UDS/PBC Question

AClarke44

AClarke44

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I have a PBC but basically my question would apply to any cooker where the meat drippings go into the coals.
The question is do you still get thin blue smoke or will you get more of a whiteish smoke due to the drippings hitting the coals?
I cooked 2 butts in the PBC for the first time this weekend. I seemed to get a thicker smoke than I'm use to seeing when I smoke on the weber kettle. I'm trying to figure out why. I smoked a rack of ribs on it and didnt notice this but one rack of ribs isn't gonna put out as much drippings as 2 butts. I may not have gotten the coals hot enough in the chimney before dumping on the unlit coals in the basket, or maybe I put too much wood in the basket (although I only had 5 smaller chunks). Or is it from the drippings?
I also noticed a few spots on the meat where I thought it may have had a slightly bitter over smoked taste on the outter edge...basically the bark. But smoked food always tastes better the next day to me if I cook it for some reason, so that taste I thought I was getting could have just been from that.

Tell me your thoughts. ...

Thanks for the inputs in advance. .....
 
Being closer to the fire than a normal UDS and no diffuser you'll have some of the white smoke and more of the grilled type of flavor.

I like using a holy type of diffuser to break up the direct heat a little and catch part of the greases but still let some hit the coals. I can tell you as an example my mini will do a butt without white smoke and the proximity to the coals is close.

Now that won't help you in the PB unless you modified it with a diffuser for when you wanted to use it.

Edit.. like snapper said the drippings will extinguish the coals which is part of the white smoke
 
I noticed that the coals right under a pork butt would get all of the drippings and kinda put the fire out there. After I wrapped the butt and put it on the rack to finish, the spot underneath started burning again. I noticed a little more white smoke with the butts than with racks of ribs. no off smells or taste differences noted.
 
I will get some heavy white smoke for longer cooks as more and more drippings hit the coals. I have never really noticed a bitter flavor but one time I buried two fist size chunks of wood under the hot coals and did notice a stronger smoked flavor than usual. I actually think I prefer the taste when I only use charcoal or just a very small amount of wood. I also wonder if sitting on the grill created the bitter spots (perhaps burnt rub). As you indicated in another post you might try hanging the butt before you wrap. Good luck.
 
snapper-G said:
I noticed that the coals right under a pork butt would get all of the drippings and kinda put the fire out there. After I wrapped the butt and put it on the rack to finish, the spot underneath started burning again. I noticed a little more white smoke with the butts than with racks of ribs. no off smells or taste differences noted.
Click to expand...

Well now that I think about it pretty much the opposite happened to me. Later in the cook I noticed a thin blue. I can't remember for sure but I think it was after I wrapped the butts. But maybe opening the lid got the fire hotter which we all know a hotter fire is better. The temp did spike but it came right back down. Or maybe I had finally gotten the wood burned up to a good point. .....that's what I'm trying to figure out!
 
Bob C Cue said:
I also wonder if sitting on the grill created the bitter spots (perhaps burnt rub). As you indicated in another post you might try hanging the butt before you wrap. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I didn't think about that, but that's why I included the UDS guys in this thread. I don't wanna go into UDS vs PBC, but we all know they cook basically the same. UDS guys don't typically hang the meat though so I would think experience close to what I did unless I did something wrong......
 
I cooked chicken for my first cook on the PBC with just charcoal and had thin blue smoke the whole time. When I first did ribs my set up was exactly the same other than adding a few chunks of Apple. I found the smokiness taste wise to be only a little stronger but I did get some white smoke like you mentioned. Called Noah and he said that the fattier meats cause more of that white smoke because of the fat dripping on the coals.
 
The bottom line is you had two butts wich is alot of fat to fall no matter hanging or sitting on a grate its gonna fall out.

I'm not a foiler but not having anything to catch part of the grease then that might be your best bet.
 
Fwismoker said:
The bottom line is you had two butts wich is alot of fat to fall no matter hanging or sitting on a grate its gonna fall out.

I'm not a foiler but not having anything to catch part of the grease then that might be your best bet.
Click to expand...

So based on what you are saying that would be the same on any vertical cooker where the drippings fall into the coals, right? If so I guess I gotta decide if I like that or if I wanna rig something up to catch the drippings.
I've read arguments between UDS guys where some catch drippings and others don't about which is best. I just gotta get use to the cooker and learn it better in general.
 
worktogthr said:
I cooked chicken for my first cook on the PBC with just charcoal and had thin blue smoke the whole time. When I first did ribs my set up was exactly the same other than adding a few chunks of Apple. I found the smokiness taste wise to be only a little stronger but I did get some white smoke like you mentioned. Called Noah and he said that the fattier meats cause more of that white smoke because of the fat dripping on the coals.
Click to expand...

I bet I put too much wood in the basket. I used apple too. Thanks for the info.
 
Yep the meat will drip regardless but some like the dripping on the coals, wsm folks like it all blocked with a water pan and some like me let some hit the coals with a holy diffuser....just personal preference.

One red neck idea that you could try ...take a pizza pan, put legs on it so it sits above your coal basket. Drill holes in it depending on how much you want to let through...personally i like 1/2 to 3/4" holes. Anyways just a idea
 
Fwismoker said:
Yep the meat will drip regardless but some like the dripping on the coals, wsm folks like it all blocked with a water pan and some like me let some hit the coals with a holy diffuser....just personal preference.

One red neck idea that you could try ...take a pizza pan, put legs on it so it sits above your coal basket. Drill holes in it depending on how much you want to let through...personally i like 1/2 to 3/4" holes. Anyways just a idea
Click to expand...

Those are good ideas. I gotta figure out what I like too. I still think I may have added a bit too much wood also so it could have been a combo of things. All in all the butts were good...

I may rig a drip pan/diffuser if I think I need it later. Thanks!
 
Kinda surprised none of the UDS guys have responded. :biggrin1:
 
A guy from the other thred said build a UDS! But seriously, I thought one of the advantages of a PBS and/or a UDS was to let that rendering fat drip on the coals and the smoke hitting the meat imparts flavor. Have you changed the type of fuel your using?
 
Toast said:
A guy from the other thred said build a UDS! But seriously, I thought one of the advantages of a PBS and/or a UDS was to let that rendering fat drip on the coals and the smoke hitting the meat imparts flavor. Have you changed the type of fuel your using?
Click to expand...

Nope I use Stubbs. I'm beginning to think that I had too much wood in the mix. I saw the extra smoke and maybe some of that is normal from the drippings but I'm wondering if I was also getting smoldering wood (bad) smoke with it. Like I said the butts were pretty good, just a few spots around some of the bark I was picking up hints of over smoked flavor.
It's all a learning process. And who knows, maybe I will come to the conclusion I don't like the flavor of drippings falling into the coals. But with all the people who rave about their UDS or PBC and both are used in competitions all the time, I tend to lean towards it being something I messed up over the cooker just being that way.

Edit: I should probably mention I rubbed the butts with Yard bird so not very much sugar in the rub at all.
 
I really think you'd appreciate a holy diffuser in between the meat and coals because you'll avoid some of the char and fat burn.
 
Fwismoker said:
I really think you'd appreciate a holy diffuser in between the meat and coals because you'll avoid some of the char and fat burn.
Click to expand...

If I were to do that, how far above the coals would you think it would need to be?
 
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