Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

SouthernSmokeRings said:
I love doing pulled chicken on mine. Typically split the chickens and hang both halves from the PBC. Did this at a family Memorial Day cookout and my sister-in-law asked for leftovers then proceeded to take home all of the leftover chicken :mad:

Wasn't very happy when I went to make lunch the next day but i'll take it as a compliment:thumb:
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:thumb:

You're doing it right then. Gives you a reason to fire it up again for a cook. :nod:
 
Hello,

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have an APO address who ordered a PBC? I want to order one but Pit Barrel customer service has told me USPS won't ship because of the size and weight. USPS size/weight limit to APO is 70lbs/130 inches. According to the Pit Barrel web site the PBC is within both size and weight limits and I verified those limits with my local military post office so I don't understand why they won't mail it. If the size/weight listed on the Pit Barrel web site is correct, what could be the problem? Thanks for any help/advice.
 
Does anyone ever have problems getting ribs to fall off the bone or even pull easily using a PBC? I have cooked baby back ribs 3 times now and the flavor is there but the tenderness is not. I’ve watched a bunch of YouTube videos and follow the directions but I get different results. The bottom of the rack is good but the rest is not.

Also, my charcoal does not last as long as it does in the videos I have watched.

Does anyone else have these issues?
 
jklich said:
Does anyone ever have problems getting ribs to fall off the bone or even pull easily using a PBC? I have cooked baby back ribs 3 times now and the flavor is there but the tenderness is not. I’ve watched a bunch of YouTube videos and follow the directions but I get different results. The bottom of the rack is good but the rest is not.

Also, my charcoal does not last as long as it does in the videos I have watched.

Does anyone else have these issues?
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I pull my ribs off the PBC when they meet the “toothpick test”, as in a toothpick slides in to the meat like butter. This should result in tender ribs just short of “falling off the bone” which you don’t want if you hang the whole time as your meat will end up in the coals. Want them more done? Try foil wrapping after 2.5 hours with the Johnny Trigg foil mix or with some apple juice (lay down on the grate or in the oven. If multiple racks, the ones on the bottom will cook faster so rotate every half hour). Should be falling off the bone in about 1.5 hours (glaze with sauce after taking out of the foil).
 
D&D BBQ said:
I pull my ribs off the PBC when they meet the “toothpick test”, as in a toothpick slides in to the meat like butter. This should result in tender ribs just short of “falling off the bone” which you don’t want if you hang the whole time as your meat will end up in the coals. Want them more done? Try foil wrapping after 2.5 hours with the Johnny Trigg foil mix or with some apple juice (lay down on the grate or in the oven. If multiple racks, the ones on the bottom will cook faster so rotate every half hour). Should be falling off the bone in about 1.5 hours (glaze with sauce after taking out of the foil).
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How long does it take your ribs to pass the toothpick test?
 
jklich said:
Does anyone ever have problems getting ribs to fall off the bone or even pull easily using a PBC? I have cooked baby back ribs 3 times now and the flavor is there but the tenderness is not. I’ve watched a bunch of YouTube videos and follow the directions but I get different results. The bottom of the rack is good but the rest is not.

Also, my charcoal does not last as long as it does in the videos I have watched.

Does anyone else have these issues?
Click to expand...


I've had baby backs on for 5 1/2 hours without falling into the coals, but they were close to it.


I find when they fall of the bone, they are overdone a bit and not really "fall off the bone tender" since I don't wrap. I've never really had them be done in 3 hours, however, and this may be due to the BB racks from Costco being pretty meaty. They actually seem to have more meat on them than the Farmer John spares that are sold at the grocery store.
 
jklich said:
Does anyone ever have problems getting ribs to fall off the bone or even pull easily using a PBC? I have cooked baby back ribs 3 times now and the flavor is there but the tenderness is not. I’ve watched a bunch of YouTube videos and follow the directions but I get different results. The bottom of the rack is good but the rest is not.

Also, my charcoal does not last as long as it does in the videos I have watched.

Does anyone else have these issues?
Click to expand...

I lost a rack once by letting it go just a little too long, but these days I just cut them more or less in half (60/40 maybe) so I can pull the thinner ribs off a little earlier and both halves come out just like I want them. I think they can go a little longer because there's less weight to pull through that way. BTW that rack of ribs I dropped, I picked it off the charcoal and it tasted great :)

My charcoal seems to last really long, but I've not yet mastered the right startup procedure to have the PBC humming along in the 270-300 range. It usually ends up stabilizing around 220-230 and I have to crack the lid every now and then to get the temp higher. The food is always good so I haven't spent too much time trying to figure it out.
 
gatorjj said:
I lost a rack once by letting it go just a little too long, but these days I just cut them more or less in half (60/40 maybe) so I can pull the thinner ribs off a little earlier and both halves come out just like I want them. I think they can go a little longer because there's less weight to pull through that way. BTW that rack of ribs I dropped, I picked it off the charcoal and it tasted great :)

My charcoal seems to last really long, but I've not yet mastered the right startup procedure to have the PBC humming along in the 270-300 range. It usually ends up stabilizing around 220-230 and I have to crack the lid every now and then to get the temp higher. The food is always good so I haven't spent too much time trying to figure it out.
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I’ve never lost a rack (so far), but instead of hooking 2 bones down as recommended I hook 3 bones down like a lot of the guys here do. Works so far. Cutting in half works well, too. I just prefer leaving whole because I like the bend test for doneness more than the toothpick test.

