Interesting way to use PBC as a grill

[Finster]

Saw this on social media, and thought I'd share.
anyone ever try this?

[hoovarmin]

Looks like a great way to go to the hospital with 3rd degree burns. Since I have a Kettle and a Kamado I wouldn't bother with using the barrel this way, but if it were my only cooker I probably would.

[texastweeter]

Chicks dig scars

[Panhead John]

I don’t have a PBC of course, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. If I did have one, yeah, I’d do that to grill with it….if I didn’t have a kettle or something else. I haven’t seen that before, why aren’t more PBC folks grilling like that? I’d be curious to hear from them and hear their thoughts.

[Finster]

1. Because I have a kettle to grill on.
2. I'm not that smart that I would even have thought to do that.
I thought MsTwiggy idea of sitting the charcoal basket on top of a cinder block was genius

[Uncle Bob]

Looks like the grate would rock across the bail for the fuel basket. Two more short pieces of rod astraddle the stock rods would solve that though.

[MBMorgan]

This has been discussed here in the Pit before, but it sounds like it's worth mentioning again:

Be careful when exposing concrete to very high temps. Some types (so-called high performance concrete) can explode violently (think hand grenade) due to moisture trapped in the concrete. "Normal" concrete blocks that you generally find in places like Home Depot ... and that you would probably use to build a backyard fire pit (or to elevate a PBC coal basket) ... seem to be sufficiently porous that trapped water can escape safely when it gets hot enough to turn into steam.

So ... probably not an issue ... but still worth keeping in mind.

[Porkies]

Would the paver type squares count as 'normal'? I bought 4 from HD and use them below my wsm. They don't get exposed to serious heat do they?

[MBMorgan]

Porkies - I wouldn't think a paver like you describe would get anywhere near hot enough to be cause concern ... the temps I've seen mentioned are in excess of 400F (200C). And while I can't say for sure, all the pavers I've ever seen have looked pretty darn porous to me.

[MsTwiggy]

Creative! I hadn't thought of that, I bet they got a very good sear. You can't use the lid like this though and thus it wouldn't work for a 2 zone situation, which is what I was after when I used the concrete blocks. 🔥🔥🔥❤️🐿

[MBMorgan]

I never tried it when I had my PBC, but I'm thinking that with 4 lengths of steel (NOT GALVANIZED) chain and 8 S-hooks (ALSO NOT GALVANIZED) it would be pretty easy to hang the coal basket at any level you choose below those rebars.

[jecucolo]

Pretty smart!

[RichieB]

No grilling on the PBJ. Kettle, Smokey Joe and Spirit. I use the barrel for hanging ribs, chicken and doing large hunks of protein.

[fzxdoc]

Back in the day when I was first playing around with my PBC, getting it to do tricks, I used two pieces of galvanized woodburning stove pipe, set side-by-side, to sit the PBC basket on for grilling. It worked great. Good airflow, and a stable hot fire.

I don't use the stovepipe lengths any more because grilling on a kettle (22 inch or WSCGC) is just too darn easy.

Kathryn