Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks Square DOT
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Joule Turbo Sous Vide Circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
That should work just fine … although, on second thought, I see that it’s galvanized. If it gets too hot, zinc can release toxic fumes. You might want to look around a bit more.
For several years now, I've cooked chicken direct heat on my 18" WSM. Its the best way I've found for chicken.
I take the water pan out, use the top grate. I put one and a half chimneys of fully lit coals in the basket. I've gotten different temps from 300 to 325 and maybe hotter, cuz I don't always put a ambient probe in the cooker.
And over the 22 years of cooking with a WSM, I've found temps to vary from one side of the grate to the other, or from the dome to the grate. The convection in the cooker is hard to gauge.
But I like to halve two whole chickens. And four halves take up the entire grate on the 18 WSM. I'm thinking I can direct heat birds on this PBX with room to spare. Along with the option to hang.
I've just gotta learn the different temps with the varying amounts of charcoal along with the distance of the meats from the coal basket. My target will be 325*. On the WSM , the cooking grate is approximately 18" from the coal bed. It looks to me, the bottom cooking grate on the PBX is about 12" .
I'm sort've puzzled by the supports in the PBX for putting the cooking grate at the top of the barrel. With the grate in that position, the lid won't close. Is that position meant for cooking without the lid ?
HawkerXP I'll get around to that. First thing I want to do is recreate what I do on the WSM. I really really enjoy yardbird direct heat on my 18 WSM. I've thought about adding a 22 WSM, but the cost is not worth the small incremental gain in space, just to cook chicken.
That's what made this PBX at $150 attractive. Along with, the ability to hang meats. I know people who've bought hangers for the WSM and they're not happy with it and don't
Hot & Fast Chicken: Tender, well-rendered chicken skin worth eating is achieved using a high-temp smoke-roasting method in the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.
I have the PBC so its a little smaller. I’ve had it as my only smoker since 2015. Here are a few things I have learned about the Pit Barrel.
1. Get a good light- fill up the basket take out 40 briquettes and light them in a chimney -10 minutes
then pour the lit coals on the basket full of coals let that burn 10 minutes finally put the rebars in the barrel close the lid and let that burn for 10 minutes. Now you should be ready to hang your meat.
2. The Pit Barrel doesn’t like the lid not to be closed tightly. Sometimes if I’m not careful the lid will catch on the barrel rim and not seat properly. This will raise the temperature very quickly! I have to always double check the lid.
3. The pit barrel runs 275-300. If it goes much higher you have an air leak. Most of the time it s from the lid. As you do more cooks the lid fits tighter because of the build up of smoke and oils.
4. Set the vent at the bottom according to elevation and then leave it alone.
That should work just fine … although, on second thought, I see that it’s galvanized. If it gets too hot, zinc can release toxic fumes. You might want to look around a bit more.
Zinc doesn't out-gas until about 1600 degrees F.
@Lynn Dollar - Here's a steel color chart by temperature.
If you run the bottom of your cooker at a light red, you'll probably be in trouble.
Last edited by Smoker_Boy; October 12, 2024, 09:43 AM.
Gear includes: Char-Griller's Grand Champ off set stick burner/smoker, SnS Kamado Deluxe, Weber 22, PBC, Victory gasser, Victory 36 griddle, Smoke Hollow electric smoker. ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4, Smoke, Signals, and RFX4, Meater+, SNS-500, roti fits 22 n gasser, Emeril countertop TO, InkBird Sous Vide, Potane Vac/Sealer. Fire&Ice griddle/cooler ensemble.
3-pkg of Collapsible Prep Tubs
Junior, Original, Xtra Lg. SS D. Norcross
Complete set (Tx PJ!) Wusthof Knives n block.
Dalstrong:
Phantom Series Paring knife
Shogun SeriesX 6" Chef knife
Gladiator Series 12"Cleaver knife
Just got into charcoal Dec ‘21 (PBC)
fav is brisky. Love Turkey on PBC. also Turkey in the glass,(any nice bourbon)
Bud has always been my barley pop.
Been smoking a handful of years, just got serious in the last two or three years. Thanks to AR n @glemn picked up an SnS Kamado for appx 1/3 price of new. I dont think he used it twice. Love AR! keep calm n smoke on! Miss you Bonesy.
