Bob C Cue
Quintessential Chatty Farker
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Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter AClarke44
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ditto!
Smokey Lonesome
is one Smokin' Farker
The Pit Barrel cooker arrived safely from California to Pennsylvania 5 days after placing the order. In addition to the basic kit I also ordered two turkey hangers, gloves, the small charcoal chimney and the upgraded cover. The extra items were packed securely in the barrel using styrofoam inserts and cardboard packing to keep all items secure and safe.
The $299 investment for the basic package is impressive for the quality of the items you receive. Sure, one can build an even larger drum via the ‘UDS’ route for a fraction of the price and have the fun and satisfaction of working on the project and you can also spend more money on Gateway and Hunsaker drums which are larger and offer several refinements, but for someone for whom ‘hanging meats’ is unexplored adventure which is well documented by others in this thread, the PBC offers a fast and relatively inexpensive way to explore a new cooking method.
So, I chose 3 racks of STL ribs for the first cook, did not include a fatty (nekid or otherwise), and I did not take pictures due to the cold weather and late afternoon start which means it was getting dark quickly. However I can assure you the cook actually happened and I am happy to report my experience.
I decided to follow Noah’s recommendations exactly since this was my initial cook so I bought a bag of KBB which is the first time in many years for me. I am sure other briquette’s (Kingsford Professional, Stubbs, etc.) would also work but I went with PBC’s suggestion and completely filled the charcoal basket and removed 40 briquettes and placed them in the charcoal chimney. I waited 14 minutes after lighting the chimney to poured the lit charcoal into the basket at the bottom of the cooker, installed the rebar and closed the lid.
The air intake was adjusted to ¼ open since I am just above sea level, however it’s difficult to say how close I came to ¼ open – could have been more or less but I don’t think it’s that critical. But I did wonder if the cold weather (mid-40s, no wind) could result with lower than anticipated cook temperatures which PBC says typically average between 275 – 310 degrees and how this might impact cook time, so I did place a Maverick temp probe in the barrel to see where temps were running. Initial temps were ~230 or so just after adding 3 racks of ribs so after about 15 minutes I decided to open the lid about ¾ inch to increase airflow and get temperatures up. This adjustment had an almost immediate effect and I waited until the cooker temp was ~295 before closing the lid. The temp stabilized and then dropped again to 260s and I again opened the lid and the temps raised until I hit 320 and I closed the lid once again. The temps slowly dropped again but leveled off at 277 which was perfect.
I checked the ribs at 2 hours – color was good (maybe a little dark) and meat was pulling back nicely, so I let them ride for another 30 minutes and they were done. I could have checked them earlier and perhaps wrapped them once the color was good but I wanted to keep things simple, i.e., no fussing, which seems in the spirit of using this cooker in the first place.
The doneness was perfect - not fall of the bone but meat cleanly pulls from bone. Texture was great – more of a bark then I have seen compared to a BGE. Forgot to mention how I prepped the ribs – light mustard slather, Killer Hogs AP rub followed by The BBQ Rub. Apple (1) and cherry (2) chucks added to lit charcoal. I do like this combination.
What I learned: I expected to be cooking ‘hot and fast’ and I certainly hit the lower end of this spectrum. If the same amount of coals were added to the drum in 80 degree weather the cooker temperature will likely be consistently higher so my initial air intake adjustment seems fine for now. If I cook in cold(er) weather again, I might leave the barrel open for 5 minutes or so after adding the hot coals to allow the unlit coals to ‘catch up’, otherwise setting the lid slightly ajar has an immediate profound impact on the cooker temperature. Even at 275 degrees, these STLs were done faster than the same temperature in a BGE which could be related to the larger airflow in the PBC vs the Egg resulting on come convection effect.
Overall, I am very pleased with the results with the PBC and my first experience hanging meat. I bought this cooker for our shore house for summer cookouts, but I am impressed enough to consider purchasing a larger drum like a Gateway or Hunsaker which have several refinements albeit at a greater cost. If you have read all the pages in this thread and are still on the fence about the PBC or drum cooking in general, either build your own if you are handy or just order the PBC. I can’t fathom you will be disappointed.
The $299 investment for the basic package is impressive for the quality of the items you receive. Sure, one can build an even larger drum via the ‘UDS’ route for a fraction of the price and have the fun and satisfaction of working on the project and you can also spend more money on Gateway and Hunsaker drums which are larger and offer several refinements, but for someone for whom ‘hanging meats’ is unexplored adventure which is well documented by others in this thread, the PBC offers a fast and relatively inexpensive way to explore a new cooking method.
So, I chose 3 racks of STL ribs for the first cook, did not include a fatty (nekid or otherwise), and I did not take pictures due to the cold weather and late afternoon start which means it was getting dark quickly. However I can assure you the cook actually happened and I am happy to report my experience.
