Does A New PBC Need To Be Seasoned?

[kenrobin]

I've been trying to introduce my dad to the joys of smoking & I was happy to learn that he bought a PBC last week. He hasn't cooked on it yet & I was wondering what if anything, PBC owners do to season their new cookers. I looked over the instructions that came with the PBC & I saw the section that explains how to light charcoal but I didn't see any mention of only burning the coals with the grates, hooks & rods inside to burn away the manufacturer dust & oils. Should that be done on a new PBC?

[fuzzydaddy]

Their website does say "There is no need to season your PBC, it is a brand new 30 gallon drum with a porcelain enamel finish and is ready to cook with right out of the box.". I do a dry run on any new cooker to get familiar with it and burn off anything unexpected in it.

But let's see what PBC owners say.

[W.A.]

I did no season. I immediately cooked some chicken upon delivery, best chicken I ever cooked at the time. After a bunch of cooks the lid fits much tighter and makes a better seal though.

[Nate]

Same thing W.A. said I did not season mine either and did chicken as my first cook. Other than needing to adjust the intake vent to your specified elevation you don't need to do anything. I did wash my hooks first and found a couple of little barbs so I would caution on that. The lid will seal better after you cook more. I would have some foil handy to seal any gaps and I also wrapped a couple of bricks in foil just to be able to give the lid some more weight for the first few runs. Also make sure to get the PBC gloves or some heat resistant gloves... They will come in handy.

[fzxdoc]

Your Dad's going to love his gift. I did the exact same thing as Nate and W.A. , got the PBC out of the shipping box, put it together in about 2 minutes, added some charcoal following Noah's video and smoked a chicken, also following Noah's video. That chicken was knock-your-socks-off delicious.

Starting by following Noah's videos on the PBC website was great for me because it gave me a good point of reference. From there I could tweak the lighting or cooking methods bit by bit for better outcomes with each successive cook.

Kathryn

[Jerod Broussard]

I hung some ribs in that dude and got jiggy wit it.

No idea what the pit was running temp wise. Just knew the ribs blew our socks off and I'm still missing one of those socks (no dryer involved).

[MBMorgan]

For the first cook, I "seasoned" the PBC with three racks of Costco back ribs. Definitely a sock-blowing-off experience. Fortunately I found a new sock in the yard near the cooker ... Jerod Broussard ?

[Jerod Broussard]

Lucky dog!

[Fine Swine]

I did 4 racks of St. Louis ribs on my first light and very good.

[kenrobin]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I will share this with my dad. I think the only thing he's missing are heat resistant gloves. Other than that, he should be ready to start smoking!

[fzxdoc]

kenrobin , Lowe's sells gloves similar to those that the PBC folks have on their site, if you're in a hurry. I have the ones from Lowes. They're great gloves.

Pit Mitts at Lowes $14.99 (Protects up to 475*F)


Pit Grips at PBC site $24.95: ( protects up to 662*F)



The PBC ones may be better quality, I don't know. But for my uses, the ones from Lowes are just fine. They're flexible enough to get a good grip on the hot rebars and hooks when necessary. I'm sure the PBC gloves are just as flexible.

Kathryn

[kenrobin]

Thanks Kathryn. I have a pair of the gloves that you mentioned from Lowes. I bought them at Orchard Supply Hardware.

[rototiller78]

Also another suggestion that may be of service kenrobin is that how I do the basket of charcoal. Fill up the basket that holds the charcoal up to the brim and remove 40 briquets out and place them into a charcoal chimney. Throw about 10 or so more briquets into the basket. Light the chimney and after 15 min dump the lit coals into the basket. Use the rebar to spread the coals around a little. All this is done on the ground. Use a metal hoe to pick up the basket and place it into the barrel parallel to the rebars at top.

[kenrobin]

Thanks for the tip rototiller78

[Meathead]

I always season if onlyh to burn off anything from manufacturing and shipping like cardboard flecks and or oil.

[Spinaker]

I seasoned mine. Might as well get that first layer on there. The more you season it the more stable it will run. So a dry run is always a good idea. IMHO

[kenrobin]

Thanks, I told my dad to go ahead & season it. It won't hurt anything to go ahead & do it.