Lesson Learned

[skip4313]

I taught myself something about the PBC the hard way yesterday...

I was cooking a chicken and a slab of ribs and thought it would be a good idea to move the basket toward the side where the chicken was hanging to give it a little extra heat. I started losing temperature toward the end of the cook and after it was over the coals under the chicken hadn't burned all the way. Not to worry, the chicken and ribs turned out fine, but I'm guessing the coals were too close to the side of the barrel and didn't get enough oxygen to burn all the way through.

[JeffJ]

With one chicken and one slab of ribs you should have been able to hang the chicken in the middle with enough room to hang the slab off to one side.

[MBMorgan]

I taught myself something about the PBC the hard way yesterday...

I was cooking a chicken and a slab of ribs and thought it would be a good idea to move the basket toward the side where the chicken was hanging to give it a little extra heat. I started losing temperature toward the end of the cook and after it was over the coals under the chicken hadn't burned all the way. Not to worry, the chicken and ribs turned out fine, but I'm guessing the coals were too close to the side of the barrel and didn't get enough oxygen to burn all the way through.

To be honest, the PBC cooks primarily by convection ... not by direct radiant heat ... so moving the basket isn't really going to accomplish anything. It's not uncommon in the PBC for a fatty meat like chicken to drip so much fat into the coals below that it literally starts to snuff them out. I'd bet that's what happened in your case.

With a lightly loaded barrel (one chicken and one slab), you can move things around on the rebars every 15-20 min. (or so) to limit the amount of fat dripping in one spot of the coals ... sort of the PBC version of flipping your food every so often.

[Huskee]

To be honest, the PBC cooks primarily by convection ... not by direct radiant heat ... so moving the basket isn't really going to accomplish anything. It's not uncommon in the PBC for a fatty meat like chicken to drip so much fat into the coals below that it literally starts to snuff them out. I'd bet that's what happened in your case.

With a lightly loaded barrel (one chicken and one slab), you can move things around on the rebars every 15-20 min. (or so) to limit the amount of fat dripping in one spot of the coals ... sort of the PBC version of flipping your food every so often.

Nailed it! This is the downside of using 'just enough' coals for a quick chicken cook for sure, the drippings can put the coals out. My biggest complaint about the PBC is its lack of efficiency in having to use too much charcoal for quicker poultry cooks and no way to realistically snuff it out afterward. But man is that chicken tasty!

On a side note, I've begun using chicken trimmings (skin, fat, etc) right on the coals in my kettle. Stinks to high heaven, but it gives it that PBC taste.

[JeffJ]

Huskee I have found that the using 'just enough' amount consists of a single layer of unlit coals that the lit coals are poured onto. Those unlit coals need to get partially lit for the PBC to function properly for the very reason you stated.

[Huskee]

Yep. I do similar. Full layer of coals underneath but not a full basket

[jecucolo]

I cooked 2 briskets Sunday on my PBC and I had to devise an aluminum foil shim to keep the temps stable and in the 275 range. It took a little work to get equilibrium with the temperature. It is amazing you don’t need a lot of oxygen to keep the temp in the 250-275* range-just enough! I would set the shim and watch it start to climb and it would not stop so so would adjust the shim and down it would come in the low 200s. Eventually it work out. It was kind of fun figuring it out. The briskets where epic! This is one cook that I was totally happy with the results. Love my grilfriend!