I decided to follow Noah’s recommendations exactly since this was my initial cook so I bought a bag of KBB which is the first time in many years for me. I am sure other briquette’s (Kingsford Professional, Stubbs, etc.) would also work but I went with PBC’s suggestion and completely filled the charcoal basket and removed 40 briquettes and placed them in the charcoal chimney. I waited 14 minutes after lighting the chimney to poured the lit charcoal into the basket at the bottom of the cooker, installed the rebar and closed the lid.
The air intake was adjusted to ¼ open since I am just above sea level, however it’s difficult to say how close I came to ¼ open – could have been more or less but I don’t think it’s that critical. But I did wonder if the cold weather (mid-40s, no wind) could result with lower than anticipated cook temperatures which PBC says typically average between 275 – 310 degrees and how this might impact cook time, so I did place a Maverick temp probe in the barrel to see where temps were running. Initial temps were ~230 or so just after adding 3 racks of ribs so after about 15 minutes I decided to open the lid about ¾ inch to increase airflow and get temperatures up. This adjustment had an almost immediate effect and I waited until the cooker temp was ~295 before closing the lid. The temp stabilized and then dropped again to 260s and I again opened the lid and the temps raised until I hit 320 and I closed the lid once again. The temps slowly dropped again but leveled off at 277 which was perfect.
I checked the ribs at 2 hours – color was good (maybe a little dark) and meat was pulling back nicely, so I let them ride for another 30 minutes and they were done. I could have checked them earlier and perhaps wrapped them once the color was good but I wanted to keep things simple, i.e., no fussing, which seems in the spirit of using this cooker in the first place.
The doneness was perfect - not fall of the bone but meat cleanly pulls from bone. Texture was great – more of a bark then I have seen compared to a BGE. Forgot to mention how I prepped the ribs – light mustard slather, Killer Hogs AP rub followed by The BBQ Rub. Apple (1) and cherry (2) chucks added to lit charcoal. I do like this combination.
What I learned: I expected to be cooking ‘hot and fast’ and I certainly hit the lower end of this spectrum. If the same amount of coals were added to the drum in 80 degree weather the cooker temperature will likely be consistently higher so my initial air intake adjustment seems fine for now. If I cook in cold(er) weather again, I might leave the barrel open for 5 minutes or so after adding the hot coals to allow the unlit coals to ‘catch up’, otherwise setting the lid slightly ajar has an immediate profound impact on the cooker temperature. Even at 275 degrees, these STLs were done faster than the same temperature in a BGE which could be related to the larger airflow in the PBC vs the Egg resulting on come convection effect.
Overall, I am very pleased with the results with the PBC and my first experience hanging meat. I bought this cooker for our shore house for summer cookouts, but I am impressed enough to consider purchasing a larger drum like a Gateway or Hunsaker which have several refinements albeit at a greater cost. If you have read all the pages in this thread and are still on the fence about the PBC or drum cooking in general, either build your own if you are handy or just order the PBC. I can’t fathom you will be disappointed.
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cejacobs
Found some matches.
I'm planning on trying to make some chuckie burnt ends while I have a shoulder going this weekend for my son's birthday party. Any guess on how much time I should allot for the burnt ends to cook? My guess is the chuck roast is about 3 lbs.
Smokey Lonesome
is one Smokin' Farker
I don’t want to venture a guess about cooking time for a chuckle on the PBC. It’s been a while since I cooked a chuckie on the BGE and I probably did so at 250 degrees and I think that took about 5 hours if I recall and I probably wrapped or panned too. The higher temp and airflow on the PBC will probably mean a shorter time but that’s a guess. I’m sure some brethren have cooked a chuckie and can advise.
LloydQ
is One Chatty Farker
Congrats, Smokey. I know I sound like a broken record, but once you do some whole chickens ( or halved, as PBC recommends ), you will be sold!
FGabs68
Found some matches.
OK, here we go! I joined today after reading the first 298 pages of this thread. Yes, 298! I have had the pit barrel for over 2 years now and absolutely love it! My wife bought it for me for Fathers day after watching me drool over it for a while with the disclaimer " I don't see why you need it, you already have 2 grills". That ended after the first cook and we rarely use the gassers anymore except for burgers and dogs when we have barbecues. Most of what I have learned about this cooker is self taught...UNTIL NOW. You guys make some amazing BBQ. Well, just wanted to introduce myself, I look forward to chatting with you all. Time to check out page 299 LOL
viodea
Knows what a fatty is.
I need advice for a thanksgiving cook. I wanna do a brisket and turkey. Both are my first time.
My plan is smoke brisket until wrap time, then finish off in the oven.
