Help me understand hot and fast on the PBC

[Michael_in_TX]

Hey all,

I've been grilling/smoking for the better part of a year now on a Webber 22" w/SnS. I'm getting to the point at which I want to explore getting a dedicated smoker. I'm looking for less fiddling with temperatures and more smoking space (things can get a bit tight on the Weber with the SnS).

I've read so many forum posts and watched so many videos that my head hurts. The simplicity of the PBC really appeals to me. I also like the amount of data that show if one lights it with this much KBB in this way, one can get relatively consistent results. My profession often has me working on the weekends (at home). Obviously, a barrel smoker is not a pellet grill, but something that leans more to the set-it-and-forget-it side is probably a better fit for me.

I understand it will run hot (270-310), but my inexperience isn't helping me understand what that truly means.

The faster cooking time, absolutely, is appealing. If I am honest with myself, 10-12 hour cooks is just not something I'm into at this current point in my life.

I can certainly see chicken being fantastic at these temps. But what about pork butt and brisket? What am I losing by going hot and fast? How much does the moister environment in the PBC make up for the higher temps? Is wrapping much more critical on a PBC than on other barrel smokers that don't run as hot?

[mountainsmoker]

Any smoker/grill can cook hot and fast. I use my Weber in the 275-325 range. A barrel smoker just holds more coals, each is different as per its ability to how controllable it is. In my opinion and being from a scientific background I like the new OJ Bronco for its easier controllability. The PBC has gained a wide following also but has not had any competition till now. For any of the smokers/grills I would highly recommend a fan and controller to control the temp.

I can do an 8lb butt in about 8hrs at the higher temp and a 14lb brisket in10-12hrs on my Weber. Chicken is great with a nice crispy skin at 325-350 or even 400.

Well good luck and have fun learning cooking at the higher heat.

[MBMorgan]

Ah ... here we go again with a couple of chemistry classes constituting a "scientific background" ...

[RobertC]

Whenever I see the letters "OJ" and the word "bronco" together I think of something else.

[mountainsmoker]

Lol.

[Jerod Broussard]

With the PBC you not only have higher temps, but with the meat hanging you get more efficient heating on all sides, plus the humidity levels are pretty high since there is no exhaust on the top. Running 300+ I got a brisket done in 5.5 hours on the PBC. I was running 250-300 on a grill yesterday and that brisket took every bit of 12 hours to get done, with wrapping once it hit the mid-190's.

[RonB]

The reason for low and slow is to tenderize tough cuts of meat. It takes time for fats to render and all the "other stuff" to get tender. If you cook too fast, that will not happen. However, 225* has just become the standard for low and slow, but you can cook hotter with great results. Larger hunks of meat are more forgiving since it still takes hours for them to cook. Some here cook at 300* and even higher with great results.

If controlling temps were your only concern, I'd suggest getting something like a Fireboard. With a temp controller, you may be able to set and (almost) forget, but you will be able to monitor from your phone. A temp controller will not help with capacity though.

[fzxdoc]

You'll have most of your questions answered after your first few PBC cooks, Michael_in_TX . Most of my PBC cooks are in the 270-290 range for briskets, chucks, pork butts, etc. They turn out just fine. Early on, I did a brisket in my PBC at 225 and didn't like it as much as those done at normal (higher) PBC temps. It wasn't bad, it just took a loooong time and didn't taste any better.

And you're guess is right: PBC chicken is amazing.

I think you'd get used to speedier cooks (and no overnight cooks) pretty quickly. Plus the cleanup is a breeze. Literally 5 minutes or less to get the ash out and wipe the outside down (for cooks not done on the grate). That's pretty sweet, I have to say.

I agree with others--if you want your PBC to be truly set and forget, consider purchasing a Fireboard setup (with driver cable) and add a medium Pit Viper fan with the XL Grill Dome adapter from BBQ Guru. You'll be sitting pretty then, IMO.

Kathryn

[Dadof3Illinois]

I agree with fzxdoc. The Fireboard is an awesome tool. I use it with the viper fan on my weber 26" kettle all the time. Today I got right at 14 hours of run time at 225F on it. I haven't used it on my PBC yet though. Mine runs pretty hot at 325+ but I'm okay with that on pork butts and chicken.

[Michael_in_TX]

Thanks for the advice, all. I've been watching videos on the PBC, WSM, and the newer Bronco all day. At the moment, I am leaning towards the PBC.

I've looked into some of the various fans for the Weber and almost got one. I pulled back when I started to consider getting a dedicated smoker (to save some money). I definitely could see myself adding one to a PBC.

