JMoloney

Hi ya, Thank you for the reply, I did get the stand which raises it off the floor. I had used it before on the grass with a concrete slab under, to protect the grass, & it cracked the slab. Maybe it cracked as I was moving it about in-between using the PBC. Cheers, James

Hi ya, I've just put down a patio in my garden and wondering what people could suggest to put under their pit barrel cooker to protect the slabs. I've looked at fire mats but seen mixed reviews. I've used my PBC on an old slab which then cracked due to the heat. Not wanting to damage a newly laid patio. Any help much appreciated. Cheers, James

Hi ya, I had a similar issue with some random coals that I used where the temperature wasn't high enough. I've just got a load of Weber briquettes but haven't used them yet. When I do I'll let you how I get on. What lumpwood did use first time round?

Hi ya, I did some baby back ribs the other week. I tried to do it how the PBC guy didn't on YouTube. It went really well, but 1 of the racks, half of them fell into the coals, I managed to sort them out but the string idea could be worth a go. I'll check out an ash bucket. I managed to lift the coal bucket by hand. I've got the Weber BBQ leather gloves & that was fine. Cheers, James

Hi Russel, thank you for the reply, its really helpful. That's good that you mention about briquettes rather than lumpwood as I've just ordered a load of weber briquettes. Do you put in any wood chips for added flavour? I haven't tried this yet & was going to get some hickory to see how that came out. Also what do you do for putting out the coals when you've finished? I contacted PBC through their email & they said to let the coals die out, however I don't like the idea of leaving unattended hot coals outside. I've taken out the charcoal pan & emptied it into a load of soil & sand. I'm trying to find a cake tin style tin that I can put over the charcoal basket to take out the oxygen & leave that out to cool down but haven't found anything that would work so far. Cheers, James

Hi Wade & SOTV, thank you for the replies, I'll check out the restaurant grade lumpwood. It doesn't have a baffle plate. It has 1 grill but can get a half grate so you can still use a hang bar. SOTV I managed to use mine straight out of the box no bother. The only issues I've had is getting the charcoal going properly - I did the fill up the basket & then about a quarter in the chimney starter. I think I didn't give it long enough though. I ended up opening the bottom vent all the way to get more air in. Also think the charcoal I used yesterday wasn't good enough as there wasn't enough heat. I picked up a pit barrel cooker ash pan on ebay & going to get the hinge grate a company called garden gift shop sell them. I'm really pleased with it & looking forward to using it more.

Hi ya, I just got a pit barrel cooker, had a few cooks on it, which have been great overall. Just wondering what coals do you use? Cheers