SIAP. I was looking online for a smoker and came across their website. Very simple concept just using Kingsford charcoal and a vent at the bottom of the barrel. I've made ribs and chicken so far and really liked how they came out. Want to try a brisket. Website states should be done in 10-12 hrs. Anyone have any experience with it?

What temp are you smoking at? Seems like a barrel smoker should be the same as anything else.....60-90 min/lb.

No thermometer. Says it runs at 225-250 or so. Temp determined by how much you open the vent on the bottom

Brisket is tricky, can't be judged on time alone. How big is it? Briskets vary greatly in size. You doing a whole packer or just a flat? You need a good thermometer when you start cooking brisket so you can tell where the internal temp is. You also need to make sure you allocate time to rest it, an hour at the minimum. I use a WSM which isn't much different than a pit barrel and I've had them finish way early, and take forever. A good probe setup also helps to assure what temp you're actually cooking at vs what the lid tells you.

elchucoag93 said:

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No thermometer.

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Huh? How the hell do you know how hot it is?

That's like driving without a speedometer

Ag_07 said:

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elchucoag93 said:

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No thermometer.

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Huh? How the hell do you know how hot it is?

That's like driving without a speedometer

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What is wrong with this? If you are experienced enough you can just count how fast the light poles fly by, just like an experienced cook can tell the temp by feel.

Might as well use a can of mushroom soup if you are going to use a thermometer.

Get an instant read thermometer or similar and probe and it will be done around 190-205 degrees, depending on size and meat quality (prime, choice, select).

Says to start checking temp at about 6 hrs. When temp reaches 165, remove, wrap and place back in barrel until 200-205 is reached. Gonna try it this weekend

Probably pretty simple to add a temp gauge to the barrel and they have the gauges at Academy and Wal Mart.

Just FYI.

Watching the videos, the owner of the company uses a hand-held thermometer. He recommends a particular brand.

I have tried using the guy's recommended time for various meats, and other than the pork ribs, my experience has been where the food is undercooked.

Ag_07 said:

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elchucoag93 said:

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No thermometer.

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Huh? How the hell do you know how hot it is?

That's like driving without a speedometer

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I have a 30 year old Lyfe Time smoker. When the temp is right I can hold my hand on it for about 2 seconds before I have to remove it. Too cold and I can leave my hand on. Too hot and the skin comes off.











Or I can look at my temp gauge.

They're big on using hooks from which the meat hangs while it smokes. Not sure how you can do that with either a pork butt or a brisket.

That's funny. You actually had me going there for a second.

As for the OP I'd buy a probe thermoeter. Get one that does meat temp and pit temp. This way you don't have to install anything and you'll have an accurate temp where the meat is sitting.

There's a few threads on here but below is a link to the one I use and it's great. Hasn't stopped working for me.

Grill Grate ET732 Smoker/Meat thermometer

willie wonka said:

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They're big on using hooks from which the meat hangs while it smokes. Not sure how you can do that with either a pork butt or a brisket.

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Truss it.

Mess your bark up.

I actually used that method for about a year when my temperature gauge was broken. And you would be surprised at how accurate it is. I learned to judge 250 degrees by the palm of my hand.

willie wonka said:

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Mess your bark up.

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If you do it right it doesn't. Plus, if you're going to do pulled pork, it all gets mixed up anyways.

https://www.barrelhousecooker.com/ugly-drum-smokers/

DIY 55 gallon version.

Doesn't matter what "it says." Buy a thermometer. Get a BBQ one that has a remote unit and a probe for the grate temp and a probe you leave inserted in the meat. It's impossible to properly cook without knowing how hot it's cooking at. There are too many variable to say the cooker only runs at XXX degrees. Wind, humidity, fuel load (and type of fuel), ambient temp, they all play a role. I use the dual probe remote, plus I have one mounted in my lid that I've calibrated to match the grate temp.

My briskets on the PBC take from about 4 hours (10#, 3 hours smoke, 1 hour wrapped) to 6-7 hours (14-16# 4+ hours smoke, 1-2+ hours wrapped).