Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

[pharp]

Originally Posted by EpOxY

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.

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.

[Springram]

Originally Posted by pharp

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.

++++++++++

I start with a little less charcoal and never look back. Hums along at 300* or less.

[BigKing]

Originally Posted by Goose52

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

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.

[PNWSmoke]

Originally Posted by Goose52

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?

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. :)

[hs106]

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?

[pharp]

Originally Posted by hs106

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?

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.

[Goose52]

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/

[NKSmoke]

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.

[Kanco Connection]

Pork belly burnt ends Malcom Reed style—yes. I didn’t run it that low and they turned out great. I have more luck brining temps low by obstructing the intake than I do messing with the amount of fuel.

[TealStBBQKing]

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

[Bob C Cue]

I cooked a couple of salmon fillets on the Pit Barrel this evening. Applied a light rub and cooked them on some foil for about 25 minutes. I was looking for a target temperature about 125 to 130 degrees but by the time I checked they were up to 140 and in some spots 165 or higher.

I must say both fillets turned out great ... very moist without a hint of dryness and a very nice flavor. I really think the PBC does a great job of keeping a moist environment when cooking chicken and fish and other items. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[Kanco Connection]

Sounds good, Bob! Never tried that one but you make it sound worth it

[tonyjohnson619]

Originally Posted by johnnylightnin

Congrats on learning the lesson quicker than I did. It took about a year, but I don’t measure the PBC temp anymore.

It just does what it’s supposed to do. I just goof it up if I mess with it too much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here.... I have had my pbc for 3 years and never put a thermometer in it... it just cooks at what ever temp it wants... I have even lit it.. threw some pork shoulders in thenew left for 6hrs

[AClarke44]

Hello my PBC brethren! Life has me really busy lately and for the forseeable future but I wanted to stop in and say hello and thank you for keeping this thread active! I'm glad it's still running strong. Lots of good advice being given. Keep it up!
If I do get a chance to cook up something in the PBC, I'll be sure to post it!
Take care!

[Stlsportster]

Originally Posted by AClarke44

Hello my PBC brethren! Life has me really busy lately and for the forseeable future but I wanted to stop in and say hello and thank you for keeping this thread active! I'm glad it's still running strong. Lots of good advice being given. Keep it up!
If I do get a chance to cook up something in the PBC, I'll be sure to post it!
Take care!

Miss ya brother. Feel free to stop by and say hello!