Low and slow on PK Grill?

[radshop]

I finally made the switch from propane back to charcoal with the purchase of a PK Grill a few months ago. There is a lot of stuff online - reviews, videos, etc. - about smoking in the PK. I've had great success using it as a 2-zone grill, but not as a smoker. And the videos I've seen don't give me enough info to understand what I'm doing wrong.

My go-to on the propane smoker is pulled pork. So I know what type of outcome I'm going for. With the PK, I set up the charcoal basket about half full with briquettes, then I start a chimney and add them - so one side is lit and slowly spreads to the other side. With the vent below the charcoal open and the offset vent partially open, that stabilizes at around 250F and I put the meat on with some wood chunks. All good for the first several hours. Then the ash seems to start blocking airflow and things cool down even though not all of the briquettes are burned - opening the vents more doesn't seem to help. Then I spend several hours in a cycle of trying to get back to a stable temp, but never quite getting there. Meanwhile, the stall hits and lasts forever. Eventually, the meat has been at 175 internal temp for about 2 hours. It's not pulled pork, but its edible. The bark and outer layers are really good, actually. The inside can be sliced, chopped for chili, etc. so it's not a total loss at all. But it's far short of my expectations. And I've had this exact same thing happen several times now. I've tried starting with a little less charcoal, a little more charcoal, more airflow, less airflow... I'm stumped.

I'm sure the problem is me, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any help? Since I've been away from charcoal for 20+ years, there's a lot I have to learn. Even if I do eventually switch back to the propane smoker, I hate to give up without cracking this nut, since it appears that others have great success smoking on the PK.

[billg71]

Try it without the basket. I don't smoke on my PK but I've noticed my reverse sear coals cool down quicker with the basket than with the coals just on the grate. I also cover the other half of the coal grate with HD foil, then I can open the other bottom vent and the air will get directed towards the coals.

There's not a lot of air inlet in the PK so I can see where it could be a little tricky to maintain a low'n'slow cook. There are other members here who do it, though, maybe they'll chime in. Have you checked the rest of the Charcoal forum? I seem to remember some good posts on the PK.

HTH,
Bill

[Mr. Bones]

For starters, I don't have a PKG (yet), BUT...
I smoke on a very wide variety of cookers, most of which were never designed to do so. (See my sig)
It sounds to me like you have already answered your own question...
You seem to have identified th' culprit: ash blocking airflow...
In your shoes, I reckon I would pull th' meat, an' cookin' grate off, at that point, an' clear th' ashes out...then, resume smokin'; mebbe add some coals as needed.
Prob take mebbe >~couple minutes...
Hope this is of some assistance!
Smoke On!!!

[rototiller78]

Totally agree w/ Mr. Bones. What 2 things does fire need? Fuel and air...

[bten]

When I used to smoke on a PK grill years ago, I did not use a basket. I just put the coals on one side over a vent. I put a water pan under the meat on the other side. I never had problems with air flow, I just had to add charcoal and smoking wood occasionally. I opened the vent under the coals and the one over the meat on the opposite end.

The vent over the coals was closed, as well as the vent under the water pan.

Back then, I didn't use thermometers, I would just open the vent over the meat to where it "looked right". I could not tell you what that was, I just wanted to see an even smoke come out the top of the grill.

[radshop]

Thanks for the input - I guess I will definitely try without the coal basket and keep working at it.

[Mr. Bones]

You Got This!!!
Jus' be patient, scientific, analytical. Fer' a few seconds, at a time...
THEN, Have Fun Cookin'!!!:

[70monte]

Which charcoal basket are you using? I have not smoked anything on my classic PK grill except a pork tenderloin and that only took a little over an hour. I have cooked ribs on my PK 360 using a PK charcoal basket and I had no issues keeping the temps at around 250 for about 4 hrs. I started my coals with about 20 lit coals and the rest of the basket were unlit. I have not had any problems with ash blocking the holes on the PK charcoal basket. Maybe try a different basket or no basket as suggested. Smoking can be done on these grills as seen by the ton of youtube videos that are out there.

