Great Pit Barrel question: for shorter cooks of under two hours, I will use one full Weber chimney starter which is roughly 5 lbs. For all other cooks I fill up the charcoal basket to the top. This is not your Fathers UDS and you can not choke the charcoal down, it has to burn all the way out. On a happier note, I line the bottom of the barrel with HD foil and the PBC is as easy to clean as my GMG!!