Pit Barrel Cooker Premier Series 18.5 Inch Drum Smoker

I've been smoking on different charcoal rigs most weekends for years (Kettles, barrel grills -with and without offset boxes, ceramic eggs, and even a competition grill that some buddies and I rented for a massive party). I have become pretty capable at producing great slow-cooked meat, and until now my method of choice for slow-cooking involved a 22inch Weber Kettle with a Slow-n-Sear add-on (still a great set-up involving exceptional products). For the purpose of this review, I'm going to compare what makes the PBC Cooker so incredible, when up against any other options in this price-range: PROS: - Simplicity - I deliberately followed the most simple of the prescribed set-ups for this: fill the charcoal basket to the top (make sure it's level); cover charcoal in lighter fluid; place basket in bottom of barrel immediately and light-it; wait 15 minutes for coals to burn down a little (20 at higher altitudes); put on your food, cover the barrel, and wait until your meat is done. No setting up digital thermometers on grill surfaces, no waiting for the temperature to set and stabilize, and I didn't even add wood chunks or chips (I wanted to see what the end product was if I put in the least amount of work necessary). The food that came off when I took the above described steps was phenomenal! Best ribs and chicken I've ever had! - Set it and forget it - this is where I am most astounded, I set the damper according to the directions provided and this thing held at 260 for the entire cook (which was 4hrs, but the charcoal could've gone for 8+ if I had to guess). I have never seen another charcoal fueled product that can do this - period. It literally is a 'set it and forget it' device. I confirmed this by sticking a digital thermometer in through the holes for the rods, periodically during the cook. I didn't use wood-chunks or chips, and it still produced a great smoke and subtle smoke flavor (which I prefer to a heavy/over-smoked flavor) - the flavor comes from the meat dripping on the coals (check-out PBC's website for an explanation)...it works really well. - Shorter cook-times - I slow cooked one rack of ribs to fall-off-the-bone tenderness in a little over 3hrs (still developed a solid smoke ring), along with a chicken (halved) that were done in 2hrs). A rack of ribs slow-cooked would usually take at least 4.5hrs. - Capacity - this thing's footprint is basically the same as a 22inch Weber Kettle (slightly shorter, but the footprint is identical, and the grill cover for a 22inch Weber Kettle fits this perfectly). Even with a rib rack, the most I could effectively fit on a 22inch Weber is 4 racks of ribs (could maybe do 5 if I halved a 5th rack). The PBC can hold up to 8 racks of ribs at a time thanks to its hanging method - with the same footprint as a 22inch Weber. That is nuts! - Easy Clean-Up - you literally just dump the charcoal out of the bottom when you're done; they have a charcoal pan add-on at PBC's website, or you could lay down tin-foil in the bottom of the barrel to make the clean-up even easier. The stainless steel hooks probably don't 'need' to be cleaned after every use, but it takes about 1 minute to use a scrubber and dish-soap on them. The inside of the barrel itself is never meant to be cleaned (they stress this in their directions and literature - so be aware of that), and the outside should never 'require' it either (cleaning the outside is super easy if you do want to - check out PBC's website for details on how to clean it). - Great Build Quality - this thing is substantial, and I love that they use a porcelain enamel finish now (sounds like they used to use a powdered finish). As is the case with anything, fewer moving parts usually means higher durability and lower maintenance - this thing has very few moving parts. - Legit Even Cooking - this thing does cook evenly as a result of the science/physics behind the design (check-out their website for an explanation). To get the same effect on other rigs, usually you have to adjust the meat's position at least once during the cook. - Versatility - The PBC can be used for grilling or slow cooking; the included grill grate is solid and sits deep enough in the barrel to protect it from flare-ups caused by wind. I think I'll probably still use my weber kettle for grilling on on grates, but it's awesome that this could serve the same purpose (and the grilling