Pit Barrel Cooker

Please prove me wrong but it doesnt hold enough fuel to smoke a brisket. Sure you can add but why? It looks to me as it would make a nice grille.

I can see that point, especially with a whole packer. I think I've seen at least one thread where a flat was cooked. I can see someone modding the basket though to hold more fuel. I'm sure someone will try that.

Bubba, with your background, what would you consider as an advantage of hanging meat vs. flat? How about stationary flat vs flat/rotatating grates?

Bob
 
Please prove me wrong but it doesnt hold enough fuel to smoke a brisket. Sure you can add but why? It looks to me as it would make a nice grille.

If you go to the website I believe the have a video up cooking a brisket, I would think it holds enough fuel.

I definitely want one, tax money gift to myself maybe.
 
So 275 was with the vent left at the manufacture's setting? By chance did you open it up a bit more to see if it would get hotter? I'm sure it would. As for ambient temp, that's a big factor too.

Here's another situation that crossed my mind. I'm not a Q Comp person. I grill/smoke for friends, neighbors, and my family. Being that chicken is that one category that gives Comp folks the fits, anyone here have a PBS that could justify, etc using in a Comp?

I closely read Patio's write up on his blog about the PBC. From the packaging to the the overall attention to detail that I could get from the pics, it looks to be worth the money. Course, pics are one thing. I'd really like to hear more about the performance and quality from those of you that have purchased one.

This is my competition chicken cooker. I did my first ever IBCA contest last weekend and made final table with our pbc chicken half. I am hard at work on my KCBS thigh PBC modifications as we speak.
 

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Hey Bobby, I am not Bubba, but, I have some input.

The vertical hanging ovens that are often used in Chinatown are preferred for roasting, as the heat and smoke move along the meat lengthwise, this allows for the convection type of heat to act on the meat. This increases the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the meat. Thus, you get a better surface texture. There is also more even cooking.

Western cooks often believe this allows for self-basting of the meat, this really makes little sense, but, in a vertical oven, you can baste more effectively. When I use to watch the Chinese cooks, with their ducks and roast pork, they would have some poor soul hold a large bowl under the meat, then they would baste by pouring the liquid over the meat. This is partially how they achieve that perfect lacquered look.

A rotisserie rack moves the meat through a heat column, effectively creating a similar convection current of hot air to act on the meat. This eliminates the effect of hot spots on the meat. It also prevents, or decreases the likelihood of scorching on meat, as it moves through both hot and cold areas, the exposure to radiant heat is less focused.
 
A few years ago, I would add, we hung some pork butts from hooks in my sister's smoke hut. This proved to be a poor strategy, as the pork started to pull off the hook, necessitating some scrambling on my part. Next time I try it, I will use mesh bags, if I try it again. It worked great for the chickens though.
 
I don't know if a PBC holds enough charcoal to do a full packer.

Is the PBC wide enough in diameter to hold a full packer, say one around 14 pounds?

I will add, I really like char siu and watched the cooks in Chinatown closely, to learn as much as I could about what they did.
 
Hey Bobby, I am not Bubba, but, I have some input.

The vertical hanging ovens that are often used in Chinatown are preferred for roasting, as the heat and smoke move along the meat lengthwise, this allows for the convection type of heat to act on the meat. This increases the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the meat. Thus, you get a better surface texture. There is also more even cooking.

Western cooks often believe this allows for self-basting of the meat, this really makes little sense, but, in a vertical oven, you can baste more effectively. When I use to watch the Chinese cooks, with their ducks and roast pork, they would have some poor soul hold a large bowl under the meat, then they would baste by pouring the liquid over the meat. This is partially how they achieve that perfect lacquered look.

A rotisserie rack moves the meat through a heat column, effectively creating a similar convection current of hot air to act on the meat. This eliminates the effect of hot spots on the meat. It also prevents, or decreases the likelihood of scorching on meat, as it moves through both hot and cold areas, the exposure to radiant heat is less focused.

I can see that. Good points. So, if we then looked at cooking the same chicken half (just as an example) on a stationary flat grate in either a UDS, Egg, or any other cooker, how would we classify the process going on there? There is no movement through the heat column. You could baste via pouring. I think we can say that self basting is still taking place, just for the sake of not getting into a fat up/down self basting convo and side track the thead.

I think we have seen that there is something to be said about the surface texture and more even cooking byt what folks are saying about the PBC.

I can say that now with more folks purchasing the PBC, we are seeing that the results are consistent and that people are getting the same consistent results. As they experiement more with things like briskets and butts, etc, we will get more info in those areas too. Looking at the pics of the set up, I think a butt or a brisket could be done with the use of multiple hooks in the meat.

I think it's just a matter of time before someone tries it.
 
I looked as some pictures but not seeing how the Intake and Exhaust are located. Edit, okay I see the Exhaust...


