Starting your fire

[stevek142]

I know this will get a lot of responses and that's good for me. I love learning about this stuff. I am on a competitive BBQ team and I use the PBC exclusively. I'm looking for the answer to the age-old question: what's the proper way to start the PBC fire and keep a consistent temp of about 300 degrees? I've never found a definite answer. When it says to fill the tray to the top, that can vary according to what you consider the top. How many brickettes are we talking? How many in the half-chimney? How long do you keep them burning in the chimney? 12-15 minutes? 20 minutes? Meathead said its the 20/10/10 method: 20 in the chimney, 10 in the barrel with the lid off and 10 in the barrel with the lid and rebar in. So many variables. At times my heat spikes to over 400. I just got a tip to close off the intake opening at the bottom completely anytime the lid is open which seems to help. Just looking for folks' best practices to develop my own. I'm in Springfield Mo at 1,299 feet. The opening is set at one-quarter.

[Hub]

I've only used my PBC in one competition but got a walk (chicken).  I lit it with Kingsford charcoal lighter, much to the horror of several bystanders who chimed in the old chant of "food will taste like lighter fluid".  It didn't.  That creosote flavor comes from oversmoking, not the lighting method.  Fluid lighting is much easier in the PBC because it is hard to manage a chimney inside the drum.

You can dink around with the rebars, put a wad of foil under the lid, and do several other things to try to manage the PBC's temps but it wasn't designed for hands-on fire management.  I advocate learning what internal temperature you want in your finished product(s) and then leave the cooker alone until you get it. 

This is just my opinion and experience.  You'll likely get lots of replies on how to "adjust" the unadjustable  and that's perfectly okay.  Best of luck in competition.

Hub

[Kona]

I have always used lighter fluid and have never had anything taste remotely like it

[tomcrete1]

I have always used lighter fluid and have never had anything taste remotely like it

Me too!

[Kona]

also using the fluid method, I just fill the basket till it's level and light, no counting required. I don't and never have monitored temps either and food comes out fantastic

[zak99b5]

I always put 40 briqs in the chimney (I use a short one I can dump inside the barrel).

I pour them in the basket on top of the rest of the charcoal 13-15 minutes after lighting the paper in the chimney.

I hang the food immediately after, close the lid, and wait till the meat hits the target temp.

I do not monitor the temp inside the barrel. Trust the process.

If it's a shorter cook, such as lamb or tri tip, I put one layer of briqs in the basket.  I add the 40 hot coals to that.

For longer cooks like butt or ribs, I fill the basket to the top (a little higher if it's going to be a 5+ hour cook). I then remove 40 coals from there to put in the chimney. Of course they get poured back in after they'me been lit for 15 minutes.

[jjjonz]

Lighter  fluid for me ...always. Oh, I have Done it both ways and prefer The lighter fluid method. I say do what works for you.

[teesquare]

I guess...I just learned a few years ago that - I did not need the lighter fluid. Seemed I always ran out and forgot to buy more -and only remembered it when I needed it...and the stores were closed.  

So - I use a MAPP gas torch. It burns hotter than propane - and will get your 'coal going fast. Needed one in the shop anyway - so it has become part of my charcoal lighting regimen. I will also use newspaper sometimes. Newspaper only uses a soy based ink nowadays, and seems to burn pretty clean. Mostly, my reason for not using lighter fluid is the I am cheap - but there is the added benefit of less chemicals used in my cooking, which is probably a positive as well.

[Pit Barrel Cooker Co.]

Please refer to our "Lighting Your PBC" Video on our website here: http://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/videos/lighting-your-pbc. If you still have questions regarding the lighting process, please feel free to contact us at our office Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 6:00pm EST. We will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the Pit Barrel Cooker.

[HighOnSmoke]

I follow the video that on the PBC website. I have done it both ways but prefer the lighter fluid method.