surface is substantial). It CAN heat up for grilling, and it does it quickly - take that lid off the PBC and you can literally watch the coals heat-up in a matter of minutes. Something else that makes this versatile is its capacity; as I alluded to earlier, I did a halved chicken and a rack of ribs simultaneously - they didn't come close to touching each-other or messing with each-other's flavor profile...I could've done two halved chickens along one of the hanging rods, and 4 racks of ribs along the other if I'd wanted to. - Product Support & Virtual Community - visit the PBC cooker's website, and you have a ton of available support and info provided by the owners of the company (it's a veteran owned company which makes it more awesome) and a community of people who are fanatical about this product. Slow cooking using a 'hook-and-hang' method is new to most backyard BBQ'rs (myself included); the videos and content provided on PBC's website make the prospect far less intimidating than trying to figure it out on your own, or by using some written directions. The company's owners also clearly care about their product, their customers, and their craft in general - lots of customer engagement and support. CONs/FYIs: - Barrel Depth - this is about as nitpicky as anyone could be about a product, and is really more of an "FYI" than a CON. The rack of ribs I hung to slow-cook was ALMOST too long (almost touching the coals). I always try to pick shorter racks of ribs because you run into similar issues on most BBQ rigs (if they're too long for a kettle, then they touch the sides of the kettle - which you don't want). This rack of baby-backs was on the longer side, so I'm not too surprised that it almost hit the coals. 'Hook-Placement' can help with longer pieces of meat, which is something I'll be mindful of next time I have a longer rack of ribs to slow cook. I will say this, despite the ribs being literally an inch or two above the coals - the bottom of the hanging rack cooked evenly with the rest of the rack (really impressive). Again, this is not really a CON and more of an FYI. I imagine that when the first Weber Kettle came out, it was met with similar disbelief and fanfare - at $300.00 before taxes, you won't find anything like this. Pellet Smokers and other types of electric/automated smokers might offer 'set-it-and-forget-it' ability, but the decent ones are more expensive and they don't offer the same degree of simplicity, near the capacity of this thing, or are as easy to clean/maintain.

I wanted to buy a smoker to compliment my regular grill, but didn't want to spend a fortune. I read a review on a very popular bbq web site (search for Meathead Goldwyn) about the effective job the Pit Barrel Cooker does and was impressed by the ease of use (as in no tinkering with the temperature, etc.), as illustrated by the company's several excellent instructional online videos. After reading the excellent reviews on Amazon, and watching online videos/reviews, I took a "leap of faith" and ordered the PBC. At the time, the cost, INCLUDING SHIPPING, was $269. The company has since raised the price to $289 (again, includes shipping), which is, in my humble opinion, still a bargain. How does it perform? Admirably! Its simple, but sturdy, construction belies the effectiveness of the results it produces. I've since bbq'd chicken, ribs, etc., and my friends and family have raved about the smokey, juicy taste of the meat. I'd be proud to present my smoked meats to any fan of bbq! The PPC uses charcoal,only, and operation is extremely simple (But, watch the company's videos and follow its instructions carefully.): Prepare your meat (rub, marinade, etc.), light your charcoal (I use a Weber chimney charcoal starter; charcoal ready in about 20 minutes.), pour the lighted charcoal into the charcoal basket in the bottom of the barrel (Use bbq gloves that cover the forearm.), hang the meat on the two rods at the top of the barrel using the provided stainless steel hooks (eight hooks are included), close the lid, and . . . wait! The company videos carefully explain how to position the hooks for different kinds of meat (pork butt, whole chickens, ribs, etc.) and the approximate time for them to cook. Important: Trust the videos! Don't peek while the meat is smoking! ("If yer peekin', yer not cookin'!). After the suggested cook time, check your meat (using an instant-read thermometer, or, with ribs, poke the