be a full-time job?

Their answer was the bisquette system. These are pressed wood pucks—they look like hockey pucks for tiny Canadians. Each one burns for exactly twenty minutes on a heated plate, then gets shoved into a water pan below. A fresh puck slides into place automatically.

You can load enough bisquettes for nine hours of smoke. Set your temperature. Walk away.

I’ve smoked brisket while grocery shopping. I’ve done salmon while sitting through work meetings. I made pulled pork while my kids had a birthday party in the yard.

The smoker just runs. No drama, no constant checking, no fire management.

Read more: Masterbuilt 30 Electric Smoker Review

Let’s Talk About the Original Bradley Smoker 

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 The BS611 gives you four metal racks inside a stainless steel box. Each rack is big enough for a couple chickens, a slab of ribs, or multiple fish fillets.

You can buy extra racks and flip them upside down on top of the existing ones. This doubles your space. I did this for Thanksgiving when I needed to smoke two turkeys and a pork shoulder. Worked perfectly.

Original Bradley Smoker dimensions: 19 inches deep, 24 inches wide with the puck feeder attached, 35 inches tall. The cooking space inside is 4 by 11 by 13 inches.

It weighs 55 pounds. Heavy enough to stay put in wind, light enough that I can move it around my patio without throwing out my back.

It runs on regular household electricity. Plug it into any outdoor outlet and you’re smoking. No propane tanks to refill, no charcoal bags to lug around, no wood to chop.

The stainless steel interior cleans up easily. I just wipe it down after each cook. No rust after three years of use.

The Temperature Thing Everyone Asks About

Here’s where people get hung up.

The Original Bradley Smoker temperature range maxes out around 250-260°F. On cold days, it sits closer to 200°F. If you open the door to check your food, you lose half your heat. It takes about an hour to climb back up.

Some BBQ people hate this. They want 300°F+ for certain cooks.

I get it. But think about what you’re actually smoking.

Brisket? Best at 225-250°F. Ribs? Same range. Pork shoulder? Same. Salmon? Even lower. Chicken? Sure, you could go higher, but 250°F works great.

I’ve never had a cook fail because the Original Bradley Smoker couldn’t hit 275°F. The sweet spot for low and slow sits right where this smoker lives.

If you want crispy wings at 400°F, use your grill. The Bradley is a smoker, not an oven. It does one thing really well instead of doing ten things poorly.

One thing I noticed: the meat comes out incredibly moist. I did a test with my friend’s pellet smoker—same rub, same cooking time, same wood. The Bradley version was noticeably juicier. When I unwrapped the foil, juice literally pooled in the pan.

That consistent low temperature keeps meat from drying out. Higher temps cook faster but drive out more moisture. Pick your priority.

What I’ve Smoked (Successfully)

In three years, I’ve put a lot through this smoker.

Proteins: Brisket, pork shoulder, ribs (beef and pork), whole chickens, chicken quarters, turkey, salmon, trout, bacon, sausages.

Vegetables: Corn on the cob (incredible), whole onions, peppers, tomatoes for salsa.

Weird stuff: Mac and cheese (yes, really), nuts, cream cheese (spread it on bagels—trust me), even potatoes.

The best thing I’ve made was probably pork belly burnt ends. Cubed pork belly, smoked with maple bisquettes, tossed in BBQ sauce, then smoked again. They disappeared in about four minutes at a party.

The worst thing was my first brisket. I bought a corned beef brisket by mistake and didn’t realize until I tasted it. Smoked corned beef tastes… weird. My fault, not the smoker’s.

I’ve also smoked cheese. You have to dial the temperature way down—around 150°F—or it melts. The Bradley’s temperature control makes this possible. Try that with a charcoal smoker.

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Original Bradley Smoker Cover

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After three years, here’s what I’ve added:

Original Bradley Smoker cover: Bought this immediately. The 600D polyester version is waterproof and weather-resistant. Cost me $28. My smoker sits outside year-round under this cover. No rust, no damage, looks almost new.

Don’t skip the cover. Leaving a $400 smoker exposed to rain and sun is stupid.

Extra racks: I bought two additional racks. When I need more space, I flip them and stack them on the existing racks. Turns my 4-rack into an 8-rack setup.

Wireless thermometer: The Bradley doesn’t include a meat probe. I bought a dual-probe wireless thermometer—one probe for meat temperature, one for chamber temperature. Cost about $50. Absolute necessity.

Bradley Magic Mats: These are silicone mats that sit on the racks. Sticky ribs or anything with sugar won’t stick to them. Dishwasher safe. I use them for about half my cooks.

Replacement heating element: Haven’t needed this yet, but they’re available. 500W element for the 4-rack model costs about $35. Nice to know I can fix it if the element dies.

