I’m not familiar with the barrel type coolers, but the “right” smoke is very pale, almost translucent light blue, if the smoke is burning your eyes, or burns your throat if you accidentally inhale some it’s not good smoke.
With that said, if your meat is dripping directly on the coals that may be why you’re seeing the white smoke, it’s full of water vapor.
kcolgeis
Gotta get your fire burned down and your temperature stabilized before you add the meat.
failinglikefalling
I’ve always read you are starving the fire of oxygen when you get bad smoke.
I guess it’s a balance of enough oxygen but not enough to lose control?
weaponx2019
Yikes….
FC-TWEAK
Yeah, the smoke should be thin and have a blueish tint.
If you are trying to smoke at low temps, you need to only light 8-10 briquettes and let them spread to the unlit charcoals. Keep a small hot fire to keep temps low and clean smoke.
Bury the wood underneath unlit coals so they don’t catch on fire, only smolder. Spread the wood out so it’s constant smoke the length of what your are smoking.
DonnieCullman
You’re getting that from the drippings hitting the fire. Nothing wrong with it, but it’ll taste different than traditional smoked meat that’s cooked indirect. I enjoy doing my ribs hanging like that, but I’ll have the ribs hanging on one side and the coals on the other. Then at the end I’ll move over the coals for 15 mins or so and yes, you do get smoke like that.
Smile_Cool
Fellow PBC smoker here. Ignore most of comments on this thread. The thin blue smoke crap is mostly for stick burners. Charcoal and wood chips are burning clean. That being said I think your lid is not sealing properly. Is this new? I’d add some weight to top of the lid to make sure you’re getting tight seal. That will help with flares and keep the cook steady. I love my PBC!
willp2003
You don’t need much wood with the pit barrel. Looks like there were too many flames. Smoke shouldn’t be escaping from the lid though. That should be a fairly tight seal, and smoke should come out of the rebar holes. You should also put the other rebar in.
Dasawan
A fire starved for oxygen creates the undesirable smoke. You need to open the vents (try top first) to allow more air flow. If that causes your temp to go too high then your fire is too big. It could be steam, hard to tell from the video but steam dissipates. Smoke does not.
raphired
On a PBC, ignore it. Your meat will be dripping fat directly into the coals and will make a lot of very tasty smoke.
What I do see is you have active flames, which probably means you’ve got too much airflow. That might just be from having the lid off a lot before you took the vid. If not, then make sure your lid is getting a good seal.
Beginning-Anxiety157
I’m not eating that
jay9063
Its just fat dropping on coals. The best flavor you can get
1892LFC1892
Think you just elected a pope
fuhfuhfuhfree
I think you should keep both hanger rebar in the top even if you’re not using them. It may not be critical, pbc will run hot, and you got more opening up top without the rebar. I get similar smoke to that in my pbc. Maybe not for the whole cook. It’s not ideal from what everyone says but it if it eats good…I’ll bring the beer.
Rockytop85
If you follow the manufacturer instructions on the PBC it produces good food. This means adjusting the flap at the bottom to the correct position for your altitude, keeping both rebar in. I also run my probe wires through the rebar holes.
I’ve actually left the house with a brisket on for 4 hours and gone to a party before and it turned out great.
Mine always produces a different smoke than a stick burner but it’s because of fat dripping on the coals.
I don’t usually get flames like that. From that, I’d wonder if your intake vent is open too far or if you were just opening it often to look at the smoke. It may also just be that having the rebar out makes that much of a difference.
Good luck!
Positive_Mushroom_97
Way too thick. You’re going to make the meat taste like charcoal and not in the good way. You need to let more air in and let the fire get established before you lock it down and maintain temps.
heavymetal626
Pit barrels will generally do this because of the fat dripping on the coals. The pit barrel instructions never have you burn down a bed of coals . It says put the coals in for minion burning and add the meat. my opinion, You can always wait about 10/15 mins with the rebar in to temp up if you want. It does look like you have one rebar out as well, put it back in per the instructions or your fire will get too hot
Nearly every video on YouTube with pit barrels looks like this.
But again, this happens because of the fat from meat dripping onto the hot coals. This is also the case for hanging on the Weber Smokey mountain. With the water pan in place you get the nice blue smoke, but second you take it out and the fat hits the hot coals, you get this.
Barrel cookers do not cook like offsets, so you can get the thin blue smoke, but the fat needs to drip elsewhere.
Mr_Goat_9536
Needs a vent
clarences_vs
I have a PBC and you only need charcoal. If you want a specific smoke flavour like mesquite or fruit wood use wood chips. The Pitt Barrell Cooker is very comprehensive on best practices and cooking methods.
Complete_Glass_2877
PBC owner here. Definitely follow the instructions and make sure the rebar, lid and vent are all set up properly.
The PBC does run hotter than normal cookers and aside from the bottom intake there is no way to adjust it. So once you get it down it will mostly be a set it and forget it.
