So, I picked up two 2.5# chuck roasts today. Have never done this and, indeed, this never occurred to me until reading the Pit. A couple of things: do I need to wrap at 4 hours? Any way this can cook without wrapping? Also, should I use double hooks on these? Thanks in advance.
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Sooo...I’ve only had my PBC a couple of weeks, but I’ve done chuckies plenty of times on my kettle. I’ve got two chuckies on the PBC right now. I tied them up with butchers twine and double hooked. I’ll throw them on the grate once they hit 195 IT (because I’m scared of hanging them all the way). So far I’ve seen no need to wrap anything on the PBC. The temps are very even and due to the extreme amount of moisture, the bark never gets too hard. I’m currently 4 hours in, chuckies at 154 IT.
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Bobmcgahan , I don't wrap by time but by temp. Time is too unreliable, especially if there's a long stall. I wait until there's a pretty good bark on the chuckies, usually by 170° to 180° before I wrap and move them to the grate. I like to wrap (without added liquid) to have a bit of juice/fat to mix back into the meat when it's pulled.
I'm not quite as brave as Red Man , leaving them hanging that close to the end (although I do that with brisket sometimes) because when that collagen softens, parts of the chuck can take a nosedive into the fire unless its well secured. Sounds like Red Man has them nicely secured, though.
For wood I like some hickory and a fruit wood like peach or cherry, a couple of 4 to 6 oz chunks are perfect.
Also, I usually inject my chuckies and briskets with Butcher's BBQ Phosphate and some homemade beef broth. I've done it both ways and time and again the injected meats are juicier. I inject from the side of the meat, not top down, with the grain when possible. Butcher's also sells a Beef BBQ Injection with beef flavorings and a lot of salt, so I quit using it, preferring to dry brine for 24 to 48 hours, meat covered, in the fridge. I inject and put the rub on right before adding to the PBC. Double or triple serial hooks (hook within the hook above) are a good idea.
You're going to love smoked chuck. Way easier than brisket and just as tasty. I just did 3 of them yesterday. Yum.
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; September 2, 2019, 01:51 PM.Comment
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Yep no matter what smoker you use 275-300 is a great smoking temp for most meats.Comment
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I'm a relatively new PBC owner (got mine around mid summer, love it), but my recorded temps appear to be coming in waaaay hotter than everyone else in the thread. I'm routinely hitting 360-380 in the barrel (measured near the rebar). I finished a 17lb brisket in about 6hrs with the crutch (plus an additional 2-3hr rest). Is this abnormal?
From the comments above it seems like my airflow might be anomalously high, but I don't recall seeing smoke billowing out from under the lid, only through the rebar holes.
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Alexander , I agree with jecucolo . Almost always when a PBC runs that high, the lid is not on tight enough. Surprisingly so, even the smallest leak can shoot the pit temps up pretty high. And those tiny leaks can be hard to see.
The leaks that are the hardest to see are the ones that are in the areas of the rebar holes, since the smoke from the holes camouflages the smoke coming from under the lid. Next time be vigilant about the lid.
I used to take a rubber mallet to tap it down securely each time I closed it. Some people here spray Pam into the indentation around the edge of the lid to get it to be more sticky and form a tighter seal. And finally, some people add a Nomex gasket often used by Big Green Egg users to that indentation around the lid rim to get rid of lid leaks once and for all. That's the solution I finally took.
Most PBCs stop leaking smoke in places around the lid after the first few cooks as the lid's rim indentation gets more gunked up. Until then, many PBC users pile bricks or something else heavy onto the lid during the cook. Take care, though, if you go that route, not to scratch that beautiful finish.
KathrynComment
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Now that fzxdoc and jecucolo mention it, I am probably introducing leaks with my thermometry wires, even though the lid is properly gunked up. The probes come in right above the rebar, and so were probably camouflaged. I've been inadvertently running with leaks the whole time! This weekend I will be sure to pass the probes through the rebar holes and will report back on barrel temperatures!
This leads me to wonder about the discrepancy between the official PBC cook times for brisket and pork butt and the ones reported by users and recorded in the original post of this thread. Since I've been able to reproduce the PBC official results by operating a leaky barrel, they must be running with some 'extra airflow' as well, no?Comment
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One wouldn't think those skinny probe wires would let in enough air to keep the PBC temps running high, especially for short cooks, but they sure can, Alexander . Threading the probes through the rebar holes is more of a pain than draping over the barrel rim, but the PBC runs better with a nice tight lid.
Let us know how your next PBC cook temperatures turn out.
Best wishes,
KathrynComment
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Update: I roasted a chicken today.
Weather: Raining, about 50 F
I lit the PBC using the Official PBC lighting guide. Waited about 12 minutes after ignition, then dumped the coals back into the basket. I was concerned because my previous lighting attempts in the rain were a little anemic.
