Is it worth it to get a 14″ Pit Barrel Junior if I already have a Weber 22" with SnS and hovergrill?

[Lost in China]

I am going back to the States for Christmas next month, and while there I wanted to get the full PBC 18.5". However, it is 57lbs and the maximum allowable checked luggage for me to bring back to China is 50lbs. I thought about just paying the overweight charges but they are exorbitant for such a long flight. I got away with bringing a Weber 22" with me to China as it was less than 50lbs and under the maximum dimensions of 62 inches (length + width + height).

The PBC 14" will fit the airline's requirements...but looking at its product page it doesn't fit much more than my Weber 22" with hovergrill. It says 6 racks of ribs, 1 pork butts/shoulders, 1 full packer brisket, 6 chicken halves, which seems about the same as the Weber 22" with the hovergrill in place. Right now I can cook for about 10 people no problem. Since the whole point of this is to get a larger grill that can cook for more people, is it worth it?

[Steve R.]

Unless you're just really into the PBC flavor profile (I'm not, except for chicken), I don't see the point. You can get creative and find ways to get 6 racks of ribs in the kettle.

[PBCDad]

Could you put something like the charcoal basket in another bag to get the PBC under 50 lbs?

[Lost in China]

Good idea, but the barrel shape puts the box at more than 62 inches (length + width + height). The PBC folks helpfully list the dimensions and weight on their website.

[Spinaker]

I would see if someone else can take the basket. That might help, if possible.

Since you are over here, I would try to bring something back, be it a Jr. or a full-size PBC. If nothing else, it will allow you to expand your capacity or you can cook two different foods at once. I see this as adding flexibility. Sure, you may not need the extra space, but if it can work out so you can, why not do it? Just my 2 cents.

Travel safe, my friend.

[cgrover60]

I agree with Spinaker and would look at the jr to add capacity and a completely different flavor profile for variety.

[mnavarre]

Obviously adding another cooker is a good idea. Is that cooker the PBJr.? That probably depends on if you're willing to live with the compromises. I have both the PBJr. and Weber/SnS and use them pretty interchangeably. The PBJr. is great for chicken, ribs, butts, chuckies, and whatever, but grate space is very limited. So doing big, long cuts that you might want to wrap to finish are a problem. A packer much over 12-13 lbs. might not fit on the grate if you wrap. Ribs are a nope, unless you split the rack.

There's times that I wish I'd bought the full size PBC, but I love my Jr.

[JGo37]

I almost always am cooking for only two, and a 22" kettle is never big enough to do a full meal outside (but I do have 5 cookers, so it doesn't matter).

[jfmorris]

I think you could make use of the PBCJr for cooking ribs, chicken and other things you can hang on the hooks, and use it to complement the Weber kettle for times you run out of space on it, or just want to change things up. A 14.5" grate is too small to do more than maybe 1 pork shoulder or chicken.

[Polarbear777]

May not be that much bigger but hanging ribs and chicken is easier and easier to fit more with sufficient air space than in the kettle.

Plus if cooking for a crowd, you can get both going.

[N227GB]

My PBCjr does well with six chicken halves or six slabs of BBs. I plan for a bit more cooking time when it's loaded up.
You do need to watch the size of large butts and briskets.

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[RobertC]

No.