Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

Cabin Fever · Jul 15, 2015

I was going to ask this in a separate post, but thought it made more sense to just ask it here instead. Are you guys happy with the smoke flavor the PBC produces? I saw where another member here said that there was no difference in the smoke flavor in his foods whether he added wood or not and that peaked my curiosity.

ssv3 · Jul 15, 2015

I'm happy with the smoker flavor. I don't use any wood chunks with it other than cherry chunks here and there but that's more for color than anything. Plenty of smoky flavor with lump or briquettes. I've noticed I get more smoky flavor using Stubbs briqs since it seems to contain more hardwood in the mixture. I also get a really nice smoky flavor using straight lump. Plus you get the fat drippings on your fire which evaporate and create a smoke fog of sorts and give your meat more flavor.

I've only used Kingsford Comp briqs in mine and the smoke flavor is more subtle.

Blcarney · Jul 15, 2015

Ordered my PBC on Monday, should be here (North Carolina) Friday. Looking forward to some good meats.

Planning on cooking some ribs and a pork butt for pulled pork on Saturday. We're having guests over the following weekend and were thinking of doing 2 butts. I have a question regarding cook times - is the cook time the same for 2 butts as it is for 1? Does cook time get longer when you add more meat? I ask because years ago we used to do beer can chickens on the gas grill. A single chicken would cook in 1.5 hours. Decided to do 2 chickens one time, expecting the same or maybe 2 hours, and it ended up taking 3! Don't want to promise some good Q and then have to make my guests wait.

Thinking I'll start a notebook in either Evernote, OneNote, or even Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet to track my cooks. Include info like:
Date, Start Time, Type of Meat, Amount of Meat, Outside Temp, Inside Temp at 1, 2,...hours, meat temp at 1, 2....hours, Total Cook Time, and Comments. Anyone else doing that? Have a template to share? Thinking spreadsheet may be best because then I could filter by type of meat etc before a cook to remind myself what to expect. Imagine that with time & experience, it would get less use.

Watching videos and this forum until Sat :grin:

Thanks!

Thingfish · Jul 15, 2015

I have not cooked two butts, but I did cook a butt and a chuckie at the same time. I did not notice any difference in the butt's cook time.

I WISH I was disciplined enough to keep a cook log. I think it would be very beneficial!

AClarke44 · Jul 15, 2015

Welcome Blcarney! You'll love your PBC! I recommend following the YouTube videos to a T the first time you cook. Then from there you can experiment. From what I've seen cook times will vary. Use the times given as a guide for timing but realize your cooks may be longer or shorter. Once you figure it out though your times will remain the same as long as you light your coals, leave your intake set, and cook the same every time.

Good luck and get ready to post some pics of your cooks for us! :biggrin1:

snapper-G · Jul 15, 2015

My last cook on the PBC I used 1/2 briquettes and 1/2 lump. I got the same amount of smoke flavor (which I have always been pleased with) but it burned a bit hotter and the ends of the ribs close to the coals were a bit overdone. I agree with following the videos, they are quite helpful, but I think you'll have to do some tweaking and experimenting to suit your own cooks. My cooking times have been around 45 minutes longer than the folks at PBC have said.

jjjonz · Jul 15, 2015

Blcarney said:
Ordered my PBC on Monday, should be here (North Carolina) Friday. Looking forward to some good meats.

Planning on cooking some ribs and a pork butt for pulled pork on Saturday. We're having guests over the following weekend and were thinking of doing 2 butts. I have a question regarding cook times - is the cook time the same for 2 butts as it is for 1? Does cook time get longer when you add more meat? I ask because years ago we used to do beer can chickens on the gas grill. A single chicken would cook in 1.5 hours. Decided to do 2 chickens one time, expecting the same or maybe 2 hours, and it ended up taking 3! Don't want to promise some good Q and then have to make my guests wait.

Thinking I'll start a notebook in either Evernote, OneNote, or even Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet to track my cooks. Include info like:
Date, Start Time, Type of Meat, Amount of Meat, Outside Temp, Inside Temp at 1, 2,...hours, meat temp at 1, 2....hours, Total Cook Time, and Comments. Anyone else doing that? Have a template to share? Thinking spreadsheet may be best because then I could filter by type of meat etc before a cook to remind myself what to expect. Imagine that with time & experience, it would get less use.

Watching videos and this forum until Sat :grin:

Thanks!

Congratulations on getting the PBC....I know you are going to love the food that comes off of it. I like the idea of keeping records. Just go by Noahs instructions to start with.

dadsr4 · Jul 15, 2015

Blcarney said:
Ordered my PBC on Monday, should be here (North Carolina) Friday. Looking forward to some good meats.