[RlsRls]

I've been reading some old postings about PK coal baskets (any mfg). I can't seem to find a consensus whether they help retain/control heat or hurt. I just bought the PK 360 ash basket from the Burn Shop,(snake version).Not a big fan! Used it a few times and now it's in my shed! It's very heavy , it rusts upon getting wet, and really doesn't aid in ash and spent coal disposal. And it ain't cheap!! Did I mention it's HEAVY?.. So far , I've had success just dumping lit coals on the factory grate. I have noticed that they cool down faster than the equivalent amount dumped in my old BK King kamado for reasons I can't quite figure out. I don't thinks it's just because of the superior insulated qualities of a Kamado because even with the lids of both wide open, eliminating the insulation factor, the Kamado would win the quick hot hand over the fire test! Anyway ,to you long time PK owners, what's your opinions of charcoal baskets especially in the 360 which I got? Not a big deal, just wonderin?? Thanks.

[TripleB]

See comment below.

[Bluetail66213]

Oh man. Wish I had read this sooner. I 'just' ordered the Burn shop basket for my 360. Not even here yet and already buyers remorse. Lol

[TripleB]

@RIsRIs - we all buy things we think we need and ends up they're not what we want. For me it was the SnS. I bought these (see pic) for my PK360 and they work great. They're on Amazon. The solid metal band just take it off and the width is perfect. I have also used a wood split as my fence. It provides structure and smoking since it burns slowly. I also do the minion method with a small coffee can (both ends removed). Fill around the can with unlit charcoal and wood chunks and then fill the can with hot coals and then pull out the can.

https://www.amazon.com/GRILLVANA-Stainless-Accessories-Char-Basket-Briquette/dp/B07YJ2Y2MB/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2EHSUH1KXQ55T&keywords=weber+charcoal+fence&qid=1668025637&sprefix=weber+charcoal+fence%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-5

[radshop]

RlsRls Over 5 years on, the PK has become my favorite for small low-and-slow cooks as well as grilling. It was indeed ditching the charcoal basket that made the difference.

As discussed in another thread a while back (which I can't locate), official PK user guide advises to NOT have charcoal in contact with the aluminum capsule. That's the main reason I thought a basket was essential. But now I frequently have combustibles (briquettes, lump charcoal, and wood) in contact with the aluminum and see no damage. Without the basket, it allows a lot more airflow and better distribution of the fire.

EDIT:
Found that other thread: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...96#post1261996

[Bluetail66213]

So, what are your thoughts on using the PK griddle as a heat deflector with the grate suspended on spacers about 2 inches above?

[STEbbq]

I think the griddle is full coverage. I mean, I think it should work provided the lid closes and you don’t need to refuel, which would require removing everything.

[Bluetail66213]

Yeah, I thought of that, but the gamechanger has the same issue and using a griddle might eliminate the need to have to purchase both. Just a thought.

[STEbbq]

It’s worth a shot.

[Bluetail66213]

OK. New thought here. I was watching a video on the Hasty Bake and as they were talking about why the hood has no vent (more convection flow), I got to wondering if the same thing could be done with the pk360. So, my thought is to close both top vents and open both bottom vents. You will most likely need a blower on the lower vent under the coals, but then the smoke and heat would travel the length of the cooker and be forced back down through the other lower vent. ( isn't that a reverse flow?). I'm just getting a bower set up on the grill now. Will report back on how this goes ( or not goes).

[STEbbq]

I will be interested to see what you find out.

[Bluetail66213]

OK. Got the lower plug in and an adapter for the billows fan. This looks like it's going to work just fine.

[Bluetail66213]

Both upper vents closed and both lower vents open and the billows running. Is there any advantage to the quality of the smoke? Will it clog up the tube? Time will tell, but it hold temp like a rock. Trying brats now.

[RlsRls]

As a PK360 owner who's never tried long, 6 hour plus cooks, I'll be closely watching this experiment as well. Where and how have you positioned your charcoal for this cook? Left, right or middle?