Like others said looks like you got to much oxygen and then had a flare up from the fat drippings.
Make sure you use Kingsford Blue as well.
I love my PBC as much as my Kamado and Kettle.
atticusfinch6
I have a Pbc too. It should have both peices of rebar. It may be getting a little hot. It will be a little smokier than other cookers because the meat juice drips on the lit coals creating more smoke.
winky109
You can fix it with a treager
Zestyclose-Path-1855
I started with a barrel smoker. Moved to an offset and got lazy with a pellet smoker. On your barrel, pop a hole on the side and add a ball valve. This was the secret to controlling how much air the fire got. You want it burning low but not snuffed out. The flavor comes from the good smelling smoke.
TechnicaliBlues
Needs better air flow. You want clear blue smoke. Ideally a good bed of coals and a small block of wood for smoke with good ventilation top to bottom.
Oolonggong
It’s a Pit Barrel Cooker. It’s a bit of a different animal; this is the way mine normally operates. I have an offset as well, and both produce some great Q. Also note, the PBC will smoke like this for awhile then mellow out too as more of the charcoal becomes fully lit
Zuutron
You need to add some vents that you can adjust the airflow and really stabilize that burn.
Secure_Choice_100
smoking should be cooked by indirect heat.the fat from the meat is feeding the fire.
groid_rage
yuck
have to wait until your wood is fully combusted
Should take at least an hour before you can add your meat
Beneficial-Bird-9554
Don’t inhale like Clinton claims.
Defiant_Claim_3924
Too much wood
CreekBeaterFishing
Too much airflow is getting that fire going too hot. You may have more wood than you need in there too. A couple handfuls of chips on the charcoal basket does the trick on a PBC. Other people said it, I’ll repeat it, use both bars every time. The hole size and rebar size were supposedly tinkered with a lot during design to get the openings optimized for fire management. Also make sure your bottom vent is adjusted per the instruction manual. It may not be right from the factory, the opening is based on your altitude.
jecoppol
I have a pit barrel cooker. The air intake has to be adjusted for elevation. The instructions for briquettes are important. I feel it’s a better cooker than a smoker, but a handful of chips is all you need. Does great with poultry on the grate!
mylesl89
You need a vent on top, your fire is being starved of oxygen. If you’re using logs or chunks the best way to know if you’re getting good smoke is if there is a visible flame, which you have, but I’m willing to bet it wasn’t there and reignited when the smoke cleared and it got oxygen again
TreeHuggger77
You need an open top vent and probably less lower intake. I’d use smaller wood chips, so it doesn’t throw flames.
Save bigger cuts for an offset.
Use clean wood. Used smaller wood. And for the love of god people, y’all stress way too much over smoke. It’s called “smoking”’for a reason.
mordor-during-xmas
Pit Barrels just ain’t worth it man. The burn way too hot, and damn near impossible to control the heat in the first place.
35 Comments
I’m not familiar with the barrel type coolers, but the “right” smoke is very pale, almost translucent light blue, if the smoke is burning your eyes, or burns your throat if you accidentally inhale some it’s not good smoke.
With that said, if your meat is dripping directly on the coals that may be why you’re seeing the white smoke, it’s full of water vapor.
Gotta get your fire burned down and your temperature stabilized before you add the meat.
I’ve always read you are starving the fire of oxygen when you get bad smoke.
I guess it’s a balance of enough oxygen but not enough to lose control?
Yikes….
Yeah, the smoke should be thin and have a blueish tint.
If you are trying to smoke at low temps, you need to only light 8-10 briquettes and let them spread to the unlit charcoals. Keep a small hot fire to keep temps low and clean smoke.
Bury the wood underneath unlit coals so they don’t catch on fire, only smolder. Spread the wood out so it’s constant smoke the length of what your are smoking.
You’re getting that from the drippings hitting the fire. Nothing wrong with it, but it’ll taste different than traditional smoked meat that’s cooked indirect. I enjoy doing my ribs hanging like that, but I’ll have the ribs hanging on one side and the coals on the other. Then at the end I’ll move over the coals for 15 mins or so and yes, you do get smoke like that.
Fellow PBC smoker here. Ignore most of comments on this thread. The thin blue smoke crap is mostly for stick burners. Charcoal and wood chips are burning clean. That being said I think your lid is not sealing properly. Is this new? I’d add some weight to top of the lid to make sure you’re getting tight seal. That will help with flares and keep the cook steady. I love my PBC!
You don’t need much wood with the pit barrel. Looks like there were too many flames. Smoke shouldn’t be escaping from the lid though. That should be a fairly tight seal, and smoke should come out of the rebar holes. You should also put the other rebar in.
A fire starved for oxygen creates the undesirable smoke. You need to open the vents (try top first) to allow more air flow. If that causes your temp to go too high then your fire is too big. It could be steam, hard to tell from the video but steam dissipates. Smoke does not.
On a PBC, ignore it. Your meat will be dripping fat directly into the coals and will make a lot of very tasty smoke.
