Thanks for the comment and view. Yes it’s got a huge capacity for smoking and also produces great smoke flavour. Keep smoking and enjoying the cooks, best of luck.
Thank you for the watch and comment. After a few modifications this barrel smoker is working much better and is fun to cook on. I don't need any more grills or smokers either but I still look lol. They all cook differently is my excuse!
Awesome! Just ordered mine on Wednesday. I’m excited to throw some ribs on it! I’ve always wanted a pit barrel smoker but loved that pit boss had a little twist on their design (plus I love the air intake + charcoal basket!).
Good luck with your smoking Greg you’ll enjoy this smoker. I’m uploading a new video today on this smoker where I test out a long low and slow cook, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the tremendous smokiness you get. Best of luck and thank you for taking the time to both watch and comment on this video.
I had to pay $600 for my Oklahoma Joe Bronco here in Costa Rica, and I absolutely love it. If theis becomes available here, I wonder what it will cost.
Thank you for the comment and for watching. I gathered content for 2 videos on this smoker yesterday, a cheap supermarket brisket and a cheap supermarket pork shoulder. This smoker certainly provided great colour and flavour, I was impressed. I’ll be editing these soon and sharing in the coming weeks. Thank you.
Having not owned or cooked on the bronco I can’t comment other than share an opinion. I feel the bronco will be better quality, however depends on what you’re after. Pit boss has great cooking space and I love the opening door but I’ve no doubt there’s better quality out there. For how I use this smoker it’s great, but it does require attention. Go with your gut instinct buddy and just enjoy smoking.
@@albatrossbbq thank you. What makes you say the bronco would be better quality? I was assuming the pit boss was due to the higher price but I suppose price isn’t always the most important aspect
@@Fnnggjji funnily enough in Australia the bronco is 3 x more than the pit boss. I was looking at the bronco too but couldn’t justify spending 3 x more at the time when the pit boss had more cooking space and appeared to have a lot of convenience in fire management and manoeuvrability. The bronco will take up less space, I guess check out both close up if you can and see which has thicker walls/barrel and sturdiness?
Hey mate great video, was facing the same issue as you mentioned of not being able to find much about this particular smoker. Would love to see you do a full cook of something bigger (brisket for example) to really test it out! Also keen to see how it holds temp over longer hours (7-8+, or even overnight) and especially how hungry it is for fuel.
Thank you for the comment. Yes I plan to test this out with either pork, brisket or beef cheeks real soon and will document that. I feel it may require a bit of fuel as it’s a large smoker, I think trying to cook multiple items may be the best plan of attack. I also found when closing the dampers up it took a while to kill the coal but either way it was very easy to regulate the desired temperature. For hotter cooks I’ll certainly use my kamado though. I have no doubt this smoker will be great for low and slow or chicken/duck etc. For only $399 here in Australia it’s great value.
@@albatrossbbq It is pretty great value for what it offers, definitely will look into it. Interested to see how long a completely full charcoal basket can last on this smoker. Thanks
Hi thanks for the comment. If you fill the basket it’ll go for an all day cook. I have found personally that when you have a full basket despite closing all dampers to minimum the smoker will still creep up to 300 or so for low and slow it can hurt. I therefore tend to half fill, then put some more charcoal in after 4-6 hours. It helps keep the temperature lower in my opinion. The opening fire box allows me to do that easily plus throwing in additional smoking wood as required. I’ve had great smoke flavour from this barrel smoker but it’s not the best for retaining heat, it will get out of control if not careful. Pending what I am cooking I’ll adjust accordingly, once you know your smoker it’s easy to handle. That said, when you shut all dampers, the fire still burns so air still gets in. I use it for smoking low and slow or mid range temps, I prefer to use my kamado for hot cooks. I enjoy smoking on it though.
Thats what im experiencing as i really want to do a low and slow pork butt or brisket. Even when i do half full my tempertures are hitting 300 or more when i want to keep it between 250 and 275. This will be a very disappointing purchase if i cant get it under control. I mainly want to kickoff a smoke at 8pm at night and not have to worry about it until the next morning.All suggestions would be appreacited as just closing all vents is not working and i dont want a electric pellet smoker.