The Original Bradley Smoker parts availability is actually impressive. Everything is replaceable. Racks, heating elements, door seals, the bisquette feeder mechanism—all available either from Bradley directly or on Amazon.

Compare this to cheap smokers where you’re throwing out the whole unit when one part fails.

Who Should Buy This Smoker?

Buy the Original Bradley Smoker BS611 if:

You want great smoked food without learning fire management. I knew nothing about smoking when I bought this. Three years later, I consistently make restaurant-quality food.

You’re busy and can’t babysit a smoker all day. I work from home. The Bradley runs while I’m in meetings. It’s perfect for people with actual lives.

You want to smoke more than just meat. Cheese, vegetables, nuts—the low-temperature control opens up options that other smokers can’t handle.

You live in an apartment or condo with limited space. The compact footprint and electric operation work where propane or charcoal might not be allowed.

Don’t buy the Original Bradley Smoker BS611 if:

You love hands-on fire management. Some people genuinely enjoy tending a fire, adjusting vents, nursing coals. The Bradley will bore you.

You need high temperatures regularly. The 250°F ceiling is a hard limit. If you want to smoke at 300°F+, look elsewhere.

You’re on a tight budget. Between the upfront cost ($300-400) and ongoing bisquette expenses, this is one of the pricier electric options.

You cook for large groups often. The 4-rack capacity is fine for home use but limited for catering. Consider the 6-rack model or a larger competitor.

Pros and Cons

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My Tips After Three Years

Season it first: Run the smoker empty at max temperature for 2-3 hours before your first cook. Burns off manufacturing residues.

Spray your racks: Hit them with cooking spray before loading food. Even stainless steel will stick with sugary rubs.

Keep the water pan filled: The pan catches spent bisquettes. Keep water in it. Helps with temperature stability and prevents pucks from completely ashing out.

Start simple: Hickory or apple bisquettes. They’re forgiving. Try fancy woods later.

Buy a good thermometer: Smoking is about internal temperature, not time. Your brisket is done at 200°F internal, not after six hours.

Rest your meat: Everything needs rest time after cooking. Brisket wants 2 hours. Ribs want 15 minutes. Plan for this.

Use partial smoking: Smoke for the first portion of the cook, then finish without bisquettes. Saves money and prevents over-smoking.

Watch your ventilation: If you have a covered patio, smoke backs up into the roof. I added a simple chimney extension—just a piece of dryer vent pipe—to direct smoke upward.

FAQs

1. Do I have to use Original Bradley Smoker Bisquettes?

Yes. The smoker is mechanically engineered to work only with Bradley Bisquettes. Using loose wood chips or pellets will jam the automatic feeder mechanism and will void your warranty.

2. How does the smoke generator work?

It is fully automated. The motor pushes a new wood puck onto the burner every 20 minutes. At the same time, it pushes the old, burnt puck off the burner and into the water bowl, ensuring you only get clean smoke, not the bitter taste of white ash.

3. Why is the water bowl so important?

It serves two critical roles: adding moisture to the meat and fire safety. It extinguishes the burnt wood pucks after they fall off the burner. If the bowl is dry, the old wood will catch fire and ruin your cook.

4. How do I control the temperature?

The Original Bradley has two power cords. You control the oven temperature with the analog slider/dial on the front of the tower. The smoke generator has a separate On/Off switch, meaning you can run the smoke without the heat (or vice versa).

5. Can I cold smoke cheese or fish?

Yes. Because the smoke element is separate from the oven element, you can simply turn on the Smoke Generator but leave the main Oven Heat off. This fills the cabinet with smoke while keeping the temperature low.

6. Why are my bisquettes not advancing?

This usually means the feeder arm is dirty. Over time, wood resin builds up on the internal mechanism. You should periodically open the smoke generator box and clean the arm with alcohol or a kitchen degreaser to keep it moving smoothly.

7. How fast does it go through wood?

The smoker burns roughly 3 bisquettes per hour. It is consistent, so you can easily calculate exactly how many pucks you need for a 6-hour rib cook (18 pucks).

8. Why does the temperature drop so fast?

The Original Bradley cabinet is not heavily insulated. It is very sensitive to wind and cold air. If you are smoking in winter, keep it sheltered from the wind or consider building an insulated box for it.

9. How often do I need to check the water bowl?

You should check it every 2 to 3 hours. Since a wood puck falls in every 20 minutes, the bowl fills up with “wood sludge” quickly. If the pile gets too high, the hot pucks won’t hit water and can start a grease fire.

10. Can I set it and leave it overnight?

No. Unlike pellet grills, which offer true “set-it-and-forget-it” convenience for 12+ hours, the Bradley requires active monitoring. You must empty the water bowl regularly; if you leave it unattended, the spent wood pucks will pile up and create a serious fire hazard.

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