First Issue with the PBC

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RobHops

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I did a pork shoulder a few weeks ago and it went off without a hitch. 6.5 lbs shoulder, 3:45 minutes and it was at 165, wrapped with some beer and 1:15 later it was at 203. Let it rest in a cooler until the kids got home from work and the rest is history.

Today, I had an 8lb shoulder. Seasoned it and lit the PBC per the normal chimney method, inserted the probe and let it go. After 5 hours it was still at 152 and not climbing. I took a peek and could see that there was charcoal that never lit and there wasn't much activity or heat. I pulled it off and tried to "re-start" the fire by stirring the coals and leaving the lid off. In the meantime, fired up the oven and put the wrapped shoulder in the oven.

1. Could this be caused by "old"charcoal? I was using part of a bag that who knows how old it was.
2. Any chance of getting sick since the meat was in the 145 - 150 range for probably an hour? I will bring it to 203 in the oven but just wanted to check.
3. Any suggestions on prevent this? Maybe peaking in more often? Not sure I would want to stir the coals up with meat hanging in the smoker.

TIA for any feedback and suggestions.
 
RobHops said:
I did a pork shoulder a few weeks ago and it went off without a hitch. 6.5 lbs shoulder, 3:45 minutes and it was at 165, wrapped with some beer and 1:15 later it was at 203. Let it rest in a cooler until the kids got home from work and the rest is history.

Today, I had an 8lb shoulder. Seasoned it and lit the PBC per the normal chimney method, inserted the probe and let it go. After 5 hours it was still at 152 and not climbing. I took a peek and could see that there was charcoal that never lit and there wasn't much activity or heat. I pulled it off and tried to "re-start" the fire by stirring the coals and leaving the lid off. In the meantime, fired up the oven and put the wrapped shoulder in the oven.

1. Could this be caused by "old"charcoal? I was using part of a bag that who knows how old it was.
2. Any chance of getting sick since the meat was in the 145 - 150 range for probably an hour? I will bring it to 203 in the oven but just wanted to check.
3. Any suggestions on prevent this? Maybe peaking in more often? Not sure I would want to stir the coals up with meat hanging in the smoker.

TIA for any feedback and suggestions.
Click to expand...

Did you let the coals in the chimney get totally ashed over? Even the ones on the top? Did the charcoal get wet between cooks?
 
The coals in the chimney were mostly ashed over at the top. The charcoal was in the garage and would not have gotten wet directly. It might have spent a winter or two in the garage on a shelf though.
 
Yair . . .

Could someone clarify please . . . .

If by some chance the original posters meat had been colonised by baddies when in the "danger zone" what happens to those baddies when the food is re-heated to over 200?

Cheers.
 
If I'm not mistaken that "danger zone" refers to getting meat up to 140 within 4 hours....it's generally referring to cooking sausage or other ground meat foods where surface meat (that could have botulism) are mixed and end up inside the meat, generally whole cuts have little risk unless you inject.
 
Most likely is the "old" charcoal....but if you don't want to stir and want to be sure all gets lit just spin the basket 180 degrees about 3 hours into the cook. When I've used old coal left in humid conditions I do this.
 
scrub puller said:
Yair . . .

Could someone clarify please . . . .

If by some chance the original posters meat had been colonised by baddies when in the "danger zone" what happens to those baddies when the food is re-heated to over 200?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

The OP stated the meat was at 145. The danger zone is between 40 and 140 for 4 hours total. This includes reheating time in the 4 hour total. Yes it's not the bacteria left that you can kill with cooking over 160, it's what they leave behind that can kill you. The OP was over the danger zone.
 
I have had similar problems. I don't think the charcoal is the issue as I will use charcoal I purchased at the same time in my battle box and have no problems but have only partial burn in the PBC. I have found my problem is generally with bigger cuts of fatty meats I believe the dripping may be affecting the burn process. I have also been not centering the coals and keeping them away from the air inlet. When doing larger pieces of meat I have to crack the lid several times during the cook to keep the coals hot. This annoyance is the main reason I bought a Humphreys Battle Box. I still use the PBC but only on small cooks
 
What was the weather like? I have found if it I'd humid I have to open my intake more to keep the fire going.
 
Hookie might be on to something. It did seem like there were a lot of drippings on the unlit coals in the middle of the coal pan.

I wound up throwing away the meat. After 8 hours it still did not reach 200 degrees. For $13.00, I am not willing to make everyone sick.

I am going to try again tomorrow. I will use new charcoal, and use more in the starter. Also, I will start more charcoal and put more towards the outside of the pan, and make sure the coals in the center are red hot.

