Sanity/reality check

[Brahern02]

Good afternoon everyone,

Just recently got into smoking and bought a PBC. I have done a pork butt, chicken a few times and ribs a few times. I really like this thing and the results have been stellar every time. My dad is a huge rib snob. He will flat out tell you if he thinks they aren’t good. He said they were unbelievable (in the good way!).

I have had a Weber kettle for years. Also love it. I’ve enjoyed grilling for a long time. Haven’t tried smoking on it. It needs a new bottom vent, so I just use it for grilling.

I’m already thinking of my next smoker. I’m sure everyone has been in the same boat on this. Main reasons are capacity (when I’m able to, I like to have bbqs. Pit barrel is awesome but I would pretty much have to pick one thing. Like ribs or pork butt. Not both. Other reason, which may not be as big of a deal as I think, is temp control. Being able to go low and slow.

I was thinking either a mid grade offset like an Oklahoma joes highland or maybe a pellet grill. Like a camp chef woodwind or even an Oklahoma joes rider dlx. A big part of me is leaning toward offset because the pit barrel is already super easy to use. Then maybe upgrade to something nicer in a few years. On the other hand, pellet grill might get more use.

I’m not doing anything anytime real soon. Might not even be until next year. But I would like to save up some cash so I like to have a plan at least to some degree.

I would appreciate your opinions here. Doing nothing and sticking to the PBC is also on the table. Thanks guys!

 

[Eckie]

Hey Brendan, welcome to the site! Glad the PBC is doing well for you and you are having good results. Ive never run a pbc, have been interested bur just never pulled the trigger on one.

All my smoking has been on a weber kettle, which as you know has some capacity issues. My bottom vent is giving me some fits lately as well and needs some tlc/replacement, cause it's making temp control problematic.

I was looking for a new smoker as well. I borrowed an electric smoker that uses pellets for smoke and tried, but didnt have the flavor i was looking for (partially my fault, was only able to add one run of pellets). The other week I stumbled upon the masterbuilt gravity charcoal cookers. Did a bunch of reading/watching, was impressed with what I saw, and ordered a 1050 the other day. On backorder, but I'm looking forward to turning out some 'que when I get it!

Edit: i would love to have a stick burner, but time to constantly be tending a fire is an issue for me right now. Hence the reason why a gravity fed (somewhat set and forget for a little bit) charcoal cooker appealed to me...

 

[Mike Twangzer]

Welcome .... I have had a PBC but gave it up when I got my pellet smoker ... in fact I have 2 ... so easy. Liked the pbc but if you have a group smetimes it's challenging to have variety. If I was going to do pork butt and ribs, I do the butt a day or so ahead then do ribs day of the event. Worked out great. Good luck and happy hunting. You'll run into a whole lot of opinions.

 

[johnnylightnin]

I pretty regularly cook for 20 or so and I've never had trouble with the PBC. In fact, it's my "quantity" smoker. I figure I can do a pork butt and about 6 racks of ribs at the same time which is more than I've ever needed to cook.

That said, I have other options so I often don't push the PBC from a capacity standpoint. I got a new vent for my very old, very beat up kettle, and it works like a champ. The brethren helped me land a WSM for $100, so I often will use that when I need more rack space than the PBC has.

I've thought about my next addition and I've about decided to save up and wait for a Shirley backyard or, if the stock market keeps rebounding, a 24x50. I know a lot of folks cant' wait that long.

I've never seriously considered a pellet grill because I love a pretty heavy smoke flavor. PBC delivers for me on that front. My next cooker will only be a purchase if it can improve on the food I produce (for my taste).

Good luck on your quest!

 

[West River BBQ]

Welcome to the group. If there's one thing you can get a lot of advice on here, it's how to spend money.

 

[pharp]

Good afternoon everyone,

Just recently got into smoking and bought a PBC. I have done a pork butt, chicken a few times and ribs a few times. I really like this thing and the results have been stellar every time. My dad is a huge rib snob. He will flat out tell you if he thinks they aren’t good. He said they were unbelievable (in the good way!).

I have had a Weber kettle for years. Also love it. I’ve enjoyed grilling for a long time. Haven’t tried smoking on it. It needs a new bottom vent, so I just use it for grilling.

I’m already thinking of my next smoker. I’m sure everyone has been in the same boat on this. Main reasons are capacity (when I’m able to, I like to have bbqs. Pit barrel is awesome but I would pretty much have to pick one thing. Like ribs or pork butt. Not both. Other reason, which may not be as big of a deal as I think, is temp control. Being able to go low and slow.

I was thinking either a mid grade offset like an Oklahoma joes highland or maybe a pellet grill. Like a camp chef woodwind or even an Oklahoma joes rider dlx. A big part of me is leaning toward offset because the pit barrel is already super easy to use. Then maybe upgrade to something nicer in a few years. On the other hand, pellet grill might get more use.