Can you tell me if I can successfully use mini splits in the fire basket as my primary fuel source? After my first burn in I used just mini splits oak logs for the first cook (hanging ribs) and could not get the fire to stop producing too much billowing white smoke and of course the food was too acrid to eat and I did expect this possibility. After several hours the combustion cleared up nicely to mostly thin blue smoke so do you suggest next time I let the wood combust thoroughly down to mostly embers by leaving the door open before shutting it and then start the cook? Thanks.
Hi there, thanks for the comment. Personally I have not used splits, only used charcoal and added wood chunks. That said though if you have the time to get your wood to embers your suggestion would make sense to me.
Hi and thanks for the comment. Yes I did when there was too much fuel in the basket. There was too much airflow also so I sealed the bottom with some high temperature resistant silicone and I also replaced the lid lining with some fireplace rope. After those adjustments it’s working significantly better. Did you see the video we posted on those adjustments? If not I can share the link. If you have made those adjustments already I suggest re-looking in your barrel and see where this extra airflow is getting in.
Interesting! I saw its price point and it's almost trying to be a high margin product as it doesn't contain any pallet option. They are just trying to keep it there with the Bronco Pro and WSM. I have both of those.
Hi there, I would say yes tbh. Although I don’t own a Weber kettle I do own a kamado and find that better for consumption. That said I enjoy cooking on the pit boss champion barrel smoker, it’s spacious and produces great smoke flavour.
For example, compared to the kamado you own, how much more does it consume? Twice ? Triple? Just to give me an idea...unfortunately here in Italy the price of fuels (coal, pellets, wood, gas) is very high and therefore cooking becomes expensive
hey can I ask you a question? how hard was this to assemble? and did the drum cum in two parts or is that all one? i ask because i've read about the oklohoma joe one is in two parts and it can leak from the seams thanks
It came in 1 part, you have to assemble the side dampers, lid, handles, wheels and insides. Was quite easy to put together, I did it myself but a 2nd pair of hands would get it done quicker.
@@keithf3608 the door is tight and doesn’t really leak smoke. The lid isn’t tight and tends to leak some smoke but it’s not too bad tbh. Great for low and slow cooking but for hot and fast I feel you’d need a lot of fuel. My egg is much better for a hot cook.
Im living in the Burlington Ontario area. I got mine about 2weeks ago. Did you purchase it? Any issues holding your temp for slow and long cooks ( bet 240 and 275). Im having issues holding temperture.
I left it at around 250-300 for around 2-3 hrs from memory because I wanted to learn the dampers at the same time. For the last hr or so I just opened up the dampers fully and allowed the smoker to get hot and burn out.
For this video I only got it up to round 350f. To be honest for hotter than that cooks I’ve used my kamado, I’ve not really pushed this pit boss beyond 400f
Wholeheartedly agree. I recommend to anyone who asks to invest in a good quality digital thermometer. That said though it was good to experiment with it. I’m actually cooking up some brisket and pork in it right now so looking forward to sharing the videos in the coming weeks. Thanks for watching.
I have this smoker and really like it. We have used it about a dozen times, and it is amazing how much you can put onto the three racks. It's huge.
Thanks for the comment and view. Yes it’s got a huge capacity for smoking and also produces great smoke flavour. Keep smoking and enjoying the cooks, best of luck.
Thanks for the video. i just got mine delivered today. Put it together and will season it tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
Awesome, best of luck with it.
This is a great overview. I don't need another cooker but now think I want this one. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the watch and comment. After a few modifications this barrel smoker is working much better and is fun to cook on. I don't need any more grills or smokers either but I still look lol. They all cook differently is my excuse!
Awesome! Just ordered mine on Wednesday. I’m excited to throw some ribs on it! I’ve always wanted a pit barrel smoker but loved that pit boss had a little twist on their design (plus I love the air intake + charcoal basket!).
Good luck with your smoking Greg you’ll enjoy this smoker. I’m uploading a new video today on this smoker where I test out a long low and slow cook, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the tremendous smokiness you get. Best of luck and thank you for taking the time to both watch and comment on this video.