meat to gauge desired tenderness). For my first cook-off, I hung four whole chickens (each cut in half) on the eight hooks. Before hanging the chicken on the hooks, I added several chunks of apple wood to the lit charcoal. . . . About an hour later, they were done! I rubbed the chicken before cooking with the company's all-purpose rub (excellent!), and the family polished it off in short order. Again, rave comments from all! My next cook was Saturday before Memorial Day, and I wanted a "trial cook-off" before our large family and friends Memorial Day Feast. I hung four racks of baby back ribs on the rods (The PBC will easily do eight racks at one time.); results were acceptable but not perfect. I "peeked" about 2 1/2 hrs. into the cook (The video says do this only after 3 hrs.), and a time or two after. After about 3 1/2 hrs., the ribs were done: A little more chewy than I had expected, but still very good. (My "trial cook-off" tasters didn't complain!). On Memorial Day, I first cooked sixteen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (again, oiled and rubbed, with several chunks---not chips!--- of apple wood added to the lit charcoal). The chicken was done in about 45 minutes. I wrapped the chicken in foil and placed in the unlit oven to "rest." Next, I hung eight racks of rubbed baby back ribs on the rods. No need for added coals: Once you fill the charcoal basket, you've got enough heat for a total of about 6 or 7 hours of cooking (The company says you can easily finish a brisket in this time, unlike the longer time required by other smokers.) Three hours later, I checked the ribs, and left them on for another 45 minutes. Nice and tender! Slathered them with Baby Ray's sauce, put them on the rods to "carmelize," and took them off. Fantastic results! Tender, succulent, smokey Nirvana! Need I say, the family raved?? I highly recommend the Pit Barrel Cooker because of its bargain price and the excellent results it produces. It's the first smoker I've ever owned and I simply cannot imagine other smokers could produce better results. Since my first order, I've ordered eight additional hooks, to allow me to cook more pieces of chicken at one time. Finally, for grilling, a circular grill is included; my hamburgers (80-20% fat; ground chuck) were delicious, smokey and moist.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this excellent product? It has made me a BBQ master and brought a lot of fun and good times to my home. I've struggled for years with an offset smoker to get it working right. It required constant babysitting and yielded inconsistent results and only fair BBQ. The Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC as I call it) is SO easy to use and best of all: repeatable, consistent results. It just works and works well. Here are some tips for those just starting out: 1. The way the PBC (or any smoker) maintains a low, consistent heat inside the unit for extended periods of time is totally dependent on the so-called "Minon Method". Jim Minon came up with this method so there would be a low temp that would last a long time inside his smoker. Instead of lighting all the coals at once, which resulted in things getting way too hot and the coals burning out too soon, he lit only a small amount of the charcoal and poured it on top of the rest of the unlit coals. Using this method, a small amount of coals would stay lit and burn down, lighting the unlit coals, maintaining a low, consistent temperature over the cook. How much you light and how long you allow the bunch to get going before you close the lid can make a huge difference in the inside temp and how long the coals last. The instructions for the PBC say to light your coals and wait 20 minutes and then close the lid. Do not waver from the 20 minute time. If you do, the coals will get too hot and STAY too hot for the duration of your cook. However, there is a world of variability in how you do this which can have significant impact on your cook. How many briquettes you load in your chimney starter and when place on the rest in the charcoal basket will make a big difference in how hot your PBC gets and stays that way. You can load it full, or only a third and this will result in different temps throughout your cook. If you leave the briquettes in the chimney until the last few minutes of the suggested 20 minutes before you pour them on the rest in the charcoal basket, this will result in a lower temp