Cleaning Your PBC / Grease Problems

[KingOfSilverSpring]

I've had an original powder coat PBC for a couple years now, jumped on the bandwagon quickly and have done some amazing cooks. Recently however my last few cooks had a notice-able 'grease fog' taste to them. First time this has ever happened.

Then when making super bowl ribs yesterday I had some real problems, I guess the rib drippings saturated the coals and I got horrible white / grey grease scented smoke pumping out of the cooker.

This was about 2 1/2 hours into my cook. I had to take the food out, pull the top of the cooker off and let the grease burn off before putting things back on to save the cook.

I noticed there is a good bit of grease build up on the sides of my PBC. Wanted to get any advice, has anyone else experienced this kind of problem and has anyone figured out the best way to give their PBC a spring cleaning?

[Jerod Broussard]

If I start seeing some build up I will let it 'er rip when I am finished cooking, leaving the lid off (and rebar out) for some time to let it get really hot, then I will put the lid on with a big gap to clean that dude off too.

When cooking 5 briskets I have had grease leaking out the vent.

[mikebarish]

Over the holiday break, I let 'er rip with the lid off and rebar out and burned a ton of old tax documents and sensitive papers that would take way too long to shred. Started with raging hot coals that I had going in the charcoal chimney. Had a good, hot fire going and sheets of gunk build up in the PBC just peeled right off. Was so incredibly satisfying. Not something I'd do regularly, but a good annual practice to reboot things.

[fzxdoc]

I think it's time to try something like this too mikebarish . Thanks for posting your experience. Hope I don't burn the house down.

Kathryn

[mikebarish]

Do it, fzxdoc! During the peak of the burn, I definitely didn't leave the PBC unattended. Once I stopped feeding it paper and the flames died down, it wasn't much different than a cook (other than the lack of meat, obviously). Just watch your hands when you're putting those documents into the fire!

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, mikebarish , if it's nice enough outside this weekend, that PBC is going to burn, baby, burn! I'm going to put the lid on halfway (and rotate after a while) for part of the process to try to get some of that grease accumulation off it as well. Did you do that too?

Kathryn

[mikebarish]

I cleaned the lid a bit, Guest. But I'll be honest, after one cook it was pretty much back to where it had been before!

[fzxdoc]

, mikebarish !

An exercise in futility? You could view it as the glass being half full: your old grease was replaced by new grease. Hahaha.

Kathryn

[fishnbro]

Has anyone tried pitbarrelcooker.com to get their view of this problem?

[fzxdoc]

The PBC folks say that the barrel never needs to be cleaned, fishnbro . I've taken them at their word, but after so much use, I wonder if at least getting the grease buildup off the lid wouldn't be a good idea. I've never had condensation drip from the lid during a cook as some folks have reported, but even so, It would be nice to get some of that gunk off. Up to now, I've followed the PBC recommendations with the exception of cleaning the rim of the barrel and the lip of the lid when I notice lid leaks during a cook.

Kathryn

[Obi-Dan]

I had an email conversation with Amber Glanville, co-owner of PBC about the grease building up in the bottom. First answer was to get their new ash catcher which I had failed to mention that I already had.

I explained how I am getting a lot of grease under the ash catcher and needing to mop it out between cooks. I asked about foil and degreasers. She said not to ever use a degreaser and that foil will discolor the PBC bottom so best to avoid. I then asked if therefore mopping it up was only answer and her response was, "Grease and juices are going to drip, and it depends on what you are cooking regarding how much. It's not a concern so I wouldn't worry about it."

I'm a little concerned about it and just hitting it with paper towels the next day at this point and may line with foil anyway. What do I care if the bottom discolors.

[MBMorgan]

I find that a small putty knife is a mighty fine tool for removing baked on grease from the ash catcher and the bottom of the barrel between cooks ...

[fzxdoc]

I line the bottom of the barrel with a couple thicknesses of heavy duty aluminum foil, MBMorgan . The bottom of my barrel is always clean as a whistle. I don't use the ash catcher any more because the foil method is superior, for me at least. With the ash catcher, the grease runs underneath it and then I have to clean the bottom of the barrel too.

[fishnbro]

I use the ash catcher and the leanest meats possible. Little fat = little grease. I trim my briskets to about 1/8" fat. On occasion I will end up with a small bit of hard drippings but it is easily removed with a plastic putty knife.

[KingOfSilverSpring]

Just wanted to follow up here related to my question. I followed Jerod's recommendation of doing a 'burn off' after my last cook and it really did a nice job of getting the gunk and thick build up out.

Once my cook was done I took the top off and let the PBC run for a couple hours, then put the top back on well cracked.

One thing I did want to note as well, the sooner you clean out the PBC after your cook the better. Of course you have to wait for the coals to go out but if you can clean out your PBC the next morning you avoid the ashes building up, mixing with the grease and creating that hard to remove gunk.

[JPP]

I just cooked two racks of SLC ribs, and while they were cooking, broke up a pile of deadfall maple branches... After the cook, i added the big pile of twigs. The ensuing blaze took off the grease inside the barrel in the most amazing way... And almost took off my eyebrows! It got so hot in fact that the plaque on the PBC is totally unreadable!. A big pile of twigs will also do the job for sure. Definitely not greasy any more!