Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

[Kanco Connection]

Hey everybody, new to the forums and PBC, this is my second smoke. I found these little turkey breasts at my grocer. First time ever smoking turkey. Came out pretty good!

Thinking about longer cooks for a brisket , has anyone experimented with how they space out the lit coals. I was thinking something like the image below would keep temps a little lower and extend the cooking time. (Red would be lit coals, black unlit)

Putting the lit coals mainly in their own section isn't a bad idea--Andrew has adopted this approach, I think. But his purpose is different from what you're suggesting. He puts the lit coal area opposite the intake to compensate for the burn pattern that tends to burn preferentially in the direction of the intake.

I also think there's an argument to be made that a smaller more concentrated fire might produce better smoke than a more spread out fire. The temps in the PBC (high 200s) are just fine for brisket, so I wouldn't necessarily make the adjustment just to keep temps lower.

By the way, I love turkey breast on the PBC! That's a home run for sure.

 

[Kanco Connection]

Kiddos request ribs, so ribs smokin...

 

[davidw25]

Putting the lit coals mainly in their own section isn't a bad idea--Andrew has adopted this approach, I think. But his purpose is different from what you're suggesting. He puts the lit coal area opposite the intake to compensate for the burn pattern that tends to burn preferentially in the direction of the intake.

I also think there's an argument to be made that a smaller more concentrated fire might produce better smoke than a more spread out fire. The temps in the PBC (high 200s) are just fine for brisket, so I wouldn't necessarily make the adjustment just to keep temps lower.

By the way, I love turkey breast on the PBC! That's a home run for sure.

Thanks dude! I didn't think about the cleaner smoke potential as well. I may have to test it out sometime. True regarding the brisket, I guess I was thinking more time than temp, mid to upper 200's would be fine.

The turkey came out pretty solid.

 

[ssv3]

I've loving all the pron guys. The PBJ clan is growing.

I'm making a confession to say I like the PBJ better. Small enough but packs the same punch as its big brother.

 

[benuski]

Dinner time!

Gotta have a little greenery on the side

I liked this chicken definitely more than cooking it on my Weber kettle with the SlowNSear. The meaty flavor you all talk about is no joke, and then marrying that with some applewood was seriously good. I can't wait to keep cooking on my PBJ!

 

[Kanco Connection]

Dinner time!

Gotta have a little greenery on the side

I liked this chicken definitely more than cooking it on my Weber kettle with the SlowNSear. The meaty flavor you all talk about is no joke, and then marrying that with some applewood was seriously good. I can't wait to keep cooking on my PBJ!

Looks great!

 

[AClarke44]

Hey everybody, new to the forums and PBC, this is my second smoke. I found these little turkey breasts at my grocer. First time ever smoking turkey. Came out pretty good!

Thinking about longer cooks for a brisket , has anyone experimented with how they space out the lit coals. I was thinking something like the image below would keep temps a little lower and extend the cooking time. (Red would be lit coals, black unlit)

Welcome David!

You need to be careful with lit coal placement in the PBC. I've experimented with placing the lit coals in different configurations and some really screwed up my cook....I don't think you'll get more time for a cook by placement of the coal in a PBC. If you want more time you gotta add more coal. You'll get about 9 hrs with a completely full basket though. Your particular thought that you asked about may work ok but just make sure you put the lit coal opposite the intake as Kanco suggested.
I've always recommended people start out cooking in their PBC using the methods Noah from PBC suggests. Which would mean spreading the coals over the top. I've noticed however that when I do this I get a little uneven burn. Basically faster towards the intake. What I've adopted lately is pouring over the top but adjusting the pour pattren slightly off center opposite the intake. Again this won't extend cooking time, just helps somewhat with a more even burn pattern. But I have to admit it doesn't always help. Sometimes the coal burns weird no matter what I do. One thing I know that doesn't work is the minion method. Not sure why but it doesn't work in the PBC.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do and let is know how it worked out either way! :thumb:

 

[AClarke44]

Dinner time!

Gotta have a little greenery on the side

I liked this chicken definitely more than cooking it on my Weber kettle with the SlowNSear. The meaty flavor you all talk about is no joke, and then marrying that with some applewood was seriously good. I can't wait to keep cooking on my PBJ!

Looks like you nailed your first cook. The PBC/J is no joke! Nice job! :thumb:

 

[Pedro7]

Way to go, Benuski! I think all of us have had that misstep at one time or another. One of the smaller chimneys is a worthy investment. Makes dumping coals easier and also can serve as a measuring cup for the lit coals. Looking forward to results

Agreed. The small chimney is a must....

 

[Kanco Connection]

Ribs were legit! These took much longer than usual. They were large baby backs. Didn't start to get any tenderness or pullback for a full 4 hours on the PBC. Extremely windy in COS today, so I think that explains it.

