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Who Uses a Fan on Their PBC?

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    Who Uses a Fan on Their PBC?

    I know many out there have various ways of lighting their charcoal and claim once you have a handle on that, let it do its thing. I agree, this works well, and the food always turned out delicious. Some cooks a little better than others, but always delicious. My problem was the timing was not consistent, no matter how hard I tried to make it so, there was no guarantee on when it was going to be done. Sure, you can wrap the food and stick it in a cooler, but what if you wanted the cook to be essentially the same every time? Or worse, what if people are sitting at your place waiting for their ribs? The old saying of they're done when they're done doesn't always work.

    I've had my PBC for 4 years and used it a ton, but needed to fix this issue or get a different cooker to do the trick. I ended up with the CyberQ and couldn't be happier. Have made a handful of cooks in the last two weeks and am thrilled with the results. I apologize if others have started the exact same thread, but wrote this for the people who might be looking for an answer to a similar problem. Who has purchased a fan/control temp unit for the PBC and would you ever go without one again? I know I won't. (On a side note, I did not have to make a single permanent modification to the PBC or use a bunch of tape to make it work perfectly).

    #2
    There's many users here who use a thermostatic controller on their PBC. Plenty who say they won't mess with it or have learned not to, "let it do it's thing" as gets said around here.

    I personally found that even using a fan I still didn't have the level of control over temperatures that I wanted, chiefly that I couldn't keep temps low enough, which is why I bought other cookers. If you're a control freak and this isn't solely about an inconsistent cooker, I'd suggest you start saving up now because a kamado will make you happier than whatever you can jury rig on this or Weber etc.

    I use a fireboard and pit viper stand alone fan on all my cookers. BBQ Guru makes a solid product.

    Comment


    • SipIt
      SipIt commented
      Editing a comment
      The lowest I've run it at is 250 and the fan was running low and the nozzle/fan vent was around half open. When doing a pork butt hot and fast at 300 due to time, I had the nozzle mostly open and the fan ran from 18 to 22%. Temps ranged consistently from 298 to 302. I also started with more lit charcoal on the higher temp run than the other.

    • BourBonQ
      BourBonQ commented
      Editing a comment
      SipIt , LOL at 10-40 degrees being "cooler" weather... that's downright coooold for us thin-blooded folk!

    • Polarbear777
      Polarbear777 commented
      Editing a comment
      I’ve run the PBC at 225F in 80 F summer temps with the fan. I did install a lid gasket to prevent any uncontrolled airflow before I even started so maybe that helps?

    #3
    No fan here. Could you show us your setup?

    Comment


    • SipIt
      SipIt commented
      Editing a comment
      I haven't posted a photo on here in a while and am having issues with doing so from my iphone, but basically took off the original black circle and put the fan adapter on the inside of the barrel while only drilling a little hole to make the original screw position. Will try posting a photo again later.

    #4
    How do you light your PBC so it works with the fan? I don't see how the PBC or the 15-10-10 lighting method would work. Unless "blocking" the bottom vent really makes that much of a difference in the temp and keeps the coals from getting too hot.

    Comment


    • SipIt
      SipIt commented
      Editing a comment
      I load my basket (and now keep in some of the old charcoal that didn't burn out), then burn half to a full of the mini weber charcoal chimney depending on the temp I want to reach. Once coals are fully lit I dump them in, close the lid with rebar and set the fan temp. Still perfecting it, but it hasn't been much of an issue. The half basket sat around 200, so took a little while for the fan to bring it to 250.

    • fzxdoc
      fzxdoc commented
      Editing a comment
      FWIW, Michael_in_TX , I still do 15-10-10 with the Fireboard/Pit Viper fan on my PBC for poultry using Kingsford Professional charcoal and a chunk of fruit wood. Keeps the temp rocking at 350ish the whole time.

      I have yet to try it with a 275° cook.

      Kathryn

    • Polarbear777
      Polarbear777 commented
      Editing a comment
      With the fan running and set to anything between 225 and 350 I just drop in a fully lit mini (PBC) chimney, slap the lid on and walk away. I usually give it 5-10 minutes before adding food because that’s generally how long it takes me to go get it.

    #5
    Used mine as a supplement when the barrel was overloaded with briskets or butts.

