PBC Temp

[Scgator]

What temp does everyone's PBC run at during a normal cook? I did some ribs yesterday and it would only run around 230F. I had to crack the lid to get the temp up. I'm not sure if this was the problem or not but I only started about 10 pieces of charcoal in my chimney. Would that be the reason? I'm still pretty new at smoking so I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks and God Bless!     P.S.  My ribs and chicken turned out amazing!!

[hikerman]

I would typically put about 40 briquets or a small Weber coal starter-full. When they are all going good, dump on top of your pan of unlit coals and wait about 12 minutes before hanging any meat. Temps vary between 275 and 325F but weather, wind, etc can affect everything.

[sparky]

I would typically put about 40 briquets or a small Weber coal starter-full. When they are all going good, dump on top of your pan of unlit coals and wait about 12 minutes before hanging any meat. Temps vary between 275 and 325F but weather, wind, etc can affect everything.

Perfect.  ^^^^^

[Pit Barrel Cooker Co.]

Hello Scgator,
You would want to use about 40 briquets for the Pit Barrel Cooker. Please feel free to check out the Lighting Your PBC video here: https://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/resources/lighting-your-pbc/.
We hope this helps and please feel free to contact us anytime should you have questions or concerns.
Best,
The PBC Team

[phoccer]

I would typically put about 40 briquets or a small Weber coal starter-full. When they are all going good, dump on top of your pan of unlit coals and wait about 12 minutes before hanging any meat. Temps vary between 275 and 325F but weather, wind, etc can affect everything.

Same. For me it's somewhere between 30 and 40 to start out with. As hiker man mentions weather, wind, etc can affect temps. If I'm cooking on a 90+ degree day I can usually get away with starting 30. On a mid 30s day I'll start 40, add them to the pit when ready, then leave the lid off another 10 minutes to get the temps rolling before adding food and placing the lid back on. I also have a thermometer hanging while the coals are warming up. I watch and wait for temps to rise into the 375-400 range and that has seemed to be a good spot for then hanging meat and placing the lid on for me.

[hikerman]

I would typically put about 40 briquets or a small Weber coal starter-full. When they are all going good, dump on top of your pan of unlit coals and wait about 12 minutes before hanging any meat. Temps vary between 275 and 325F but weather, wind, etc can affect everything.

Same. For me it's somewhere between 30 and 40 to start out with. As hiker man mentions weather, wind, etc can affect temps. If I'm cooking on a 90+ degree day I can usually get away with starting 30. On a mid 30s day I'll start 40, add them to the pit when ready, then leave the lid off another 10 minutes to get the temps rolling before adding food and placing the lid back on. I also have a thermometer hanging while the coals are warming up. I watch and wait for temps to rise into the 375-400 range and that has seemed to be a good spot for then hanging meat and placing the lid on for me.

Agree! The main things to remember....make sure your starter coals are fully heated up, and once dumped onto unlit coals, leave lid off for 15 minutes or so until your pan of coals are going well before hanging any meats, most especially chicken and any real fatty cuts as this could extinguish your coals and lead to lo-temps and nasty tasting chow. Meat/chicken can be trimmed to minimize this issue too.

[70monte]

I would typically put about 40 briquets or a small Weber coal starter-full. When they are all going good, dump on top of your pan of unlit coals and wait about 12 minutes before hanging any meat. Temps vary between 275 and 325F but weather, wind, etc can affect everything.

Same. For me it's somewhere between 30 and 40 to start out with. As hiker man mentions weather, wind, etc can affect temps. If I'm cooking on a 90+ degree day I can usually get away with starting 30. On a mid 30s day I'll start 40, add them to the pit when ready, then leave the lid off another 10 minutes to get the temps rolling before adding food and placing the lid back on. I also have a thermometer hanging while the coals are warming up. I watch and wait for temps to rise into the 375-400 range and that has seemed to be a good spot for then hanging meat and placing the lid on for me.

Agree! The main things to remember....make sure your starter coals are fully heated up, and once dumped onto unlit coals, leave lid off for 15 minutes or so until your pan of coals are going well before hanging any meats, most especially chicken and any real fatty cuts as this could extinguish your coals and lead to lo-temps and nasty tasting chow. Meat/chicken can be trimmed to minimize this issue too.

I have never had to do this.  I have always just followed the lighting instructions and put the meat straight on and have never had my coals go out or my food taste bad.  I also never monitor inside barrel temps.  I actually like not having to monitor temps and glad that the PBC does not have a thermometer.