The Chicken: A roasting chicken, about 6.5 lbs, dry brined for 2 hr beforehand and rubbed with Simon & Garfunkel rub.
After I lit the barrel, and hung the chicken, I threaded 3 probes through one rebar hole on the back of the PBC and the fourth through the other hole on the back. My immediate inspection didn't reveal and smoke leaking through the lid lip.
Initial temperatures peaked at about 250 F and started to drift downward. In about 15-20 minutes it had fallen to 236 F. At this point I decided to make some adjustments. I opened the air intake a little more, but didn't observe a halt in the downward temperature drift. Last thing I did was to withdraw the probe dedicated to barrel temperature and ran it over the rim of the PBC. After I closed the lid on this new configuration temps stabilized around 300 F, with oscillations between 294 F and 312 F.
The chicken halves cooked for... 1hr 40minutes until the thermometry read about 155 F, at which point the instant read thermometers read around 160-170 F depending where I was measuring.
I took the chicken out and threw it in a faux cambro so I could take it a holiday party. It was a big hit there!
Tomorrow: Will repeat this experiment, hopefully without rain.
Below: Photos of the result
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Just as you noted, Alexander introducing a leak in the PBC rim/lid area by running the thermometer cable between the lip and the lid will certainly goose those temps back up into the 350+ range, which is great for chicken. Some people put a stick under the lid to keep it permanently propped during a chicken cook so those hot temps can do their job of producing moist chicken with great skin.
After all, chicken is roasted in a conventional oven at 400° to 425° temperatures all the time. The difference is, of course, that many ovens' temps usually swing downward about 40 to 50 degrees before the heat kicks back on, so there's that variation in temp.
You had the same experience with the PBC company's lighting method that I did way back in the beginning. The PBC temps tended to fall pretty quickly and did not want to stabilize. Like you, I tried it several times before making some changes that worked for my PBC and became my 10-10-10 method.
KathrynComment
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I ended up trying your 10-10-10 lighting method, today. Was easily able to sustain 350-360 F barrel temperatures with one thermometer probe over the lip. I particularly liked that I avoided the acrid smoke phase that I am usually faced with AND started with a very hot barrel.
The chicken came out real nice, the skin seemed crispier this time around! -
That's good to hear, Alexander , that your chicken turned out so delicious. To me, chicken and the PBC are a match made in heaven.
Over the years and many many cooks I have learned that getting a good light in the PBC is the key to having a stable cook. Some people do it with a squirt of lighter fluid and others have other methods, but my PBC rocks with the 10-10-10 (or 15-10-10 for Kingsford Professional) lighting method. Sounds like yours may like it, or a variation of it, too.
Kathryn
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This might be in here somewhere, but I’m coming up empty. Anyone have a ballpark time for corn in the PB corn holder? I’m thinking somewhere around 45 minutes. I’m doing baby backs which Look like 3.5-4 hours, wondering when to put the corn on. Thanks in advance.Comment
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45 minutes seems long, corn gets chewy. Never tried the PBC, preferring my homemade charcoal/wood grill. I don't shuck or soak, throw it right on the grate, turn the cobs often and when the outer leaves start browning, even blackening a bit, they're ready. Cut the cobs about an inch above the stem, grasp the leaves and silk at the other end and squeeze the cob out without a lick of silk. If you want to blacken them a little, back on the grate and keep a watchful eye.
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According to the Pit Barrel Cooking site, 30-45 minutes.
Kathryn
P.S. Let us know how it works out for you. Congrats at finding good corn at this time of the year. I'm envious.
Last edited by fzxdoc; April 26, 2020, 12:09 PM.Comment
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Yes, I’ve seen the web site, thought someone might have had experience. I think their time is for on the grate, made before they had the corn rig. I’m going 30 and check it.
Now, I’m not saying it’s GOOD corn, certainly not summer corn. But I had an ear cut in 1†slices last nice in some low country boil packets, and it was fine, got it at Costco.Comment
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Thirty minutes was about right for the corn, maybe could have gone a little less even. The baby backs were in line with your times at the beginning, 3 hours. Three racks cut in half for the PBJ, ~3# each give or take. I was figuring about 3 1/2 hours, but It was very windy, and I used Kingsford Professional which seems to burn hotter. Checked at 3 hours, yummy. Thanks for your great posts and help.Comment
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3.2 lbs pork loin; 235-260 temps; 3.6 hours, sauce, 20 minutes finishing.Comment
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Thanks, racertrader . With your permission, I'll add this to the list. What was the temp of the pork loin when you removed it?
I bet that was a tasty dinner.
Kathryn -
Hi Kathryn...my apologies for the late reply; hard to recall, but probably 145-155. I always pull it about there.
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Feel free to add this brisket.
15lbs untrimmed
4h 55m until 160F internal
8hrs - Put in oven after coals burned out
10h 45m - Probe tender at 201FComment
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