WSM Lid

[Rfuilrez]

Does anyone know if the WSM 18” lid will fit on the PBC? If it does, is it a good fit or just kind of works?

Thanks in advance!

[Thom Emery]

I think the lip would not match
off the top of my head
usually one cups the other
the WSM lid and PBC body are the same

[MBMorgan]

Just curious ... what are you hoping to accomplish?

[Rfuilrez]

Whole pork bellies reach to the coal basket when hung. If I could put a taller lid on it I would build a raised rebar set so I don’t have to cut the bottom off the pork bellies. Just trying to get a little more height. I usually smoke about 6 whole bellies when I make bacon, 2 batches of 3.

Just seeing if it’s possible. This is a stop gap before I build or buy a much larger smoker.

So if the WSM kid and PBC body are the same, I wonder if the 18” kettle body and PBC lid are the same. 🤔

[N227GB]

You could take your PBC into a retailer and test the fit.

[JGo37]

Do let us know if you figure it out.

[MBMorgan]

Just remember that any leaks around the PBC lid are generally really bad news ... so even if the WSM lid seems to fit, it's got to seal well, too.

[Troutman]

I agree. I would be shocked if they fit together at all much less make a seal. You have to maintain a tight seal to operate properly or the thing’s gonna take off like a 747.

[Rfuilrez]

I have a HeaterMeter temperature controller mounted to my PBC so I’m not too worried about temperature being uncontrollable. If it’s a decent enough match, some BBQ gasket should take care of it.

[MBMorgan]

Another thought (a cheap one, too): Get yourself a second set of hooks from the PBC folks, cut the bellies in half, and smoke them all with no worries about getting too close to the coals. This is what I do when I smoke pork ribs ... no getting too close to the coals and because a half rack is so much lighter than a whole, no real worries about them dropping off the hook and into the fire.

[Rfuilrez]

This is how I currently do it, but I’m wanting to cook more at a time than I have room for if I’m cutting them in half.

[Troutman]

One other thought, if you have a WSM you can convert it to cook PBC-like and have your raised rack setup. There are guys here that have done that kind of thing.

[smn1285]

I have both. I’ll try and remember to see if they are even close to fitting/compatible tonight and report back.

[Rfuilrez]

Thanks!

[smn1285]

Bad storms and pouring rain all night here in MD. I will check this out for you at some point this weekend and report back.

[Rfuilrez]

smn1285 were you ever able to give this a try?

[smn1285]

Sorry, yes. Not a good fit. They are the same diameter, but, the lid just doesn’t settle on there well at all. I’d be worried about too much leaking and weight of meat hanging could easily make the lid fall off. Seems like a disaster.

[Jarret]

Two questions, I see a lot of you hanging your pork bellies and ribs when cooking them. 1. Why hang vs laying flat? 2. I would think that the part of the meat closest to the heat source would cook much faster and if so how do you ensure the meat is cooked evenly?

[smn1285]

Sometimes the really long racks of ribs the bone closest to the fire gets a little crispy. But it’s only happened a couple of times out of maybe 30+ racks I’ve cooked. Haven’t done pork belly in the PBC yet. But that’s the magic of the PBC, nonidea how it works, but everything does cook pretty darn evenly. The barrel forces convection cooking and it just works.