Author Topic: Setting the vent opening?  (Read 5911 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline DonR9

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 71
Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #-1 on: November 17, 2014, 01:56:31 PM »
So, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my PBC tomorrow. I'm at sea level, so I know I want to set the vent opening to about 1/4 the way open. Do any of you have suggesting for fine tuning the opening? Scoring the barrel maybe? Does anyone use a probe to keep track of internal temperatures while cooking? If so, what kind of probe should I use. I have a ChefsAlarm that might do the trick. What I'm thinking is, with an internal probe, I can adjust the opening until I get the internal temp I should be shooting for. And speaking of that, what is the internal temp I should be shooting for?
Citizen of the world, wine connoisseur, husband. I may be spreading myself too thin

Offline Pit Barrel Cooker Co.

  • Moderator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 447
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« on: November 18, 2014, 03:31:03 PM »
Don, check out the brochure that is included with the PBC, this has a diagram for your reference on the vent setting and the instructions on how to light your PBC. Following the instructions is very important, remember the PBC is simple and fun, enjoy!

Offline smokeasaurus

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16851
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2014, 03:42:13 PM »
The most important things to do when you receive your PBC is to follow their directions and to keep it simple. The rest is just plain fun and good eating.
Got Smoke?

Keveri H1 Charcoal oven

Joined 12-5-11   Member# 32

Offline drholly

  • Member No Longer With Us
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10158
  • Brooklyn Park, MN
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2014, 03:53:20 PM »
The most important things to do when you receive your PBC is to follow their directions and to keep it simple. The rest is just plain fun and good eating.

X2 - never had a problem following the directions from PBC!
You can't catch a fish if you don't get a line wet...
Pit Barrel Cooker, Char Broil Electric Smoker, Charbroil Prototype Kettleman, Char Broil 500X, Blackstone Flat Top, Char-Broil SRG, Weber Performer, ANOVA sous vide device, Lodge Hibachi, Discada, Chimenea, fire pit, hunk of pink salt...
Member #

Offline muebe

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14918
  • Santa Clarita,Ca
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2014, 08:39:28 PM »
No need to over-think it! Noah and Amber have already done the thinking for us ;)
Member #22
2 TBEs(1 natural gas & 1 LP gas)
OBS(Auberins dual probe PID, 900w finned element & convection fan mods)
2011 Memphis Select Pellet Smoker
Traeger PTG with PID
PBC
BBQ Grillware vertical smoker(oven thermostat installed & converted to natural gas)
Uuni 2 Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Offline Bacala

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 27
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2014, 01:03:13 AM »
DonR9,
I just got my PBC last week and have two cooks on it now. The first time it never got as hot as the temps I had seen around the internet, even though I followed the directions for lighting exactly. I checked a tri-tip at 40 minutes and it was grey and soft, so I hung the probe of a calibrated thermometer over one of the rods and when it came back up to temp it stuck at 253deg. Took another 20 minutes for the meat to come to temp.

I contacted the PBC company and asked similar questions to yours about the vents. Amber told me not to worry too much about the vent setting, just "eyeball" it. She said it's much more important to be sure and light the coals correctly. On the second cook, I again followed directions exactly, using a chimney and taking 40 coals out of the pan and replacing them exactly 15 minutes after lighting. Again, it ran cool and the food took quite a bit longer than listed times. Not sure why, but the cookers are apparently not "Set and Forget" at times. I hope to get another go at it this weekend and will try lighting 60 coals to see if I can get it a bit hotter.

I will say that although things took longer to cook for me, all were very good, even for a PBC newbie. Have done chicken, ribs and tri-tip so far. Chicken was just amazing, ribs very good and tri-tip was the most tender and evenly cooked I've ever had, and my wife is from California tri-tip country so I've had a lot! Problem was, with the cooler temp the tri never got color so we did not get the extra flavor from the outside. I know I can be accused of over-thinking, but I'm really just trying to dial in what is necessary to get this thing going in the optimal range so it's a bit more reliable and I can build some confidence.

Good luck with yours. We'll be looking forward to a report.