Planning on cooking some ribs and a pork butt for pulled pork on Saturday. We're having guests over the following weekend and were thinking of doing 2 butts. I have a question regarding cook times - is the cook time the same for 2 butts as it is for 1? Does cook time get longer when you add more meat? I ask because years ago we used to do beer can chickens on the gas grill. A single chicken would cook in 1.5 hours. Decided to do 2 chickens one time, expecting the same or maybe 2 hours, and it ended up taking 3! Don't want to promise some good Q and then have to make my guests wait.

Thinking I'll start a notebook in either Evernote, OneNote, or even Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet to track my cooks. Include info like:
Date, Start Time, Type of Meat, Amount of Meat, Outside Temp, Inside Temp at 1, 2,...hours, meat temp at 1, 2....hours, Total Cook Time, and Comments. Anyone else doing that? Have a template to share? Thinking spreadsheet may be best because then I could filter by type of meat etc before a cook to remind myself what to expect. Imagine that with time & experience, it would get less use.

Watching videos and this forum until Sat :grin:

Thanks!

Here are a couple of links to give you ideas for a cook log.
http://virtualweberbullet.com/cookinglog.html
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cooking_log.html

jjjonz · Jul 15, 2015

Cabin Fever said:
I was going to ask this in a separate post, but thought it made more sense to just ask it here instead. Are you guys happy with the smoke flavor the PBC produces? I saw where another member here said that there was no difference in the smoke flavor in his foods whether he added wood or not and that peaked my curiosity.

Totally happy with smoke flavor from the PBC ...sometimes I just throw a chunk of apple or oak. Het you one any the people you feed will be raving about your bbq.:clap2:

sully13 · Jul 15, 2015

I am a new PBC owner! This thread has had a wealth of information and inspiring pictures. So thanks to all of you contributing.

I have cooked with the PBC 3 times. I never BBQ'd anything before. I am getting better each time. The first cook I had the 'sea level' long cook time problem. My chicken and ribs finished at the same time! Almost 4 hours. I followed the instructions on the video exactly for using a chimney to start (15 minutes). After that I did some looking around and found this post here at BBQ Brethren that helped me:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3031830&postcount=23

fsefred said:
I spoke to Noah about a week ago and he said to use the 40 briquettes in the chimney. After 10 min or so dump them over the remaining coals wait abput 5 min more then you are ready to cook

Hope this helps

On the second cook, I let the chimney go for 12 minutes and dumped the coals in the PBC basket and then let it go for another 8 minutes with the top off. Chicken and ribs were done about the prescribed times from the PBC videos. Third cook went the same way.

I love this thing. Everything comes out delicious. So far I have cooked ribs twice, chicken three times, bratwurst once and a pork tenderloin once.

A pork butt will be next.

Now I just need to take and post some pictures.

AClarke44 · Jul 15, 2015

Welcome Sully! Glad you are enjoying your PBC and overcoming issues. I'm thinking about calling Noah and see if he has any more/different advice for the guys at sea level that have the falling temps, but I believe what you quoted is probably the most valid answer still. Looking forward to seeing your cooks! :razz:

NyteGTI · Jul 15, 2015

Blcarney said:
Planning on cooking some ribs and a pork butt for pulled pork on Saturday. We're having guests over the following weekend and were thinking of doing 2 butts. I have a question regarding cook times - is the cook time the same for 2 butts as it is for 1? Does cook time get longer when you add more meat?

Thinking I'll start a notebook in either Evernote, OneNote, or even Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet to track my cooks. Include info like:
Date, Start Time, Type of Meat, Amount of Meat, Outside Temp, Inside Temp at 1, 2,...hours, meat temp at 1, 2....hours, Total Cook Time, and Comments. Anyone else doing that? Have a template to share? Thinking spreadsheet may be best because then I could filter by type of meat etc before a cook to remind myself what to expect. Imagine that with time & experience, it would get less use.

Watching videos and this forum until Sat :grin:

Thanks!

I keep a google doc so that I can edit it from my phone, my PC, my media PC, fiance's phone etc...
I know the PBC is set & forget, but I run statistics for a living so it's in my DNA. I will note that I still cook to feel, I just like keeping a record.

Last time i did an overnight cook of 2 butts was the following:
Pulled & wrapped in foil at 6:04:13
Total cook time of 8:02:16.
Rested for 2:01:25

Here's the list of what I track:
Date
Vendor
Meat(beef, pork, chicken)
Type (brisket, chuckie, boston butt, whole shoulder, whole chicken, thighs, etc)
Grade
Weight (I usually do an avg of the total qty & just put a per piece weight)
Smoker temp start(when I put it on the hooks)
meat temp start (same as above)
Time Wrapped/Sauced
Meat temp Wrapped/Sauced
Smoker temp after wrap/Sauce
Temp pulled
Total Cook time
Rest time
Rest temp finish
Results(comments)

Blcarney · Jul 15, 2015

NyteGTI said:
I keep a google doc so that I can edit it from my phone, my PC, my media PC, fiance's phone etc...
I know the PBC is set & forget, but I run statistics for a living so it's in my DNA. I will note that I still cook to feel, I just like keeping a record.