in your PBC throughout the cook. Or you can pour the briquettes from the chimney onto the rest in the basket as soon as they are started, allowing the entire bunch to get going for that 20 minutes. If you're looking to really slow things down, then fill the chimney only 1/3rd full and pour it on the rest of the charcoal only a couple minutes before you put your food on and close the lid. This will result in a nice, low temperature throughout your cook that will last eight or more hours. If you want to cook hotter (and subsequently faster), then fill your chimney full and pour it on as soon as it's lit well and allow the rest of the coals in the basket to get going good until the 20 minute mark. Low and slow is what makes the BBQ flavorful and tender, so I'd suggest you fill it 1/3rd and pour it on the rest just a couple minutes before you close the lid. 2. The vent at the bottom is important, but it won't have as much impact on the barbeque temperature as varying things as I described above. You can vary things about 50 degrees using the vent, but if the coals get too hot before you put the lid on, it will stay hot no matter what you do (short of spraying water on the coals). The key is how hot the coals get before you put the lid on. 3. Leaving out one or both of the rebar hanger bars can have a HUGE impact on the internal temp. The bars control the flow of air between the vent and the top of the smoker. So even if you're using the grate, make sure you leave those bars in if you can to have a consistent, low temp throughout your cook. They are an integral part of the flow system of the PBC. 4. Taking the lid off for a short time is fine, but leaving it off for extended times can raise the temp inside significantly, and it'll stay that way when you put the lid back on. The temp will come down after you put the lid on, but it may never come down to where you want if you leave it off too long. 5. It's a very good idea to purchase both a good quality, fast-read thermometer (like the ThermoPop) and a leave-in thermometer (like the Maverick Et-732 Remote Bbq Smoker Thermometer). The Maverick is a charm to use and it cuts down on babysitting the food tremendously. You stick one probe in the meat and one near it to monitor the temp of your smoker and it constantly feeds those two temps to your unit in the house (or wherever you are). It will alert you when you've reached your goal temp. Then you can use the ThermoPop to check in more places to see if it's consistently the temp you want. Having those two things will make your life much easier and help you get consistent, repeatable results. Don't listen to people who whine about the probes on the Maverick. If you're careful and you don't get the probes wet, they'll last a long time (I know, because I use it myself). Also, get some grill gloves, preferably some that come very high up the arm (to the elbow, is best). You'll need these for pulling off your meat, or pulling the rebar to put the grate on (for example, cooking a pork shoulder that is hung for half the time, then wrapped in aluminum foil and put on the grate for the remainder of the time). Some silicone BBQ gloves are great too, for when you cut the meat or pull it (as in pulled pork). You could buy one pair for both uses, but I found it best to get one pair for each task. I wanted grill gloves that came high on my arm, but I didn't want to use these to handle the meat (as they are cloth). Smaller, silicone gloves are better for handling the meat for pulling or slicing. When you cut a just-cooked chicken, brisket, ribs or tri-tip, having the silicone gloves makes things so much easier. You can use dishwashing gloves, but it's not very appetizing for your guests to see you using these to handle the meat they're about to eat. 6. Lastly, make good use of the many videos the PBC people have made, teaching you how to cook just about everything you can think of (located on their website, or YouTube). They show where to place the hooks in many different kinds of meat, and how to prep that meat for maximum results. I bought a book on smoking meat that has helped a lot. You can find two or three of the best here on Amazon by searching for "Smoking meat book". Pick the one you think is best. I bought Smoking Meat by Jeff Phillips. Follow the instructions that come with your PBC and you'll be making excellent BBQ in no time. It's very easy to use, easy to maintain and lots of fun to use.

