Hello, all.
I recently acquired a Pit Barrel Cooker. After reading numerous comments about member experiences with the PBC here on the forum, I thought I would share my first experience. (This a long post, as I have detailed my "process.")
On Father’s Day 2020, I decided to cook some Pork Spareribs using the PBC. To start, I decided I would try to stay as close to the manufacturer’s instructions as possible, with as little "added technique" as possible. (All temperature references are Fahrenheit.)
THE MEAT:
As far as meat preparation, I had two pork spareribs purchased at a local grocery, that weighed about 5.5 lbs. each. I initially trimmed the ribs and applied Morton’s Kosher salt and placed the ribs back in the refrigerator for two hours. Just before placing the ribs on the hooks, I coated them in the PBC Beef and Game Rub. I did not use any mustard, honey, or other sauce at this point, as the rub adhered to the meat quite well without any sauce. Since my two ribs were quite long (approx. 22 inches), I cut them in half to avoid having meat laying on top of the charcoal.
THE COOKER:
The instructions say to set the intake air flow opening based on altitude. I am at about 2,060 feet above sea level. The instructions indicate 1/4 open for 0 – 2000 ft., and 1/2 open for 2000 – 5000 ft. That puts me right at the high end of the lower setting, and the low end of the higher setting. Since I was just over 2000 ft., and I had seen some posts indicating people were having problems with the cooker being starved for air, I set it to the 1/2 open setting to start.
THE PROCESS:
I loaded the charcoal basket with Kingsford Original Blue Bag charcoal. Then, I counted out 40 briquettes (roughly 1/4 of the total amount of charcoal.) I placed those in to the PBC Starter Chimney (purchased with the PBC). I placed one of the same waxed square fire starters that I use with my Big Green Egg on the grate, lit it, and placed the chimney starter on top of it.
The manufacturer indicates that it should take about 12 minutes for the charcoal to start and become covered in white ash. It took about twice as long for my charcoal to reach that stage. (I attribute that to using a different, and smaller starter source.) Rather than try to use time as a reference, I did wait until the charcoal in the chimney starter was all covered with white ash. At that point, I emptied the hot coals from the chimney starter evenly on top of the unlit charcoal in the charcoal basket.
Next, I inserted the hanging bars into the cooker, and added my ribs via hanging hooks. I also put two temperature probes into the cooker… one into the thickest part of one of the ribs, and the other just hanging in the cooker a few inches below the hanging bar. Those probes were then connected to my external digital thermometer monitor. This allowed me to monitor the internal temperature of the meat, as well as the ambient temperature inside the cooker. Then, again following the manufacturer’s instructions, I placed the lid on the cooker.
Initially, the ambient temperature inside the cooker started climbing steadily, as was to be expected. The temperature rose to a little over 260â°, but then started to fall rather quickly. My assumption was that the unlit charcoal had not yet sufficiently started, and the coals were beginning to cool. I opened the lid and slid it to one side to allow about a 2-inch gap. Temperatures inside the cooker soon started to rise. I left the lid partially open for about 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reached roughly 290 degrees.
NOTE: During this "lid partially open" phase, it seemed to me that the cooker was heating up more rapidly then I would have desired. Therefore, I adjusted the air intake setting downward from 1/2 open to 1/4 open. This seemed to slow the "heat up" process a bit. (Other than that, adjusting the opening in small increments between 1/2 and 1/4 open had little effect on the temperature in the cooker once the lid was fully closed.) Once the lid was fully closed after the initial startup, I resisted the urge to check on the progress of the meat, and I did not open the lid again until I was ready to remove the ribs to add barbeque sauce.
The manufacturer states that the cooker should run from 275â° to 310â° if their instructions are followed. My first thought was that the cooker would maintain a steady temperature within that range, depending upon the setting of the air intake opening. But again, once initially adjusted, I did not change the air intake setting during the cook.
