Hey all! Was planning my first ever cook today (ribs on the PBC) and its pretty dreary here... supposed to be raining all day but it's currently just a light drizzle, and the radar looks like it will likely stay that way.
I'm willing to set up shop and cook anyway, but I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations about a cook in this type of weather.
As long as you can cook under a cover of some type cook on. Obviously not inside or in the garage, but maybe little easy up. I started some chucks smoking at 6am and it was 36 here in Memphis. I went and looked at about 8:30 and wondered why there seemed to be STEAM...well there was a heavy frost and it was melting off the roof, running down hitting my bar top and bouncing on the lid. It wasn't very much so it didn't really hurt the temps. But I did pull the kettle away from the bar.
Thanks! Not able to get a grillzebo any time soon, but could do an ez up, but is it safe? Also, is it necessary? I don't mind getting wet... As long as the smoker is okay in the rain, I'm fine with it.
I feel it is safe, but that is only my opinion. You have to stay within your comfort zone. Don’t think rain will hurt anything. Will run cooler though.
Weber Kettle -- 22.5" (In-Service Date June 2015)
Slow-n-Sear/Drip-n-Griddle/Grill Grates (In-Service Date March 2016)
Pit Boss 820 (Retired)
GMG Jim Bowie WiFi (In-Service Date April 2017)
Maverick ET-733
Fireboard
Home-brewer
I had the same concern a while back and someone on this site suggested using the lid for a Weber kettle as an "umbrella" for the PBC - just set the lid on top of the PBC.
Kamado Joe Big Joe III
Pit Barrel Cooker
Camp Chef Flat Top 900
Weber Performer 22
PowerFlamer Propane 160
Meater +
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Thermapen
Temp Spike
I use my Coleman 10 x 10 canopy a LOT for this type of situation. As an added bonus, my kids love the smoky smell as we take it out of its rolling case to setup on the beach when we're on vacation!
I even use mine in the hot sun, as that seems to affect my temperature control, too. I always use the chimney starter and place it on a couple of pavers on the driveway, which puts it farther below the canopy than if I set it on the charcoal grate. So far, so good.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
The PBC will muscle through rain and cold, but not happily. It's a bit harder to keep the temperature up where it's used to running. Some sort of cover, as everyone here has suggested, is in order. In a pinch, some people smoke under the eaves of the garage with the garage door open and with a fan inside the garage to blow the dangerous fumes outside. But the best setup is to keep the smoker away from the house.
Kathryn
Last edited by fzxdoc; October 30, 2017, 07:20 AM.
Equipment:
Brinkman Gas/Charcoal duo with offset firebox
Pit Barrel Cooker
Maverick Remote Temperature Gizmo with Pit and meat probes
Thermopen Instant thermo
Yeah. Running the pbc in the rain is the toughest challenge I think. The humidity is simply charcoal's biggest enemy. Maintaining a consistent temp becomes a bit more of a challenge. Certainly doable, but for me it's not a "set if and forget it" cook. Lower temps and shorter cook time per basket of coals is my experience.
I hear ya, PappyBBQ, I'm new to the PBC but experienced this exactly with ribs and a PB Saturday. Turned out mighty fine, but had to fiddle with the lid to keep it happy. Was during a torrential downpour, under cover, but I believe the humidity was the main factor.
By the way, does "Pappy" happen to refer to the same one in my avatar?
Comment