Thanks for all the help!
 
I have had the same fat dripping problem also. If I keep a fairly close eye on it, and notice it happening, I just crack the lid a little and leave it like that.
 
ive had the same problem. ive had the pbc for months and it is my favorite cooker by far.

but i believe the claim you can cook 8 racks of ribs or 20 or so pounds of whatever etc temp will be in the 225 to 325 temp is not true. it will not. ive had to open the lid, light more briquettes, open bottom vent a little more etc.

the point is for maybe 10 pounds of meat it works as advertised. anything more forget it.

the fat dripping on the coals is key i think. has always been a problem.

still, the food comes out tender and juicy no matter what. just have to deal with those problems if youre cooking more than 10 pounds.
 
1- old charcoal can definitely be a problem.. i save tghat stuff for grilling and only used fresh briquettes in the PBC.. Old stuff gave me a problem too many times. Once the bag is openbed, humidity can get in there and the coals arent the same.. ive noticed even using them for grilling, they wont get as hot.

2 - fatty cuts like pork butts render too much and makes the ttop coals go out.. ive added a second shelf down below the stock shelf and i put a sheet of foil, slightly crumpled up on on it specifically for butts. it catches a good amount of grease that burns up before hitting the coals.. have to swap it out once or twice while cooking.. its not a pan, just a piece of foil thats covers some of the grate but allows the direct heat to get around it still.
 
bradymartin said:
ive had the same problem. ive had the pbc for months and it is my favorite cooker by far.

but i believe the claim you can cook 8 racks of ribs or 20 or so pounds of whatever etc temp will be in the 225 to 325 temp is not true. it will not. ive had to open the lid, light more briquettes, open bottom vent a little more etc.

the point is for maybe 10 pounds of meat it works as advertised. anything more forget it.

the fat dripping on the coals is key i think. has always been a problem.

still, the food comes out tender and juicy no matter what. just have to deal with those problems if youre cooking more than 10 pounds.
Click to expand...

Seems to work for me. If anything I think it sometimes runs too hot.
 

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Evil-g said:
Seems to work for me. If anything I think it sometimes runs too hot.
attachment.php
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its after midnight, and that tray of ribs made me real hungry..




very cruel post. :wacko::mmph:

:wink:
 
After a thorough investigation and with many years of PBC cooks I am classifying this accident as pilot error. I don't argue, defend and pretty much don't brag "exclusively" on my PBC- anymore. Most owners are quite happy when they follow the very simple instructions online. In the FAQ it addresses shutting the unit down to conserve coals (you don't). Briquettes are dirt cheap. Cheaper than dirt at certain times of the year. I had many PBC cooks on the plate before I "modified" my PBC protocol. I use 75% quality natural briqs and 25% quality natural lump. I even use the specialty Kingsford products, but several other brands as well. But I never reuse briqs therefore I always use fresh coals in the PBC. No gurus, no electronics no thermometer mounted. All that has been researched and the cooker developed to not need anything but a certain amount of clean fire and meat. 8# of clean fresh coals will get you around 8-10 hours of cook time.

OP stated he wondered if reused coals could cause his problem. Yes- pilot error.

However- it's your machine. Fly it the way you want. I honestly hope you can make it work the way you want, though it may be at odds with the way it was designed to work.
 
Last edited:
wow.. i missed if he said he reused coals..

that would ABSOLUTELY CAUSE A PROBLEM..

Never reuse extinguished briquettes..
 
BBQchef33 said:
wow.. i missed if he said he reused coals..

that would ABSOLUTELY CAUSE A PROBLEM..

Never reuse extinguished briquettes..
Click to expand...

My bad. I saw "old coals" and in my sleep deprived mind misinterpreted. I am wrong on that. My apologies to the OP.
Cook on brethren!!
 
BBQchef33 said:
1- old charcoal can definitely be a problem.. i save tghat stuff for grilling and only used fresh briquettes in the PBC.. Old stuff gave me a problem too many times. Once the bag is openbed, humidity can get in there and the coals arent the same.. ive noticed even using them for grilling, they wont get as hot.
Click to expand...

This is what I use. I keep it outside year round. Never had a problem. Weather & El Rodente proof!

747363000376.jpg

Buy it here
 
Sounds like the coals were not hot enough. I always put the lid on and give the coals time to stabilize before I put the met on. It's ok to crack the lid to get the heat up and to plug the rod holes wit foil to get it down. Once the heat is stabilized it should run fine. You can finish in the oven....I do it all the time after foiling. After foiling it won't pick up any more smoke anyway and you can snuff out the charcoal for the next cook.
 
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