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It's just so hard to miss on a PBC. It cooks very well, very consistently and very quickly. I've cooked everything from single chickens to whole lambs, and yet to have anything be bad. Some things could have been better, obviously, but it's just really hard to miss. That kind of reliability for under $300? pretty exceptional.
I think I've made the decision to go ahead and buy a PBC. Besides all of the great input, the other deciding factor was the stats posted on the charcoal sub forum. Mainly Sub-Forums:
The PBC forum has 10 times the topics and posts of of all the other charcoal grills......even the kettles. So, I imagine any questions I have have either have been answered or would be answered relatively quick. I guess grills/smokers are kind of like motorcycles in the fact each make and model kinda fill a niche. The question is which niche do I want to fill. I have a small gasser that I really like and the GrillGrates only made it better. I have a weber kettle that I grill and smoke on and if I buy one of the SnS doohickeys (by the way that thing looks awesome)it would only make it better. The PBC would be a good cooker if I want to do more than a single rack of ribs or a single butt or a chicken......again a different niche.
I guess I'm lucky in the fact that I could buy whatever I want, but whatever I buy I want to use. I'm a novice at best but I've been able to prepare some tasty meals for my family and friends. Heck, look at my avatar pic.......my grandson was elbow deep in ribs and slaw dogs......and he wasn't complaining. Maybe with a PBC I could make enough ribs and dogs for everyone in my family.
Good choice my friend. You won't be disapointed. And there are a pluthera of PBC users here. So ask away, and please to be afraid to do so. I had lengthy discussions with members when I got first got mine, everyone was awesome.
The WSM does have its own online community at http://tvwbb.com/forum.php (mods delete if URL is not acceptable).
I had the same predicament as you but chose to go with the PBC for the capacity of larger meats and the overall ease of cooking. The multiple steps and endless mods of a WSM was a bit to complicated for me as a first smoker / cooker. I have a Weber Gensis for my weekday and high temp grilling.
PBC is a great backyard cooker (not to be confused with smoker). Most folks complain about not getting that deep smokey flavor. Well it's not a smoker.
I'll take the PBC over the WSM 18.5 any day. It has a very slight advantage over WSM 22very
Once you become one with the PBC, it's hard to beat.
"The PBC forum has 10 times the topics and posts of of all the other charcoal grills."
Yes. However, a lot of that is due to the fact that it's a new gadget that owners are both excited about and are still experimenting with trying to figure it out.
Regardless, I am completely confident you will love the PBC - the other pit members who have it are very happy with it.
Congrats! I look forward to reading about your future cooks on it and viewing pics.
No doubt the post totals are larger due to the newness of the cooker. I kinda figured that much. I was just hoping that it might eliminate some of the initial guess work.
Retired high school teacher and principal
Dr ROK - Rider of Kawasaki &/or rock and roll fan
Yoder 640 on Husker themed comp cart
Cookshack Smokette smoker
Antique refrigerator smoker
Weber 22 1/2" kettle w/ GrillGrates AND Slow and Sear
Rec Tec Mini Portable Tailgater w/ GrillGrates
Plenty of GrillGrates
Uuni wood pellet oven, first generation
Roccbox Pizza Oven
Meater Block
"Go Big Red" Thermopen instant read thermometer
Ultrafast instant read thermometer
CDN quick read thermometer
Maverick ET-732 thermometer
Maverick ET-735 thermometer
Tru-Temp wireless thermometer
Infrared thermometer (Mainly use for pizza on the Uuni and Roccbox)
Beverages - Is there really anything other than Guinness? Oh yeah, I forgot about tequila!
PBC is a great backyard cooker (not to be confused with smoker). Most folks complain about not getting that deep smokey flavor. Well it's not a smoker.
So it uses charcoal, you can throw chunks of wood on it for smoke flavor, and it holds temps close to 225 for extended periods of time. How is this not a smoker?
Dr ROK You know how folks talk about BBQing when they're actually grilling? It's a grey area. LOL!
PBC just wants to cook. It doesn't want to smoke (low and slow) or grill.
el duderino, i know you've already made your choice and I agree with it. I started on a COS and then spent too much money on expensive smokers/gassers/etc etc. I am down to a Weber Performer and a PBC, it's all I need for the daily dinners and the large bbqs (I threw a big one on my bday last year, first one I didn't have catered, did it all myself and if it weren't for this forum, I would've had some trouble) being in Pittsburgh, my only feedback would be to watch out for external humidity. I have no Blonder science to back up my statement but on the overly humid western PA days the PBC can difficult. Maybe it's because of lack of air movement as the extra moisture makes the air heavy? On low humidity, normal spring/summer/fall days, I drop in 2 5lbs butts in the AM, go back to sleep for 2 hrs, play 18 holes of golf, come home and dinner is ready. Just do your due diligence as you would with any new cooker and after a few runs, you'll have it mastered.
Last edited by pittkappasig; May 8, 2015, 11:34 PM.
Not a and sauturday routine my friend, not bad at all. I love the fact that you can leave for long periods of time and she just keeps on truckin'
It's interesting that you mention the humidity being a factor. I have yet to use mine in any amount of humidity. We get some really humid summers here in Minnesota with all the lakes and wetlands, so I'll be interested to see how she performs.
So I actually purchased the PBC today. A couple of neat things.........
1. Bought the cooker from the PBC web-site versus Amazon.......low and behold no sales tax.
2. Because I'm prior military, the PBC folks will affix a different placard denoting the United States Air Force.
3. Because I identified myself as prior military, a portion of the proceeds from the sale are directed to Folds of Honor.....a group benefitting the families of fallen US service men and women.
I was happy to purchase before, now I'm very happy to do business with this company.
They're a great company. if you have a question or want to bounce something off them technique-wise, the phone number went to Noah's cell. I don't know if it's still the same because they have grown quite a bit but they are fantastic. Definitely nihilists, dude.
Right on brother! I did the same thing - well, i dropped hints and left the web site up on my laptop at home since my birthday is coming up, so my family did the same thing as my proxy! Heh heh heh... I can't WAIT for this to arrive.
So I think that most people who have both a Weber and a PBC probably got the Weber first, and in most cases have had it for years before buying a PBC. I think this makes us forget how much fiddling and learning curve there was with the Weber! I *love* my PBC for a lot of reasons, but the “set it and forget it†is the best part. It does what it says it does, straight out of the box- no seasoning, no fiddling, no nothin’. The only con that I do agree with is less grate space- but you can probably hack it to add a second grate if you wanted to.
A huge pro for me is the company behind the PBC. This thing is American-made, the company goes out of its way to hire veterans, and they stand behind their product. And it is solid as all get out- powder coated, horseshoe handles, just super-duper nice- I vehemently disagree that you can make one yourself for cheaper, cause there's no way your homemade one will be half as awesome as the PBC. The Weber is thin metal, made in China, mass produced, AND (IMO) requires several hacks and DIY upgrades to reach its full potential (adding handles, adding sand to the water bowl, adding a gasket to the lid, adding a thicker door). I am absolutely thrilled to be able to spend money on a product made by a company that seriously cares about the quality of their products and the happiness of their customers.
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