I think a good way to ensure consistent high temps in the high 200’s is to leave the lid off a little longer at the start: Instead of putting the lid on immediately after lighting you might try letting it go for a minute or so. That’s what I figured out works for me and I never have the low temp problem any more. But only about 1 minute; much more than that and you’re asking for a blazing fire that you’ll be fighting the whole time.
 
gatorjj said:
I lost a rack once by letting it go just a little too long, but these days I just cut them more or less in half (60/40 maybe) so I can pull the thinner ribs off a little earlier and both halves come out just like I want them. I think they can go a little longer because there's less weight to pull through that way. BTW that rack of ribs I dropped, I picked it off the charcoal and it tasted great :)

My charcoal seems to last really long, but I've not yet mastered the right startup procedure to have the PBC humming along in the 270-300 range. It usually ends up stabilizing around 220-230 and I have to crack the lid every now and then to get the temp higher. The food is always good so I haven't spent too much time trying to figure it out.
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If you use a chimney to add coals to the unlit ones in the basket, do you put the food on right away? I have found letting the coals get to know each other as well allowing any smoke from wood chunks to get smoking for at least 5 minutes, if not more, works best for me.

Since you mentioned your coals last really long...maybe they are not getting enough O2 and you could try opening your damper a little more. This could get your more consistent ideal temps.
 
Thanks for the responses. I typically do the chimney for 15-20 minutes, leave the lid off for about 10 to let everything catch and the smoke to clear, and then put the food on. Sometimes that runs in the normal temp range, sometimes it cools down to the 225 range. Yesterday it ran consistently 290-300 once it settled down, so I don't think it's an airflow problem.

I've had the PBC for a couple years, and the food always comes out great. I think I just need to pay more attention to how I start it up and see what I'm doing to make it go one way vs. another. Any excuse to cook more is not bad in my book :cool:
 
gatorjj said:
Thanks for the responses. I typically do the chimney for 15-20 minutes, leave the lid off for about 10 to let everything catch and the smoke to clear, and then put the food on. Sometimes that runs in the normal temp range, sometimes it cools down to the 225 range. Yesterday it ran consistently 290-300 once it settled down, so I don't think it's an airflow problem.

I've had the PBC for a couple years, and the food always comes out great. I think I just need to pay more attention to how I start it up and see what I'm doing to make it go one way vs. another. Any excuse to cook more is not bad in my book :cool:
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Amen, JJ. You’re suffering for science. I’ve got 2 racks on right now and going to add some turkey legs. Giddyup
 
ssv3 said:
It's been a while but I pulled chicken off the PBC. Comes out fantastic. Mixed pulled is better IMHO plus a lot of the fat drains out during the cooking process. Cook it hot and rest a few minutes before pulling. I actually ate the crispy skin by itself and pulled the meat.

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Ever try Kosmos Dirty Bird rub? I love it on Chicken, great on a whole bird!
 
I have always followed the instructions for lighting the PBC and then just put the food on. I don't monitor temps at all and have always had good food. I have always just followed the mantra that the food is done when it's done.

One of the reasons I got the PBC to begin with was how simple it's use was supposed to be without having to worry about what temp the cooker is at.
 
I don't post too often, but wanted to report on our 1st competition. Used the PBC on all 3 meats (chix thighs, BBRs, and PP) with an assist to the kettle. It was a local comp (no pros allowed) with the meat supplied by the sponsors so everyone has the same starting point. 24 total teams. Had a blast. We finished 11th in ribs, 11th in PP, and 1st in chix for a 4th overall. Met lots of really cool people and sampled lots of good food.

Fought rain all morning.

IMG_20180714_114906 (1).jpg

IMG_20180714_114930.jpg

Rib box.
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Chix looks burnt in the pic. Definitely not. Portions look small because that's what they told us in the team meeting.
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What a blast.
 
Bob C Cue said:
See answers above. Good luck in your decision!
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Doing ribs on my PBC, and this answered almost all my questions, thanks Bob C Cue & TailgateJoe! One last question, are you hanging them the entire time, or wrapping? I've gotten good results in the past on my Weber sans foil/paper, and really just want to hang them and let 'em do their thing... TIA
 
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