I stumbled across this smoker on the web somewhere and it peeked my curiosity. So I went to the site and pretty much read all there was to read and watched all the videos several times. Then I read as many reviews as I could find anywhere and the thing that stood out was that there were no negative reviews at all. So I order one. I have a Weber gas grill and a Weber kettle. Even have the Smokenator. This simple pit barrel cooker does exactly what it promises and it delivers beyond expectation! I am a fairly good cook and my own worst critic. When I want baby back ribs I want them to taste like ribs. The rub, spices and marinades need to enhance the flavor of the ribs, not to replace it. The meat should be done, but juicy. The first ribs I cooked were fantastic! They were actually done in 2.5 hours. Maybe that was because I let the ribs come up to room temperature before I cooked them. The included rubs are fairly salty and a bit too salty for my liking. So the next time I used my own 8:3:1:1 Alton Brown inspired rub. The results were even better! The meat is not fall off the bone, but tear off the bone. I mean it comes clear off the bone, with an elegant smoke ring on the outside. The smoke is just from the juices falling on the smoldering charcoal; no wood was added. The meat was tender and very moist. I used a home made bourbon barbecue sauce to glaze the ribs a little bit, but I seriously doubt that the ribs even need it. Every time I cook baby back ribs they seem to get better. Being able to put 8 slabs in at one time makes this thing PERFECT for any holiday with a crowd. I have cooked chicken on it a few times too and the results are great as well. I have cut them in half and used the hanging method as well as just laying a whole chicken on the rack. To me both work well. I was curious about how this cooker worked and it actually makes a lot of sense. I have a Thermapen thermometer and I just stuck the probe into one of the holes for the rods every so often. After you start the cook and cover the cooker with the lid, the amount of oxygen is very limited and the heat will reduce to a smolder. In the beginning the temperature may be anywhere between 350 and 425 degrees. Again, this is just below the lid. This will get the meat cooking and juices will start to drop onto the coals, which produces the smoke. Because the the limited amount of available oxygen there will be NO flare ups. Gradually the temperature will fall and eventually settle around 250-260 degrees. I bit high for a smoker, but they don't claim it to be a smoker. It's a pit barrel COOKER and that is exactly what it does. Just let this thing cook, don't tinker with it; it seems to know what it does. It cooks. It cooks well. It produces some smoke. It does all that very well. I don't need no damn smoker. I have a Pit Barrel Cooker.

I first read about the Pit Barrel Cooker a couple years ago on AmazingRibs.com (where I've learned everything I know about grilling and smoking). I put off buying one for too long. I had been successfully smoking meat on my Weber Kettle grill, but it was always a lot of work (controlling temperature, moving meat around for uniform cooking), short on capacity (maximum 4 racks of ribs or a 1 small turkey), and didn't hold enough fuel to smoke for very long (even with the Smokenator product). The Weber kettle works great for grilling and it's easy to use and clean, but I will never bother smoke on it again. So far, I have done a lot of ribs, 4 or 5 chickens, my first brisket, polish and boudin (Cajun) sausages, stuffed peppers, and sweet potatoes. Everything has turned out great and has been relatively easy. The chickens had crispy skin. The brisket was a huge full packer brisket from Costco and was somehow done in about 4 hours. I'm sure I cooked it too hot (due to my bent lid.... see below), but it was still tender and juicy, and I didn't even inject it... probably helped that it was a prime cut and I trimmed most of the fat off. Pit Barrel Cooker pros: - easy to use: no fiddling with air vents, simple to set up for each cook - high quality: barrel, lid, and rebar rods are all surprisingly heavy... this is a good thing - high capacity: 8 racks of ribs or 4 chickens, or 2 turkeys at a time - easy to transport: all pieces fit inside the barrel, which fits in the trunk of my car (have to tie the trunk shut, but oh well) - outstanding customer service: The lid I received was slightly warped like a pringle. It fit ok, but there were some gaps where too much air was escaping and my temperatures were a bit too high. I contacted the company, and they were very apologetic. They sent me a new lid for free, and they sent me a bunch of accessories for free because I had to wait a while for it. This included extra bottles of rub, grilling gloves, and 2 turkey hangers. I haven't used the barrel yet with my new lid, but I will try to update this review and add some pictures once I do. Pit Barrel Cooker cons: - minor gripe: they used cheap stain on the hook tool. If you hold the wooden dowel with damp hands, the red stain will come off. I didn't want to risk staining my clothes or furniture, so I held the tool under warm water and a ton of the dye came off... almost like watercolor paint or something. I scrubbed at it until the water ran clear. They should just not dye it at all. - 2nd minor gripe: the charcoal basket almost has TOO MUCH capacity, because the PBC cooks so fast. A few weeks ago, I smoked 6 or 8 racks of ribs. The barrel was still hot, so I cut 2 chickens in half and smoked them too. I probably could have done another round of chickens after that. This charcoal capacity CAN be great, but it's a waste of charcoal if I'm just cooking for me and my wife. I tried to fill the basket about 1/3 full last week and it didn't seem to ever get hot enough. I'm going to experiment with this some more, like maybe putting a piece of metal or fire bricks to keep the pile of charcoal deep. If you're on the fence, just buy one. This is a high-quality product and the price is more than fair for what you get. Also, I only paid $220 for mine because I signed up for an Amazon credit card at checkout and got an $80 gift card that was available for use immediately.

