Seeing lots of chatter from new PBC owners about lid issues- specifically lids that leak smoke and aren't snug. I got my barrel just after they switched finishes from powder coated to porcelain. My barrel has a rolled top and the lid has a rolled lip to match. It fit snugly straight out of the box, and can now sometimes require an act of congress to remove during a cook. Do the new barrels still have the rolled lip, or is it a flat lip? From all the talk it sure sounds like a flat lip. Curious mind(s) want to know.
-
-
Looking at the pics on the web site it sure looks like the lids still have rolled lips... -
Bought mine in March. I believe it has the rolled lip but it can slide around when placed on top. Mine seems to fit snug. One thing I'm learning is to get the timing right on how long to light the coals before adding them back to the basket and how quickly to get meat on the fire. The official PBC forum has comments from PBC about lighting coals for no more than 15 minutes and to hang meat immediately or you can get soaring temps. That goes against what fzxdoc has in her instructions that sound like they work great for many people.Comment
-
I was fortunate too to have the good fitting lid. There's back & forth/side to side play, but it lays tight and removes easily. I believed it's rolled. Too lazy to lift the cover and see, sorry. Mine was from back in late 2016 fall/ early winter.
EDIT, I successfully fought laziness and looked, yes rolled.
Regarding lightup and temps, I bet a lot of which way works best for you has to do with your weather, your humidity, the moistness or dryness of your charcoal, etc, not to mention your actual timing in doing the steps. I don't actually follow a clock anymore or count coals, just do the steps on a hunch as I feel, and it usually levels out nicely. Had an exception only once, but the cook still came out fine.Comment
-
I got mine in April and the lid fits nicely.Comment
-
To my way of thinking, if the barrel has a rolled top and the lid has a rolled lip there shouldn't be any back and forth "slop" at all. Mine certainly never had any slop - it fit snugly from day one. Seems to be a hit and miss thing. I got my lighting sequence down before paying attention to fzxdoc superior lighting instructions. I fill the basket, put 40 in a chimney and light. Pour ashed over coals into basket and lower it into the PBC. Within a couple of minutes I put in the rebar and put the lid on. I let it run until the white smoke period is over and temp is stable. I yank the lid and get the meat on as fast as I can. I then run 270-280 like a machine...
Sounds like tolerances in the lids has been relaxed slightly. Like I said, mine never had any "play" in it. I also miss the horseshoes! Might go looking for a used one on the after market rather than buy a new one. Gonna need two soon.Comment
-
I have an original. It is rolled, and even with copious amounts of gunk built up, if I'm not careful putting it back on it will leak enough to cause a continuous rise in temp. I try to give it a little turn to help with the seal.Comment
-
I also have an original, Horseshoe stand and all!!! My lids fits perfect now that I have it gunked up. But as JB mentions, my lid can leak too if I am not careful when I put the lid on. I always make sure that I am pressing it down when I put the lid on. And a good spray of PAM on the under side of the lid always seems to make it stick better.
*I am still try to resist buying another PBC.
Comment
-
I have had 2 since 2014 (1 for work and 1 for home) and the lids fit great, have a hard time getting them off, almost lift the barrel of the stand getting the lids off, when they were new they leaked a little but after a dozen or more cooks they sealed up nicely. these have the horseshoe stands.Comment
-
Ditto with me I have the original horse shoe stand, powder coated barrell it's gunked up and has a good seal. Same as above though when I put the lid on push it down tight. Sometimes I do have to rotate a little to find the sweet spot. Bought my son one of the new ones for Christmas a couple years ago and used Spinaker Pam trick, worked great.Comment
-
Christmas 2016 for mine, lid doesn't stick, even after 8 hours with a pork butt on. But the gunk is definitely there, under the lid and on the rolled lip. I use three or four head-sized rocks to hold it down, and that stops it from leaking. Works, but sure looks funny. Something to talk about with the neighbors, though!
Comment
-
Spring of 2015. Mine leaked a little bit, but enough to mean I had to make a few adjustments on every single cook. Since putting the gasket on, it runs much differently, even from when I used to put two concrete blocks on top!Comment
Comment