2 Cooks into my new PBC w/ disappointing results. Tips before Thanksgiving?

[[email protected]]

So I was deciding between the Camp Chef Smoke Vault and PBC and got a lot of votes for the PBC so I bit the bullet and grabbed one off Amazon. It arrived about 1.5 weeks ago and I've done 2 cooks with it so far but the results have been less than desirable and I'm wondering what's wrong? Don't get me wrong, the food tastes good/great however the heat temp (or lack thereof) and length it maintains temps has been frustrating to deal with. Below is a breakdown of these cooks:

Cook 1 - Got the PBC out of the box and adjusted airflow intake at the bottom per the instructions (we are about 400' above sea level). I lit the coals using the PBC prescribed method... I filled the basket up to level and took 1/4 briquettes out (about 40) and lit those in a chimney. Then I put the basket in the PBC. Once the chimney lit coals were asked over (about 15 mins) I then dumped those in the PBC on the unlit coals and distributed evenly as I could - I also added 2 wood chunks. I then immediately put the meat on consisting of 4 racks of St. Louis Ribs and 2 chickens. I then immediately closed the lid. It seemed to start off fine, however after a little over an hour I went to check on it and all of the coals were ashed over but so ashed to the point of being smothered.
There was some ambient heat still but the heat level was very low - I could touch the rebar with my bare hands and it was warm but not enough to burn or hurt me. It just looked like the heat got smothered out. I then opened the lid and left it off for a few minutes and the coals caught ablaze again so I let it burn a bit and then put the lid back on. After about 45 minutes I checked and it was like the heat/flame was dying yet again. I then took the lid off to get some airflow but this time opened the vent at the bottom to half way. I put the lid back on but kept the vent opened half way.
This seemed to help a little but after about another 1.5 hour I checked again and the same thing - very little heat and coals seemed to be smothered. I lit some additional coals in the chimney, removed the meat and added new hot coals on top of the existing pile and added the meat back Whew! This lasted for another little while but the temps still never stayed very high. Needless to say this was a very long game of cat and mouse so I eventually gave up and finished all the meat off in the oven.

Cook 2 - This time the vent was 3/4 way open and I started it using Kathryn's 15-10-10 method. This time the meat was 2 chickens and 3 baby backs. Ran into the same heating issue after about 1.5 hours so I opened the lid and did that song and dance and this time I opened the vent all the way. I replaced the lid after the coals heated up and re-lit themselves. Now with the vent fully open it seemed to get to a better heat and it lasted for about 2 more hours and then died down again.
I took a fireplace poker and poked around some to knock some ash off the coals - that in combination to having the lid off got them hot again but still not keeping the heat very long. Out of desperation I took the meat off, added some lump charcoal let those ash over and then added the meat. That seemed to do WAY better than the Kingsford Original but by this time I'm already 5 hours in and getting antsy about food being done in time. I eventually took everything off and finished in the oven again. So there you have it. I'm not sure if I'm just an idiot or maybe where the PBC is on my back patio it's not getting enough airflow but the thing just doesn't seem to be keeping heat for me. I'm supposed to do 2 Turkeys on this thing for Thanksgiving and now I'm not sure if I can even pull it off. I might have to go to my trusty pellet smoker but the family was really looking forward to tasting turkeys off the new PBC (I've been hyping this thing up based on what I've read lol).

Any tips? How can I make this an awesome cook for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking about mixing lump charcoal and KO from the get go to get a roaring fire going initially which will hopefully translate to it keeping higher heat for longer periods in there.

[fzxdoc]

Wow, [email protected] what a sad story. I have to say that reports like this about the PBC are pretty rare here.

First of all, contact the Pit Barrel Cooker folks and tell them your problems. They can help you through this firsthand.

Secondly, in my experience, adjusting the lower damper during the cook does little to change the PBC temperature. It's best to set it for your altitude (or slightly more open as I have for mine) and let the PBC do its thing.

Now for some questions:

1. How are you monitoring your PBC temperature?

2. How old is your charcoal? Has it been stored properly so that it's not damp?

3. Do you have anything under the fire basket (like some sort of ash catcher?) That is, is anything blocking the air flow from the lower vent?

4. Does temp of the PBC get upwards of 360 before adding the meat? If not, are you watching the temp within 5-10 minutes of adding the meat and making sure it's around 300 or so before it settles in? If my PBC is not around 300 or so within the first 5-10 minutes, I crack the lid until it is. Then it usually settles down to its sweet spot of 275. For poultry, you're going to want temps of 325 or so, so you'll want a higher initial temperature.

Some folks here use lump charcoal in their PBCs, but I don't like it much because it's not as predictable as KO is in my PBC.

All of this said, the best thing to do is to call the PBC folks first, as I mentioned at the top of these comments.

Let us know how things work out for you!