I've had it for three weekends now and have done four cooks. The thing is amazing and I'm already producing killer food, including the first time out. First cook was two pork butts and a packer brisket all at once. Made a couple of rookie mistakes (mainly puncturing the bottom of the foil with the thermometer, losing all of the apple juice once I foil wrapped it) so the pork butts were more of a chopped pork instead of pulled, but the flavor was still great. Brisket was also very good but I know the next time out will be even better. Second cook was simply two racks of baby back ribs. They came out perfectly and the ease of prepping and smoking is insane...definitely "set it and forget it". Third and fourth cooks were this past weekend spread over two days: pork butt, brats and two racks of beef short ribs followed by three racks of pork ribs and two more racks of beef short ribs. Everything was awesome: especially the pork butt. Didn't screw up the foil process and wound up with succulent pulled pork as intended. The bratwurst were also awesome smoked, turning red from the smoke ring and having a great snap to them. I want to use the thing every day. It's so simple to use and customer support is fantastic. I recommend this to everyone and also recommend picking up the hanging grill grate which allows you to use the grill grate while also hanging meats at the same time. Was able to toss the bratwurst on the grill before foiling the pork butt and moving it to the grate and then was able to immediately hang the beef ribs. Pretty smart buy if you intend on having people over (you will) and your caught with your pants down as the food won't be ready for another three hours. Was able to do some brats to tide over the masses until the pork was ready. Buy it. It's cheaper than most of the other smokers and the cooking capacity is tremendous, never mind how small the footprint is. It's pretty much idiot proof as evidenced by being able to deliver a more than passable 12-pound brisket first time out. There are tons of videos online and other internet resources regarding the Cooker so learning how to use it is extremely simple.

I've been grilling on gas for a long time for all of the benefits that a gas grill gives you. Recently though, I've been bit by the smoking bug and longed for the taste of charcoal/wood flavored food so I started doing my research. I was pretty much set on an 18" Weber Smokey Mountain, but happened to come across glowing reviews of the PBC. It doesn't do "slow and low" like the WSM, but from I could tell it looked like it was turning out some great BBQ in less time and babysitting than any charcoal smoker/cooker I've seen. Seems like the ultimate "set it, and forget it" cooker for a guy like me outside of paying $$$ for a pellet grill. Initial thoughts: The build quality is excellent. The late-2014, 2015 models use thicker gauge steel are are porcelain enamel coated (like Weber) compared the original's power coat. It's a little smaller/shorter than I thought, but considering it holds an 18" grill grate, it should not have surprised me. Mine sits on 4" concrete blocks so I'm not bending over as far. So far I've cooked beef short ribs, rack of baby backs, and two chicken halves on this. Results were good, but fell a bit short of my expectations as I was getting used to the idea of not worrying about watching grill temps. Over time, I expect the food to get much tastier as I trust the cooker and worry less about trying to manipulate the air flow. One thing I have learned, is you really need to limit the number of times you lift the lid. The temps climb quickly and takes it a while to come back down. As a grill, it doesn't get as hot as a traditional grill considering how far the grill grate sits from the fire, but it does get the job done, even if it takes a bit longer. The upside is you don't get flare ups and charred meat, though getting a nice crust may be hard to come by. As far as downsides up to this point, I have a few (with alternative fixes): - Ash clean up is a bit of a pain since it collects at the bottom of the barrel. (Fix: line the bottom with foil and toss after your cook) - The amount of charcoal the instructions advises is overkill for short cooks like chicken. It will easily hold temps of 270-290 for 6+ hours. (Fix: The design of the PBC seems efficient enough that I've gotten away with using half as many coals for shorter cooks. It seems to keep the same temps as I did with a full basket (for much less time). I plan on playing more with this in order to conserve my coals.) - Since there are no dampers, there is no way to kill the fire. (Fix: I found a blog where an owner stuffed foil in the upper holes and in the bottom vent with the lid on. It actually works.) For the price, I think it is a great value for anyone looking to get into charcoal cooking/smoking that doesn't require you to plug it into an electrical outlet. It's made in the USA, no fuss, holds a lot of meat, and a conversation starter due to it's unconventional design and cooking method. However, if having total control over your temps and going low-and-slow is important, I'd look elsewhere. I plan to include updates as I continue to use the PBC.

