Does the PBX cook the same as the PBC ?

[Lynn Dollar]

From the lighting instructions above .............

If after 5 to 10 min the temp has not come up to 360 to 400 deg F, crack the lid but watch closely because the temp can run away. Get the temp up to 360-400, re-seat the lid firmly. The temp should settle in the 270 to 290 range.

This has not happened on my last two cooks. I've had to stuff foil in rod holes to get the temps down. And this past Saturday, I never got it lower than 330* .

I'm thinking , maybe , cause the PBX is larger, it cooks differently ?

And also, I added a couple digital probes Saturday. I've been hanging one probe from the middle of the middle rod. I added two more, one on each end of the middle rod. I got cooler temps with both. The probe placed over the bottom air vent ran hotter than the one on the opposite side.

[jfmorris]

Paging Spinaker as I am pretty sure he has both normal sized PBC and the larger PBX, and might be able to comment. fzxdoc may have insight as well....

Personally, yes, you are heating more space, but if the vent hole is the same size, and you use the same lighting method as a normal PBC, I would think the PBX would settle in the same temp range. The fact is that it DOES have 6 instead of 4 rebar holes up top, so I imagine it has higher airflow simply due to design....

If I ever buy a Pitbarrel Cooker, it will likely be the PBX version.

[Spinaker]

I found that it cooks pretty much the same. What the issue really is is that it is not seasoned yet. As the PBX gets used the temps will become flatter and it will run closer to 275-300.

Tip#1 One thing you can do is spray the inside lip of the lid with cooking oil and then place it on the PBX. This will help to gum up the lid and help it to seal better. I will even hit the whole inside with oil to speed up the gumming up of the inside.

Tip#2: Place a few bricks on the lid. This will help hold the lid down tight. I do this almost every time I cook with my PBX. I used 3 for the PBC and 5 for the PBX. You can use anything heat resistant and heavy. The key is to get a good, solid seal all the way around the lid.

Tip# 3 Don't take it up to 400 F. I never do that. Limit the time you allow the lid to be off, once that big basket gets going, it can be tough to settle it down. Fill the basket, take enough charcoal out to fill a chimney. Light the chimney and get it rip roaring hot. Shake off the ash, pour it in the basket evenly and let it rip. I will leave the lid off for about 3-4 mins to let the fire take. You can hear the crackle when the other briquettes start to ignite. Then place the lid on TIGHT. Press down the edges and then add the weight as I suggested above.

Tip#4 Do not worry about all the temp fluctuations in the smoker. Just let the PBX do its thing. Place one probe in there and get a decent reading. If you try to chase temps all over the place, you are gonna have a headache. I drilled a hole in the top of the lid and installed a Tel-Tru Thermo. That is all I use and it has worked out great!

Try these things and let us know how it went. The more you cook, the easier temp control becomes.

[Lynn Dollar]

Thanks for the tips, I'll apply those next cook.

First thing I did was put a gasket on the lid. I haven't seen any smoke leaks. But the gasket does not insure a tight fit.

I'm using B&B briqs. I'm puttin 20 lit in the middle, surrounded by 50 unlit. But I will change how long I let that go before starting the cook.

I do wonder about putting all the lit in the middle, if that does not increase the heat in the middle of the cooker. The original Minion Method, said scatter the lit briq

[RichieB]

As a junior owner, I say the lid is gummed up. Cold, hot, I literally have to put pressure on one of the handles to get levelerage to get it off. It really is almost set and forget. I do use foil with bars. If using the grate, magnets about the size of a quarter do the job. It's a fun cooker.

[Spinaker]

I kinda want to get one of the PBJs. It would be fun to have a little rig to do smaller cooks on.