Kathryn

[HawkerXP]

I agreed, WOW! I've only had mine for a few months now but I have done multiple cooks and if anything I have the exact opposite problem. Mine likes to run hotter then I'D like. I have not loaded it up like you have but it all comes out great.
Very strange. Please let us know how this goes.

[BriggsBBQ]

I do not have a PBC but I had a cook on my WSM that I had temperature trouble. Was due to wind. When I opened up the side door I could see the smoke doing a tornado. So my theory is that the air would swirl around the fire and burn more coals but since the air took longer to rise it would cool off. So then I would burn a ton of coals and maintain a low temperature...was still 250 or so but man one cook I went through a ton of charcoal.

[Bob's BBQ]

I've had my PBC for a couple of years now. I've always used the old lighting method. Fill up the basket. Good dousing with lighting fluid. Place in PBC and light. Wait 12-15 minutes, put in the meat, put on the lid and walk away. My cook times have always been comparable to what Noah had listed on the PBC website. A basket of KBB will last for several hours. I've done ribs, chicken, turkey, salmon, sausage, brisket, butts, and never had an issue. The only times my cooks have run longer is in very cold or rainy weather. I've never measured my temps, if the lid is too hot keep my hand on I let it roll.

[lschweig]

Agreed!

[lschweig]

Strange! Is your coal basket centered in the barrel? If it is too close to the vent that could be the cause.

I would definitely close the lower vent back to the recommended setting and do a dry run before T Day. Once the lower vent is back to the recommended setting fiddle with the lid or rebars to keep your temp up. I'm at 557 ft in altitude and my vent is set at 5/16 of an inch at the widest part of the smile.

I have also had some problems with humid charcoal, but once the humidity in the charcoal dried out things ran normally.

Kathryn is right about contacting PBC as they have always been very helpful and her comments are spot on.

Do you have a thermometer to monitor the PBC temp? If not I recommend that you get one preferably so you can monitor it remotely.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

[lemayp]

Getting the charcoal fully lit and getting the vent adjusted took me a few tries. I had similar results at first. It took me getting side tracked and letting the coals burn longer than expected to realize I was closing the lid too soon. I had to slow down and stop looking at the clock.

[fzxdoc]

[email protected] Before you pour your chimney full of charcoal, are the topmost coals beginning to ash over? For some chimneys, especially the Weber compact, it takes 20 to 30 minutes to get there instead of the expected 15 minutes. Take a look at this topic about the difference in chimneys:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/accessorize-your-pit/215808-charcoal-starter-chimneys-char-broil-half-time-vs-weber-compact#post215808

Kathryn

[[email protected]]

Wow, thanks guys for all the replies. I really appreciate you all taking the time out to assist. Thanks to you too Katheryn I'll try your suggestions before I call PBC - I don't want to be one of 'those customers' who complains or asks questions without doing thorough testing first. A couple things to note:

1.) I did not have my Maverick in there to let me know about the temps. I will do that the next time though. I was gauging temps by whether or not the lid/rebars were too hot to touch. During most of these ordeals the answers was definitely not too hot to touch.

1b.) Quick question... when using a remote thermometer where do you put the probe? Through the rebar holes and just let it dangle inside or do you clamp it to the actual rebar?

2.) To answer your question Kathryn I used a regular Weber chimney the first cook and I used the compact one from PBC during the second cook. With the second cook after about 15 mins the top layer of coals started showing gray around the edges but weren't completely ashed over by any means. However since the instructions that came with it said no more than 15 mins for my elevation I just rolled with it - so maybe I just didn't wait long enough?

I'm going to try just a chicken on the PBC on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and I'm going to give a lot more time for things to get lit and ash over etc... I'm also going to use my Maverick to monitor the heat and I'm also going to return the vent back to the recommended position. Essentially I'm going to start over like a video game Wish me luck!

[Obi-Dan]

I would say go ahead and call. Noah and Amber seem to genuinely love answering these questions and making sure you get the best experience. My interactions with them have been great.

[HawkerXP]

That sounds like a good plan. Chickens / turkey need a hotter fire so I agree with using the 15 /10/ 10 lighting method. I insert my probes through the rebar hole and wrap the pit temp one around a bar and let dangle at least 2 to 3 inches away from any meat. Good luck.

[fzxdoc]

Sounds like you've got a plan, [email protected] . For sure, if your fire is not well lit from the beginning, you'll have problems during the cook.

I dangle my smoker probes from the rebar. I happen to use 2 of them, one on the vent side and the other on the side opposite. Because during any cook, some areas of the barrel are hotter than others, sometimes by as much as 40 degrees for a while. Two probes help me see that everything is just fine and keeps me from fiddling with things. I take the average reading of the 2 probes and go with it, and it almost always averages around 270-290 degrees.

But for one smoker probe, drape over the rebar and hang it in the center at the mid-level of the meat, but at least a couple of inches away from the meat so the pit temp is more accurate. For 2 turkeys that take up most of the center real estate, hang the probe closer to one side or other of the barrel, still at mid-meat level, away from the meat. You'll find a good spot.