I had to pay $600 for my Oklahoma Joe Bronco here in Costa Rica, and I absolutely love it. If theis becomes available here, I wonder what it will cost.
Thanks for the video, I'm in the states and haven't seen one in person. After watching this may have to order one
Thank you for the comment and for watching. I gathered content for 2 videos on this smoker yesterday, a cheap supermarket brisket and a cheap supermarket pork shoulder. This smoker certainly provided great colour and flavour, I was impressed. I’ll be editing these soon and sharing in the coming weeks. Thank you.
Thank you for this. Torn between this and the bronco pro
Having not owned or cooked on the bronco I can’t comment other than share an opinion. I feel the bronco will be better quality, however depends on what you’re after. Pit boss has great cooking space and I love the opening door but I’ve no doubt there’s better quality out there. For how I use this smoker it’s great, but it does require attention. Go with your gut instinct buddy and just enjoy smoking.
@@albatrossbbq thank you. What makes you say the bronco would be better quality? I was assuming the pit boss was due to the higher price but I suppose price isn’t always the most important aspect
@@Fnnggjji funnily enough in Australia the bronco is 3 x more than the pit boss. I was looking at the bronco too but couldn’t justify spending 3 x more at the time when the pit boss had more cooking space and appeared to have a lot of convenience in fire management and manoeuvrability. The bronco will take up less space, I guess check out both close up if you can and see which has thicker walls/barrel and sturdiness?
Hey mate great video, was facing the same issue as you mentioned of not being able to find much about this particular smoker. Would love to see you do a full cook of something bigger (brisket for example) to really test it out! Also keen to see how it holds temp over longer hours (7-8+, or even overnight) and especially how hungry it is for fuel.
Thank you for the comment. Yes I plan to test this out with either pork, brisket or beef cheeks real soon and will document that. I feel it may require a bit of fuel as it’s a large smoker, I think trying to cook multiple items may be the best plan of attack. I also found when closing the dampers up it took a while to kill the coal but either way it was very easy to regulate the desired temperature. For hotter cooks I’ll certainly use my kamado though. I have no doubt this smoker will be great for low and slow or chicken/duck etc. For only $399 here in Australia it’s great value.
@@albatrossbbq It is pretty great value for what it offers, definitely will look into it. Interested to see how long a completely full charcoal basket can last on this smoker. Thanks
@@liamla8686 I’m planning on a big Sunday smoke. I’ll let you know how it does and will be a future video.
I already have a WSM but I do like this pit
I’d expect similar results tbh but it is an enjoyable pit to smoke on, pretty easy to clean also.
If I am not mistaken, the regular Bronco weighs about 175 LB. VERY heavy duty. I have had mine for three years, and it's still like brand new.
They’re a great smoker if you look after them, I’d have no hesitation in purchasing 1.
@@albatrossbbq I am building a rancho, and need a second smoker for parties. I can hang nine racks of St Louis style ribs on Ralphie, my Bronco
Great review! What's the longest cook you can get from this without refilling the basket?
Hi thanks for the comment. If you fill the basket it’ll go for an all day cook. I have found personally that when you have a full basket despite closing all dampers to minimum the smoker will still creep up to 300 or so for low and slow it can hurt. I therefore tend to half fill, then put some more charcoal in after 4-6 hours. It helps keep the temperature lower in my opinion. The opening fire box allows me to do that easily plus throwing in additional smoking wood as required. I’ve had great smoke flavour from this barrel smoker but it’s not the best for retaining heat, it will get out of control if not careful. Pending what I am cooking I’ll adjust accordingly, once you know your smoker it’s easy to handle. That said, when you shut all dampers, the fire still burns so air still gets in. I use it for smoking low and slow or mid range temps, I prefer to use my kamado for hot cooks. I enjoy smoking on it though.
Thats what im experiencing as i really want to do a low and slow pork butt or brisket. Even when i do half full my tempertures are hitting 300 or more when i want to keep it between 250 and 275. This will be a very disappointing purchase if i cant get it under control. I mainly want to kickoff a smoke at 8pm at night and not have to worry about it until the next morning.All suggestions would be appreacited as just closing all vents is not working and i dont want a electric pellet smoker.
