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Love it!

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.

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.

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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.