All right everyone, thanks for all the participation this weekend, much appreciated. This will be the post where everyone can show off their PBC/BRONCO cooks beginning today. Feel free to show your cooks in progress too. I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone does! And a special thanks to all our awesome PBC users for putting up with our good natured jabs. This is gonna be fun!
Last edited by Panhead John; July 29, 2022, 11:22 AM.
Cookers:
Oklahoma Joe Offset (older thick steel version!)
Camp Chef Woodwind
OK Joe Bronco
Weber Genesis
Ooni Karu
Weber Kettle
My goal is to eventually have at least one of every style of cooker….. I have work to do. Lol!
Thermometers:
ThermoWorks Thermapen MK4
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
ThermoWorks Thermopop
ThermoWorks RFX
ThermoWorks IRK-2 Infrared
Maverick XR-50
TempSpike Plus
Other Gear:
Megaforce 3000 Meat Grinder
Weston 7-pound sausage stuffer
Jerky Gun for making poppers. (Game changer!)
Amaz-N-Tube
Original SnS with drip n griddle
Weber Chimney
Fuels Used:
Splits/Chunks, whatever I can get. Usually B&B competition. Favorites are Cherry, Apple, Post Oak, and Hickory.
Pellets, Lumberjack.
Charcoal, whatever is on sale. Currently have a bunch of KBB. Will eventually try B&B. Use whatever lump is on sale in my Ooni.
Propane, Blue Rhino.
Rubs:
Usually make my own riff’s on Memphis Dust and BBBR. Also use Meathead’s commercial rubs and occasionally try something new. I like a couple from Tuffy Stone and Kinder’s. After several surgeries, I’m very sensitive to “spicy” stuff, so I need to be careful about heat levels.
Steve R. , you would be correct sir! Dump in the charcoal, throw some wood chunks on top, add tumbleweed, light tumbleweed, wait for temp. She’s been running rock steady all day so far!
There’s been a lot of good natured banter lately about which is the better cooker, the long established Pit Barrel Cooker, or the newcomer, the Oklahoma Joe Bronco. There’s only one way to settle this hotly contested debate….we need to have a cook off! My arch rival Greygoose just thinks his ribs are better than mine! 😉 We all
There may be a few people around here who aren't familiar with the hardware differences in competition. On the one hand, a barrel is a barrel, and these both have interior dimensions that are very similar. They both have a fuel basket that can sit at the bottom, and have the ability to hang proteins from at or near the top over the fire. Having cooked on both, I'll say that there is little to no difference in the potential for a good cook, especially on ribs or chicken, beyond what prep and process skills the cook brings to the equation. The differences pretty much come down to versatility.
The PBC would qualify as a minimalist cooker relative to the design differences between these two "combatants". You have very little ability to control temp over much of a range. Fans of this cooker say they love the "set and forget" abilities.......that's a feature as well as a limitation. It likes to run around 275 degrees, unless you start playing games with it. There are plenty of posts here on The Pit where owners list off a broad range of tweaks they've done, from simple charcoal arrangements and lighting strategies, to adding wheels for mobility, insulated handles, fans with controllers, ash pans, various grates, and even a brick to hold the lid down for better sealing. In its basic, as delivered, form it has one distinct advantage over the Bronco. It weighs under 50 pounds and has a svelte shape that makes it, comparatively, portable. If that portability is an absolute must have for you, no contest unless you have a small trailer.
Comparatively, the Bronco is a full featured cooker. The basic package has wheels, a steering/maneuvering side handle, a side shelf on the opposite side, a hinged lid with insulated handle and woven, high temp gasket so no brick needed. It comes with an ash basket and two grate mounting position brackets inside. A deflector plate is included to spread the smoke flow in one position, or can be inverted to hold the fuel basket at a higher position, relative to the grates, for grilling purposes. There's also a thermometer, but where it's mounted makes it useful for trend observation, not necessarily accurate grate temps. Two of it's most useful features are it's ability to control temps with adjustable intake and exhaust baffles that will give, in learned hands, a wide range of cooking temps; low 200s to 500 at the high end. The other feature I find especially valuable is the first grate position is even with the opening so that you don't have to reach down into the barrel to handle what's being cooked. That's especially useful when using a spatula where tongs aren't as effective. As for weight, it's a beast...............about 140 pounds. That's in part due to having more features/components, but also the thickness of the body is greater.
So, there you have the hardware descriptions. Now, bring on the talent to put these to work. Let's see what will result.................
Last edited by Uncle Bob; July 29, 2022, 10:06 AM.
jlazar it's kind of a choice thing with personal preference the deciding factor. A kettle is a very competent cooker that is easy for multiple styles of cooking. I have one and if in a hurry it's one of a couple I go to for ease of operation. That said, for smoking I think the Bronco is better for flavor. For grilling operations the Bronco, is very capable........but........it is a tad (meaning a little bit) more fussy to set up. If space limited the Bronco gets the nod, otherwise both.
As someone with no skin in this game (closest I have is the 18.5 WSM)I am going to sit back and enjoy this. When I was looking at charcoal smokers I was considering a PBC but then I got a free WSM. If I wasn’t so hung up on a Kamado I might seriously look at the bronco.
Cookers:
Oklahoma Joe Offset (older thick steel version!)
Camp Chef Woodwind
OK Joe Bronco
Weber Genesis
Ooni Karu
Weber Kettle
My goal is to eventually have at least one of every style of cooker….. I have work to do. Lol!
