PBC Cook Times: Including PBC temps and Meat/Veggie Weights (if possible)

[Big Daddy Jay]

I am having difficulty with my Pitt Barrel cooking my meats too fast, I was told by Noah"s wife that the reason is I'm waiting too long after I fire up the Briquettes to place the meat in them. I am kinda of Anal when it comes to this and I used lighter fluid last weekend to cook my ribs I waited the recommended 20 minutes and placed the ribs in. The ribs were done in probably less than two hours. the response I received from Pitt Barrel was I should have started the ribs at 12 minutes not 20. I am believing it has more to do with the vent being open too far. I live in West Michigan, which says it's 705ft above sea level which according to Pitt Barrel recommendations is 1/4 open I have it set a little over 1/2 open. Correct me if I'm not understanding this correctly, if I set the cooker at 1/4 open shouldn't it cook slower? I did chicken a few weeks ago and it cooked way too fast as well, Help me Please! I am embarrassing myself with my grown kids, here they think their getting Amazing ribs and its a good thing I invested early for their good Teeth because they needed them with last weeks ribs.

[lschweig]

The PBC instructions say at sea level to 2000 ft the vent should be set at 1/4 open ( upper corners of the "smile" will be right around 1/2 of the larger vent opening. You are running hotter because the vent is too far open.

[Koy Schoppe]

Do you have a good thermometer to measure the temp inside. Like iGrill or Maverick? that would be my first suggestion to figuring this out.

Even though the PBC is supposed to be "set it and forget it", I just can't do it without monitoring the temp (via a probe hanging down to middle of where the meat is). Sometime things go beautifully without any intervention, sometimes I have to put some foil around the rebar at the holes to slow air flow down.

[MBMorgan]

Below 2000 ft elevation, the vent should be set to 1/4 open and you should wait 12-15 minutes for the coals to light. Worry not .. the PBC works exactly as advertised when set up and lit correctly. In case you missed it, here's a link to the instructions page on the PBC site: http://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/pit-b...-instructions/

[fzxdoc]

Big Daddy Jay , I have found that having the vent open just a little more than recommended for my altitude helps my PBC run more consistently. I have also found that fiddling with the vent opening while cooking doesn't do much to the PBC temperature unless you close it down way too much and choke the fire. Choking the fire also leads to some bad-tasting smoke on your meat, so I avoid that at all costs!

Usually when my PBC runs too hot, it's because the lid is not on tight enough. Even if it looks/feels tight, check the rim and make sure no smoke is leaking out. Put something above the rebar openings (I just hold a piece of cardboard above the rebar openings when I do this) so you can see smoke from just the lid/rim area. My PBC leaks right at the barrel seam area of the rim, so I take my rubber-soled shoe and whack it down firmly each time I re-seat the lid.

I agree with Koy Schoppe , if you really want reproducibly good cooks, get yourself a Maverick dual probe thermometer and monitor both your smoker temp and your meat temp.

I don't use lighter fluid, but after I pour the hot coals from my chimney over the coals in the basket, I let the fire go for 10 minutes with the lid off and 10 minutes with the lid on and the rebars out before adding the rebars and the meat, as I outlined in the first post of this topic. I've done scores of cooks on the PBC by now with all sorts of meats, and that method reproducibly (for me) gets a good light to every fire so my PBC can work its magic. I couldn't get reproducible and reliable cooks using Noah's "add the meat right away" method, which is why I (and many other Pit PBC folks) follow the methods outlined in the first post of this topic.

Whatever you choose to do, I would think that it would be best to find a method that works for you and stick to it. The PBC is an amazing smoker and you're going to get a lot of great food from it. Best of luck on your upcoming cooks!

Kathryn

[Big Daddy Jay]

Ok Guys I appreciate all your input, I am going to put the vent at 1/4 and make sure the lid is secured properly, I'll use a rubber mallet instead of Kathryn's shoe method (too much snow up here). I will be ordering a Maverick dual probe thermometer today. I'm going to try Kathryn's method of lighting the cooker as well 10 off and 10 on before putting the meat on. I'm doing ribs tomorrow I'll let you know how they turn out. This was the Best $25.00 dollars I've spent in a while joining you guys and all your experience.

[fzxdoc]

For sure, keep us posted, Big Daddy Jay . I always love hearing about the tasty things that everyone makes on their PBC.

Kathryn

[MBMorgan]

OK ... another data point: Tri-tip, USDA Choice. 2.5 lb. 1.0 hr. PBC avg temp. 360 (hot!). KBB Original. Pulled at 130 F. Perfectly medium done.

[Mocephus]

I'm an offset convert considering the PBC but I'm unsure about a couple of things...

1) Is there no real way to influence the temperature during the cook? I've read about stuffing foil in the rebar holes and that's about it. Do you just have to let it ride and you get what you get? Seems strange. Also, I'm used to shooting for 225 - 250 but it sounds like the average temp is between 260 - 300.