I got a california made model, arrived in like... 4 days. Shocking!!ly fast. So i was cooking right away. Adjusted the vent etc. exactly as per instructions. 1/4. First cook was 2 tri-tips, fairly plain on the spices since I wanted to try the meat tenderness. They cooked really fast , and juicy, and tender. Color was a little pink looking , like they weren't cooked, but tender and juicy, regardless. Smoky tastes wasn't woody, more charcoaly ,. Oddly, usually I can never really tell a difference in smoke flavor, this time I could. Kingsford blue. Second cook, did a 12 pound brisket -- turned out pretty bad! Trimmed etc. as per PBC website, spiced it, put it out immediately ( it was cold) , hung it via the hooks, it was hitting the coals. It took 6 hours it seems, never seemed to get to the right temp 205. Embarassing and expensive experiment. I thought $300 down the drain. my family asked whether I could return the thing. Dry, tough, embarassing. I used digital thermometer etc., in the point, as per the PBC website. Used a little more charcoal than PBC website said. Was thinking and thinking, what was the problem? bad meat? from smart and final? bad bag of kingsford blue? after a while it occurred to me that the temp was too low. and that the vent might need ADJUSTMENT. I examined closely, the vent, I had set it set to about 1/4 , as per website instructions. yes it does need some notch marks. I have a polder digital thermometer, and its calibrated. I double checked the calibration too. So I opened the vent a smidge for the next cook ( 4 racks of spareribs ). One can always put said ribs in the oven and finish them off. Well they were the best spareribs I've ever made ( which isn't saying much , honestly), uneven cooking. Closest to vent was very tender, those furthest from the vent took longer. Total cooktime before I lost patience was 5 hours. that's still really fast!! That one rack next to the vent, caramba it was good and tender. Restaurant quality. Nice with sauce . For the rest of the ribs, I reheated in the oven wrapped in foil with some water, super tender. They were good! we got tired of ribs :) started giving them to friends :) with detailed reheat-for-an-hour warnings! They were actually pretty good. Confidence restored ( a little )... Next up, another brisket ( smaller, 11 pounds ).. Vent open about a 1/4 + a smidge and another smidge, inserted the temp probe into the flat ( not the point ). After about 3 hours or thereabout, took it off and wrapped it etc. because at the flat said temp was 158 more or less good enough. After wrapped and back into PBC, polder lying on top of the foil read about 200-205, opened the vent more, polder temp went up to about 220. That little 1/8 or 1/16th of an inch made almost 15 degree difference, that's huge. So... long and short, Just about the best brisket I've made ( its too much trouble usually to make brisket for me, on an ECB) , and really fast, not 12 hours or more. IMO, forget the PBC suggestions regarding trimming, and leave more fat on. I actually could taste my rub ( too much paprika ). Brisket was dry rubbed and left for overnight, taken out for an hour prior to cook. And yes, more fat left on to keep it moist. Because of the tweaking required, 4 stars. Uneven cooking. Messing with a $40 brisket, or $50 of ribs, when one follows the instructions almost exactly, means that something different happened in the california made models. I've added some wood chunks to the cooker for the brisket, and they didn't burn up. smoldered, weren't consumed. odd. low temp. For a specialty cooker, this isn't really fire and forget. the vent is held on by a cheap screw and that 25 cent screw messes up a $40 brisket, and half a day of time. and expectant family and friends. I think the charcoal pan needs to be raised a