Basic PBC Questions

[jabby]

First off, I do appreaciate that Noah put out his contact info and I could simply contact him directly with questions. But I really am all about the community, and feel it's of much more use if I put these questions here so others can potentially gain some useful knowledege. I also think it's interesting to hear other people's experiences - the PBC folks are the experts on their products, but surely others have valuable insights as well.

So I did my first cook and while it was good - probably better than any chicken I've had - it wasn't quite right. The learning curve, as expected. I'm new to anything other than basic grilling as well as the PBC.

So my questions...

1. I think on my first run, I bothced the initial coals which made the PBC run too hot. What temperature should the PBC be after the coals have been lit for the requisite 15-20 minutes? Where should I measure this temperature in this scenario - right above the charcoal?

2. I've seen countless recipes that look excpetional. But they run for an hour or two. Does everyone just let the coals burn for another 6-8 hours? Seems wasteful to me, but I'm a newbie so maybe that's just the cost of doing business. I could and likely will cook multiple things, but with a family it's tough to manage.

I'm cooking a pork shoulder this weekend. Can't wait!

Thanks in advance!

[smokeasaurus]

You do not go by temps with the PBC. Light it like shown on the video on the PBC site and put your food in at 20 minutes. If you use the cooking grate instead of hanging you must keep the rebar in place. The PBC was designed to have these in place when cooking.

If your coals are still going strong, toss some more meat in there to have for future meals. The PBC is a power cooker. The only drawback is that you can't button it up to save coals for the next cook.

Hope this helps. I have cooked on the PBC a bit longer than most round here, and I gotta tell ya to just keep it simple (forget about temps) and follow Noahs directions and you are just going to love that little cooker 

Hope I was able to help.....

[jabby]

You do not go by temps with the PBC. Light it like shown on the video on the PBC site and put your food in at 20 minutes. If you use the cooking grate instead of hanging you must keep the rebar in place. The PBC was designed to have these in place when cooking.

If your coals are still going strong, toss some more meat in there to have for future meals. The PBC is a power cooker. The only drawback is that you can't button it up to save coals for the next cook.

Hope this helps. I have cooked on the PBC a bit longer than most round here, and I gotta tell ya to just keep it simple (forget about temps) and follow Noahs directions and you are just going to love that little cooker 

Hope I was able to help.....

OK I did all of those steps correctly and it didn't cook properly. I followed the videos step by step but obviously something didn't work right for me. I don't want to just repeat them all and hope it works next time.

Surely there is a temperature when the coals are "ready". When I know that's correct, I can remove that variable as a possible let issue. Because I think it ran too hot based on the initial fire and I'd like to do everything I can to correct it.

And if nobody knows the temp, I'm going to add it here for future reference for others.


To add, I love the PBC. But I don't believe set it and forget it means ignore a questionable first cook.

[mikecorn.1]

I have never checked the temps when I cook in my PBC. For me knowing what the temp is of the coals is not important. They are ready to cook when they are ashed over cmpletely which is around 20 minutes. The only way to control the temp coming off the coals to me would be to put less charcoal. Ive used the videos as a guide and have never had any bad results. As a backup to knowing when my product is ready, I sometimes use a remote thermometer. Im to the point where I dont even do that. I go by look and time.
You cant go by the temp right above the coals because, you are not cooking at that level. Your best bet would be to hand a probe near a hook when hanging stuff or right below the items cooking when using the grill grate. My thermometer has a small piece used to place it in between the grill grates for that purpose.

You can also cantact the folks at PBC. They are really nice folks and willing to aswer all of your questions. 

[Hub]

The PBC has a "sweet spot" in the center where the food hangs and just above the grate placement.  If you go through the PBC section here and look at the posts that have monitored temps that area averages about 300 degrees.  This can be affected by loading with more or less charcoal than recommended (to top of basket), the intial food load, and by increasing airflow by either leaving out the rods or changing the damper or both.  Best advice is to always insert the rods even if you aren't using them, leave the damper alone, and fill to the recommended level.

You will notice some temperature difference in results on some foods.  For instance, if you have racks of ribs that are long, the bottom rib or two may char, but the rest will be correctly cooked.  If you use the grid, you may need to adjust your recipe for a higher temperature than you've used in your stick burner or pellet cooker.  I had to shorten the cook time for my competition chicken recipe, for instance, but it worked very well once I tuned the timing and I got a walk out of it.