Also, welcome to the forum Steve. You might want to head on over to the New Member Introductions so everyone that doesn't own a PBC can welcome you to the best cooking forum on the internet.

[TexasRob]

I fill my charcoal basket up, remove about 30ish maybe a little more, 40 doesn't seem to fit easily(I use the smaller Weber chimney, easier to work it back into the barrel)..lower my basket in and set a grate.  I add a wax cube on grate light it, place chimney on wax cube for 12 minutes, then remove grate and dump my chimney on remaining unlit coals. I wait 12-13 minutes at most, then add wood chucks, add re-bar, add ribs, place top on and check ribs on the hours(lately 2.5 hours has been the time where they are close to being done, at this point check every 20-30 mins afterwards, depends on size of ribs and how many racks I have going). I love my PBC, in fact I loved barrel cooking so much, my neighbor and I were inspired to make UDS, finished it up over the weekend!. Thanks to the PBC for my new found love of barrel cooking!

-Rob

[Smokin Papa Steve]

I know this will get a lot of responses and that's good for me. I love learning about this stuff. I am on a competitive BBQ team and I use the PBC exclusively. I'm looking for the answer to the age-old question: what's the proper way to start the PBC fire and keep a consistent temp of about 300 degrees? I've never found a definite answer. When it says to fill the tray to the top, that can vary according to what you consider the top. How many brickettes are we talking? How many in the half-chimney? How long do you keep them burning in the chimney? 12-15 minutes? 20 minutes? Meathead said its the 20/10/10 method: 20 in the chimney, 10 in the barrel with the lid off and 10 in the barrel with the lid and rebar in. So many variables. At times my heat spikes to over 400. I just got a tip to close off the intake opening at the bottom completely anytime the lid is open which seems to help. Just looking for folks' best practices to develop my own. I'm in Springfield Mo at 1,299 feet. The opening is set at one-quarter.

I place about 20-25 briquettes (Royal Oak or Stubbs) in the chimney and when they look ashed over and "feel" ready, I dump them on the unlit coals.  This can take 10 to 15 minutes.  After a while you will develop a sixth sense as to when to proceed.  In regards to controlling the pit temp, I try to use the grate as much as possible.  With the rebars out, you can get some magnets at Home Depot and cover the rebar holes enough to get the temps you want.  If I do hang the protein and have the rebars in, then I place some foil around the holes to adjust the temps.  It is kind of crude but it works.  You will get a lot of good info here but in the end you just need to try what works for you

[70monte]

First, let me say welcome to the forum.  I also live in the Springfield MO area.

As far as starting the coals, I follow the instructions on the PBC website using a chimney to start the coals.  I fill the charcoal basket to the top and then take out 40 briquettes and put them in the PBC chimney.  I use a weber starter cube and let that go for about 15 to 20 minutes and then pour these on top of the unlit coals in the basket.

I then put on the food and check on it when it says so on the PBC videos.  I don't monitor internal barrel temps.  I monitor the internal food temp in most cases and for ribs I use the toothpick or the bend test to test for doneness.

Some people want to reinvent the wheel as far as using this cooker.  Noah has done all of the footwork for you.  Yes, there are times that you may have to go longer on the cook but that is where checking your internal meat temps come into play.

One of my main reasons for getting the PBC is because I don't want to have to babysit a smoker all day or worry so much about what the internal temp of the cooker is.  Your mileage may vary.

Wayne

[FrugalQ]

I think everybody has given you some good tips and the great thing about the PBC is even though you got different answers they are still correct. You can "trust the process and never monitor" or you can fiddle with holes and foils and magnets and play up and down 2 degrees at a time. I've done both and everything in between and the food always ROCKS! The darn thing is that good.  Doesn't matter how you wanna do it the PBC has you covered. That's not really an option on a TON of other cookers.  Noah got it right!

[zak99b5]

I wait 12-13 minutes at most, then add wood chucks

Whole, or quartered? And I am guessing beef & game rub