I took Noah's advice and gave him a call. We discussed a couple things about my cooker and am trying it today. So far everything is going great. What customer service he provides! I can't say enough great things about this company. You can bet I'll tell everyone I know about this cooker and how great the customer service is! Keep up the great work Pit Barrel Cooker Co. (Noah).
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Redlegrod , I've had the same experience with Noah and Amber's customer service--they're wonderful.
Can you share with us what problems you were having with your new PBC and what solutions Noah offered? I'm always eager to learn more about my much-loved and much-used PBC.
KathrynComment
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A quick shout-out to AdamJG and fzxdoc. I installed the lid gasket they both mentioned previously and it worked like a champ this weekend! Before the gasket I had a hard time getting the PBC to run any lower than 300. With the gasket the cooker held beautifully between 265 and 275 over a 6 hour cook.Comment
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fzxdoc I was struggling to get my PBC to a lower temp. So when I talked to Noah we talked about the lid and the lighting procedure. He feels the lid is fine and after several cooks when a layer of grease builds up it will seal itself. He suggested at the light up to use 25 briquettes in my chimney instead of the recommended 40. On my last cook I used the 25 and it worked great. I had much lower temps and everything turned out great!Comment
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Good to know, Redlegrod . Thanks for providing the additional information about your conversation with Noah. Perhaps after the grease builds up on the rim, you'll be able to start with more coals, but then if it ain't broke, it probably won't need fixin' .
I have an older PBC and it didn't start leaking around the lid until after many many cooks and two years had passed. I've got grease buildup to spare!
Enjoy that new PBC!
KathrynComment
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My lid leak is really bad. I didn't notice it the first few times I used the PBC. Then I bough a thermoworks therma Q. Now, seeing the temp inside the cooker, I realize it's running way too hot. I'm in the middle of cooking a small brisket. I filled the coal basket and buried a Weber starter. Lit it, added 3 chunks of wood in the charcoal, and left it uncovered for 15-20 minutes. When I covered it, the temp stabilized at 250 and I was happy. I added the meat and let it go. When I went back out about an hour later, the temp in the cooker was 350-360. I tried the foil as a short term fix. In the process of adding the foil, I realized how much slop there is in my lid. I can move it at least 1/2" from side to side in any direction. Sure enough, if I slide the lid back, smoke came out the front. So I centered it the best I could and added the foil. The best I can get the temp down to is 320. It's like if I get the one side to seal well, the opposite side starts to leak smoke. I just ordered the lavalock from Amazon. I'm not sure if I should try and get a new lid before I add the lavalock or just go with that. I'm slightly frustrated, mainly because I have an electric smoker I was planning on ditching if I could get the PBC to be a viable replacement for. Also I don't want to screw up this hunk of meat! I guess the good news is I've only owned the PBC a week and already know my lid sucks since I'm monitoring the temperature. At least I didn't ruin a bunch of food scratching my head.Comment
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rrweather - You should read through the PBC lighting discussion here before making any decisions (FYI I've never heard of anyone attempting to light one by burying a starter cube in the coal basket). The behavior of the PBC is very sensitive to lighting it correctly and consistently:
There's also a "how to light it" video here: http://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/videos/lighting-your-pbcComment
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Thanks for the links. I had read somewhere about the technique of burying the starter. Now I can't find the link. I will try using the lava lock and then follow one of the methods linked to.Comment
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I'm concerned about the lid talk. The new lids sound poorly designed to me. I have a "newish" barrel - think I got it shortly after they changed the barrel finish - and my lid fits snugly - there isn't any slop in the fit at all and it's never leaked. Consequently I've never had temp problems unless they were of my own making. What's concerning to me is that I keep recommending this cooker to friends...Comment
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There is no need to be concerned with the lid design. We look into any issue that arises and make sure everyone is taken care of as customers. Sometimes things happen in the manufacturing process but it is nothing that is widespread or even considered common. We are readily available if anyone has questions or concerns.Originally posted by PappyBBQ View PostComment
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But not every new owner seems to be having this problem, so hopefully it's isolated to a few PBC lids. Plus as problems go, there's an easy fix for it.Originally posted by PappyBBQ View Post
Noah and Amber seem to think that once the problem PBCs are cooked on a few times and if the new owners follow their recommendations, all will be fine.
I would recommend a PBC in a heartbeat. For its price, its forgiving nature, and the quality of its food, and the PBC Customer Service, it's a great cooker. Plus your friends would have you to bounce questions off of. Win-win for them, PappyBBQ .
KathrynComment
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My struggles continue. Tonight I followed Kathryn's awesome lighting instructions, adjusting for my elevation (basically sea level). I definitely did not nail the timing as my PBC was screaming hot as soon as I put the lid on. It started at about 450 and never got below 390 for the hour it took my tri-tip to cook. I even attempted to cover the rebar holes to drive the temp down. My leaky lid seemed to counter any gains I made. I didn't try the foil around the lip. I figured tri-tip cooked at 400-ish was going to be edible. My lava lock comes tomorrow so I can see if that helps.
Clearly I didn't put the bars in or the lid on before my charcoal got too hot. Lesson learned.
The bigger issue with my PBC is the overwhelming charcoal smoke flavor that dominates whatever we are cooking and eating. I will post that issue in another thread so I don't hijack this one.Comment
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