The PBC's 20 minute lighting recommendation works very well but you must leave the lid off after lighting.  When you put the food in the coals will be super-hot and the temp will be very high.  Within a few minutes of the lid going on after the food goes in, the cooker will settle down (based on air flow with rods, lid on, and damper unmolested).  Here's a biggie:  If you lift the lid to look at the food frequently you're inducing a lot of extra air into the cook chamber and your average temperature will be significantly higher!!!   The old adage, "If you're lookin' you aint cookin'" really applies here. 
 
The PBC design contemplates "no maintenance" cooking and their recipies and approaches are scaled for it.  I've had very good results, especially on chicken halves hung as recommended in the video.  Fill the charcoal pan to the top, no more and no less, for consistency. 

If, after several more tries, you're still disatisfied with your cooker, look into something adjustable like one of the Weber verticals where you can (and should) regulate dampers and utilize ring and feed methods for combustion control.  That might make you more comfortable overall.

Hub

[jabby]

I'm feeling like asking a question about how the PBC works is wrong here when I thought this would be the place where people would be experimenting with it.

I'm not dissatisfied, just want to know more and thought this group collectively was a good source. First cook wasn't perfect so rather than repeat steps I was just trying to get some more info so I had a better understanding.

Hub - I may have left the lid on after lighting. Don't remember if that was specifically clad out or not in the video. No matter that detail was what I was hoping to gain here.

[Hub]

I'm feeling like asking a question about how the PBC works is wrong here when I thought this would be the place where people would be experimenting with it.

I'm not dissatisfied, just want to know more and thought this group collectively was a good source. First cook wasn't perfect so rather than repeat steps I was just trying to get some more info so I had a better understanding.

You're not wrong and we're with you all the way 

Maybe my use of "dissatisfied" was out of context.  I'm thinking you at least didn't get optimal results.  There's a lot of PBC experience here and we're ready to give all the help you need.  I've experimented with the PBC for competition chicken, non-competition ribs, and a few other things. 

Hub

[Hub]

I'm feeling like asking a question about how the PBC works is wrong here when I thought this would be the place where people would be experimenting with it.

I'm not dissatisfied, just want to know more and thought this group collectively was a good source. First cook wasn't perfect so rather than repeat steps I was just trying to get some more info so I had a better understanding.

Hub - I may have left the lid on after lighting. Don't remember if that was specifically clad out or not in the video. No matter that detail was what I was hoping to gain here.

I can't answer your second question because I've never done a long cook on my PBC.  Many here have.  I'm sure someone will be along soon with some thoughts on butts, briskets, roasts, etc.  -- also, look through the PBC section and see if there are any "tracks" about timing, etc. for the big hunks.

Hub

[smokeasaurus]

I think it is time to call Noah and Amber. I had major issues on my first cook. Noah even offered to fly out and come to my house, I was having that many problems. All the problems I had was user error, nothing to do with the PBC. Noah will get you all squared away. We all want you to have many successful cooks with your PBC. Heck, we want you to have great cooks with all of your pits 

[Sam3]

I think it is time to call Noah and Amber. I had major issues on my first cook. Noah even offered to fly out and come to my house, I was having that many problems. All the problems I had was user error, nothing to do with the PBC. Noah will get you all squared away. We all want you to have many successful cooks with your PBC. Heck, we want you to have great cooks with all of your pits 

X2.

They are very good people to talk to and they make themselves very available. They are customer service driven.

[muebe]

As Hub talked about it is very important to have the lid off for the first 20 minutes while the coals get ready.

From my personal experience I see temps between 270F to 300F measured at the rack level. This is depending on ambient temps and charcoal load.

My PBC came factory adjusted for my altitude. If you feel that it is cooking too fast you can close the air damper some. If your times are longer you can open it up a bit. Although adjusted for your altitude when shipped it could have moved out of adjustment.

I plan on eventually experimenting with a air controller on my PBC but  just have not bought one yet

I just let my coals burn out. It is not a huge load of charcoal but not small either. But the PBC has a large capacity that will help you get the most out of that load of charcoal.

[Tinnmel]

I have an old pot that I dump the coals into after I cook, then I cover that and extinguish my left over coals.  Ready to reuse. 

[mikecorn.1]

You have definitely come to the right place. I hope you did not take anything I said in the wrong way. Just giving my two cents in to what I experiance. I have called Noah before also and he has been very helpful.



Mike
Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk which will only let me upload 6 pics only. STUPID UPDATE!!

[Eatin Smoke]

I monitor the temps in my PBC.......just can't help myself 

If you think you are running too hot try limiting the lighting time to 15 min.  I've found that the reduced time peaks my PBC at @ 350 degrees and it settles in at @ 280-290.

Disclaimer:  I use a weed burner to get my coals going.

[jabby]

It's all good! I'll be sure to photograph this weekend's pork shoulder and any antics or hijinks that entail.