Considering PBC -

[N227GB]

Maybe this walkthrough from OKJ will help some people:

https://youtu.be/0raNDMLvib8

He mentions it’s all 12 gauge steel and 140lbs.

Thanks for that!

Here are some things I like:

• The Kevlar gasket that allows temp probe wire to pass through without getting pinched. Threading wires through the PBC rebar holes can get them dirty with "gunk", but then I've stopped worrying about temp fluctuations when cooking ribs ,so not a big deal most of the time. Might even start to do chicken that way.

• The cup on the bottom to collect grease. It's not an ongoing problem ,but one time my PBC leaked a few drops on the pavement. It was marking its place.

• The indicator marks on the intake and chimney are a nice touch. If I still had my offset ,I would probably make this mod.

• Real wheels! My offset had these stupid little plastic wheels, and they hated the gravel driveway at my place up north.

• The notched handle on the charcoal basket. My first few cooks ,I used a crowbar for lifting ,and I was always worried about the basket tipping. But now I use a large set of pliers which are also great for moving the rebars.

Somethings not to like:

• It's not portable. I can tie down the PBCjr lid with a bungee cord and throw it in the trunk of the Challenger or under the hatch of the Corvette, just put a sheet of used cardboard down from the recycling dumpster. Speaking of Vettes, I had a chance to preview the new mid-engine last fall. The only cooker traveling in that thing will be a WSJ.

• The diffuser plate seems like it's solving a problem the PBC does not have. I made a homemade diffuser plate for my WSJ and have done a whole slab of BBs in the WSJ, so I get the concept.

• The enamel coating and the lip on the charcoal basket. I let the coals burn out in the PBC at home, but when I'm cooking at my office, I dump them out in a galvanized bucket that goes under the faucet out back. I don't leave anything outside overnight. It's easy to grab the straight wall of the PBC with pliers, but I'd be afraid of damaging the enamel on the Bronco.

Conclusion:

I understand the Bronco can do a good job grilling, but I know some here have modded their PBC with a second set of bolts to hold the grate to get closer to the coals. I'm never grilling for more than 2, so the WSJ is perfect. I'm on my third one in 25 years, so I kinda have the hang of it. If you want to grill with charcoal, get a Weber kettle. The market penetration is so deep that a wide range of accessories has been developed that takes it to the next level, like the SNS.

I'm not an engineer, but I've been directly involved in product development for both consumer and industrial products for over 30 years. We have some excellent engineering and industrial design team members. I appreciate a good, elegant, simple design that has high performance. The PBC has it going on.

There's something more fundamental here as well. There is a primal satisfaction of using the PBC. I don't begrudge people that add vents, electronic controlled blowers or use multiple temp probes and chart them in Excel. Go for it! I've been doing the Paleo eating lifestyle for eight years and full-time intermittent fasting for almost a year (note that females don't get the same results with IF). So what could be more Paleo that hanging a slab of meat over some hot coals, not messing with controls or vents, and kicking back for a few hours?

[Uncle Bob]

I just put a gauge on the Bronco coal basket, it's 14ga plus the porcelain. As for worrying about pliers damaging the basket, no need for the pliers, they supply a functional bail hook to lift the basket out.

I get the charm of modding a piece of equipment to "get more out of it", I've been a hot rodder for 58 years...….…...it's my thing too. That being said, it is slightly humorous to read the folks from the Cult of PBC talk about how it's such a good blah, blah, and list their mods.

[HawkerXP]

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it but I have a PBC. FishTalesNC Other then the ash plate and a couple of bricks that's it for mods. I am not cooking massive amounts at any one time. Today was 4 wacks of Costcow wibs, St Louie style. 3 hours. Since I keep my Black Beauty in the garage and use different areas of my yard depending on weather, hauling 140 lbs is out of the question for my old a**. Uncle Bob But as we say, cook on brothers / sisters on whatever you want!

[FishTalesNC]

You’re absolutely right, portability is a huge issue for the Bronco. I do not want to be lugging it around! Will likely pickup a PBC JR some day for camping, tailgating, etc.

[hogdog6]

Being part of the "PBC Cult". I can say no mods done or needed. Don't try to control it just light it correctly and let it run. It's almost set and forget. I run no probes just look once in a while look for smoke coming from the rebar holes. Temp the meat now and again until it's done. Everybody is always happy. So will you if you decide the PBC is right for you.

[fzxdoc]

As others have said: PBC--a simple guy that does its job. And does it well. No frills, except that putting it on a barrel caster rig has made it so easy to move around the deck. There's something elegant about well-thought-out simplicity. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Kathryn

[Spinaker]

I have a few PBCs, I love them. They cook better the more you use them. The more gunk that is built up in the barrel and under the lid, the better.

Like, Kathryn said, it is simple and it does its job. You can just set it up and let it go for the most part. One thing I will say is that you want to make sure you are adding hot coals to the coal bed and let those coals take.

I have never really noticed that the temps are too high for ribs. It usually runs at about 275 F and the ribs come out fantastic. I love the flavor, and you can fit a ton of ribs in there for the foot print. I use mine all the time when I am working outdoors. Ribs to feed the camp is a huge hit!

I love that you can use Kingsford. It is sold everywhere, it is consistent.

Things I don't like about it........the grate is pretty worthless when it comes to grilling. I have used it for that a few times, but it is not ideal. There is not a ton of room to flip meats and it does a poor job of searing. That being said, I have plenty of other ways to grill, so this is pretty much a non-issue.

The second thing is the lid, you often have trouble keeping the temps down at first because the lid does not seal well until you get a few cooks under the lid. I just add some weight to the lid and it seals up tight.

Every cooker has its advantages and disadvantages, you just have to figure out what works best for you.