Offline Hub

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3037
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2014, 07:29:50 AM »
Relax and agonize not over "settings" with the PBC.  As this thread is already indicating, the main thing to do is follow Noah's instructions in the videos for each meat type.  If you want to fuss and fiddle, get yourself a cheap stick-burner  ::)

Hub
Committed Pellethead & BBQ Writer
KCBS MCBJ & CTC
Ph.B.
Memphis Advantage
NOS American-made Traeger 075
Weber Performer
NG Weber Spirit (warming oven)
PBC
NO SMOKE DETECTOR IN MY OUTDOOR KITCHEN

Offline hikerman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6662
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2014, 10:37:33 AM »
Excellent advice Hub. I am a bit surprised at all of the questions on rather uncomplicated issues. As Hub states, "follow Noah's instructions", and have fun cooking in this great PBC. It's a set it and forget it type of cooker, where all of the issues have been well thought out and simplified for the user. Over analyzing IMHO takes away from the fun in the most important aspect of this cooker, the cooking of great food especially chicken. So get that charcoal lit and hang some meat!  ;D   Enjoy!

Offline smokeasaurus

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16851
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2014, 11:46:38 AM »
Get a bottle of lighter fluid and follow the lighting instruction video and you cant fail............just sayin.......
Got Smoke?

Keveri H1 Charcoal oven

Joined 12-5-11   Member# 32

Offline drholly

  • Member No Longer With Us
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10158
  • Brooklyn Park, MN
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2014, 01:45:22 PM »
Relax and agonize not over "settings" with the PBC.  As this thread is already indicating, the main thing to do is follow Noah's instructions in the videos for each meat type.  If you want to fuss and fiddle, get yourself a cheap stick-burner  ::)

Hub

lol - Hub is right - this is not a gadget. It is a cooker that works if you will follow the directions.
You can't catch a fish if you don't get a line wet...
Pit Barrel Cooker, Char Broil Electric Smoker, Charbroil Prototype Kettleman, Char Broil 500X, Blackstone Flat Top, Char-Broil SRG, Weber Performer, ANOVA sous vide device, Lodge Hibachi, Discada, Chimenea, fire pit, hunk of pink salt...
Member #

Offline Las Vegan Cajun

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6246
  • Ralph in LA$ VEGA$
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2014, 05:08:08 PM »
All the chickens I've cooked in my PBC have been done exactly as the PBC video demonstrates and they have turned out delicious.  My vent is set at 1/4 open for an elevation of 1867' MSL and I let the coals burn for 15 minutes using KBB and Kingford lighter fluid.

The only cook I did in the PBC that didn't go according to the video demonstration was ribs (St. Louis). They actually turned out good, but they were done in two hours instead of the expected 4-5 hours.   I figured that the quicker cooking time was due to the fact that I did this on a hot summer day with the outdoor temps around 110F and the PBC was on the patio in direct sunlight.  Now that we have cooler weather I may try ribs in the PBC again. 
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler
----------------------
Magma Marine Kettle, Camp Chef Single Burner, Dutch Oven Table & Denali 3X, Lodge Habachi, BEESR, WSJ w/GrillGrates, WSM 18.5, Masterbuilt Pro Smoker, Anova Sous Vide (X2), Traeger Jr, 12" A-MAZE-N Tube, PBC, LEM Dehydrator, Dorkfood (DSV)

Offline DonR9

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 71
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2014, 11:25:41 AM »
Now wait just a minute here. I have to follow directions? But, I'm a Mac user and, as any Apple fan-boy knows, we don't read manuals. Alas, there is occasionally a price to pay for our stubborn behavior. Like my first cook. Perhaps if I'd read everyone's replies here – with the emphasis on not over-thinking things, it would have been a better cook. Not that it was bad, mind you. I did two chickens. In my wife's opinion (which is really the only opinion that matters in our house), the result was, "WOW! This is terrific". To me, the chickens were slightly overcooked.

So, here's the sequence of events.

