Low Pit Barrel Temps?

[fzxdoc]

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

[JPP]

On my last 6-rack of ribs cook, I made the mistake of adding them right away.... the temperature topped out around 199! I had to crack the lid multiple times and simply could never get it to stabilize. That helped toast the ends of the ribs just a bit too much... but they did come out ok mostly (one rack was very thin so it was a kind of dry but still edible thank goodness!). Moral of the story is heed Kathryn's advice well!

[ATXBill]

Totally agree with Kathryn here. I used to add the meat after Noah's prescribed 15 minutes but I've found it's a much better cook after letting the PBC heat up into the mid 350's or so and then letting it settle into the desired cooking range (225=ribs, 250=beef, 310=chicken). For time budgeting, that means planning for about 45 minutes of coal prep. It gets very steady from there on if you manage your exit dampers.

[Ailkiw]

Thanks for the insight Kathryn. I'll let you all know how the next one comes out. Hoping the weather plays nice this weekend.

[Ligoniera1]

I too experience cooler than anticipated temps. 220-250 seems my average, which isn't really an issue for the low and slow tho I suppose it may negate the PBC speed advantage. Granted, I rec'd mine in Nov and haven't really used it in warmer weather.....who knows. I crack the lid half an inch as needed and it works very well indeed. I"m getting a 7-8 hr cook out of a full charcoal basket, I don't think mine could go 12hrs unless I started it with 10 or so lit coals.

I too swore off fluid when I started using a chimney but I will try it a few times to see how it goes. It seems to be quite recommended in this device.

[Irrivirsible]

What about using the natural briquettes or lump in colder weather since they burn hotter as a way to raise temp a little.

[Gunderich_1]

I have not done any temp monitoring like a bunch of folks have but I will just say that the only way I have ever lit my PBC is using the lighter fluid method and I have never noticed a problem with temps or taste. (For whatever that may be worth).

[ATXBill]

I'm loathe to suggest something other than Kathryn's strict adherence to 40 coals in the chimney starter (she counts them one-by-one) but I actually bump that up to 46-48 coals in the starter. OK, I know that sounds ridiculous...6-8 coals more...seriously? But those 6-8 coals equal about 2-3 inches in the starter. That's an whole 'nother layer of heat. For me that means the coals that get poured into the basket are hotter and there is more coverage. I also add my smoking wood chips BEFORE pouring coals...so the coals ignite the wood and get the fire hot sooner. I do tend to leave the PBC lid open about 5 minutes if I'm cooking pork or beef and about 10 minutes if I'm cooking chicken...before hanging the meat. That extra oxygen really gets the coal basket well established.

If you are concerned about low temps make sure you have ample exit airspace. The lower damper doesn't make as big a difference as the free air space above (for me). Sounds silly, but just as soldiers always say "keep your powder dry" make sure your coals aren't subjected to moisture. I keep mine sealed in a bin.

YMMV. Good luck...

(PS: No lighter fluid. Ever.)

[fzxdoc]

When it comes to the coal count, to each his/her own, Bill. Your idea makes a lot of sense. For the present, I'll stick with my 40 because it works for me in my PBC. When I first got my PBC, I started with 50 coals in the chimney and backed down to 40 pretty quick. I don't think the Pit Boss counts at all and he has some amazing cooks. Me, I like counting. 40.

That said, I've started a different fire lighting procedure in the last dozen or so cooks and find that it's working pretty well at getting the temps in the 250-280 range and higher (if desired). The ambient temps have been colder so this method may not work when Spring finally comes, but here's what I've been doing lately (a shout out to Ernest for some of these ideas):

• Put 40 coals in chimney (the magic 40 ), light and burn for 15 minutes (I'm at 3700 feet altitude)
• Pour coals, distribute evenly with tip of rebar, let fire burn with lid off for 10 minutes
• Put lid on, leave rebars out, let burn 10 minutes more
• Put rebars in as needed, hang meat, put lid on. If temp doesn't bump up to 360-420 degF in the first few minutes, crack the lid until it does. Then reseat the lid tightly. If I can leave one rebar out I do, especially for chicken and turkey where I'm looking for 325 deg F PBC temp.
• For chicken and turkey I use Kingsford Competition. Otherwise, it's Kingsford Original all the way.

I used to toss my wood chunks on top of the cold coals in the basket, lighting them with the 40 hot-coal pour. However, I found they just catch fire in the 10 minutes that I let the coals burn before adding the lid, and I don't like for the wood to catch fire and shoot flames. More specifically I don't want any ash floating around. So now I drop the wood on the coals a little before I add the meat and secure the lid.

As I said, this works for me at the present time. I've had two PBCs and each held temp a little differently throughout a cook. I've always got my ear out and peepers peeled for new fire lighting tips to see if they work for my setup. It's fun to throw in a tweak now and again to see what happens.

Kathryn

[ATXBill]

Good stuff here Kathryn. Thanks for sharing.