Question about using PBC with wood

Is a kettle grill a smoker? It can be if you set it up properly for the charcoal and wood chunk burn. If it isn't it's just a charcoal cooker. If you want hickory flavor you need hickory, want apple wood flavor you need apple wood....no escaping it. Exception is if some charcoal has the wood fibers embedded and you will get some.

Charcoal only is carbon but burning carbon does produce part of the things regular wood produces but on a smaller scale.

In order to get all the lignin's, aromatics etc...which give woods it's unique flavors you need to burn the real thing in with your charcoal....That is a fact and not disputable.

So basically if you want to mix wood chunks in with your charcoal and as your charcoal burns out (if you use a minion method) it will light up wood chunks your whole cook.

Just dropping some in here and there won't give you the result you the desired result you want if you like a true smokey flavor.

*** Some lump charcoals are not fully carbonized and will give you some true wood flavor. There is nothing wrong though with just charcoal flavor though for many foods imo. Sometimes I want just more of a neutral flavor.

Don't ever confuse seeing a smoke ring for smoke flavor though because charcoal produces lots of nitrogen oxide and that is what contributes to the smoke ring.

Hope that helps.

i will say its not as strong as using it on my weber but i gives that as more of proximity of the fire and smoke vs equipment. the pbc gives it a more balanced flavor, where its easier to over smoke and get a little bitterness with the weber. but i use mainly applewood. and i can tell the difference between the two. but ive never used a minion method it was more trouble for me than what it was worth. which is the entire reason i bought the pbc. im in a wheelchair and its just damn easier to use than getting a bunch of stuff on my kettle and fiddling with it. i can smoke and make some good grub on my kettle with alot more effort (for me)

hominamad said:

I'm considering taking the plunge and picking up a PBC. Been doing a ton of reading and still not sure about some things. I read a lot of people saying that not only do you not need to use wood for extra flavor, but people say there is no discernable difference with wood chunks Vs without. I'm wondering how that is possible? If I threw a bunch of hickory chunks on the coals, how is it possible to not get a hickory flavor? Is there something about this cooker that makes the results different than a traditional vertical smoker? Is this a smoker?

It's important to me to be able to get a nice smokey flavor in my meats. I appreciate that smoke is generated from drippings but I like experimenting with different flavors that various woods impart.

Please someone shed some light on this for me!

Thx
H

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First let me say, buy a PBC you will not regret it! OK now to the smoke flavor. No you do not need wood to get flavor. But the flavor, as awesome as it is, is not really a smoked flavor. It is similar though and it comes from the meat dripping on the hot coals like you mentioned. If you want a more tradition smoked flavor you can add wood. I do it typically with apple wood. But it doesn't necessarily mean it will taste better just a little different. If you like a "smoked" flavor, add the wood. Just realize the cooker produces a fine tasting product even if you don't add wood.

You should check out the PBC Appreciation thread. Lots of good info about the PBC and pics of cooks.....oh and do yourself a favor, buy a PBC!
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=210239

I use 75% all natural briquettes 25% quality lump and about a beer can size chunk of smoking wood. It varies. Pecan, Apple, peach Hickory Oak Mezkeet.

Pecan is my favorite. Maple when I can find it. I add the dry smoking wood to the coals right before I hang the meat on the bars.

Experiment. You will find the sweet spot

PS: I am all over the chart with the briquettes. I love to experiment. I don't have or use Kinfsford Blue bag original but I do like Kingsford Competition and the mesquite wood infused Kingsford Lump Briquettes.

You don't need to add wood.there will be a smoked flavor due the droppings burning on the coals.you can change the flavor by adding wood chunks.

Consider a UDS. More versatile than a PBC...

hominamad said:

After reading these replies, I'm still a little bit confused. Some people have said if you put a few wood chunks in with the briqs, you still won't get a smokey flavor. Others say you do, but not as much as with a traditional smoker. And there is always a disclaimer that everything tastes great even without adding wood. I understand you get some smokiness from the drippings hitting the fire, and I will definitely try experimenting doing only this, but I want to just make sure I can get a good wood flavor from adding chunks, if I want.

Is there any scientific reason why you wouldn't get as much wood flavor from PBC + wood chunks, vs in a WSM or any other vertical smoker? Right now I use my kettle, and can get a great wood flavor by doing snake method + wood chunks , or with the Smokenator. Wouldn't the same principal work with PBC?