I watched the temperature closely during the next 3-1/2 hours. The internal temperature of the cooker initially rose to about 307â°, and then fell back to an average of about 295â° for the first hour. (I use an "average" temperature reference, as I noted that the temperature could fluctuate by about 5â° above or below that average point. I assume that part of this variance is due to fat and juices dripping on to the coals, varying the temperature a bit.) The average temperature inside the cooker during the second hour was about 285â°. The average temperature inside the cooker during the third hour was about 275â°. The temperature of the meat climbed at a stable rate over those same periods.
By the 3-1/2 hour point, the internal temperature of the meat was 296â°. At that time, I opened the cooker, removed the ribs, and put the lid back on the cooker. I was pleased to see that the meat had a lovely bark. I applied barbeque sauce to three of the four ribs, and then opened the cooker, hung the ribs back on the hanging bars, and once again closed the lid.
After a few minutes, the cooker came back up to about 265â°. I left the ribs in the cooker for another 30 minutes, and then removed them. The internal temperature of the meat was a little over 200â°. The ribs were cut into individual ribs and served. They garnered great reviews from the family, who enthusiastically support the idea of further adventures in barbequed ribs on the PBC!
What I found interesting was that during the cook, the internal temperature of the cooker ranged from 275â° to nearly 310â°, which is right in line with the manufacturer’s claim. But rather than finding a temperature in that range and staying there for the whole cook as I had expected, it appears to vary depending upon the consumption rate of the charcoal. I also had a total cook time of 4 hours, which was also right in line with the manufacturer’s general estimate.
Another thing that I have learned is that the "set it and forget it" approach to this cooker seems to be correct. Unlike my BGE, which I expect to be able to get to a very specific temperature and then hold it there, the PBC’s design causes temperature to fluctuate up and down, within a range of about + or – 5 degrees. If I had been constantly adjusting the air intake to hold a specific temperature, I believe I would have been very frustrated and would have had a much less successful cook!
So, there are the results of my first foray into the World of the PBC. Hopefully, what I encountered will be of help to others. And of course, if anyone sees things in my "process" that could be improved, I gladly welcome your comments! This was my first-time cooking ribs, and my first time using the PBC. The outcome was very good, but I know that there is still a lot to learn, and my goal is to get better and better, until I can cook… AmazingRibs!
Cheers!
I recently acquired a Pit Barrel Cooker. After reading numerous comments about member experiences with the PBC here on the forum, I thought I would share my first experience. (This a long post, as I have detailed my "process.")
On Father’s Day 2020, I decided to cook some Pork Spareribs using the PBC. To start, I decided I would try to stay as close to the manufacturer’s instructions as possible, with as little "added technique" as possible. (All temperature references are Fahrenheit.)
THE MEAT:
As far as meat preparation, I had two pork spareribs purchased at a local grocery, that weighed about 5.5 lbs. each. I initially trimmed the ribs and applied Morton’s Kosher salt and placed the ribs back in the refrigerator for two hours. Just before placing the ribs on the hooks, I coated them in the PBC Beef and Game Rub. I did not use any mustard, honey, or other sauce at this point, as the rub adhered to the meat quite well without any sauce. Since my two ribs were quite long (approx. 22 inches), I cut them in half to avoid having meat laying on top of the charcoal.
THE COOKER:
The instructions say to set the intake air flow opening based on altitude. I am at about 2,060 feet above sea level. The instructions indicate 1/4 open for 0 – 2000 ft., and 1/2 open for 2000 – 5000 ft. That puts me right at the high end of the lower setting, and the low end of the higher setting. Since I was just over 2000 ft., and I had seen some posts indicating people were having problems with the cooker being starved for air, I set it to the 1/2 open setting to start.
THE PROCESS:
I loaded the charcoal basket with Kingsford Original Blue Bag charcoal. Then, I counted out 40 briquettes (roughly 1/4 of the total amount of charcoal.) I placed those in to the PBC Starter Chimney (purchased with the PBC). I placed one of the same waxed square fire starters that I use with my Big Green Egg on the grate, lit it, and placed the chimney starter on top of it.
The manufacturer indicates that it should take about 12 minutes for the charcoal to start and become covered in white ash. It took about twice as long for my charcoal to reach that stage. (I attribute that to using a different, and smaller starter source.) Rather than try to use time as a reference, I did wait until the charcoal in the chimney starter was all covered with white ash. At that point, I emptied the hot coals from the chimney starter evenly on top of the unlit charcoal in the charcoal basket.