What I do see is you have active flames, which probably means you’ve got too much airflow. That might just be from having the lid off a lot before you took the vid. If not, then make sure your lid is getting a good seal.
I’m not eating that
Its just fat dropping on coals. The best flavor you can get
Think you just elected a pope
I think you should keep both hanger rebar in the top even if you’re not using them. It may not be critical, pbc will run hot, and you got more opening up top without the rebar.
I get similar smoke to that in my pbc. Maybe not for the whole cook. It’s not ideal from what everyone says but it if it eats good…I’ll bring the beer.
If you follow the manufacturer instructions on the PBC it produces good food. This means adjusting the flap at the bottom to the correct position for your altitude, keeping both rebar in. I also run my probe wires through the rebar holes.
I’ve actually left the house with a brisket on for 4 hours and gone to a party before and it turned out great.
Mine always produces a different smoke than a stick burner but it’s because of fat dripping on the coals.
I don’t usually get flames like that. From that, I’d wonder if your intake vent is open too far or if you were just opening it often to look at the smoke. It may also just be that having the rebar out makes that much of a difference.
Good luck!
Way too thick. You’re going to make the meat taste like charcoal and not in the good way. You need to let more air in and let the fire get established before you lock it down and maintain temps.
Pit barrels will generally do this because of the fat dripping on the coals. The pit barrel instructions never have you burn down a bed of coals . It says put the coals in for minion burning and add the meat. my opinion, You can always wait about 10/15 mins with the rebar in to temp up if you want. It does look like you have one rebar out as well, put it back in per the instructions or your fire will get too hot
Nearly every video on YouTube with pit barrels looks like this.
But again, this happens because of the fat from meat dripping onto the hot coals. This is also the case for hanging on the Weber Smokey mountain. With the water pan in place you get the nice blue smoke, but second you take it out and the fat hits the hot coals, you get this.
Barrel cookers do not cook like offsets, so you can get the thin blue smoke, but the fat needs to drip elsewhere.
Needs a vent
I have a PBC and you only need charcoal. If you want a specific smoke flavour like mesquite or fruit wood use wood chips. The Pitt Barrell Cooker is very comprehensive on best practices and cooking methods.
PBC owner here. Definitely follow the instructions and make sure the rebar, lid and vent are all set up properly.
The PBC does run hotter than normal cookers and aside from the bottom intake there is no way to adjust it. So once you get it down it will mostly be a set it and forget it.
Like others said looks like you got to much oxygen and then had a flare up from the fat drippings.
Make sure you use Kingsford Blue as well.
I love my PBC as much as my Kamado and Kettle.
I have a Pbc too. It should have both peices of rebar. It may be getting a little hot. It will be a little smokier than other cookers because the meat juice drips on the lit coals creating more smoke.
You can fix it with a treager
I started with a barrel smoker. Moved to an offset and got lazy with a pellet smoker. On your barrel, pop a hole on the side and add a ball valve. This was the secret to controlling how much air the fire got. You want it burning low but not snuffed out. The flavor comes from the good smelling smoke.
Needs better air flow. You want clear blue smoke. Ideally a good bed of coals and a small block of wood for smoke with good ventilation top to bottom.
It’s a Pit Barrel Cooker. It’s a bit of a different animal; this is the way mine normally operates. I have an offset as well, and both produce some great Q. Also note, the PBC will smoke like this for awhile then mellow out too as more of the charcoal becomes fully lit
You need to add some vents that you can adjust the airflow and really stabilize that burn.
smoking should be cooked by indirect heat.the fat from the meat is feeding the fire.
yuck
have to wait until your wood is fully combusted
Should take at least an hour before you can add your meat
Don’t inhale like Clinton claims.
Too much wood
Too much airflow is getting that fire going too hot. You may have more wood than you need in there too. A couple handfuls of chips on the charcoal basket does the trick on a PBC. Other people said it, I’ll repeat it, use both bars every time. The hole size and rebar size were supposedly tinkered with a lot during design to get the openings optimized for fire management. Also make sure your bottom vent is adjusted per the instruction manual. It may not be right from the factory, the opening is based on your altitude.
I have a pit barrel cooker. The air intake has to be adjusted for elevation. The instructions for briquettes are important. I feel it’s a better cooker than a smoker, but a handful of chips is all you need. Does great with poultry on the grate!
You need a vent on top, your fire is being starved of oxygen. If you’re using logs or chunks the best way to know if you’re getting good smoke is if there is a visible flame, which you have, but I’m willing to bet it wasn’t there and reignited when the smoke cleared and it got oxygen again
You need an open top vent and probably less lower intake. I’d use smaller wood chips, so it doesn’t throw flames.
Save bigger cuts for an offset.
Use clean wood. Used smaller wood. And for the love of god people, y’all stress way too much over smoke. It’s called “smoking”’for a reason.
Pit Barrels just ain’t worth it man. The burn way too hot, and damn near impossible to control the heat in the first place.