So I read somewhere (possibly even here?) that the PBC really isn't able to do a snake/fuse charcoal burn AND sustain that burn at low temperatures. I was intent on making jerky, so I had to find out if it could or not. Several weeks ago I did an empty barrel test burn (yeah, I'm nerdy that way) and here are my findings:
Testing on a 65 degree day -
+ single row of fuse method charcoal - holds steady at about 115º
+ double row, side by side, of fuse method charcoal - holds steady at about 145º
+ triple row, pyramid style, of fuse method charcoal - holds steady at about 160º, perfect for jerky
Introducing the AMAZEN pellet smoker raised the temperature a mere degree or two, but even if it had raised it more significantly, its such a short burn it wouldn't make too much difference. I burned 3" of pellets so as not to oversmoke the jerky.
Jerky was skewered and hung between the rebar. Worked beautifully and the results were better than expected. I didn't even think to take any pictures, but I'm planning to do another batch soon, so I'll snap some then. Hopefully this will help someone out in the future.