Next, I inserted the hanging bars into the cooker, and added my ribs via hanging hooks. I also put two temperature probes into the cooker… one into the thickest part of one of the ribs, and the other just hanging in the cooker a few inches below the hanging bar. Those probes were then connected to my external digital thermometer monitor. This allowed me to monitor the internal temperature of the meat, as well as the ambient temperature inside the cooker. Then, again following the manufacturer’s instructions, I placed the lid on the cooker.
Initially, the ambient temperature inside the cooker started climbing steadily, as was to be expected. The temperature rose to a little over 260â°, but then started to fall rather quickly. My assumption was that the unlit charcoal had not yet sufficiently started, and the coals were beginning to cool. I opened the lid and slid it to one side to allow about a 2-inch gap. Temperatures inside the cooker soon started to rise. I left the lid partially open for about 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reached roughly 290 degrees.
NOTE: During this "lid partially open" phase, it seemed to me that the cooker was heating up more rapidly then I would have desired. Therefore, I adjusted the air intake setting downward from 1/2 open to 1/4 open. This seemed to slow the "heat up" process a bit. (Other than that, adjusting the opening in small increments between 1/2 and 1/4 open had little effect on the temperature in the cooker once the lid was fully closed.) Once the lid was fully closed after the initial startup, I resisted the urge to check on the progress of the meat, and I did not open the lid again until I was ready to remove the ribs to add barbeque sauce.
The manufacturer states that the cooker should run from 275â° to 310â° if their instructions are followed. My first thought was that the cooker would maintain a steady temperature within that range, depending upon the setting of the air intake opening. But again, once initially adjusted, I did not change the air intake setting during the cook.
I watched the temperature closely during the next 3-1/2 hours. The internal temperature of the cooker initially rose to about 307â°, and then fell back to an average of about 295â° for the first hour. (I use an "average" temperature reference, as I noted that the temperature could fluctuate by about 5â° above or below that average point. I assume that part of this variance is due to fat and juices dripping on to the coals, varying the temperature a bit.) The average temperature inside the cooker during the second hour was about 285â°. The average temperature inside the cooker during the third hour was about 275â°. The temperature of the meat climbed at a stable rate over those same periods.
By the 3-1/2 hour point, the internal temperature of the meat was 296â°. At that time, I opened the cooker, removed the ribs, and put the lid back on the cooker. I was pleased to see that the meat had a lovely bark. I applied barbeque sauce to three of the four ribs, and then opened the cooker, hung the ribs back on the hanging bars, and once again closed the lid.
After a few minutes, the cooker came back up to about 265â°. I left the ribs in the cooker for another 30 minutes, and then removed them. The internal temperature of the meat was a little over 200â°. The ribs were cut into individual ribs and served. They garnered great reviews from the family, who enthusiastically support the idea of further adventures in barbequed ribs on the PBC!
What I found interesting was that during the cook, the internal temperature of the cooker ranged from 275â° to nearly 310â°, which is right in line with the manufacturer’s claim. But rather than finding a temperature in that range and staying there for the whole cook as I had expected, it appears to vary depending upon the consumption rate of the charcoal. I also had a total cook time of 4 hours, which was also right in line with the manufacturer’s general estimate.
Another thing that I have learned is that the "set it and forget it" approach to this cooker seems to be correct. Unlike my BGE, which I expect to be able to get to a very specific temperature and then hold it there, the PBC’s design causes temperature to fluctuate up and down, within a range of about + or – 5 degrees. If I had been constantly adjusting the air intake to hold a specific temperature, I believe I would have been very frustrated and would have had a much less successful cook!
So, there are the results of my first foray into the World of the PBC. Hopefully, what I encountered will be of help to others. And of course, if anyone sees things in my "process" that could be improved, I gladly welcome your comments! This was my first-time cooking ribs, and my first time using the PBC. The outcome was very good, but I know that there is still a lot to learn, and my goal is to get better and better, until I can cook… AmazingRibs!
Cheers!
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