Continue To Find Ways

[Troutman]

Well I've listened to you PBC guys go on and on ad nauseum about hanging ribs and how good they are. Now I have no doubt that anything hanging, dripping grease and fat onto a charcoal fire, will produce some tasty results. So as an owner of that "other" bullet/barrel type cooker, the Weber Smokey Mountain, I decided to convert my 18.5" unit into a PBC to find out for myself.

Interestingly enough, over the years I've used these cookers to of course smoke tons of meat, grill like a Santa Maria cooker and sear steaks as well as any of my kettles. I'm one of those guys that ditched the water pan years ago and go direct fire to the grate, so why not buy a hangar kit and turn the thing into a Pit Barrel Cooker. So I ordered one with the hooks from the Gateway Drum Folks and threw a bunch of beef and pork ribs in there to see what this hanger craze was all about. Look familiar ???



Not knowing what the exact method to my madness was I ran the thing fan controlled to 275* (rock steady as normal) with a few chunks of cherry wood like I normally do on grates. Typically I can get beef ribs done in 2-3 hours and pork ribs to temp in 2 1/2 to 3 hours then a 1 hour wrap in paper. I spritzed with apple juice every hour.

One thing I noticed right away was this setup produced a ton of smoke. Practically had to wear a gas mask to do my sprizing. Secondly I noticed things really cooking fast. Started at 3pm on Sunday afternoon thinking ribs at about 7ish. Well within about 2 1/2 hours the beef back ribs were done, didn't want them to overcook so I pulled them and stuck them in a warm oven. The pork ribs weren't far behind, pulled them at the 4 hour mark, no wrapping no nothin'.

The verdict? Well the general consensus was mixed in my house. My ribs generally speaking are nowhere near this smokey so some liked it, others did not. I thought they tasted great, especially the beef back ribs. All had nice bite through and still plenty tender and juicy. But I'm kind of on the fence overall. I've spent a lot of time cooking ribs on my pellet cooker and my kettles to get them just the way I like them. This might take a little more of a learning curve. Different but definitely good. Guess I'm on to hanging chicken quarters next, the other thing you PBCers rave about.

All in all the WSM is truly a versatile and fun cooker, especially when you find different ways to use it !!!

[HawkerXP]

PBC, PBC, PBC, Pbc, p..................

[Troutman]

I figured I'd hear from you PBC boo birds. Looks like I out PBC'd the PBC

[HawkerXP]

Ha! We PBC folks don't need to spritz anything in the PBC. Cause we cook in a fog...

[Henrik]

Alright, I like this type of post! Venturing into the (kind of) unknown. I think it looks really cool, and the photos of the food makes me drool. Interesting about the smokiness. I guess the next cook should be without any wood chunks at all, to go full PBC style on that meat? Seems like you should get less smoke, but also a different type of smoke flavor (from the drippings).

[Dewesq55]

I really like hanging ribs in my propane cabinet. I leave the water pan in. I have no issues with premature doneness or excessive smokiness. My only issue now is coming up with a reasonable way to hang them in my new Thermatemp which doesn't have the same rack system as my old one which allowed me to hang a fat threaded rod across the top rack holding bracket. I'm probably going to have to modify the inside of the cabinet, which makes me a little nervous on a brand new unit.

[Huskee]

I don't prefer the taste of ribs hung over the coals, it tastes too grilled to me. However chicken...mmm...chicken is just amazing that way in my opinion.

[Steve R.]

Totally agree. In fact, based on my one visit to Rendezvous in Memphis, I think their ribs taste very similar to those cooked in a PBC.

[Troutman]

Yea the ribs were really good but not as good as the ones I smoke. As for chicken, that's next for my new rig !!

[RonB]

Great lookin' cook.

[Arsenlael]

So, this begs the question on UDS in general...how does one control the amount of smoke but keep the temp running properly? I have a PBC...got it because I wanted, and prefer, more smoke flavoring. But I'm struck by the "need a gasmask" comment because often (but not always) the smoke seems...dare I say it...out of control.

[Red Man]

The thing about heavy smoke in the PBC, in my short experience with it...in the beginning of the cook the smoke is light with no charcoal smell, just wood. Much more thin and blue than my kettle. The PBC fog starts once the meat starts dripping, this is what gives PBC food it’s unique "grilled" flavor. I feel like food cooked on my kettle tastes much smokier than on my PBC. The PBC heavy smoke isn’t from wood or charcoal, it’s vaporizing drippings and doesn’t leave a smoky taste.

[Arsenlael]

Yes, I'm all for the hang. But I have to say that what I see and refer to really does seem more like an acrid cloud of charcoal smoke rather than a delicious fog of taste. OP specifically refers to a cloud of smoke as well. I'm wondering if I'm not opened up enough to burn clean or what.

For what it's worth, prior to buying the PBC, I used an AmazinTube on my Traeger just to get the cook to taste like ANY kind of smoke at all.

[FireMan]

Nuthin like a little enginuity & adaptabillatea! Cool! You might be on the fence with it all, but they look fantastic. 🕶

[Dadof3Illinois]

Great post!!! I tend to agree somewhat, that's why I wrap the majority of the time if I'm using the PBC a and have figured out I shouldn't add much if any wood. But hanging seems to create a really nice even bark for me.