Wrapped for 30-40 minutes with the brown sugar/butter/honey/ bbq sauce concoction (Johnny Trigg?). Sauce was a combo of Blues Hog Tennessee Red and Sweet Baby Ray's. Then naked again for 20-30 minutes to set it. Kiddos went wild--and that's what counts! They sang a song call "Ribfest". Good to be a dad.:-D

 

[Bob C Cue]

Ribs were legit! These took much longer than usual. They were large baby backs. Didn't start to get any tenderness or pullback for a full 4 hours on the PBC. Extremely windy in COS today, so I think that explains it.

Wrapped for 30-40 minutes with the brown sugar/butter/honey/ bbq sauce concoction (Johnny Trigg?). Sauce was a combo of Blues Hog Tennessee Red and Sweet Baby Ray's. Then naked again for 20-30 minutes to set it. Kiddos went wild--and that's what counts! They sang a song call "Ribfest". Good to be a dad.:-D

That is some serious smoke ring! Very very nice!

 

[16Adams]

Those look great.

 

[BigKing]

I'll second that I've been getting better results as far as the burn goes by dumping the majority of the coals opposite of the intake. Very easy to have the half of the basket closest to the intake be burnt out completely while the other half is still going: especially if it is breezy.

 

[AClarke44]

Ribs were legit! These took much longer than usual. They were large baby backs. Didn't start to get any tenderness or pullback for a full 4 hours on the PBC. Extremely windy in COS today, so I think that explains it.

Wrapped for 30-40 minutes with the brown sugar/butter/honey/ bbq sauce concoction (Johnny Trigg?). Sauce was a combo of Blues Hog Tennessee Red and Sweet Baby Ray's. Then naked again for 20-30 minutes to set it. Kiddos went wild--and that's what counts! They sang a song call "Ribfest". Good to be a dad.:-D

Man those look great! I wanna take a bite of my cell phone screen right now! :becky:

 

[ssv3]

Looking awesome Kanco! First thing that caught my eye was the massive smoke ring.

 

[Kanco Connection]

Thanks fellas! Good cooker. Good result.

 

[BigKing]

Kanco-

Ribs look fantastic. I've never foiled before as I just let them run in the PBC until ready. I'm thinking about trying it though so I'm wondering how you are doing them up in the barrel once foiled.

Hanging still? Do you foil and put them on the grate? I feel like I would need to cut the rack in half first to make the latter feasible.

 

[D&D BBQ]

Kanco-

Ribs look fantastic. I've never foiled before as I just let them run in the PBC until ready. I'm thinking about trying it though so I'm wondering how you are doing them up in the barrel once foiled.

Hanging still? Do you foil and put them on the grate? I feel like I would need to cut the rack in half first to make the latter feasible.

Having competed on the PBC and did pretty well, I’d say there’s no way I’d rehang ribs after foiling as that’s a good way for ribs to end up in the fire. How I did it:
1) Hang full racks as normal.
2) Foil w/ mix after 2 hours in the smoke. You definitely have to cut them in half to fit on the grill rack. You can do about 3 racks this way. Got 4-6 hanging? Finish in the oven or on another smoker.
3) Check after 45-60 minutes in the foil. Ribs are done when a toothpick slides in between the bones like buttah.
4) Mix 3 parts of your favorite sauce with 1part foil mix to glaze the ribs. You don’t really need to put them back in the cooker at this point to set the sauce as many reams don’t as it messes up the appearance. I just dust with a finishing rub after glazing and then into the Cambro they go until turn-in (usually about 30-45 minutes to allow for error and different cooking times to get the right doneness). You could just take the lid off the PBC and let it come up to grilling temp to set the sauce by a flipping a few times, I suppose. But for backyard cooking (not practice) and for vending multiple racks, I just hang until done. Works great with less hassle, but not quite the same flavor pop that a Johnny Trigg foil wrap will give.

 

[BigKing]

D&D-

Thanks for the info! I've been super happy with just letting them ride but so many on the site foil so I figure I should give it a try and which way I prefer.

 

[Kanco Connection]

Having competed on the PBC and did pretty well, I’d say there’s no way I’d rehang ribs after foiling as that’s a good way for ribs to end up in the fire. How I did it:
1) Hang full racks as normal.
2) Foil w/ mix after 2 hours in the smoke. You definitely have to cut them in half to fit on the grill rack. You can do about 3 racks this way. Got 4-6 hanging? Finish in the oven or on another smoker.
3) Check after 45-60 minutes in the foil. Ribs are done when a toothpick slides in between the bones like buttah.
4) Mix 3 parts of your favorite sauce with 1part foil mix to glaze the ribs. You don’t really need to put them back in the cooker at this point to set the sauce as many reams don’t as it messes up the appearance. I just dust with a finishing rub after glazing and then into the Cambro they go until turn-in (usually about 30-45 minutes to allow for error and different cooking times to get the right doneness). You could just take the lid off the PBC and let it come up to grilling temp to set the sauce by a flipping a few times, I suppose. But for backyard cooking (not practice) and for vending multiple racks, I just hang until done. Works great with less hassle, but not quite the same flavor pop that a Johnny Trigg foil wrap will give.

D&D, this is a really detailed and helpful post. Thanks for the insight!
BK, when I foil I get em off the PBC and squeeze 'em in the kettle or put in the oven, just like D&D advises.