Author Topic: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?  (Read 2412 times)

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Offline chriswalters

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3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #-1 on: January 21, 2017, 11:04:40 AM »
Hey there!  Ran my PBC for the 3rd time yesterday and I'm feeling a little discouraged/confused about what happened. Every time I cook, I learn something and try to apply it in practice but yesterday has me stumped. Here's what went down:

1. Bought two 6lb chickens for a previous cook and only ended up doing 1 of them so I froze the other. Didn't know until 24 hours prior that I'd be cooking yesterday so I moved the chicken from the freezer to the fridge. When I pulled the chicken out to start prep yesterday it was still very frozen. I was able to split it in half and submerged it in room temp water for 30-60 min which thawed it completely.

2. I started my PBC chimney with 1/4 of the coals and a couple waded up pieces of newspaper and let burn for 12 min. Unfortunately after checking in at the 12 min mark, the coals never lit. So had to relight and let go another 12 min. It was very windy but at the end of 12 min it was clear that a decent number of the coals had lit. Transferred to the coal basket and began cook immediately (2 racks of baby backs and 2 half chickens (6lb bird)).

3. Let the PBC go for 2.5 hours before ever checking in, trying to keep my temps down. I seemed to be making good progress but I noticed that most of the lit coals were on one side of the PBC. Closed it back up.

4. Checked in at the 3 hour mark and here's what I found. Very little if any drawback in the ribs and the chicken was at 151 degrees. Seemed like things were slow to progress but closed it back up for another 30 min.

5. Checked in at 3.5 hours and still not much drawback in the ribs and the chicken temp had actually dropped to 146!  Also noticed that the breast meat was starting to look very dry.

6. I ended up putting the grill grate on and cooking the chicken a little longer on the grate to make sure I was at a safe eating temp (feeding to the kids). The chicken was definitely more dry than my last cook and the ribs had dried out as well. They did bite cleaner than my last cook but at the expense of being dry. Posted some pics below.

7. My father in law is a big fan of hooking a probe up and monitoring temps but I'm fighting that urge as I know that's part of the magic of the PBC, set it and forget it etc.

Can anyone shed any insight on what might have gone wrong, how to get more drawback on the ribs and why the chicken wasn't showing 165+ even at 3.5 hours? 








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Offline hikerman

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« on: January 21, 2017, 11:15:15 AM »
My 2 cents, you say you started coals (2nd time) for 12 minutes and most were started. Then you dumped and started cooking.

1. I usually start my coals using a fire starter and let burn for 15 - 20 minutes until most are greyed over.
2. When you dump lit coals wait 15 minutes before hanging meat. This way unlit coals have a chance to start before meat starts dripping fat. That fat can extinguish coals or slow them considerably if they aren't started well.

Offline Smokin3d

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2017, 11:23:58 AM »
I feel your frustration! I have not made my first run on PBC yet but have been doing as much reading up as I can. You mentioned very windy and after awhile when you checked only one side was burning.
I have read and seen pics of guys making a barrier around the barrel to stop the wind for a more controlled environment. Just a thought.
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Offline sparky

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2017, 01:33:48 PM »
1. I usually start my coals using a fire starter and let burn for 15 - 20 minutes until most are greyed over.
2. When you dump lit coals wait 15 minutes before hanging meat. This way unlit coals have a chance to start before meat starts dripping fat. That fat can extinguish coals or slow them considerably if they aren't started well.

This is the perfect advice for your situation. 
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Offline ClimberDave

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2017, 01:52:06 PM »
My 2 cents, you say you started coals (2nd time) for 12 minutes and most were started. Then you dumped and started cooking.

1. I usually start my coals using a fire starter and let burn for 15 - 20 minutes until most are greyed over.
2. When you dump lit coals wait 15 minutes before hanging meat. This way unlit coals have a chance to start before meat starts dripping fat. That fat can extinguish coals or slow them considerably if they aren't started well.
I have had similar issues  two separate times, both when cooking pork butts.  Temps remained low and took forever to cook.

I now wait 10-15 minutes after I dump the lit coals  and havent had any problems since then.

I have a question for those of you who do this, do you leave the lid on or  off during this time?
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Offline scottingaround

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2017, 01:57:17 PM »
I feel your pain, Chris. I had hoped the PBC was a true set and forget way to smoke/cook as well. My cooks have been all over the place as far as cooler temps and longer than expected cook times. I have practiced every suggestion provided by the manufacturer but in the end, there are circumstances with each cook that can affect the outcome. Ambient temp, quality of charcoal, wind, etc. I would tend to agree with the above advice as to getting the PBC running optimally for THAT cook before introducing the meat. Like you I resisted using probes but using them is a great way to keep from getting a big surprise after 3 hours, lol. I use an iGrill 2, one in the meat and another hanging a few inches below the rebar. I have had to crack the lid a bit for a few minutes on some cooks to stoke the temp up to 270 to 310, when the PBC is supposed to run. Most times I just plan to cook longer than what is advertised for that food item.