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I've got a kettle too. While I don't use a smokenator, I've smoked plenty on it using firebrick to bank the coals and using the fuse method. The flavor you will get from a PBC using wood is pretty darn close. I won't say exact because you get also get flavor from the meat dripping on the coals when cooking in a PBC. But the flavor is equally as good in my opinion. I bought the PBC to be able to cook more at once but found its so easy to use I still use it even if doing only one rack of ribs. Don't get me wrong, I still love and use my kettle, bit the PBC is easier and tastes just as good. One more time, you WILL get smoke flavor if you burn wood in your coals....

As far as a UDS being more versatile. That is a falicy in MY opinion. The reason is because there is no such thing as a UDS off the shelf unless you buy a $700 Hunsaker. Anyway they are all modified 55 (or 30) gallon drums. The key word is modified. You build it to whatever your needs are. My point is you can take any vertical cooker and modify it to do whatever you need/want. That is true of the PBC as well, but you will find if you talk to someone who actually owns a PBC that most owners do not modify the PBC because they are happy with them just like they are....

Hey don't be dissin the jimmy and UDS like ebijack's only cost probably about $100 and can do it all. Hunsaker? It doesn't do anything different or better than 100-200 dollar UDS but it's a pretty UDS.

Fwismoker said:

Hey don't be dissin the jimmy and UDS like ebijack's only cost probably about $100 and can do it all. Hunsaker? It doesn't do anything different or better than 100-200 dollar UDS but it's a pretty UDS.

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I never said the hunsaker did anything better, just that it's the only off the self UDS that I know of ...

Build a UDS or buy a Weber Silver. You'll be happier. The PBC's control knobs dont work half the time and the electronics are cheap. Run

Also be sure to check signatures of those offering advice on the PBC. The best advice will always come from the Bretheren that do not and have not owned a PBC for a few dozen cooks.

AClarke44 said:

I never said the hunsaker did anything better, just that it's the only off the self UDS that I know of ...

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Oh ok...there are more than that though. Any shipping of something larger than a 30 gallon size is insanely expensive to ship anyway.

hominamad said:

Is there any scientific reason why you wouldn't get as much wood flavor from PBC + wood chunks, vs in a WSM or any other vertical smoker? Right now I use my kettle, and can get a great wood flavor by doing snake method + wood chunks , or with the Smokenator. Wouldn't the same principal work with PBC?

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You are correct. The rules of fire and smoke work in the PBC just as in any other cooker. The design of the cooker is different than other cookers in that there is no convection effect (hot air rising, then cooling and sinking - creating a circulation effect). You get, more or less, a solid column of consistent heat with a slight updraft to the small exhaust holes.

I need to floss and ride my bike.

Ya'll play nice and have fun!!

hominamad said:

Are we talking about the same thing? I didn't know there were electronics in the PBC?

I already have a Weber Performer which gets heavy use. I was looking for something that could expand my capacity, and also do longer cooks without having to mess with it. I can't really go more than 5 or 6 hours with the kettle.

What is the difference between a PBC and a UDS? The only thing I can think of is the exhaust?

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UDS typically have therms, ball valves or slider valves for easy control and shutdown, some have multiple cooking racks, most are 55 gal and some are 30 gallon, they are typically set up to minion burn for long cooks 18-20 hours.....some are set up to grill easy like the Big Poppa UDS. All UDS can easily hang meat.

PBC, has a cut out flap intake with a set screw that is typically just meant to set and forget for air intake, holes for rebar to hang meat, you need to use magnets or foil and magnets to shut it down fast to save charcoal, now it's porcelain coated (very nice). PBC is ready to go out of the box

Basically you want to make one or buy one. If you want more grate space the 55 gallon UDS is the way to go for that.

Thingfish said:

You are correct. The rules of fire and smoke work in the PBC just as in any other cooker. The design of the cooker is different than other cookers in that there is no convection effect (hot air rising, then cooling and sinking - creating a circulation effect). You get, more or less, a solid column of consistent heat with a slight updraft to the small exhaust holes.

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No different than any other UDS whether a 55 gallon or 85 gallon. The folks at chicken in a barrel in Hawaii (the original barrel hangers) will tell you that. They've been doing it with big cookers for a long long time. My little Jimmy or my 55 gallon turn out the same food hanging but the jimmy is smaller and more efficient.

I guarantee you ebijacks 55 gallon drum hanging meats will turn out identical food so the scientific mumbo jumbo is just that.

This is where I go hang out with Adams and have a drink. Buy a PBC, you won't regret it......

PS: in the event your sarcasm/comedy meter is off, Adams was being sarcastic in his comments about the PBC. :becky:

I'm out!

Edit: go back to post #4 and click the link at the bottom of the page....