I’m not doing anything anytime real soon. Might not even be until next year. But I would like to save up some cash so I like to have a plan at least to some degree.

I would appreciate your opinions here. Doing nothing and sticking to the PBC is also on the table. Thanks guys!

The PBC is what started my addiction. I would suggest getting the hybrid rack...this would allow you to do 4 or 5 racks of ribs and a large but. That would be an easy cheap fix to one of your problems. Also, the PBC is coming out with a larger model in the 55 gal size hopefully around November. No matter what you decide, this is a fun addiction to have. Good luck.

 

[mbt]

welcome aboard
IMHO if you are looking for a good smoke tool but with affordable price, go for a second hand WSM.

 

[Brahern02]

The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning against pellet grill. Nothing at all wrong with them, but the PBC is already so easy. How hard would it be go to a high quality offset? Like if I used the PBC for a year or so, then upgraded to something in the 1500-2000 dollar range? Or would I be better off learning fire management on a cheaper offset? Like I said, no immediate decisions being made. Just looking for some opinions from guys with way more experience then me.

Thanks everyone!

 

[stljay]

I'd keep that PBC no matter what you do. I'd always keep my drum even if I ever got an offset. Depending on how I start the fire I can be ready to cook in between 10 and 30 minutes. You will never have that with an offset. Personally, if I was going to get an offset I would not get a cheap one. I'd look at a smaller Lang or LSG. I have no experience with either but both seem to have a good following and in my opinion are a pretty big step up from what you would get at a Lowes or HD.

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning against pellet grill. Nothing at all wrong with them, but the PBC is already so easy. How hard would it be go to a high quality offset? Like if I used the PBC for a year or so, then upgraded to something in the 1500-2000 dollar range? Or would I be better off learning fire management on a cheaper offset? Like I said, no immediate decisions being made. Just looking for some opinions from guys with way more experience then me.

Thanks everyone!

You should also consider how much time you have to dedicate to cooking. The PBC and pellet cookers can pretty much be "set and forget". Any offset will require you to be around on a regular basis. Also the cost of fuel needs to be considered. I got a good deal on a Lang, but I don't use it as often as I would like due to time constraints and fuel costs.

 

[pjtexas1]

I thought wood was cheap fuel? If you buy a quality offset you can be ready to cook in 30 minutes. A weed burner helps a lot!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[stljay]

I thought wood was cheap fuel? If you buy a quality offset you can be ready to cook in 30 minutes. A weed burner helps a lot!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Just got a weed burner from Harbor Freight. Seriously the drum is ready in like 10 minutes maybe less. It makes it even more of an "every day" cooker. Good excuse to play with fire!

And I see you have a very high quality offset. Shirley's are awesome. Friend has one and it makes killer food. 45 minutes between logs leaves plenty of time to have a few drinks.....

 

[Brahern02]

I'd keep that PBC no matter what you do. I'd always keep my drum even if I ever got an offset. Depending on how I start the fire I can be ready to cook in between 10 and 30 minutes. You will never have that with an offset. Personally, if I was going to get an offset I would not get a cheap one. I'd look at a smaller Lang or LSG. I have no experience with either but both seem to have a good following and in my opinion are a pretty big step up from what you would get at a Lowes or HD.

That is definitely the plan. The PBC is going nowhere either way.

 

[Brahern02]

The PBC is what started my addiction. I would suggest getting the hybrid rack...this would allow you to do 4 or 5 racks of ribs and a large but. That would be an easy cheap fix to one of your problems. Also, the PBC is coming out with a larger model in the 55 gal size hopefully around November. No matter what you decide, this is a fun addiction to have. Good luck.

What is this hybrid rack you speak of? I’m definitely intrigued.

 

[Big Andy]

delete

 

[Big Andy]

The PBC is what started my addiction. I would suggest getting the hybrid rack...this would allow you to do 4 or 5 racks of ribs and a large but. That would be an easy cheap fix to one of your problems. Also, the PBC is coming out with a larger model in the 55 gal size hopefully around November. No matter what you decide, this is a fun addiction to have. Good luck.

Do you have a link or any more details?

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

I thought wood was cheap fuel? If you buy a quality offset you can be ready to cook in 30 minutes. A weed burner helps a lot!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If you have a good source then I am sure it is cheap. I don't have a good source so splits are expensive for me.

 

[pharp]

What is this hybrid rack you speak of? I’m definitely intrigued.

https://pitbarrelcooker.com/collections/hanging-accessories/products/hinged-grate

 

[pharp]

Do you have a link or any more details?

I posted the link to the hinged grate below. Not seen much in the way of details for the larger one, other than the released the name last week "PBX."

 

[tom b]

FWIW I use my pellet grill a lot more than the offset...