    Comment


      #6
      Originally posted by SipIt View Post
      I know many out there have various ways of lighting their charcoal and claim once you have a handle on that, let it do its thing. I agree, this works well, and the food always turned out delicious. Some cooks a little better than others, but always delicious. My problem was the timing was not consistent, no matter how hard I tried to make it so, there was no guarantee on when it was going to be done. Sure, you can wrap the food and stick it in a cooler, but what if you wanted the cook to be essentially the same every time? Or worse, what if people are sitting at your place waiting for their ribs? The old saying of they're done when they're done doesn't always work.

      I've had my PBC for 4 years and used it a ton, but needed to fix this issue or get a different cooker to do the trick. I ended up with the CyberQ and couldn't be happier. Have made a handful of cooks in the last two weeks and am thrilled with the results. I apologize if others have started the exact same thread, but wrote this for the people who might be looking for an answer to a similar problem. Who has purchased a fan/control temp unit for the PBC and would you ever go without one again? I know I won't. (On a side note, I did not have to make a single permanent modification to the PBC or use a bunch of tape to make it work perfectly).
      Would love to see pictures of your installation! Could you possibly add a few to this post?

      Comment


      • SipIt
        SipIt commented
        Editing a comment
        I just posted the only one I have at the moment. For whatever reason it wasn't working on my phone. Will try to show more later if the below isn't clear enough. Just screwed in the adapter from the inside of the barrel where the original vent at the bottom was place. I used the same screw.

      #7
      Hoping this works. Click image for larger version

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      Comment


        #8
        Interesting thanks!

        Comment


          #9
          I just did a pulled pork tenderloin that came out fantastic... Using the Signals and Bellows fan to control air. Stayed within +/- 10° of 225 using the 15-10-10 method, although I gave it an extra 15 mins to drop the temp to under 250 before hanging the meat. Bacon wrapped 80% of the tenderloin for moisture retention as there isn't much fat on a loin. Added BBQ sauce and an ounce or two of the injection liquid to the meat and wrapped tightly at 145 degrees. Pulled off at 205, rested 10 minutes and pulled n served. Perfect & not dry!

          Comment


          • fzxdoc
            fzxdoc commented
            Editing a comment
            I'm amazed that the tenderloin pulled so nicely and was not dry, Mark Williams , taken as it was to 205°. Did you mix the bacon in with the pork as you pulled it? This sounds really tasty.

            Kathryn

          #10
          It's not that I would never go back. It's that I never used mine without a fan. First had the PartyQ and now the DigiQ.

          Comment


            #11
            How well does the cyberq handle rain\snow? unfortunately, i don't have a covered deck or patio to cook on so any fan\controller setup i purchase needs to be able to handle being exposed to the weather.

            Comment


            • SipIt
              SipIt commented
              Editing a comment
              It is not waterproof; however, some of the people on their FB page (BBQ Guru) have built their own waterproof boxes for it. My roof extends out over an area of my house that protects my pbc enough that i haven't had to worry about it.

            #12
            fzxdoc yes, I did mix in about 1/2 the bacon with the pulled pork. Forgot to mention that I also injected it with apple juice. I assume it didn't dry out as it was covered with bacon the whole cook and wrapped with BBQ sauce & injection liquid in foil.

            Comment


              #13
              PBC fan runs including pictures of the set up. I made an extra port for the fan so I could plug that and run the standard way if needed. Added rain shields etc. I leave the fan on there all the time, probably shouldn’t, but so far so good.

              Calibration tests with no food to characterize settings. All using a level basket of KBB, and subset of that ignited by PBC chimney and lid clamped on immediately. I’m sure things will change with food load, but gives an idea how settings may affect things. Ambient temp was 30-40F. Altitude is sea level. Temperature at cook

              Comment


                #14
                I use a BBQ guru and while I enjoyed the PBC pre-guru, after adding it, I've definitely enjoyed more consistency and control in all of my cooks. I'll never not have the BBQ Guru going when I fire up the PBC.

                Comment


                • SipIt
                  SipIt commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Same. Can't look back.

                • bocaboy
                  bocaboy commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Just pulled the trigger on a DigiQ with a 10 CFM fan for my PBJ. I used to own one when I had a Big Green Egg and agree that they are a game-changer.

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