Take your time with the lighting setup. Unlike other cookers/smokers, you don't have to wait until the temp stabilizes to add your meat--you can add it when the thing is good and hot because it settles back down to its operating temperature pretty well. With my full size Weber chimney, 15 min was just fine.

From the time I grab the charcoal and take the cover off the PBC until I am adding the meat is always around 1 hour for prep and fire starting.

For sure, let those top coals ash over a bit in the chimney before pouring. With my compact Weber, that would take 20 to 30 minutes sometimes with 42 coals in it (42 is a nod to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ) depending on weather.

Doing poultry, you're going to want to keep the temps above 325 if you can (to get crispy skin), so you'll be cracking the lid now and again to make this happen. Fortunately, most poultry cooks in 1-2 hours in the PBC, so you're not really babysitting very long.

For a single bird, run the rebar diagonally and leave the other 2 holes open. I did this last night with 2 fresh bone-in turkey breasts, hung from the rebar, and the fire stayed at 330-340 the entire cook. I didn't have to crack the lid once. For 2 or more birds with both rebars full with them, you're most likely going to have to crack the lid 3 to 4 times for about 5 minutes or so per time to keep the pit temp north of 325.

If you don't keep the pit temps over 325 or so during a poultry cook, it's not the end of the world. The birds will take longer to cook and the skin may be more rubbery, but they will still be the best birds you ever ate--juicy and lightly smoky.

I add a chunk of cherry to the center of the basket for a poultry cook, but the flavors are delicious without adding any wood. I don't like wood chips because they create that dense white smoke.

I also use Kingsford Professional charcoal for poultry only because it tends to run hotter in the first few hours than Kingsford Original. But your birds will do just fine with KO.

Have a great chicken cook on Wednesday, and have an awesome cook with those turkeys on Thursday!

Best wishes,
Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

For the two 3-lb bone-in fresh turkey breasts, the cook time was 1 hour 20 minutes, Bob's BBQ. I've never hung turkey breasts from the rebar before, always put on grate. But this was wonderful--a good cook with minimal cleanup. I hate cleaning that grate!

Kathryn

[fuzzydaddy]

fzxdoc I love the "minimal cleanup" of the PBC and I've only done 2 cooks so far (many more to come). I know it's not hard to clean the grates on my BGE or kettles, but not having to do it is really nice.

[Bob's BBQ]

Thanks Kathryn - I picked up a couple of Costco birds over the weekend. Will be giving it a try this week.

[lschweig]

I insert my Maverick probes through the rebar hole after the rebar is in, hang the transmitter outside on the end of the rebar, and dangle the BBQ probe over one of the rebars maybe 10" down. I don't think that it matters much at what height the probe is at as long as you are consistent.

If using a chimney you need to let the top coals get a good ash on them before dumping. Me I use Noah's method with a super liberal amount of lighter fluid and let her rip for around 15 minutes or so. At the beginning the flames are leaping out of the barrel for a few minutes which is kind of cool.

Remember for poultry to have your PBC running 325-350.

You will end up loving you PBC once you get over the hiccups.

[lschweig]

Looks like Kathryn beat me to it while I was typing. Sorry to be redundant.

[fzxdoc]

lschweig , and @[email protected] the rebar tips on my PBC can get hot to the touch sometimes, depending on the length of the cook. For that reason, I hang the Maverick transmitter on the horseshoe handle of the barrel and loop a piece of twist tie through the hook just in case I bump it. It for sure stays nice and cool there.

Kathryn

[PBCDad]

[email protected] I have had many struggles over the last year and a half since I got my PBC with getting it to settle into a good temperature. Before I joined this site I didn't have a leave-in thermometer, and I would find that my coals would burn out much sooner than I anticipated or my fire wouldn't get going well. I tried lighter fluid but it didn't stay lit. I still have occasional problems but in general I know now when and what adjustments to make and I can correct it fairly easily.

I am at sea level, and the lighting method that I've found works best for me now is to light the 40 in a chimney and pour them out as soon as the white smoke stops - usually 12 minutes or so. The PBC folks thought that when I let them burn longer in the chimney, the coals went "past their peak" and so didn't light the others adjacent to it as effectively. Not sure if that is really the case, but it works for me. I also put the meat on pretty soon after pouring out the coals, as otherwise it gets too hot and doesn't come down. I think I have a combination of different atmospheric conditions from others in the Pit and a leaky lid.

My point, finally, is just that you are getting a lot of great guidance here, but not all of it will apply to your situation. Keep track of what you change, use what works, and chalk the rest up to learning your smoker. I'm not one of the many lucky ones who have had no problems at all with their PBC, but the additional work it has taken to get to a good place has just made me even more proud when I turn out food that wows everyone.