2) No one has mentioned wood chip/smoke application details - watching the videos make it seem like the PBC relies on smoke purely from drippings off the meats... I know it's magic but surely not. Would you just apply smoke similar to other cookers?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Mo

[fzxdoc]

Oh certainly you can influence the temperature during the cook, Mocephus . You can get the PBC to cook at or close to any temperature you want, within reason, between 225 and 400 or more, depending on the length of the cook. The key to a stable cooking temperature is to get a good light to the coals, a method for which is in another sticky topic in the PBC section of this forum.

Within the first half hour or so after adding the meat, the PBC generally settles in to a temperature at which it likes to cook for the first several hours of the cook. On my PBC, that's somewhere around 250-275 deg F. If I want it to run a little cooler, I pack one or more of the rebar holes with aluminum foil. Also, if I want a cooler cook around 225, I change my lighting procedure a bit and may not have to foil the rebar holes.

After the first several hours, the temperature often begins to drop. You can goose it up if you like by cracking the lid for 10 minutes or so and it may ride at that reestablished temperature for one to several hours more.

I prefer cooking at temperatures higher than 250 for long cooks. I shoot for around 270-280. The exception is poultry (a short cook), for which I goose that fire up good so that the PBC rides between 325 and 360 or so. I also use Kingsford Competition (now called Professional) for poultry because it burns hotter. I use Kingsford Original for all other cooks.

For long cooks, the temperature in my PBC usually starts out at that 270-290 range and I won't mess with it for several hours, letting it drift down to 230 or so before I start goosing it back up again. For some cooks, I never have to mess with tweaking the temperature. Other times, I fiddle more. It just depends on the cook and the whim of the BBQ gods.

I add wood to almost every cook. You don't need to because the charcoal is, after all, mostly wood. The PBC folks say that wood is not necessary. I must admit that the flavor of the meat using only charcoal is pretty doggone tasty, but I prefer to add a chunk or two of apple, pecan, hickory, cherry, or oak to the burning charcoal. It doesn't take much wood. I usually use around 5-7 ounces of wood during a long cook. I end up getting that pretty blue smoke every time with the chunks, and the taste is awesome. I do think that the meat juices and fats dripping on the fire adds to the flavor. I can certainly taste a difference in my chicken when I smoke a bunch of sausages with it at the same time, for example. You'd just have to taste it to know what I mean.

About wood chips: I dislike using wood chips, although many folks here use them in their PBCs and seem to like the results. For me, with my PBC, the chips burn too fast and kick out a lot of that denser white smoke until they settle in for a bit and then boom they're gone. So I add more chips and go through that dense white smoke/short settle time/used up cycle again. I never can get the long duration of nice smoke with chips like I can with chunks in my PBC.

HTH,
Kathryn

[Mocephus]

Thanks for this response, Kathryn - I had reposted my questions in a new topic in the forum also and asked there for clarification about wood vs. no wood. This is very helpful. I'm assuming you don't soak your wood chunks. I also assume it would be disruptive to the cooking temp to take the lid off during the cook - do you have to reload charcoal on long cooks for brisket or PB? Is there an easy way to do that?

[fzxdoc]

I do not soak wood chunks, Mo Mocephus . I don't soak wood chips either when I use them in a Mo's Pouch in my gasser.

The cooking temp changes when you lift the lid, but it goes right back soon after the lid is replaced. The worst thing to do is to take the lid off when you want to wrap the meat and leave it off while you're wrapping. You'll come back to an inferno. Most of us PBC folks only do that once before the lesson is learned.

I add charcoal for long cooks very seldom. Usually I get between 8 and 12 hours of cook time with a overfull basket of Kingsford Original. By that time, the meat is ready to wrap (if I have a good bark) and I can finish it in the oven or add more charcoal at that time.

I do not like to add charcoal while the meat is hanging because too much (possibly bitter-tasting) ash is stirred up. If the meat is not wrapped when it's time to add charcoal, I remove the meat, add the charcoal, let the ash settle down and then add the meat back to the PBC.


Kathryn

[lschweig]

I just recently had my coals almost go out towards the end of cook due to a poor light (lesson learned) and did the same thing with removing the meat, adding charcoal, and relighting. It hardly affected the cook time as I had to wrap the chuck anyway.

[lschweig]

Thank you for the wealth of cook time info as it really helps for the PBC learning curve.

[fzxdoc]

Why thank you, @Ischweig . I started compiling the cook time info back when I first bought my PBC, which was before the Pit got started. I compiled it from my own experience with the PBC and that of others as well. I'm glad it's a help to you.

Kathryn

[lschweig]

I am going to do spare ribs tomorrow. Does anyone have any idea of how long? I have done a number of whole loins, but not spare ribs in the PBC yet.

[MBMorgan]

I am going to do spare ribs tomorrow. Does anyone have any idea of how long? I have done a number of whole loins, but not spare ribs in the PBC yet.

I'd use the numbers for STL ribs in the first post of this thread as a rough guideline. After all, STL cut ribs are just trimmed spare ribs.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/charcoal/pit-barrel-cooker/12774-pbc-cook-times-including-pbc-temps-and-meat-veggie-weights-if-possible

[lschweig]

Later today I will be doing 1/2 of a pork loin roast. Does anyone have any idea as to how long it will take?

[PBCDad]

I don't remember offhand but I did one for Christmas last year and timing was pretty close to what Noah lists in the video on the PBC website. Turned out great!