Question, how does everyone clean the pit barrel? Do you do any cleaning? What do you use. I use foil under the basket so the ashes are no problem. The lid is another story. I noticed a lot of smoke leaking from around the lid. I have been having a problem keeping the temp down on the barrel. So now I'm curious what everyone else is doing.
Never. If I have some charcoal left over, and not enough to really utilize on the next cook, I will place the grate(s) inside, and let her rip with either the lid off, or with a good crack in it.
If my lid starts to leak a little during a cook, I will push down on it and rotate it a few degrees. I do the same thing with my kettle.
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Usually I just dump my ashes out the top. I don't like how some ash residue "sticks" to the sides of the PBC, but it doesn't seem to make a much difference; granted I use lump charcoal in the basket -- I only use 40 briquettes of Kingsford blue to get the lump started as per Noah's instructions.
I'm looking forward to trying out the new ash pan (and turkey hanger)!
I have to clean the lid once in a while to keep crusties from falling during the cook. I still dump mine (need to get that ash pan) and it leaves the trail of ash that builds up, on occasion I brush it down but that's it.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
I occasionally get lid leaks on my PBC. Usually it goes away if I pound the lid rim down in that spot with my fist. It always happens in exactly the same spot, so the problem is with the barrel (at the seam), not the lid. Sometimes if pounding the lid rim down does not work, I wrap a strip of foil around the rim in that area and the temp comes right back down again.
I don't clean my PBC. Like you, I use aluminum foil (2 sheets, heavy duty) in the bottom under the basket, so cleanup is easy and there is no ash on the barrel's inner surface. I brush the inside of the lid with my gloved hand every once in a while, but that's about it. I always wipe down the experior, though, and allow it to dry before putting the cover on.
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