Andy, I had low PBC temps for my first cook and was steered to the idea of cracking the lid within the first 5 minutes after adding the meat (thanks, Pit Boss and Jerod) if the temps were not high enough to suit me. Now I do that every single time. I crack the lid until the smoker temp gets to about 360-400 deg F (depending on what temp I want the PBC to settle in to). I think you did everything just right except perhaps for this detail.
That said, for some of my cooks, the temp stays rock solid for 2 to 4 hours and for others it slowly declines from that high of 400 degF or so and I have to keep bumping it up by cracking the lid now and again throughout the cook. No two sequential cooks are the same.
A note about cracking the lid--keep an eye on it because the temp can really shoot up, especially when you're not looking. Ask me how I know.
Also, I now drop the smoker probe in right after adding the hot coals to the cold ones in the basket. I keep an eye on it to make sure the temp is in excess of 360 deg F or so before adding the meat. I used to add the meat right away after adding the coals like Noah instructs but I find that it works better for me to let the smoker temp get really hot before adding the meat. Then if necessary I crack the lid to bring that smoker temp back up to 360-400 at the 5 minute mark after the meat has been added.
Trust me, each cook on the PBC just keeps getting better and better. There's a learning curve, but thankfully it's not too steep.
Kathryn
That said, for some of my cooks, the temp stays rock solid for 2 to 4 hours and for others it slowly declines from that high of 400 degF or so and I have to keep bumping it up by cracking the lid now and again throughout the cook. No two sequential cooks are the same.
A note about cracking the lid--keep an eye on it because the temp can really shoot up, especially when you're not looking. Ask me how I know.
Also, I now drop the smoker probe in right after adding the hot coals to the cold ones in the basket. I keep an eye on it to make sure the temp is in excess of 360 deg F or so before adding the meat. I used to add the meat right away after adding the coals like Noah instructs but I find that it works better for me to let the smoker temp get really hot before adding the meat. Then if necessary I crack the lid to bring that smoker temp back up to 360-400 at the 5 minute mark after the meat has been added.
Trust me, each cook on the PBC just keeps getting better and better. There's a learning curve, but thankfully it's not too steep.
Kathryn
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