For those of you that have one, the four holes are the exhaust. Do you feel they are adequate? In other words, can they keep up with the draw from the intake?
We've seen what poor intake and exhaust can do on any type pit if not balanced correctly.
 
If you hang a chicken, leg end down (there is a reason this is better) then the column of hot air rides along the length of the chicken. If you have it flat on the grate, then the column of hot air hits the bottom of the chicken and has to wrap around the chicken. If you think about airflow, it will be smoother if it is hitting the rounded end of a chicken half, then the flat bone side cavity of the chicken half. Now, if you think about how a chicken cooks in a wood fired oven, any meat for that matter, you can see that the PBC, or any vertical cooker with the meat hanging, approximates a traditional wood fired oven, with a chicken on a rack (for me, the ultimate roasted chicken cooker is a wood fired oven, there is simply no better chicken than that). Wherein the hot air flows over the chicken surface. You simply get better rendering and better skin texture.

There is no such thing as self-basting meat, and that is fine. I think the need to baste meat may well be a myth, other than for appearances sake.

I saw in that video how they did a 13 pound packer, they do use two hooks. It makes sense.
 
After reading all of the back and forth regarding the Pit Barrel Cooker I thought I'd throw out my two cents.

I went ahead and ordered one to add some additional smoking capacity to my back deck, and the $104 off coupon code sealed the deal. The cooker arrived a few days ago (4 days after ordering), and it is a quality product. Well made, well packaged, and easy to set up.

For my fist cook I prepared Tri Tip. It was very good. Not the best I've ever made, but very tasty.

Last night I cooked two chicken halves and it was the best chicken I've ever made. Very tender, juicy and flavorful.

This weekend will be ribs (with pron).

I realize that this cooker isn't for everyone, but it definitely fills a niche in my backyard.

It's very simple to use and so far my results have been great. For me it will be my go-to chicken cooker, and for that alone it was worth the investment.


Hi, do you have any photos of the chicken? Like, how you hung it in the pit? Also, how did you prep the chicken? What spice did you use, oil, etc?

I'm gonna do some PBC chicken soon and would like to know more about how you did it.

Thank you.
 
For those of you that have one, the four holes are the exhaust. Do you feel they are adequate? In other words, can they keep up with the draw from the intake?
We've seen what poor intake and exhaust can do on any type pit if not balanced correctly.

Again, great question. I wondered the same when I unpacked it today. It MUST work great based on results I've seen, but I'd like to hear more opinions based on user experience.
 
If you hang a chicken, leg end down (there is a reason this is better) then the column of hot air rides along the length of the chicken. If you have it flat on the grate, then the column of hot air hits the bottom of the chicken and has to wrap around the chicken. If you think about airflow, it will be smoother if it is hitting the rounded end of a chicken half, then the flat bone side cavity of the chicken half. Now, if you think about how a chicken cooks in a wood fired oven, any meat for that matter, you can see that the PBC, or any vertical cooker with the meat hanging, approximates a traditional wood fired oven, with a chicken on a rack (for me, the ultimate roasted chicken cooker is a wood fired oven, there is simply no better chicken than that). Wherein the hot air flows over the chicken surface. You simply get better rendering and better skin texture.

There is no such thing as self-basting meat, and that is fine. I think the need to baste meat may well be a myth, other than for appearances sake.

I saw in that video how they did a 13 pound packer, they do use two hooks. It makes sense.

Here is where I was going with my thinking. Going with this approach, could we say that a PBC achieves that better product on chicken (for this thread's purpose) due to the fact that as it hangs and since you have dark and white meats at different temp spectrums, then that alone is helping the dark meat cook at maybe just a bit hotter temp than the white meat, thus getting that even cooking you mentioned and that others are showing vs. flat on a grate and white and dark meat getting hit with one same temp.
As you stated with flat on a grate, that's one main reason for turning the chicken over skin down on a flat grate to char the skin, render it more and improve the appearance.
I'm liking the info in this thread!
 
Almost like propping chicken upright on the grate, I get very even cooking this way with my UDS where heat rises from beneath, including the tiny Cobb grill.
 
For those of you that have one, the four holes are the exhaust. Do you feel they are adequate? In other words, can they keep up with the draw from the intake?
We've seen what poor intake and exhaust can do on any type pit if not balanced correctly.

Still looking for the Intake. I would like to know how the 4 hole exhaust is working out. My gut tells me the draw would be increased with a more centered exhaust.

Like a fireplace the air flow is in and strait up, not to the sides.
 
Still looking for the Intake. I would like to know how the 4 hole exhaust is working out. My gut tells me the draw would be increased with a more centered exhaust.

Like a fireplace the air flow is in and strait up, not to the sides.

You can see the intake clearly in the first picture in this thread from Sparky, Terry.
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm8BtjAo1m8"]BBQ Pits by Klose - Paul Kirk - YouTube[/ame]

I have seen this cooker personally and it does one heck of a job FWIW!
 
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