Thanks. I started a Google spreadsheet for it, and added a couple fields based on yours. Do you do any fun stuff like charts, graphs, pivot tables etc?

NyteGTI said:
Last time i did an overnight cook of 2 butts was the following:
Pulled & wrapped in foil at 6:04:13
Total cook time of 8:02:16.
Rested for 2:01:25

To make sure I'm reading you correctly, you pulled & wrapped the butts (never thought I'd type those words in that order) at 6:04, then back in the PBC for 2 hours, then rested for 2 hours? Total time = 10 hours? Or did you pull / wrap at 6 hours, then rest for 2 hours?

Devil_Inside · Jul 16, 2015

northeast bbqer said:
I think the videos and instructions are a reference point. In my experience with the PBC, cooking times will vary based on lots of factors. We're geographically close to each other and and I have my vent 1/4 open. As far as set up, I've found that letting my chimney go 20 minutes will get them almost entirely ashed over and the temp is more steady and easier to regulate that way - typically 250-275.

AClarke44 said:
You need to light more briquettes at first. 1/4 basket like Noah recommends is 40 briquettes. 10 more may not sound like a lot but trust me it is. Try lighting 40 and see if that helps your Temps and cook times.

northeast bbqer said:
Quick tip if you use a Weber chimney - filling the chimney to where you obscure the upper most vent holes will give you approximately 40 briquettes. That's how I do it. If you use a different brand, it's easy enough to count once and then make your own line/marker as a reference point.

Thank you guys, I will try that and I will see if it makes a difference.

Devil_Inside · Jul 16, 2015

Cibelo said:
My experience exactly. I have started leaving the lid off for about 15 minutes before I put the food on. The temp starts out at 330 to 340 but settles down to 275-290 and it will hold there for aa couple of hours before starting to drop. When it gets to around 240 I put a paper clip under the lid or just crack it until the temp comes back up then the cycle starts all over again. I have found that the intake does not do much and I run it antwhere from 1/2 and 1/4 at sea level. All cooks have taken at least an hour longer than video times. The PBC turns out some really good tasting BBQ but it hasn't been set it and forget it for me. I like it though, it's a great cooker.

AClarke44 said:
I'm noticing people at sea level (or very close) are the ones having this issue. Saw the same thing in another forum too. I wonder if it has to do with humidity? Hopefully you guys will figure out a workaround. For now I just wonder if you need to open the intake more and/or Crack the lid slightly.

I am not sure if this would work. When I first got the PBC I had a big problem controlling the temperature - it would start off very hot and then it would drop like a rock, thus I cooked chicken for literally 4 hours. I reached out to Noah and he identified that I wasn't lighting the charcoal correctly - basically I was doing exactly what you are describing - waiting additional 15 minutes with the lid off to get the charcoal going, and it simply didn't work for me.

Ever since I started following "the guide" the temperature is a lot more controlled, but I am still having some issues (see my previous post).
I will try lighting a few more briquettes and leaving them in the chimney for a few more minutes and I am hoping this will help some.

Devil_Inside · Jul 16, 2015

Two questions for you, PBC gurus:

1. I would like to add a thermometer so that I can monitor the temperature of the smoker throughout the cooks. If I was to go with an analog thermometer, how long should the stem be and what is a good placement for it? I am hoping to get a fairly accurate reading, but I don't want it to interfere with anything (hanging meat, grill grate, charcoal basket, etc)

2. What is a good, and most importantly, less smoky substitute for the Kingsford Original briquettes? I love BBQ, but I noticed that when I smoke meat in the PBC, especially poultry, the smoke flavor is at times way too much. I still like it, but the rest of the family is not a fan... Should I switch to Kingsford Competition or maybe some kind of Lump charcoal?

Fwismoker · Jul 16, 2015

Devil_Inside said:
Two questions for you, PBC gurus:

1. I would like to add a thermometer so that I can monitor the temperature of the smoker throughout the cooks. If I was to go with an analog thermometer, how long should the stem be and what is a good placement for it? I am hoping to get a fairly accurate reading, but I don't want it to interfere with anything (hanging meat, grill grate, charcoal basket, etc)

2. What is a good, and most importantly, less smoky substitute for the Kingsford Original briquettes? I love BBQ, but I noticed that when I smoke meat in the PBC, especially poultry, the smoke flavor is at times way too much. I still like it, but the rest of the family is not a fan... Should I switch to Kingsford Competition or maybe some kind of Lump charcoal?

