First Cook on my new PBC!!

[MeatHunter63]

Hello fellow PBC users!

I just took delivery of my PBC last night around 6:30!! I am doing my first cook on Sunday. I plan to do some baby back or SLC ribs and chicken halves. Can I hang all at the same time and take the chicken out first as it will most likely be done first? Or do I put the ribs in and about an hour later put the chicken in and hope that both are completed at the same time?? Any tips for the first timer??

I have done A LOT of reading on how to maintain temps and how to light the PBC the right way so I will be following them to the 'T'. I am about 300 feet above sea level.

Any feedback is much appreciated!

Mike

[smarkley]

Mike... it can be done, if you want slow roasted chicken... but most of us have been cooking chicken hotter (so we get that awesome crispy skin), than you might want to do ribs. We have been shooting for 325+ for chicken by pulling one of the rebars or cracking the lid.

OH.. and Welcome to the Pit!

[Koy Schoppe]

Either way (starting them together or finishing them together) works, but you can definitely have them in together. I really like having chicken hanging in there for a lot of my cooks. The extra fat dripping on the coals adds flavor to the other meats (and they are really cheap!).

[Crunchy]

If you get a good result, I hope you'll report back here. I'm just three cooks in with my new PBC, and I'm still working on maintaining good temps with just one meat at a time. Good luck and...

...Welcome to the Pit!

Chris

[Jay in Ames]

My first cook was ribs and 2 chicken halves, and it went without a hitch. I started everything at the same time, and the chicken was done earlier, as expected. I think that both meats benefited from the other being in the same chamber.

I would concur with going hotter on the chicken, though. The skin needs a little extra crisping up. but the ribs were out of the park good.

[MeatHunter63]

Thank you, everyone, for the feedback. I will report back with results on Monday! I hope everything goes off without a hitch!

Mike

[PappyBBQ]

I will typically cook the ribs first, then wrap and drop in a faux cambro (sp?) to hold for the hour it takes to cook the chicken. I do this because when I take the lid off to remove the ribs and add the chicken, the pit temps spike right up into the range i like doing chicken at (325 - 350) to get the crispier skin. There ARE benefits to cooking together as others have pointed out (more drippings on the coals) but i like to use wood to add smoke to the ribs, and the family prefers no added smoke to the chicken. So it just works out...

And welcome to the Pit!