Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

Goose52 said:
i used a chimney for the first few cooks but didn't like aiming at the basket from the top of the pbc and didn't like starting the coals outside of the pbc and lifting it in so i switched to the lighter fluid method as described on noah's website. i don't think it matters how you light ur coals as long as they are sufficiently started before you put the cover on. i prefer using a rutland fire starter square when using my weber but the fire is too localized for the pbc as it takes a longer time to spread. i like to have the coals ALL going when i use the grill or the smoker.
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Your rib time sounds good but the chicken time is slow. Is it whole or half chicken? Also I recently bought the PBC chimney and it makes a world of difference so much easier, but if you're good with the lighter fluid keep doing it.
 
I don't use kingsford but have found for me that briquettes take longer to get going. I have a piece of rebar that has a bend at the end to hook onto the basket.
 
I cooked up some 1/2 chickens yesterday and it took 2 hours... I did have the pbc running at 325 though...
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i'm doing 1/2 chickens and while they're meaty, they are not fred flintstone 1/2 chickens. doesn't it seem odd that the rib times are good but the chicken times aren't? i usually cook them together. this is why i'm concerned about the vent/wind orientation, i've seen ppl talk about this in this thread but not what they actually do because of wind. i'm thinking i need to get the coals going really well before i put the lid on so that the side away from the vent throws the same kind of heat as the vent side. maybe i should grab my fireplace poker to lift the basket and turn it 1/2 way thru the cook. or maybe i'll have to get the pbc mini chimney. anyway, i appreciate the replies.
mark
 
dang, cfi, those look good! at 2 hours my chix are still running pink, although the outside looks something like yours.
 
For those of you who only use like 15 briquettes, how do you light them? My Weber chimney has like a reverse funnel on the bottom, so when I only use a few briquettes, they all fall to the outside and don't light evenly.
 
Weber makes a small version also that works great for small amounts of briquettes.
 
Argh, for the life of me, I can't keep temps down. Do wood chips make it burn hotter? I set it up with 20 briquettes, spread it around, put down a handful of wood chips, and in less thn 1.5 hours, I'm at 333 degrees. :( I've got the lid on, bars in, and the vent fully closed (at least as closed as it gets). Should I not spread the coals around? I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
 
Do you have an idea of the temp inside the PBC? Maybe the intake setting isn't sufficient for you area, also the briquttes you're using may be a variable. Do you know hot it it runs with the intake at the reccomended opening? 1/2 open? wide open?
Maybe spend a little time checking your run temps, I like mine at 300-325 when I do chicken and tri tips.
Getting a thermo with 2 probes, one for cook temp, one for the meat, might help you out.
You might try running Royal Oak all natural briquttes, I prefer them to all others.
 
EpOxY said:
Argh, for the life of me, I can't keep temps down. Do wood chips make it burn hotter? I set it up with 20 briquettes, spread it around, put down a handful of wood chips, and in less thn 1.5 hours, I'm at 333 degrees. :( I've got the lid on, bars in, and the vent fully closed (at least as closed as it gets). Should I not spread the coals around? I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
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Where are you measuring temp?

The PBC is easy to overthink. If you are running way hot you are either lighting too much fuel, have too much airflow, or are in and out of it too much.

I am not sure why you think you are doing anything wrong...330 is a fine temp to cook at.
 
pharp said:
Where are you measuring temp?

The PBC is easy to overthink. If you are running way hot you are either lighting too much fuel, have too much airflow, or are in and out of it too much.

I am not sure why you think you are doing anything wrong...330 is a fine temp to cook at.
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++++++++++

I start with a little less charcoal and never look back. Hums along at 300* or less.
 
Goose52 said:
i'm doing 1/2 chickens and while they're meaty, they are not fred flintstone 1/2 chickens. doesn't it seem odd that the rib times are good but the chicken times aren't? i usually cook them together. this is why i'm concerned about the vent/wind orientation, i've seen ppl talk about this in this thread but not what they actually do because of wind. i'm thinking i need to get the coals going really well before i put the lid on so that the side away from the vent throws the same kind of heat as the vent side. maybe i should grab my fireplace poker to lift the basket and turn it 1/2 way thru the cook. or maybe i'll have to get the pbc mini chimney. anyway, i appreciate the replies.
mark
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I generally try to pour the majority of the lit coals away from the vent. You still need to get the vent side going so don't pour all of them away from the vent or you can still get an uneven burn. Good chance you will get an uneven burn if you pour the majority on the vent side as well...will possibly run hotter like you are saying as well.


I actually had the vent side take forever to get going on my last cook because I pretty much poured them all on the side furthest from the vent. The side away from the vent completely burned out and I had to stir things up in there before putting on more food.


I lay a piece of foil down on the cement deck and do my ash cleaning and coal lighting outside of the barrel. Allows me to be more precise with the lit coal placement and it is easy to move them around quickly with gloves on. Always did 36-40 coals when using KBB for 12 minutes. Using Weber now which are larger. I'm maybe doing 30 but letting it burn in the chimney for at least 20 minutes as these seem to take longer to get going.
 
Goose52 said:
PBC questions
i've had my pbc for about 3 years but it seems to me that my cooking times are longer than many people's. last week i did a rack of baby backs for 3.5 hours and 1/2 a chicken for 3.25 hours. they were both excellent but does this seem long to you? i have my vent opened much larger than what's recommended and i have resorted to using lighter fluid to get the briquettes going. i have noticed that coals by the vent burn faster than those on the other side which seem to burn sluggishly. any suggestions? longer startup time for the coals before putting lid on? advice on position of vent in relation to wind direction?
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I spent a few months chasing low temps and long cook times. I finally bought a PartyQ and have been happy since. I think as good as the PBC design is, it doesn't work for truly all climates. Or rather, not as described. It would be fine if I wanted low and slow on everything. :)
 
PartyQ

I was thinking about buying a PartyQ. Was a little concerned about the battery life and batteries quitting in the middle of a cook. How have you found the battery life?
 
hs106 said:
I was thinking about buying a PartyQ. Was a little concerned about the battery life and batteries quitting in the middle of a cook. How have you found the battery life?
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I usually just change the batteries every three cooks. Never had a problem. I don't use it unless I am going to be gone for an extended time or for an overnight cook. Runs the PBC perfectly.
 
Thanks, Big, i will give my chimney 9(with ur technique) another try. i can see where the PartyQ could be the answer but seems a lil pricey to me. again, appreciate the advice/
 
Has anyone tried smoking pork belly on their PBC? I have some pork belly curing for bacon right now and want to put a nice hickory smoke to it this weekend. Any ideas on how to keep the PBC temp down low enough?

I am hoping to keep the temp around 200 and thought I would try a half basket or less of charcoal and see if that would help.
 
I've done bacon twice in my PBC and both times did a normal fire/temp and the results were amazing I personally wouldn't bother trying to get temps low but the only thing I can think of is just starting less coals to begin with and that should keep temps down
 
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