Not a PBC owner but I will tell you this...You are NOT getting too much smoke flavor if you aren't using wood chunks. Charcoal doesn't produce smoke flavor but rather you're not getting a clean enough burn in your basket....incomplete combustion. Hotter fire with better exhaust solves that.

Therm, if it were me i'd go right dead center with a 2-3" stem

AClarke44 · Jul 16, 2015

Devil_Inside said:
Two questions for you, PBC gurus:

1. I would like to add a thermometer so that I can monitor the temperature of the smoker throughout the cooks. If I was to go with an analog thermometer, how long should the stem be and what is a good placement for it? I am hoping to get a fairly accurate reading, but I don't want it to interfere with anything (hanging meat, grill grate, charcoal basket, etc)

2. What is a good, and most importantly, less smoky substitute for the Kingsford Original briquettes? I love BBQ, but I noticed that when I smoke meat in the PBC, especially poultry, the smoke flavor is at times way too much. I still like it, but the rest of the family is not a fan... Should I switch to Kingsford Competition or maybe some kind of Lump charcoal?

I wouldn't add a permanent thermometer but if you just want too what fwismoker suggested is good. If you did i would position it right in the middle of the cooking grate and the rebar. So basically about 3" under the rebar.. Personally I use a digital thermometer and run the wires through one of the rebar holes. I use the Maverick ET-733.

As far as smoke flavor, if KBB alone is too smokey 1 or 2 things is happening. 1, it could be from your fire management issues....too low of a fire will give you bad smoke but it seems you would need some wood mixed in for that. The other could be you aren't liking the smoke flavor produced from the juices hitting the coals. I'm wondering if that is your issue because you mentioned it being worse with the butt. You may wanna try rigging up a diffuser which you could make from a pizza pan or rig up a drip pan. Those aren't typically used in the PBC but they could help you with the over smoked flavor you are talking about.
Get your temp issues under control first and see what you think. If still too smokey try a diffuser or drip pan.

Edit: I doubt it's the Kingsford causing your problems but some people prefer Stubbs charcoal or a good lump coal. Some will even mix those.

Devil_Inside · Jul 16, 2015

AClarke44 said:
I wouldn't add a permanent thermometer but if you just want too what fwismoker suggested is good. If you did i would position it right in the middle of the cooking grate and the rebar. So basically about 3" under the rebar.. Personally I use a digital thermometer and run the wires through one of the rebar holes. I use the Maverick ET-733.

As far as smoke flavor, if KBB alone is too smokey 1 or 2 things is happening. 1, it could be from your fire management issues....too low of a fire will give you bad smoke but it seems you would need some wood mixed in for that. The other could be you aren't liking the smoke flavor produced from the juices hitting the coals. I'm wondering if that is your issue because you mentioned it being worse with the butt. You may wanna try rigging up a diffuser which you could make from a pizza pan or rig up a drip pan. Those aren't typically used in the PBC but they could help you with the over smoked flavor you are talking about.
Get your temp issues under control first and see what you think. If still too smokey try a diffuser or drip pan.

Edit: I doubt it's the Kingsford causing your problems but some people prefer Stubbs charcoal or a good lump coal. Some will even mix those.

The worst is with poultry - chicken or turkey. The butt tasted great and everybody liked it actually.

And that's one of the reasons I want to mount a thermometer so that I can monitor the inside temperature and this might give us a clue about how the charcoal is burning.
I have a Thermoworks DOT which I use for the meat, but unfortunately it has a single input so I can't monitor the temperature inside the smoker. So either I need to buy a second one or get an inexpensive analog thermometer...

AClarke44 · Jul 16, 2015

Devil_Inside said:
The worst is with poultry - chicken or turkey. The butt tasted great and everybody liked it actually.

And that's one of the reasons I want to mount a thermometer so that I can monitor the inside temperature and this might give us a clue about how the charcoal is burning.
I have a Thermoworks DOT which I use for the meat, but unfortunately it has a single input so I can't monitor the temperature inside the smoker. So either I need to buy a second one or get an inexpensive analog thermometer...

OK yeah with birds you definitely need a hotter fire.....your low Temps and the juices burning on the coals probably gave you the unpleasant flavor.

Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

Full Fledged Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

MemberGot rid of the matchlight.

is Blowin Smoke!

Babbling Farker

Full Fledged Farker

Take a breath!

somebody shut me the fark up.

Take a breath!

Found some matches.

Babbling Farker

Knows what a fatty is.

MemberGot rid of the matchlight.

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

somebody shut me the fark up.

Babbling Farker

Well-known member

Babbling Farker

Similar threads