Let's Talk BBQ
FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: DonR9 on August 01, 2015, 05:38:32 PM
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Haven't tried it yet. Think it will work?
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Yes, I use wine corks.
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Yes, I use wine corks.
Yeah. I use wine corks too. Thought I'd try these bolts to get the kind of "seal" the hanging bars give me. Then, for stuff I grate, I don't have to be working around the bars so much. We shall see
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Do you guys plug the rebar holes and crack the lid for exhaust? Is this for when cooking on the grate?
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I have been known leave out a rebar during chicken cooks. I find that it increases the temp by 50 degrees or so. Also I remove the lid the last 5 minutes of a chicken cook to crisp up the skin.
I have never plugged up the holes yet however.
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Plugging the holes will prevent the PBC from "breathing", you are going to have bad smoke circulating around the meat with no way to exit..............
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Plugging the holes will prevent the PBC from "breathing", you are going to have bad smoke circulating around the meat with no way to exit..............
Thanks for pointing that out. The bolts I've got are 1/2 inch in diameter, so the should impede flow only slightly more that the bars do. I figure if I plug 3 holes and leave one open, I should get decent flow. But you make a good point. After I've tried it, I'll post how it goes.
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Do you guys plug the rebar holes and crack the lid for exhaust? Is this for when cooking on the grate?
I haven't actually tried this yet, but plan to for stuff I grate. I'm hoping it'll make turning things (like chicken wings) a little easier. Smoke points out, however, that if I plug too much I might get a bad smoke taste. We shall see
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Usually a pit runs better with a wide open exhaust. The fire is usually controlled by the air vents closest to the burning fire. The lid of the PBC is pretty tight fitting. To avoid a heavy bitter smoke flavor it is always better to have the smoke moving quickly and smoothly past the meat. Closing up the 4 holes.....well....think about it.....where is the heat and smoke going to go?? It is going to stay in the barrel and completely ruin your meat. I am also pretty sure this set up will effect the burn rate of the charcoal because there is no flow to the exhaust.............just sayin........
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Usually a pit runs better with a wide open exhaust. The fire is usually controlled by the air vents closest to the burning fire. The lid of the PBC is pretty tight fitting. To avoid a heavy bitter smoke flavor it is always better to have the smoke moving quickly and smoothly past the meat. Closing up the 4 holes.....well....think about it.....where is the heat and smoke going to go?? It is going to stay in the barrel and completely ruin your meat. I am also pretty sure this set up will effect the burn rate of the charcoal because there is no flow to the exhaust.............just sayin........
Good points, well taken. The bolts I have won't really seal so much as they will impede the flow. I'll try using 2 or 3 of them to see what I get; and then leaving all the holes open and adjusting the bottom air vent.
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Unless I'm reading this wrong you are not planning to crack the lid for exhaust. If that's the case I agree there won't be anywhere for the smoke to go. This will also lower your temperature a lot even if you open the vent cap more. You've gotta allow exhaust somewhere. If you plug the holes just crack the lid about 3/4-1" for exhaust. If you do that I don't see a problem.
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Unless I'm reading this wrong you are not planning to crack the lid for exhaust. If that's the case I agree there won't be anywhere for the smoke to go. This will also lower your temperature a lot even if you open the vent cap more. You've gotta allow exhaust somewhere. If you plug the holes just crack the lid about 3/4-1" for exhaust. If you do that I don't see a problem.
Although I tend to use my PBC as it came from the factory (really like the simplicity - fits me... ;) ), I do enjoy reading the mods and suggestions and think about how they might impact my cooks. So, please accept this comment / question in that sense.
I am wondering why I would plug the rebar holes and then crack the lid to probably about the same amount as the original holes. This is not a criticism it is curiosity.
Thanks!
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The only reason I personally am considering "plugging" the holes is to get the same flow I get with the bars in place when I'm cooking on the grate. I'm thinking of chicken which always comes out so succulently. Reminds me of what I used to get from a Kamado Pot years ago. (the pot was brought into the U.S. from Japan by a Pan Am captain). If I cut the chicken into prices and grate it with the holes obscured by the ½ inch nuts I have, my sense is I'll get an internal temp quite similar to what I get when I hang chicken halves. I think that's what I'm aiming for: use those nuts to impede flow the same way having the bars in does.
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Unless I'm reading this wrong you are not planning to crack the lid for exhaust. If that's the case I agree there won't be anywhere for the smoke to go. This will also lower your temperature a lot even if you open the vent cap more. You've gotta allow exhaust somewhere. If you plug the holes just crack the lid about 3/4-1" for exhaust. If you do that I don't see a problem.
Although I tend to use my PBC as it came from the factory (really like the simplicity - fits me... ;) ), I do enjoy reading the mods and suggestions and think about how they might impact my cooks. So, please accept this comment / question in that sense.
I am wondering why I would plug the rebar holes and then crack the lid to probably about the same amount as the original holes. This is not a criticism it is curiosity.
Thanks!
Fair enough. Let us know what you find out. Especially if it works out..
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Only time I plug the holes is to snuff out the unused coals to use on the next cook. Let us know how it comes out.
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Plugging the holes will prevent the PBC from "breathing", you are going to have bad smoke circulating around the meat with no way to exit..............
Not plugging all of them. I hang ribs on one rebar and plug the other 2 when I want to cook low and slow. Never plug all four. That's asking for trouble
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OK. I tried my experiment. Did a partial basket of coals, using fire bricks to partition the basket. Cut up a chicken, put all purpose rub on all the dark meat pieces (my wife only eats white meat and doesn't like rubs of any kind). Put chicken on the grate and used my 1/2 inch bolts to impede airflow from all 4 holes. Note, the holes were not plugged. They were filled with the same impediment to airflow as if the rebar for hanging had been inserted. As you can see from the 4th picture below, smoke was venting from the barrel quite nicely. Initially, the barrel spiked to just under 400 degrees before settling down to just under 300 degrees. The final results were fine, but I think it's easier to KISS it. Cut the chickens in half, season them to taste, hang them and take them out of the barrel when the Thermapen says the thigh meat's at 160 degrees. The partial basket idea seemed to work fine.
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Looks like a very tasty experiment gone right!
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Great looking cook and I am sure glad to see you had a good supper.
The PBC was designed for nice easy cooking...while fun to tweak things a bit, it is always fun to just light,hang,smoke and eat :P :P
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So are you saying the bolts are taking the place of the rebar ? You are just making it easier to check and remove the chicken on the grate . Good idea.....
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So are you saying the bolts are taking the place of the rebar ? You are just making it easier to check and remove the chicken on the grate . Good idea.....
That's what I'm saying
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Ah I get it now. Nice experiment!
Another thing you can try is removing the rebar and instead of partially plugging the holes wiyh bolts to simulate rebar, just use a leather glove or something similar to partially cover the intake vent cap. This will lower the amount of air coming into the PBC and keep temps lower as well.