Thermometers:
ThermoWorks Thermapen MK4
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
ThermoWorks Thermopop
ThermoWorks RFX
ThermoWorks IRK-2 Infrared
Maverick XR-50
TempSpike Plus
Other Gear:
Megaforce 3000 Meat Grinder
Weston 7-pound sausage stuffer
Jerky Gun for making poppers. (Game changer!)
Amaz-N-Tube
Original SnS with drip n griddle
Weber Chimney
Fuels Used:
Splits/Chunks, whatever I can get. Usually B&B competition. Favorites are Cherry, Apple, Post Oak, and Hickory.
Pellets, Lumberjack.
Charcoal, whatever is on sale. Currently have a bunch of KBB. Will eventually try B&B. Use whatever lump is on sale in my Ooni.
Propane, Blue Rhino.
Rubs:
Usually make my own riff’s on Memphis Dust and BBBR. Also use Meathead’s commercial rubs and occasionally try something new. I like a couple from Tuffy Stone and Kinder’s. After several surgeries, I’m very sensitive to “spicy” stuff, so I need to be careful about heat levels.
This is my first time using the Red Meat rub and I’ve gotta tell you, I’m a fan. I may have stolen one of the smaller nuggets off the grate to taste test.
Gear includes: Char-Griller's Grand Champ off set stick burner/smoker, SnS Kamado Deluxe, Weber 22, PBC, Victory gasser, Victory 36 griddle, Smoke Hollow electric smoker. ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4, Smoke, Signals, and RFX4, Meater+, SNS-500, roti fits 22 n gasser, Emeril countertop TO, InkBird Sous Vide, Potane Vac/Sealer. Fire&Ice griddle/cooler ensemble.
3-pkg of Collapsible Prep Tubs
Junior, Original, Xtra Lg. SS D. Norcross
Complete set (Tx PJ!) Wusthof Knives n block.
Dalstrong:
Phantom Series Paring knife
Shogun SeriesX 6" Chef knife
Gladiator Series 12"Cleaver knife
Just got into charcoal Dec ‘21 (PBC)
fav is brisky. Love Turkey on PBC. also Turkey in the glass,(any nice bourbon)
Bud has always been my barley pop.
Been smoking a handful of years, just got serious in the last two or three years. Thanks to AR n @glemn picked up an SnS Kamado for appx 1/3 price of new. I dont think he used it twice. Love AR! keep calm n smoke on! Miss you Bonesy.
Thursday, so I got in front of this. It also gives me a shot at another cook!
21 pound Heritage Turkey. This one must have been a bit cooler than my last cooks. 3 1/2 hrs
Attached Files
Last edited by Alan Brice; July 29, 2022, 11:37 AM.
Reason: One more pic pls.
Well my son, who I gifted a new Bronco this spring, has the virus that shall not be mentioned. He was going to participate and post via me but is pretty sick. (I know. He needs to join The Pit.). Bummer. Smoke on Pitmasters!
I expect there'll be some big fancy cooks on here the next couple days, and I'll leave those to the youngsters. Being an old, decrepit man I have to pace myself. How about a couple, simple, smash burgers on a griddle plate (from Hunsaker). This is one of those times I had in mind for easy access with a spatula.
And if a full surface griddle isn't of interest, a cast iron griddle pan is also aided by the grate level.
Michael_in_TX, yeah, there's a heat deflector under there (assuming he is using it). It gets really hot, so anything that drips on it sizzles away quickly.
Michael_in_TX not a problem really, though a reasonable question. As Steve said there's a deflector that gets hot, though I wasn't using that for the cook. The renderings aren't significantly more than would come off any other protein of similar size. The drippings will either hit the coals or drop down either side of the fuel bin/coals and either lie on the bottom or migrate (if sufficient quantity) to the air intake port drip cup at the bottom center.
I could have posted this in the first post I did above, but CRS must have gotten me. Added value from the handle and shelf is temporary storage of cooker components and/or tools used to cook. I got some S hooks from the hardware store and use those every time I cook so I don't have to find a flat spot to set things for a short time.
Due to my schedule had to opt for a relatively quicker cook, so went with chicken thighs and decided on a Korean style cook
Thighs were rubbed with a bbq/Korean rub with brown sugar, gochugaru, garlic and a few others. Then let the PBC do it’s thing.
In the interim, I made a Korean sauce with gochujang, soy sauce, gochugaru, brown sugar, honey, garlic and sesame oil.
Once the thighs were done, I separated the skin and pulled the meat and mixed with the sauce. Served as tacos with kimchi and some fresh cilantro. I also fried up a few of the chicken skins to make a quasi chicken skin bacon which added some nice crunch.
Well, here's today's (actually yesterday's, gotta work around all the rain storms here lately) pork loin cook.
I seasoned with Franklin BBQ rub I picked up at HEB when I was in Texas a few weeks ago. Not sweet, not too salty, and packs a lot of umami punch with the shiitake mushroom powder it contains.
I really like the metal plate on the back of the Bronco Pro, which makes a great spot for my Maverick XR-50 thermometer base. It doesn't get hot like the body of the smoker does.
I painted on some Private Selection Kentucky Bourbon BBQ sauce I picked up from Kroger awhile back.
The sweetness of the sauce pairs well with the flavor of the rub. This loin turned out really tender and juicy.
This is gonna be fun! 
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