Will a full PBC affect cook time?

[latenight71]

I'm planning on cooking a lot of meat for a weekend camping trip later this month. I've done it many times bbq-ing on my Weber kettles but this is my time using my PBC for this many. I want to smoke 4 pork butts on Friday and at least 8 racks of baby backs on Saturday. (Also doing 8 tri-tips on Gabby's Santa Maria atop one of Webers and 2 or 3 chickens on the other Weber).

So, will more meat in the PBC affect cook time? will it make the PBC run cooler or hotter? I'm on the coast - 16-ft. elevation to be exact - so i keep the bottom damper as closed as it goes (although I will be camping at 1,000 ft. so will open a bit). my PBC usually gets up around 300 degrees but usually averages 275 for a 10 hour smoke.

any thoughts?

[Jerod Broussard]

When you load it down it takes some doing (cracking the lid) to keep up the temps, especially with Kingsford Blue Bag. Then once you get things going the real killer comes when the meat stalls. I ended up installing a vent on my lid for such cooks. Definitely doable, just gotta keep an eye on things pretty much the whole cook.

Things can move pretty quick because of the high humidity cooking. I could easily leave meat unwrapped the whole cook and just barely have enough bark.

[latenight71]

i have been consdidering installing a vent in the lid. i've had to tip the lid a few times to bring temps up but it's usually too much and gets hotter than i want it. i'll search for PBC mods. sure a thread already exists on this.

[Jerod Broussard]

I installed a VENTA. Search should bring it up.

[latenight71]

Very cool. I just ordered one. Thanks for the tip!

[pkadare]

Jerod Broussard pretty much nailed it, the other problem you may run into is the amount of fat and juice coming off the meat may tend to douse the coals a bit when the lid is closed, and conversely may cause flare ups when you remove the lid. I've done a lot of cooks with a packed full PBC and it works great, just requires a little more attention.