First Cook with the Pit...Charcoal went out

[ztm200]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post and I'm happy to be a part of this group. I had my first cook with the PBC on Sunday, and while my dino ribs came out tasting heavenly I have a few questions. I used the 15/10/10 method to light my charcoal and things got started really well, but at the 4 hour mark my charcoal went out. I used an entire 7.5 lb bag of KBB and filled to what I thought was the top of the basket before removing 40 of the coals for my chimney. Pretty sure I did everything by the book so I was confused when it was done burning at 4 hours since I had thought it could go for at least 6. Luckily the four hour mark was a great time to take the ribs off and the ribs were incredible. (although they could have probably used just 30 more minutes to get a little more tender). Any advice to help the charcoal burn longer would be greatly appreciated.

My second question is about temperature fluctuation. My temps seemed to fluctuate quite a bit. I got the great temp spike up to 390 at the beginning of the cook but then it took 1 1/2 hours for the temp to really settle below 300 and then the temp would often fluctuate during the cook going up at 350 one time and dropping as low as 230 another. I found myself trying the foil method to even it out and get it to sit at 275, but I was not very successful. Still the ribs were great...although as I said they could have been a tad more tender. Is this normal with the PBC, and should I just relax on that temp control. I used a smoke probe to keep track of the temp. Oh, I also realized the probeb could have been touching the side of the barrel at times so this could have been an issue.

Thanks for the help...happy to be here!

[Huskee]

Welcome ztm200! I'm by no means a PBC expert, but I do know from experience the higher the temp you (accidentally or purposely) run it the quicker the coals will burn out of course. Perhaps being over 300-390 for 90min and then sneaking up there again periodically was enough to just spend all the fuel so much earlier. Why they were bobbing so much is a good question though, it shouldn't vary that much. I'm wondering what your temps really were if your probe was touching the barrel walls like you say. I try to hang mine in the center-most spot I can as long as it's a few inches from the meat, to best represent what the meat's feeling.

The more cooks you do the more little things you'll learn and it'll get easier and more predictable.

[Nate]

Welcome from Indiana.

When you say your coal went out I am going to assume you mean they completely ran out and burnt down and that they just didn't extinguish.

A few things: 1. Make sure you have your air intake set to the right elevation. 2. If it is cold and/or windy whenever you are cooking it can affect the burn rate of the coals. 3. Obviously higher temps mean faster burn rates.

it has been my experience that you need a few to a handful of cooks with the PBC to get it burnt in so to speak. That will get you a little build up on the inside to take the shine down and a little gunk around the lid to seal it better.

A common complaint has been the lid tends to leak some which cause temps to run higher. A few tricks have been: weight it down, use binder clips, spray some cooking oil or PAM around the inside of the lip of the lid.

As far as temp control the PBC does best IMHO to be left to run in a range as opposed to trying to zero it in at a specific number.

Therr has has been a lot of good discussion in the PBC sub forum page.

Like any other smoker or cooker after you will have to learn it and you will start to get more comfortable each cook.

Good luck.

[fzxdoc]

What Nate said.

High temps like that almost always point to a lid that is not securely on, or is still leaking when the lid is as secure as you can make it. After a few cooks, lid leaks become less of a problem. Spinaker here recommends spraying the lid rim indentation with cooking oil to speed up the gunk seal process. Be careful using binder clips as they can scratch the finish and lead to rust. I take 4 inch wide strips of heavy duty aluminum foil, fold them in half lengthwise, and crimp them tightly around the outside of the lid/barrel seam wherever I see smoke leaking out when the lid is on. The temp will start dropping immediately when you seal a lid leak.

Also, if your lower vent is set for your altitude, try closing it a bit for the next cook. But only a bit--do it in small increments until you find the opening that is right for you.

A good PBC cook with the 15-10-10 method starts out high, but drops pretty quickly, certainly within the first 20-30 minutes after adding the meat, to the PBC sweet spot, usually around 260-290°F. If the temp does not drop, then suspect a lid leak. I've never heard of a PBC with a sweet spot much higher than 290°F with KBB, but they sure could be out there.

Kathryn

[Spinaker]

The DR. is in the house!

[Obi-Dan]

I second the comment about tweaking the bottom vent. I had it set where I thought it should be but started playing with it and found small movement has a large impact on the temp. After several cooks I feel like I have it dialed in.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit. I don't have a PBC, so no help from me.

[fzxdoc]

But we like having you visit the PBC topics anyway, RonB .

[Butchman]

It's not uncommon that my PBC is still warm and smoldering the next morning after a cook the previous evening. You may need to close down the lower damper or check the lid for leaks.

[Spinaker]

Me too. I open stacks and let the barrel burn all the fuel up after a cook. I love burning out the gunk that has collected.

[ztm200]

Thank you all so much for the replies. Even though the lid was secure there was smoke leaking out so I will try the sealing tecniques suggested. My assumption is this was the root of the high temperatures as well as the charcoal burning through too quickly. I had the vent opened the 1/4" which is the right amount for my elevation. I'm hoping to do a brisket in a couple weeks so I want that charcoal to last!

[kmhfive]

Welcome to fun and learning! If you can, take pictures of your next cook. It may help the experts spot problems. But equally important, we get to live vicariously through your cooks and drool over the results!

[Steve Vojtek]

Welcome to the Pit ztm200

[Brewmaster]

Welcome to the pit, the PBC is a wonderful tool

[DWCowles]

Welcome ztm200

[ztm200]

I don't have any pics of of the PBC in action but here is the finished product

[Ernest]

It seems like you nailed that cook.
Always check, double check, that the lid is on tight. It takes very little wiggle for the PBC to run wild.

[wmferg]

Welcome to the pit and PBC community ztm200 . I found that my inconsistent temps on my PBC were due to a leaky lid. I ended up putting a cinder block that was handy on the lid and things settled down nicely. I'm sure that much weight wasn't necessary but that is what was handy. That fix settled things down to a range of 280 to 310. Also you can place tinfoil around one or all of the rebar where they exit the side of the PBC. It will just take some time for you to get to know your PBC, it seems they are all just a little different. My last brisket cook I started with fzxdoc recommended lighting procedure, put tinfoil around the side of one rebar, waited until the pit temp was down to 280, hung the brisket, replaced the top, placed my trusty cinder block on top. The pit temp steadied out around 270 but went as low as 250 and as high as 290. The cook took about 13 hrs. This just gives you a few ideas, as I mentioned your PBC will have its own personality and it will take a few cooks to work out what works best for you.

Bill

[JeffJ]

I've only used mine once and was surprised that it was spiking right at the beginning of the cook. Turns out the lid wasn't down properly. So, I closed the lid and foiled 2 of the rebars until temps came down to 280, then I removed the foil. Temps settled at 264 for the first hour and 255 for the remaining 3 hours of the cook. I didn't go hog wild with the amount of charcoal I used and when I pulled the ribs I could see that I still had a fair amount of burn left.