I've had my PBC for a few years and I have never cleaned the inside or the bottom of the barrel. I do not have one of the detachable ash pans, nor have I been using tin foil on the bottom. I've got a pretty good build up on the bottom that is starting to concern me. All I do is dump the barrel after the cook. Maybe I'm taking set and forget too far? Any ideas (or point me to previous articles) on regular and/or periodic care?
I always use a pizza pan wrapped in aluminum foil to get out the ash and gunk. Once an awhile I will use a plastic putty knife to scrape the junk loose on the bottom, then dump or suck up with shop vac.
Depending on the level of crud/buildup on the bottom I’ll either use my shop vac or rinse it out with soft stream of water. I typically use my grill brush to knock the flecks of buildup off the sides. I try not to disturb the established seasoning, but at the same time feel like it’s ok. My continual cooking will reseason it quickly so no biggie.
I do use the PBC ash catcher. Drippings typically are absorbed by the coals and/or ash.
Equipment:
'88 Vintage Fire Magic gasser with over 4000 cooks to its credit
Large Big Green Egg
18 Inch Weber Kettle (Rescued from neighbor's trash)
Rotisserie for 18 inch kettle
Dyna Glo propane smoker
Pit Barrel Cooker
Smokey Joe with mini WSM mod
Garcima paella burner
Anova Sous Vide
Slaiya Sous Vide (gift)
LEM grinder, sausage stuffer and meat slicer (all gifts)
My PBC didn't get much use during the pandemic, so when I decided to use it again 3 years ago, the inside crud had a nice growth of immovable mold. Here's a post on the rehab. Its still going strong and its 10th birthday is August 27, 16 days from now. Its 10th birthday cook is TBD, probably baby backs.
I've had my PBC for almost 7 years now (original powder coat version). As it was my first charcoal cooker, so it got frequent use at first. A few years ago I posted a question about cleaning the inside and was advised not to, so I didn't. As I acquired a kettle, a Smokey Joe and a Big Green Egg, the PBC's use declined, and over
Last edited by johnec00; September 11, 2024, 07:19 AM.
Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner with a full insert griddle added. A 22" Kettle with vortex, SnS and a Smokey Joe. The most recent addition is a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, 2 ThermoPops and a Thermapen MK4. A Thermoworks RFX Gateway 2 probe meat thermometer.
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