The PBX has supports to put the cooking grate at the top of the cooker. I don't understand why ? The lid won't fit with the grate in that position. I'm thinking about moving those supports 6" lower.
This can't be a position for grilling and ya can't smoke with the lid off ........... ????
The PBX has supports to put the cooking grate at the top of the cooker. I don't understand why ? The lid won't fit with the grate in that position. I'm thinking about moving those supports 6" lower.
This can't be a position for grilling and ya can't smoke with the lid off ........... ????
I think this upper position is intended for direct grilling if you devise a mechanism to raise the charcoal basket up. I've seen various versions of this....hooks....turnbuckes, place it on bricks, etc.
I did notice that the lower grate position is lower relative to the one in my PBC. I wonder if this is to keep the grate roughly the same distance from the basket in the PBX as it is in the PBC?
From the " handle " on the basket to the top grate is 22 inches.
The bottom position is 12 inches.
I'm gonna cook on this a while before I make changes. But I'm almost sure I'm gonna move those top supports down 5 inches. I see no need for that top level.
On my 18 WSM, the top grate is about 18" above the top of the charcoal basket.
Also, on direct heat cookers sold by Chud, the best I can determine , is his cooking grate is about 18" above the coal bed. But I've never seen one.
Even though PBC said in the literature with my cooker, that I did not need to burn it in. I did it anyway. So I could start getting info on what it will do.
I gathered up all my used charcoal and it came out to about 1.5 chimneys. It was a mix of B&B lump and briquettes.
The temp shot up immediately after I put the lid on, and then started dropping. I started at noon.
I used Thermoworks Smoke to chart the temps. Put one ambient probe on the bottom grate, suspended about 4" above the grate by a probe tree. I hung another probe from the middle rebar. It was maybe 2 or 3 inches from the other probe.
Once it hit 350*, I could of put the birds on and it would've held enough temp for a 1 and 1/2 to 2 hour cook.
John "JR"
Minnesota/ United States of America
******************************************** Grills/Smokers/Fryers Big Green Egg (Large) X3
Blackstone 36" Outdoor Griddle 4-Burner
Burch Barrel V-1 Karubeque C-60 Kamado Joe Jr. (Black) Lodge L410 Hibachi Pit Barrel Cooker Pit Barrel Cooker 2.0
Pit Barrel PBX
R&V Works FF2-R-ST 4-Gallon Fryer *******************************************. Thermometers
FireBoard (Base Package)
Thermoworks ThermaPen (Red)
Thermoworks MK4 (Orange)
********************************* Accessories Big Green Egg Plate Setter
Benzomatic TS800 High Temp Torch X 2 Bayou Classic 44 qt Stainless Stock Pot
Bayou Classic 35K BTU Burner Eggspander Kit X2 Finex Cat Iron Line FireBoard Drive Lots and Lots of Griswold Cast Iron Grill Grates Joule Water Circulator
KBQ Fire Grate Kick Ash Basket (KAB) X4 Lots of Lodge Cast Iron Husky 6 Drawer BBQ Equipment Cabinet Large Vortex Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum Marquette Castings No. 13 (First Run) Smithey No. 12 Smokeware Chimney Cap X 3 Stargazer No.10, 12 ******************************** Fuel FOGO Priemium Lump Charcoal Kingsford Blue and White B&B Charcoal Apple, Cherry & Oak Log splits for the C-60 ************************************************* Cutlery Buck 119 Special
Cuda 7' Fillet Knife Dexter 12" Brisket Sword Global Shun Wusthof ********** Next Major Purchase Lone Star Grillz 24 X 48 Offset
I love my PBX. You can load that baby down big time. I have not had it out for a while though. I need to get back to it. I have a 10 lb slab of Pork Belly that I need to cook. I might, just might, run to Costco to grab another brsket to throw in that beast.
Got the roller today. Big improvement. The PBX is heavy, but not too heavy to lift. But the problem with it is its bulky. I get my arms extended around it to reach the handles. My old bad back won't take that.
But this is great. And it will be moved all around my patio. Two casters have locks. There was maybe a 1/2" to spare in the fit.
Keep us updated....and keep an eye out for leaks around the lid. (Although I wonder if this is less of a problem with newer PBXes vs new PBCs as the lid is necessarily heavier.)
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