Author Topic: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker  (Read 14429 times)

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Offline jani80k

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Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #-1 on: May 13, 2014, 04:49:12 AM »
Dear all,

I am planning to acquire a PBC. I hope this will not be too difficult because I live in Germany.

I have a question regarding wood smoking meats on the PBC.

In the past I have experienced some bitter tasting barbecue because of wood not burning properly or oversmoking the meat.

Is there a way to achieve that sweet "thin blue smoke" with the PBC? (As described here or here.)

Best regards,
Jani
« Last Edit: May 13, 2014, 07:06:06 AM by jani80k »
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Offline muebe

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« on: May 13, 2014, 07:12:37 AM »
Hi Jani

The PBC is not really a "smoker" it is more of a "barrel cooker". You can add a small chunk of wood to the bed of coals to add some smoke flavor to your cook. Getting the right amount of smoke flavor to your liking will take some practice I suppose. The charcoal adds it's own type of flavor that I really like myself ;)

Traditional smokers go low and slow. The PBC usually runs right around 300F. The juices drip directly onto the hot coals creating a "grease fog" that flavors the meat and keeps things moist.

The unique design of hooks and hanging the meat allows for a high capacity in a small drum.

It is a no muss set it and forget it charcoal cooker that makes consistent and delicious food every time.

I am sure you will be more than satisfied with your purchase. Now getting it to Germany is another story!
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Offline Hub

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2014, 07:47:06 AM »
I agree with what muebe wrote.  The PBC instills a light, charcoal flavor that most people really like.  If you add chips or chunks it will typically produce white smoke for a short time -- not enough to oversmoke unless you really add a lot.  I don't use my PBC in competition, but I love to use it for "friends and family" cooks where I'm just looking for good flavor and well cooked meat with as little work as possible  ;D

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Offline Jaxon

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2014, 08:53:38 AM »
Welcome...
Your question seems to imply you will b burning wood instead of charcoal. If that is the case you may throw off the dynamics of the drum and get too much heat and/or too much smoke.

I'll let my colleague address that

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Offline jani80k

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2014, 09:22:39 AM »
Hi,

just to avoid me being misunderstood. I am not planning to run the PBC solely on wood. I am planning to add woodchips, chunks or pellets (like bbqers delight) to the fire. Dependig on what works best. I want to of course use charcoal briquettes as the main heat source.

So far, I use a Kamado style cooker and I add some wood chunks in the beginning, mixing it into the charcoal like such:


Then I let the fire/cooker get up to temp for 1.5 hrs, and only when it is up to temp and all the white smoke is gone, I add the meat. By that time, there is no white smoke anymore, just sweet blue.

I am sure, this can be achieved on the PBC as well because it does not have to do with your type of cooker, but how clean your fire is burning. The method to achieving this might be very different on the PBC.

I could imagine that the PBC will get up to temp way quicker (15 or 20 mins as shown in Noahs videos).  So when to add the wood? Right in the beginning with the charcoal? Probably not, because the wood will be burnt after 20 mins in the chimney starter (except you are using really huge logs of wood).

My guess is to start the fire as recommended, dump the coals into the basket at the bottom of the PBC, then add 2-3 fist size chunks and close it. After 15 mins the white smoke should be gone and the meat could be added. I am just guessing here. Does anybody have any experience on this?

Best regards,
Jani
« Last Edit: May 13, 2014, 09:46:27 AM by jani80k »
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Offline Ka Honu

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2014, 11:42:49 AM »
My guess is to start the fire as recommended, dump the coals into the basket at the bottom of the PBC, then add 2-3 fist size chunks and close it.

That's what I do and it works just fine although I have to admit I usually add the meat at that point - probably because I never gave it nearly as much thought and analysis as you have.
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Offline teesquare

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2014, 12:00:12 PM »
Nice post janl :)...


Very thought provoking, about how and when to add wood.

Thanks!
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Offline lctrcbddha

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2014, 11:18:48 PM »
I only have 3 cooks on the PBC under my belt so far, and for the first I didn't use wood at all.

For cooks 2 and 3, I dropped a large handful of chips on the coals at the same time I hung the meat and closed the lid, but no more afterward.  That seemed to work well.  There was a lot of white smoke - but only for first 10-15 minutes, and it didn't cause any bitterness or off flavors (that I could tell at least).

Offline smokendevo

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2014, 11:52:40 PM »
The last cook I had with my PBC I added apple wood to it after the coals got up to temp. Much like lctrcbddha said I added my pork butt at the same time and closed the lid. Yes there was white smoke but I have to tell you that was some of the best tasting pulled pork to date for me. These are the two pieces of apple wood I used. I never paid close attention to how long the white smoke lasted because other times I have cooked with the PBC and did not add wood white smoke always seemed to be coming from it anyways just from the charcoal.




Offline jani80k

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2014, 04:33:02 AM »
PBC cooks tend to go more in the Hot&Fast direction rather than the Low&Slow style of cooking. Here is an excerpt from Meathead's Website:

Quote
Black and gray smoke happen when the fire is starving for oxygen, and they can make bitter, sooty food tasting like an ash tray. Billowing white smoke is common when you just start the fire, and when the fuel needs lots of oxygen. If it doesn't get enough and if the fuel is not emitting gases for secondary combustion, the fuel smolders and produces white smoke.

If you are cooking hot and fast, white smoke is a great way to get some smoke flavor on the food in a hurry. But white smoke usually has a lot of contaminants from an incomplete secondary combustion and prolonged exposure to white smoke can still make good food, but not as good a blue smoke.

So I guess, white smoke on the PBC is ok, blue smoke is even better. It would be interesting to see, how TBS can be achieved on the PBC. Unfotunately, I do not have one yet. :(
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Offline Sweetbread

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #9 on: May 15, 2014, 09:42:09 PM »
I use mojobricks on mine and get a nice thin blue smoke!  I follow Noah's advice on starting the charcoal and after 15 minutes, I throw one mojobrick on the hot coals, add the meat, and then close the lid.  It seems to work great for me! 
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Offline smokendevo

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2014, 09:59:19 PM »
So what the heck is a  mojobrick??? Is it compressed sawdust??? or just chunks of wood cut from a tree??? Sounds like someone is making a ton of money from it any ways. Cut your wood in the spring, let it dry all summer and winter (yes it will dry in the winter) and you will have more wood for smoking than you know what to do with the next summer.

Offline Las Vegan Cajun

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2014, 12:49:18 AM »
So what the heck is a mojobrick ???

This is a <a href="http://mojobricks.com/">Mojobrick</a>
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Offline jani80k

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2014, 04:08:52 AM »
Wow, I have never come across any of those. I guess it won't be available anywhere else but in the U.S.
By the way, I have got feedback from the moderators on the Meathead website and they reckon not to use any wood on the Pit Barrel Cooker to achieve that light smokey taste that blue smoke provides. Charcoal is enough. According to Amber, the competition team of the Pit Barrel Cooker Co. does not even use wood in competitions. I find that quite remarkable. I guess, I just have to wait until I get my Pit Barrel Cooker in June and then try for myself.
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Offline RAD

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Re: Thin blue smoke on Pit Barrel Cooker
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2014, 06:31:54 AM »
Not owning one or ever using one I really can’t give an educated response, but has anyone tired using the A-Maze-N Tube smoker or just adding pellets to the fire?
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