little off the bottom, so it gets a little more airflow, so as to increase air circulation, sort of like the mods that are done to ECB , or other bullet smokers. So check the vent. Be patient. Too fast == not tender. Get a temp probe ( 2 would be better ). For my next BBQ ( another tri-tip ) , I went back to 22 inch weber. No need to use 1/3 bag of charcoal. For chicken and turkey, get a weber rotisserie attachment, I'm confident it would taste better than this PBC. Weber + rotisserie seriously , with a brined poultry is awesome. applewood or pecan , great. So unless I need to do 6 chickens ( which I might ) , wouldn't think of using the PBC. Would I buy it e.g., hypothetically if it got stolen and I got an insurance check for replacement value? vs. getting a pellet smoker ( green mountain, traeger, rec-tec that are 3x the price?) whew... might be worth saving up. I'll try and remember to update this later in the summer, after a little more ribs and brisket. Pulled pork? OK, pulled pork! as far as the rubs? main ingredient is salt. Nice that they were included , I wouldn't buy them. I did try it on 1 rack of those ribs, and it came out too salty for my taste. i'm glad I bought it after all, 5-6 hours for ribs is way fast. Not waking up to add charcoal is great ( e.g., for brisket ). Cheaper than a pellet smoker. High capacity. Brisket? well.... I know more about brisket selection now... frankly sometimes there aren't many choices. Sometimes its hard to get a flat that's thick with point and the deckle thing more or less proportional so you can get an even cook.

Ottimo prodotto

Been using this for a month - CONSTANT - Amazing. I own three other smokers of different varieties this is incredible. Really just Follow Noah's instructions and Enjoy .... No fuss no Muss just Flavor Supreme... One thing Don't cheap out on the Charcoal - Although Kingsford is really not expensive but I've tried and there is a noticeable difference in temp and taste without Kingsford. Amber and Noah Have One of the Easiest and most Exciting Grill products I've seen in years. I may need to pick up another one as I tend to get more visitors come dinner on weekends:) Canuck Ken

Grillen und Smoken .... und beides auf so unkomplizierte Art und Weise. Ein Schmuckstück in robuster Ausführung. Auf der ersten Blick erscheint der Preis etwas hoch, das Teil ist jedoch wirklich massiv und gut durchdacht ausgeführt. Dieses schöne Teil ziehe ich jedem Weber Griller vor, die ja schliesslich auch nicht gerade günstig sind. Am liebsten hängen wir Ripperl rein, ein Prüfen der Temperatur ist nicht ntowendig, genial wie unkompliziert das funktioniert. Ca 1/3 der Kohlen mit einem Grillkamin für 15 Minuten anheizen, dann hinein damit auf die anderen Kohlen und sofort das Fleisch hineinhängen. Deckel drauf und nach etwa 3 Stunden nochmals mit Barbecue Sauce oder Honig nachwürzen und noch 1 - 2 Stunden weiter smoken. Das nächste Mal gibts dann Pizza aus der Tonne :-) Die Luftzufuhr habe ich zu 1/4 aufgemacht.

Magique et ludique !

I love the PBC - it's simple, it's well made, and it does everything it claims. But worth a special mention here is the seller - Garden Secrets. Some time after buying my PBC I managed to damage the lid, slightly bending it. The slight gap created by the bend can increase the airflow in a way that isn't always desirable, and I asked Garden Secrets over email if I could buy a spare. They replied saying that they don't keep spare lids, but would make a note of my enquiry. I was fairly sure that I would never hear anything back about this, but today, after several weeks, I had a call from them - a barrel had been damaged by a courier but the lid was fine, would I like it if I was prepared to cover the shipping cost. They remembered my enquiry and bothered to call me to make this offer.