Let's Talk BBQ
FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: Tinzebra on June 28, 2015, 08:21:38 PM
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My PBC runs rather hot at the beginning of a cook. With a full basket, the temp in the cooker at the beginning of my cooks tends to be 410 - 425 degrees. I have to cover the air vent to get it close to 300 degrees. Do other people have similar experiences?
I cooked a 5lbs flat brisket today and the results were good. A little dryer than I wanted, but it was a lean piece of meat. I was also trying to keep my tinkering with the air flow to a minimum, so it was running hotter than the 250-260 degrees that I used last time.
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It does start hot ....if you put the lighter fluid on a let her burn for about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on your location an outside temp, then with the rebar in, put the cover on the temp will come down. Adding the meat might bring it down some.
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The very first time I used my PBC my remote thermometer read 528 deg. Was my thermometer correct I do not now because I have never had anything to compare it too at that temp. Using it with the range oven it was reading about 7 degrees higher than the oven set at 475 deg. So who knows what it was but it was over 475 deg. I keep data on all my cooks and I can tell you that within the first hour after starting up the PBC with Charcoal lighter my PBC will be somewhere between 385 - 410 deg. I have only used a chimney 2X and 1 of those times was my first start up which I stated above where the temp was over 500 deg. The 2ND time I used a chimney was 2 weeks ago, when I realized I was out of starter fluid. The start temp this time was about 450 deg. Going back to my notes my PBC temps have usually cooled to about 350 deg. within 40 minutes of setting the lid down on the barrel. I really do not mess with the holes when I am doing a cook that's going to take 4 hours or longer. If I am going to experiment with rebar holes I do it with out anything in the PBC then put sausage, hot dogs, hamburgers on at the end of my test so I have not wasted charcoal.
I have never used a chimney before and I am learning how to keep it lit and determine when it is ready for the basket. I tend to wait to long to make sure that the basket has good hot charcoals so the meat juices and fats do not cool the fire to much. But on serious cooks for an event, cooking something for the first time I use charcoal lighter fluid, cause I feel confident with the results I have had up till now. ;) ;) ;)
CM
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That's not a problem at all, it is supposed to start hot.
Once you hang the food, the drippings and low food temp will stabilize the PBC.
If you start with low temp you risk dropping the temp even further after hanging the food.
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I personally think the PBC cooks best at higher temps anyways.
As long as you get a good established coal bed don't fret about the temps. Just put the food into the barrel and let it work its magic. The food is done when it's done.
It becomes such a humid environment in that cooker that things drying out is not an issue.
As Bigg stated those drippings help stabilize the temps and create the perfect cooking environment.
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I don't think thermometers should be allowed near the PBC :).....unless they are to check the meat. Noah darn near flied out to California to toss out all my thermos. I was way too freaked out about temps. Now I just light the coals and hang the meat and enjoy my grub...............
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Don't tell Noah,but I still use my therm...... I am doing my best to quit though. ;D
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The first 6 months I used a thermometer on every cook. Now, not so much. I'm One with the PBC. LOL