[Uncle Bob]

For all that I enjoy poking the PBC bears (no...……..I'm not twisted, just an iconoclast) I do think it does a nice job of what it is capable of. And as I've said elsewhere there are some good operating tips to be gleaned from the enthusiasts of it. Nuance doesn't come over easily on the webs unless accompanied by excruciating presentation that stunts the intended message. It does appear that most of the devout enthusiasts who enjoy more success using the PBC are accomplished outdoor cooks with other pieces of equipment at hand to switch too for cooks of a different sort. The "let it do it's thing" mantra works where it works (profound, eh?), but many who espouse that pov are also big fans of Fireboard/DigiQ/Thermoworks/etc......……...which would imply that there are also times when control really does matter.

For the experienced cooks the PBC is a good addition to their tool inventory, but to return to the premise of a less experienced outdoor cook coming from, most likely, a gasser the PBC might not be as satisfying. Which is largely my point, and I suspect FishTalesNC shares this, in extolling the wider range of capabilities of the Bronco. For the "noob" branching out to embrace charcoal cooking he/she would get the benefits offered by a small barrel, as well as the adaptability for grilling/searing, and the security/peace of mind of being able to control a wider range of temperatures with a more reasonable expectation of success. Yeah, you can (especially the more experienced you are) fiddle with the PBC to come closer to all the things a Bronco can do out of the box, but you'll incur greater cost in both time and money and maybe experimenting. Not that that is bad, as long as the reader understands that ahead of time. It's a human thing to cheer for your favorite jersey color, no problem there, it's just interesting from an educational standpoint to lay out the realities of the evaluation process. Something this forum excels at don't you think?

BTW;...………..OJB, OJB, OJB

[FishTalesNC]

Well said Uncle Bob, and I hope in the process I haven't come off as the jackass I can be at times... or most times... depending on if my wife has anything to say about it! I'm thrilled to be able to cook on my old PBC when I visit my parents, but happier still I replaced it with my OJB at home.

[BFlynn]

This forum is great! Appreciate all the input and advice!
There is certainly a lot of good things to learn here.

Jerod has generally offered to let me try his PBC out. I'm thinking for this first cook I'm going to start with 2 racks of ribs and 3 lb chuckie. Partly bc they should both be 3-5 hrs, and partly bc they were both on sale at the grocery this week. Will definitely post results and thoughts.

I think the PBC is going to cook how I want it to. The real test is if the wife is happy with the results.

[Uncle Bob]

I saw Jerrod's generous offer, can't beat that deal with a stick. Had he not done that I was going to mention my BHC for sale. Now that Brother Glanville has purchased BHC it can't be long before a PBC 2.0 (or whatever he calls it) will be introduced with the improvements offered by the dreaded cousin . A chance for someone to get ahead of the future offering. Hmmmmm, maybe I should advertise that way...………………..

[Alabama Smoke]

As an experienced PBC owner/user I think your ribs as well as your chuckie will be "done" within that time frame. Your ribs will likely also be "ready". Personally my experience with chuck is that it will be done but likely not "ready". The roast will be done when internal reaches 145* but is will be tough as leather most likely at that temp. The tenderness will tell when its ready. I think your roast will be ready when its around 195-200 if slicing. Pulling, about 205. Cambro 2 hrs min.

[N227GB]

Chuckies turn out amazing in the PBC! I've stopped doing briskets.

[Renegador]

When you get around to a brisket to appease the wife, you'll have to give us an update on how that goes as well! I'm a fellow Houstonian trying hard to resist the urge to purchase a PBC and am rather curious how a brisket will fare between the PBC's already higher temps + Houston summer heat!

[Alabama Smoke]

Place the PBC on the shady side of the house! It might not affect your brisket, but it will darn sure affect you!

[BFlynn]

When you get around to a brisket to appease the wife, you'll have to give us an update on how that goes as well! I'm a fellow Houstonian trying hard to resist the urge to purchase a PBC and am rather curious how a brisket will fare between the PBC's already higher temps + Houston summer heat!

Will keep ya posted.

Maybe the Houston humidity will keep all the meat moist.

[N227GB]

I'm a fellow Houstonian trying hard to resist the urge to purchase a PBC and am rather curious how a brisket will fare between the PBC's already higher temps + Houston summer heat!

Welcome to the Pit! I'm in a tropical climate and my PBC turns out awesome results here in the Gulf Coast of Florida. Chuckies are a bigger favorite more than brisket here. I've found that hanging the smaller, more marbled, cuts really excel in the PBC. Check out this thread.

Not to say I couldn't turn out great brisket, just found a new favorite.

[Renegador]

That is going high on the list of things to try out as soon as I pick up a PBC. Have you tried simply leaving it in the PBC wrapped for the last portion of the cook instead of switching to the oven and if so did it dry out too much?

[N227GB]

Sorry, I linked to the wrong thread. Here's the one:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/beef-steak-brisket-roasts-prime-rib-etc/54754-chuck-roast-on-the-pit-barrel-cooker

Most of the time I use my PBC at my office since I have a better area for rain protection in the tropical climate here. I have a small kitchen area but no oven, so I finish in a faux cambro. Also makes it easy to transport home.

[BFlynn]

Renegador
I'm neither a PBC expert nor a brisket master, but I turned out a pretty decent brisket last week on the PBC. If you're in Houston and want to see the PBC in action, we can work that out.

[King Crimson]

I would recommend the PBC all day long. I am cooking up some ribs right now in fact. Be sure and get the ash pan, cover, grate with the side that flips down, and the corn/veggie/sausage accessories. Worth every penny, and if you just follow the tips from the good folks on this forum you will eat like a King!