Then, smoke turkey Spatchcock or split in halves.
How much time for a packer brisket? Planned dinner around 6:30pm. I wonder if I need to smoke the night before around 9 or so and put it in the 225F oven till late afternoon. Then let it seat in the cooler until dinner.
Can a brisket be over cooked in low temp?
How much time for turkey. I know it's hard to estimate depends on the size and temp. I just need a ballpark number to see when I start.
My plan is smoke brisket until wrap time, then finish off in the oven.
Then, smoke turkey Spatchcock or split in halves.
How much time for a packer brisket? Planned dinner around 6:30pm. I wonder if I need to smoke the night before around 9 or so and put it in the 225F oven till late afternoon. Then let it seat in the cooler until dinner.
Can a brisket be over cooked in low temp?
How much time for turkey. I know it's hard to estimate depends on the size and temp. I just need a ballpark number to see when I start.
Stlsportster
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Nothing like adding a bunch of pressure to the holiday by cooking two new meats on the same day.
Both will depend on how much they weigh. However.
For the brisket I would use the Bludawg KISS method. Cook at 300-325 until it hits 160. Should be about 4 hours. Then wrap tightly in butcher paper and cook until probe tender, should be another 2 hours or so. Then wrap it tightly in foil after allowing to vent for a few minutes. Place in a cooler filled with towels ntil dinner time. Will hold for 5-6 hours that way.
The turkey I would spatchcock or do in halves. Again, depends on how large but should take about 4 hours if you cook at 325. You're shooting for 165 in the breast and higher in the leg and thigh.
Good luck!
. Will use foil instead.
Stlsportster
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I season the brisket right before it goes on.
stan5677
Full Fledged Farker
Just got my pit barrel cooker after months of debate on which cooker to buy i plan on doing some st. Louis style spare ribs this weekend and need some advice I'm looking for more of the competition style ribs not fall of the bone any advice on length of cook wrap or unwrap
Stlsportster
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Congrats on the purchase Stan. You're going to love it!
1. Make sure you hook the thicker part of the ribs below the 3rd rib. This will prevent them from falling into the fire.
2. If you want comp style tenderness you can do it wrapping or not. Whatever your preference. I like to not wrap, but I know plenty of people that do so they can add the sweet brown sugar butter layer. I would guess about 3-3.5 hours for unwrapped spares.
Good luck and post pictures!!
1. Make sure you hook the thicker part of the ribs below the 3rd rib. This will prevent them from falling into the fire.
2. If you want comp style tenderness you can do it wrapping or not. Whatever your preference. I like to not wrap, but I know plenty of people that do so they can add the sweet brown sugar butter layer. I would guess about 3-3.5 hours for unwrapped spares.
Good luck and post pictures!!
hs106
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
You can also cut the rack of ribs in half to lighten the weight on the hooks. Maybe doesn't look as presentable, but you'll never lose a rack to the coals.
D&D BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
For a few comps, including a local one I won on a PBC, I did 2.5 hours hanging in the smoke (full racks with apple wood chunks mixed with KBB) and then approximately 1 hour in the foil with the Jonny Trigg mix (done when a toothpick slides into the meat like buttah). Glaze with 3 parts Blues Hog Original to 1 part of foil wrap mix that you catch in your sauce pan, and then go get your trophy!
TealStBBQKing
Full Fledged Farker
I'm a bad PBC owner. Went to use my barrel today for the first time in weeks if not months and it was full of mold. In a panic I texted Noah and he called me back in two minutes. First thing he said was I was guilty of not using my PBC enough; I got a good chuckle out of that. He walked me through how to burn off the mold and so hopefully that work in time for tonight's cook. An amazing quality product with next to non customer service you can't beat the Pit Barrel
Stlsportster
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Dang. I haven't used mine since June. Maybe I better check it out. How did you burn off the mold?
TealStBBQKing
Full Fledged Farker
It's been pretty wet here lately and I've left it under the cover so that moisture probably helped with the build up. I took an old wire brush and dry scrubbed everything down. Then I loaded up a full basket and loaded a full Webber chimney. Lit the chimney for 20 minutes and dumped. Let the barrel get hot and then cover with at least 2" of a gap. I'll report back in a couple days to let everyone know how the mold has come along. This might be a great excuse to purchase the hanging grate now that I've wanted but didn't think two grates we're necessary.
Edit: I decided to cook a rack of lamb first then proceed with the burn out and oh my god this must be the greatest thing I've ever cooked. The picture looks slightly more rare than it actually was
Edit: I decided to cook a rack of lamb first then proceed with the burn out and oh my god this must be the greatest thing I've ever cooked. The picture looks slightly more rare than it actually was
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Thingfish
is Blowin Smoke!
Lovely lamb, Jeff!