At the end of the day, and even though I have to mess with it some, it puts out some fantastic food!
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Offline scottingaround

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2017, 02:00:11 PM »

I have had similar issues  two separate times, both when cooking pork butts.  Temps remained low and took forever to cook.

I now wait 10-15 minutes after I dump the lit coals  and havent had any problems since then.

I have a question for those of you who do this, do you leave the lid on or  off during this time?

I would not, but eager to hear what others are doing. Leaving the lid off will (should) increase the temp and burn rate of the coals.

Happy Trails,

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Offline Pit Barrel Cooker Co.

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2017, 12:06:01 PM »
Please feel free to call us to troubleshoot. Our office number is 502-228-1222, we are always happy to help.

Offline Smokin Papa Steve

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2017, 01:26:55 PM »
I feel your frustration! I have not made my first run on PBC yet but have been doing as much reading up as I can. You mentioned very windy and after awhile when you checked only one side was burning.
I have read and seen pics of guys making a barrier around the barrel to stop the wind for a more controlled environment. Just a thought.

If you are trying to do chicken and ribs at the same time, it can be problematic. Chicken likes a higher pit temp than ribs.  Also I think it is most important to monitor the pit temp as there can be wide swings with the PBC as already discussed.  Your chicken is going to drip fat while cooking which can affect the coals and thus the pit temp and taste of the chicken and ribs.  At the same time you should also monitor the internal temp of your protein if feasible.  Finally I would suggest you try some other brands of briquettes such as Stubbs or Royal Oak as I found these to be better than Kingsford.  Experiment and enjoy

Offline hikerman

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2017, 01:35:42 PM »
My 2 cents, you say you started coals (2nd time) for 12 minutes and most were started. Then you dumped and started cooking.

1. I usually start my coals using a fire starter and let burn for 15 - 20 minutes until most are greyed over.
2. When you dump lit coals wait 15 minutes before hanging meat. This way unlit coals have a chance to start before meat starts dripping fat. That fat can extinguish coals or slow them considerably if they aren't started well.
I have had similar issues  two separate times, both when cooking pork butts.  Temps remained low and took forever to cook.

I now wait 10-15 minutes after I dump the lit coals  and havent had any problems since then.

I have a question for those of you who do this, do you leave the lid on or  off during this time?

Lid off before hanging any meat!
And yes temp will be up but once lid is on coals/ temp will stabilize as air flow is diminished.

Offline teesquare

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2017, 02:34:59 PM »
Biggest influence on temp is airflow as Hikerman pointed out.

If you can leave a tiny "crack" when you replace the lid (I have used a piece of aluminum foil folde several fimes...)
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Offline ClimberDave

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2017, 03:55:09 PM »
My 2 cents, you say you started coals (2nd time) for 12 minutes and most were started. Then you dumped and started cooking.

1. I usually start my coals using a fire starter and let burn for 15 - 20 minutes until most are greyed over.
2. When you dump lit coals wait 15 minutes before hanging meat. This way unlit coals have a chance to start before meat starts dripping fat. That fat can extinguish coals or slow them considerably if they aren't started well.
I have had similar issues  two separate times, both when cooking pork butts.  Temps remained low and took forever to cook.

I now wait 10-15 minutes after I dump the lit coals  and havent had any problems since then.

I have a question for those of you who do this, do you leave the lid on or  off during this time?

Lid off before hanging any meat!
And yes temp will be up but once lid is on coals/ temp will stabilize as air flow is diminished.

That is how I have been doing it.   And yes temps were upwards of  325  but once the lid was on for a while  it dropped be below 275.
So far have not had any issues with it dropping too low   like when I hang the meat right after dumping the lit coals in.
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Offline chriswalters

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3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2017, 08:55:26 PM »
Please feel free to call us to troubleshoot. Our office number is 502-228-1222, we are always happy to help.
Thanks PBC!  I've already had one great experience with your customer service team so I'll definitely give that another shot next time I'm stuck :)


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Offline chriswalters

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3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2017, 08:56:41 PM »
Thanks everyone, great tips here. Sounds like there isn't any shame in getting probes to know what's going on inside that magic container :).  Even with the longer good times and slightly dried out meat, it's still been really tasty and a fun experience.


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Offline zak99b5

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Re: 3rd run - what did I do wrong?
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2017, 07:24:56 PM »
I have never checked pit temps.

I use Kingsford Blue.

I count out exactly 40 from the charcoal basket and light them in a chimney with three wadded up sheets of newspaper (I know it sounds like a lot).

At fifteen minutes from lighting, I pour the chimney onto the basket in the PBC, and within minutes I hang the meat.  I place a probe in all meats, except for ribs. I go solely by meat temp.

I have had basically perfect results. Some cooks have taken longer than expected. But then, I only got the PBC in November, so most of my cooks have been relatively cold weather. Building a plywood screen (it's in the Cold Weather PitBarrelling thread) helps, and I use it when it's 40 or colder out.
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