I filled the charcoal basket level with Kingsford briquettes, poured about half of them into a chimney starter, got them really going and poured them over the rest of the coals remaining in the charcoal basket. Gave it another 15 minutes by which time there was so much heat coming off the charcoal that I needed gloves to insert the rods. hanging the chickens was also dicey because of the amount of heat being generated. (I’m at sea level and the ambient temperature was about 68 degrees). Upon re-watching the "how to start your charcoal” video, I see that once I had a starter full of well ignited coals, I should have just poured them over the rest of the coals in the basket and started cooking. I didn’t do that. I gave it another 15 minutes.

The barrel temperature shot up to 340 when I first put the lid after hanging the chickens. The screw that tightens the vent opening wouldn't stay tight after the lid had been on for a while. The vent cover fell down to fully cover the vent hole. I was able to put my finger inside the barrel through the vent opening and hold the nut on the inside enough to at least get the screw tightened enough to keep the vent open about 1/4 of the way. The internal temp, according to my ChefAlarm (I inserted the high temp probe into one of the rebar rod openings) got down to about 226 or so. That worried me that perhaps my temperature wasn’t hot enough.

Next time, I’m going to follow instructions. (I’m a Mac user. As I said above we don’t always read manuals.) I’ll use the chimney the way the video instructs. Hang the chickens and walk away for 1:30.

Today, weather still permitting. I’ll try the ribs. From what I’ve seen and read, they should take longer than the chicken and I’ll be looking for the meat to pull back from the bone ends. I do plan to put barbecue sauce on them towards the end. What I’m thinking is, when it’s time to sauce, to pull the rods and insert the grate. Sauce the ribs on one side, put on the grate for 15 minutes or so, then turn and sauce them on the other side for the final 15 minutes or so. My concern for saucing and hanging is that the sauce will drip into the fire and perhaps extinguish some of the coals? What I’m looking for is a nice caramelized glaze on the sauce. Any suggestions?

I’ll keep you posted. Any suggestions about what to do with the screw that holds the vent cover in place?

And, finally, thanks to everyone for the feedback
Citizen of the world, wine connoisseur, husband. I may be spreading myself too thin

Offline hikerman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6662
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2014, 11:49:37 AM »
Don, after I fill the charcoal basket with Kingsford Blue, I pull 20 coals and light that. When they're going good (usually 15 minutes) I then dump onto the basket at bottom of PBC. I wait another 15 minutes and then hang my meats. This gets coals in basket going. Also when I take coals from basket to light, I take them from the center so when I dump the lit coals they seem to burn a bit more evenly.
My advice, once you get this down pat, you can start experimenting, but only change one thing at a time so you can figure out what went wrong if you have a problem.  Good luck and good cooking!  8)

Offline hikerman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6662
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2014, 11:53:35 AM »
Oops forgot the sauce question.  It's a matter of personal preference,  but remember the more sugar/sweetener in the sauce the easier it will burn. I've had good luck with Frank's Hot Chili Sauce. It's not very hot but has a nice flavor and looks great.

Offline drholly

  • Member No Longer With Us
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10158
  • Brooklyn Park, MN
Re: Setting the vent opening?
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2014, 12:07:19 PM »
Hey Don, I had to smile when I read your Mac/ Apple comment. I had the original Mac (along with Radio Shack TRS-80.) I have built dozens of PCs. I also get that the Mac was designed not to need a manual. Well in my experience, so is the PBC - I simply follow the instructions - no manual - 1 page. Fill the basket with Kingsford charcoal, spray the lighter fluid (to me it burns off and I have never tasted it) light and let burn 20 minutes - hang and cook my food. Don't mess with the vent - it was set for my elevation when they sent my cooker. I have NEVER been disappointed - a bit like my Mac.

Good luck and send some posts of your cooks - I look forward t seeing what you make!

All the best,
David
You can't catch a fish if you don't get a line wet...
Pit Barrel Cooker, Char Broil Electric Smoker, Charbroil Prototype Kettleman, Char Broil 500X, Blackstone Flat Top, Char-Broil SRG, Weber Performer, ANOVA sous vide device, Lodge Hibachi, Discada, Chimenea, fire pit, hunk of pink salt...
Member #