New member considering a PBC

[Dr ROK]

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?

[JeffJ]

"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.

[Spinaker]

Well said. Ernest

[Ernest]

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.

[Spinaker]

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.

Welcome to the family!!!


Pics when you get it.

[Spinaker]

I don't own a WSM. But I would think that the WSM could do almost everything a PBC can. I got the PBC in a toss up between the WSM. Fewer moving parts. IMO. However, when you go to the rack with the PBC, the WSM's capacity blows the PBC out of the water. That is the only thing I could think of. But Ernest (the Zen God of food pics) has both and he would be able to shed more light on this I am sure.

[Spinaker]

What about the dogs man?!? TheHoff43

[TheBigLebowski]

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:

Pit Barrel Cooker (226/3,499) Kettle Cookers (15/299) Kamado Cookers (24/280) Bullet Smokers (28/507)

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.

[TheBigLebowski]

Those pics are porknography for sure.....

[mtford72]

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.

[JeffJ]

People rave about the PBC (I've never cooked on one or eaten anything from one). I have a 14.5" WSM that I got for Christmas and have done a few cooks on it. The food turned out absolutely amazing. You really can't go wrong with either one. I will say this though, the WSM has a water bowl and when water is used it creates a more humid cooking environment than the PBC, although the PBC is plenty humid due to minimal air flowing through it. Also keep in mind, everything except ribs eventually have to go to the grate. If you are doing a butt or a brisket for a really long cook and end up having to add coals you will have to remove the grate in order to do so whereas the WSM you have a charcoal door.

Given how people on this site rave about the PBC I am confident that if you purchased one you'd be very satisfied with it.

[cdd315]

1buba, you could make your own PBC for a fraction of what it would cost to buy one! I made a couple UDS's out of 45 imp. gal. barrels. I think I have $125 into each of them.

[1buba]

Due to cost of shipping anything up here, i was looking real seriously at the PBC. Long story, but couldn't get one here, so i ended up with an 18" WSM at Home Depot (and they wouldn't ship a 22 to the store for me either).

Anyway, i'm thrilled with the WSM, and I'm curious (due to the options of cooking methods with the WSM) what the pro's would be with a PBC. I'd still love to have one, i just can't see that it would do anything i can't with the WSM.

[TheBigLebowski]

Good luck with the shoulder. All this talk about smoking and meat, I've decided to do some pulled pork for Sunday on the kettle.

[TheHoff43]

I'm very new at this smoking/BBQ thing. My coworker who commented in this thread recommended the PBC and my first cook was a chicken. Spatchcock method. It was some of the best chicken I've ever had. Its just my fiance and I so the amount of food I can cook on it is plenty. Took about 10 minutes to set-up and roughly 2 hours to cook the chicken. Was really easy and pretty much managed itself aside from temperature checks.

As I said, I'm very new to this but I can't imagine something being easier to use. Planning to cook a pork shoulder this weekend and am hoping for similar results to my chicken.