Can you tell me if I can successfully use mini splits in the fire basket as my primary fuel source? After my first burn in I used just mini splits oak logs for the first cook (hanging ribs) and could not get the fire to stop producing too much billowing white smoke and of course the food was too acrid to eat and I did expect this possibility. After several hours the combustion cleared up nicely to mostly thin blue smoke so do you suggest next time I let the wood combust thoroughly down to mostly embers by leaving the door open before shutting it and then start the cook? Thanks.
Hi there, thanks for the comment. Personally I have not used splits, only used charcoal and added wood chunks. That said though if you have the time to get your wood to embers your suggestion would make sense to me.
Thanks mate for the speedy reply. Will keep you posted what happens on next attempt.
I followed your same damper process and i cant get it to stick between 240 and 275. It keeps rising to 300and higher. Any suggestions?
Hi and thanks for the comment. Yes I did when there was too much fuel in the basket. There was too much airflow also so I sealed the bottom with some high temperature resistant silicone and I also replaced the lid lining with some fireplace rope. After those adjustments it’s working significantly better. Did you see the video we posted on those adjustments? If not I can share the link. If you have made those adjustments already I suggest re-looking in your barrel and see where this extra airflow is getting in.
Interesting! I saw its price point and it's almost trying to be a high margin product as it doesn't contain any pallet option. They are just trying to keep it there with the Bronco Pro and WSM. I have both of those.
Funnily enough in Australia it’s much cheaper than the bronco and WSM which is why I went for it.
Hi, any idea where I can get one in Australia. Only option I can see is Bunnings and they have no stock. Cheers
Purchased mine from Bunnings, usually it’s a special order purchase only.
Can you use wood chips along with charcoal?
Yes you sure can
Hi, I'm writing from Italy... I wanted to ask you if it consumes a lot of carbon compared to a classic kettle
Hi there, I would say yes tbh. Although I don’t own a Weber kettle I do own a kamado and find that better for consumption. That said I enjoy cooking on the pit boss champion barrel smoker, it’s spacious and produces great smoke flavour.
For example, compared to the kamado you own, how much more does it consume? Twice ? Triple? Just to give me an idea...unfortunately here in Italy the price of fuels (coal, pellets, wood, gas) is very high and therefore cooking becomes expensive
@@energiafredda probably twice, the kamado has much better heat retention. The pit boss barrel is much larger so works harder I feel.
hey can I ask you a question? how hard was this to assemble? and did the drum cum in two parts or is that all one? i ask because i've read about the oklohoma joe one is in two parts and it can leak from the seams thanks
It came in 1 part, you have to assemble the side dampers, lid, handles, wheels and insides. Was quite easy to put together, I did it myself but a 2nd pair of hands would get it done quicker.
@@albatrossbbq thank you! do you find it leakes smoke at all through the charcoal door or is the seal good?
@@keithf3608 the door is tight and doesn’t really leak smoke. The lid isn’t tight and tends to leak some smoke but it’s not too bad tbh. Great for low and slow cooking but for hot and fast I feel you’d need a lot of fuel. My egg is much better for a hot cook.
Where can I buy one in Ontario Canada...near Toronto
Hi Tony I don’t know sorry. Try contacting pit boss Canada. pitboss-grills.ca/collections/charcoal. Cheers.
Im living in the Burlington Ontario area. I got mine about 2weeks ago. Did you purchase it? Any issues holding your temp for slow and long cooks ( bet 240 and 275). Im having issues holding temperture.
How long did you season for and at what temp? 250 or 300?
I left it at around 250-300 for around 2-3 hrs from memory because I wanted to learn the dampers at the same time. For the last hr or so I just opened up the dampers fully and allowed the smoker to get hot and burn out.
How high did you get the temps?
For this video I only got it up to round 350f. To be honest for hotter than that cooks I’ve used my kamado, I’ve not really pushed this pit boss beyond 400f
I wouldn’t trust the built in thermometer, those are very often inaccurate.
Wholeheartedly agree. I recommend to anyone who asks to invest in a good quality digital thermometer. That said though it was good to experiment with it. I’m actually cooking up some brisket and pork in it right now so looking forward to sharing the videos in the coming weeks. Thanks for watching.