Anyone want to comment on the flavor-profile of a PBC? Granted, trying to describe these things in words is really, really hard. The descriptions I've read hover around "it's just different" to "more or a char or grilled flavor." One thing that did surprise me in my research is that a significant amount of people use the PBC without wood; that is, they let the vaporizing dripping fat/juices produce the smoke rather than wood.

[Grass Hopper]

I would like to know what you settled on. I'm was considering the pbc when I started reading about the Bronco. Grass Hopper

[Michael_in_TX]

I got the PBC. The Bronco is just really heavy and there is "too much going on" with it. I appreciate versatility, but I really wanted something very simple in design. I already have a Weber Kettle so I didn't need/want to duplicate that functionality with the drum smoker.

[TNPIGBBQ]

Hold your hand palm flat to a fire, then turn your hand where just your fingers are pointing at the heat. Which is hotter?

That & the small chamber that causes uniform swirling heat & high humidity from the meat dripping directly into the coals is "the secret" of the pit barrel. There’s some more science stuff over on the free site review as well.

As others have mentioned, there’s temperature controlling fan options to make it even more set & forget.

But if I’m reading right, your main question is how does is make good food well over 225? Well, plenty of people make good food well over 225 on the competition circuit with all sorts of cookers. It’s not unique to the PBC.

225 is just a number, a rule of thumb. Every rule of thumb can be broken if you know what you’re doing, PBC designers know what they’re doing. No apprenticeship to become a Pitmaster required!

Funny thing though, sometimes I find how fast the PBC cooks a drawback. I actually ordered a fan kit to slow things down so I could put things on in the morning for weeknight diners and do overnight cooks worry free.

[mountainsmoker]

I like your thinking. Sometimes you want to slow things down and with the PBC you can't without the fan and controller.

[TNPIGBBQ]

The fan really does make it durn near perfect, at a fraction of the cost both monetary & loss of self respect of buying a pellet cooker.

(Above is a joke, buy a Traegar if you want)

[fzxdoc]

Anyone want to comment on the flavor-profile of a PBC? Granted, trying to describe these things in words is really, really hard. The descriptions I've read hover around "it's just different" to "more or a char or grilled flavor." One thing that did surprise me in my research is that a significant amount of people use the PBC without wood; that is, they let the vaporizing dripping fat/juices produce the smoke rather than wood.

Michael_in_TX , the flavor profile of a PBC is smoky, but not overly so, to my taste anyway. I have often smoked the same cuts of meat at the same time on both my WSCGC in kamado mode and my PBC. I find that meats cooked on both have about the same level of smokiness in the flavor profile, but on the PBC it's a bit more forward as a bite is eaten compared to the kamado cook in which I taste the smoky part of the profile slightly later in the bite.

Some who have offset smokers or pellet grills and are used to a lighter smoke profile say that the PBC food has a very smoky a profile for them for some cuts of meat, but nearly everyone agrees that it's a Chicken Whisperer.

About slow cooks on the PBC--you can certainly run it at 225. I have. The temperature did not ramp up but stayed in the 225 to 235 range for the entire 12 hour cook. But since a PBC is happier running hotter you can let it percolate along in the 250 to 270 range or aim higher. And of course for poultry you'll have no problem getting in in the 350+ range.

And you're right, wood is not necessary to have a tasty cook on the PBC, although I always add one chunk for short cooks and 2-3 chunks for longer cooks (one chunk=4 to 6 oz). I have done some cooks with only charcoal, and the food tastes great as well. It's a matter of personal preference.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with the PBC. It has a huge bang for the buck and it's a ton of fun to cook on. If it turns out that you're not happy with it I doubt you'd have a hard time selling it. But once you've done some cooks on it I doubt that you'd want to part with it.

Kathryn

[Nate]

+1 on PBC being Chicken Whisperer!

The flavor cloud of drippings falling on hot coals I feel gives it a unique flavor profile as well.

[Michael_in_TX]

Thanks, Kathryn! Appreciate you trying to put that flavor profile into words. Comparing it with other smoking methods helped.

[au4stree]

The PBC is a brisket cooking machine, amongst other things. There is a break-in period for the owner who is used to tinkering with dampers or use to the temp staying at a certain degree. It was maddening to me that I could not "adjust" the way I was accustomed to cooking, but I wanted a set/forget setup. Well, truly, it really is a perfect cooker for anything you want. I've done full packer briskets at 5-7 hours, multiple slabs of ribs for a crowd, chicken is off the chain good and I can "adjust" my temp by cracking the lid, leaving a rebar out or plugging the holes with foil. The food always has a great flavor without wood, but sometimes I bury a chunk or 3 in the coals when I'm desiring a little more smoke.

