Apologies if this is covered elsewhere but I couldn't seem to find much about it. (first post... hello from Michigan!)
I see very few references to the PBJ on the forums here, compared to PBC. Is it because people use them interchangeably, or does nearly everyone own the PBC? I'm pretty much torn between purchasing these two cookers, but I can't quite tell if the PBJ is really more of a niche item, or if the PBJ owners just call it a PBC on the forum.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks Square DOT
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Joule Turbo Sous Vide Circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Just enter the letters PBJ into the search box (upper right corner of each page), press enter, and you'll get a bunch of hits.
<snip>
... and welcome from Colorado ...
Thanks - I found a couple hits that have mostly convinced me to get the full size cooker.
I did see the search box initially, but just scrolling through this subforum you have to really dig to scrounge up a PBJ so I was trying to get a feel for whether that's a representative sample of ownership.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
I know for a fact some here have it. I think the issues are just like the 14" Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM), the PBJ (PBCJ maybe?) is on the small side, and drops your capacity for things like butts and chicken too much. That's all I can think. Given the small space savings in storage space (14 versus 18 inch diameter), I would spend the extra money. Like they say, no one usually says "my smoker is too big". It's usually more a problem of not having ENOUGH space on the smoker. Some claim the PBCJ saves them fuel, but I cannot see it being more than a couple pounds of charcoal difference per cook.
I think too someone said on here at one point they downsized from the PBC to the PBJ because it's lighter and easier to move around. Plus there probably isn't a whole of conversations about the PBJ due to it's relatively new existence.
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks Square DOT
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Joule Turbo Sous Vide Circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Until very recently, I was a very happy PBC owner. Unfortunately, while I loved that cooker, it had to go to a new home. I generally only cook for 2 ... but if I had to do it over again, I'd buy another PBC. It's easy to cook using only a partial load of charcoal but if and when the full capacity might be needed, it's there for you. Also, as jfmorris observed, the difference between the PBC vs PBJ footprint is realistically negligible.
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