I did my second cook on the PBC this evening. Things worked out quite well! Not perfect, but quite well!
The first thing I did was use Kathryn's 10-10-10 lighting method, if for nothing else than it lets that big white cloud of smoke dissipate before adding the food. Also, my temps ranged from 280-320 or so. Very cool (err, hot?)....that is exactly what I wanted. In fact, I had the most consistent temperature of any cook on any grill I have done thus far!
And I think I know why my temps got away from me on my first cook. I am indeed getting a lot of leaks around the lid. I addressed the problem by placing two cast iron skillets on the lid one on each side of the handle. (Yeah, bricks would have worked a lot better.) With the skillets in place, the temperature was pretty much constant. When I would remove the skillets and smoke began leaking out from under the lid, the temperature would steadily rise.
So I need to decide if I am going to do the brick method or add a gasket, or even clamps as someone recently posted.
Oh, what did I cook?
I did chicken thighs. They turned out very well. They were all very consistent, which is something that I don't quite get with the Weber (as some are necessarily farther away from the heat than others). I didn't get bite-through skin yet, although I got close. The thighs were done much faster than I anticipated, so I didn't do the prop-lid-open thing at the end.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable cook. Far less hassle than my experiences with the Weber kettle. In fact, if I can consistently get this thing in my target temperature range, I may even dispense with monitoring grate/barrel temp except for longer cooks.
Oh, I did realize one thing. That barrel is dark on the inside. With just the porch light on, it's a little hard to see inside, especially with billowing clouds of smoke. So when trying to get the chicken out, I brushed my hand up against the rebar. Ouchie. I need to get a headlamp.
The first thing I did was use Kathryn's 10-10-10 lighting method, if for nothing else than it lets that big white cloud of smoke dissipate before adding the food. Also, my temps ranged from 280-320 or so. Very cool (err, hot?)....that is exactly what I wanted. In fact, I had the most consistent temperature of any cook on any grill I have done thus far!
And I think I know why my temps got away from me on my first cook. I am indeed getting a lot of leaks around the lid. I addressed the problem by placing two cast iron skillets on the lid one on each side of the handle. (Yeah, bricks would have worked a lot better.) With the skillets in place, the temperature was pretty much constant. When I would remove the skillets and smoke began leaking out from under the lid, the temperature would steadily rise.
So I need to decide if I am going to do the brick method or add a gasket, or even clamps as someone recently posted.
Oh, what did I cook?
I did chicken thighs. They turned out very well. They were all very consistent, which is something that I don't quite get with the Weber (as some are necessarily farther away from the heat than others). I didn't get bite-through skin yet, although I got close. The thighs were done much faster than I anticipated, so I didn't do the prop-lid-open thing at the end.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable cook. Far less hassle than my experiences with the Weber kettle. In fact, if I can consistently get this thing in my target temperature range, I may even dispense with monitoring grate/barrel temp except for longer cooks.
Oh, I did realize one thing. That barrel is dark on the inside. With just the porch light on, it's a little hard to see inside, especially with billowing clouds of smoke. So when trying to get the chicken out, I brushed my hand up against the rebar. Ouchie. I need to get a headlamp.
Comment