As stated above, the temp controller might satisfy your desire for more control, but you don't need it, trust the cooker, it just works.

[ColonialDawg]

I have both a PBC and Weber 26 inch kettle with SNS. I cook hot and fast all the time and that’s my preferred method. Meat is tender and smokey every time and I get a good bark on my butts and briskets. I generally cook ribs and chicken on my PBC and briskets and butts on my kettle, but I’m still experimenting. Honestly, try hot and fast on your kettle first - it does the job well and temperature control is easier IMHO. I usually shoot for 300-350 and cook my briskets/butts until I get the bark and color I like (spritzing with water every hour if I think about it). I then wrap tightly in foil and cook until probe tender. I can do a whole packer brisket or pork butt in 6-8 hours. If you really prefer low and slow, then investing in a fan and ATC is a beautiful thing. I like the Fireboard and Guru PIt Viper fan. You can modify the kettle and PBC to accept the fan. I only use it on my kettle, though. On my PBC, I did add a vent to the lid, only because we are obsessed here and every cooker has to be modified in some way.

By the way, a Weber Kettle and PBC combo is the way to go of you are on a budget and have a busy lifestyle, yet want to cook over charcoal and wood.

[Michael_in_TX]

...and your last sentence describes my situation perfectly.

[ColonialDawg]

Well, for less than $1000 you’ll have two very capable cookers that can make as good BBQ as you can get off any $1000+ smoker. That being said, my dream smoker is a Lang. Haha.

[fzxdoc]

Don't forget to add the SnS to that kettle for the PBC/Kettle-SnS combo.

Kathryn

[JimLinebarger]

Comment on the flavor profile of a PBC...well...
Years ago, after I had already purchased my second and most expensive gas grill, and was using a vertical gas smoker (converted to side burn box then back to gas), I was contemplating getting the PBC. My wife wanted me to justify getting it. At the time I felt that it would be much easier for me to use the PBC based on the videos I watched. I also stated that you can get different flavors by using different grills/smokers. At the time she didn't really understand that completely. I was able to get it and it was easier but still worked me a little hard. (My multiple disabilities are an issue.) After getting tips from fzxdoc, my cooks were better and tasted better. So recently I purchased a pellet grill and did some St. Louis ribs. After dinner, she gave me her critique and she came right out and said that ribs on the PBC tasted way better than the ones on the pellet grill (Traeger Timberline 850). Now she understands the differences of different cookers. I missed a lot of the flavors that charcoal and wood chunks have. It made me wish I could have a stick burner to get the rest of those flavors. For me, it's not that pellets are bad tasting, they seem to miss those flavors. My Weber kettle tastes different than the PBC. The moisture level and efficient all around heat and flavors from the drippings all add to that flavor.

As for fans, I have the BBQGuru DigiQ upgraded from the PartyQ. More stable temps and can bring higher consistent temps. I don't bring it below 250°F.

[jfmorris]

I cannot speak personally to the PBC but can speak to hot and fast, having tried it on my kettle and offset. I used to do all my butts and brisket at 225, but have in the past year done them at 275 to 325, and gotten great results in much faster times. With butts I prefer to keep it down around 275, my last brisket finished pretty quickly at 300, wrapping in foil at 170. it was as good as any brisket I’ve done at 225 for 16 hours, and was done in half the time.

Sometimes due to timing, as someone else pointed out, I still run at 225, if it works better for the meal schedule.

I don’t think you can go wrong with the PBC. I’m personally leaning toward a WSM 22 myself,=, as I often smoke 8 or more butts at once, but the PBC might also be in my future at some point.

[JeffJ]

In a kettle w/ SnS the cooking is 100% indirect heat. With the PBC the meat sits/hangs directly over the fire. This has 2 effects - 1. The meat drips directly onto the fire creating "grill smoke" and, 2. because of the exposure to the radiant heat bark will develop more quickly.

The flavor profile is a bit different than in, say, a kettle w/ SnS. In the PBC it has more of a grilled taste. Both have a nice smoke flavor but are subtly different. As to which is preferable - it's purely subjective.

I will say this, 225 is vastly over-rated IMO. The PBC produces consistently excellent results with its hot/fast cooking format.

[Red Man]

I get much harder, darker bark on my kettle with SnS than I do on my PBC. Definitely agree about the grilled flavor, but it’s different than what you get from grilling. There’s also the wood flavor if you use wood chunks. There’s much less charcoal taste too.