Returned my COS and have a PBC coming in, should be here this Saturday, going to break it in with some ribs. My question is: with the PBC, is there any way to cook beans under the meat to catch the drippings? Also, I've been doing some reading about the PBC here, I know that some of meathead's recipes call for you to add wood in 20 min or so increments... do you do this with a PBC? Thanks.
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There are a few things that the PBC simply can't do ... and catching drippings under ribs is one of those ...
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Congrats on the PBC! With this site in hand, your learning curve will be much shorter and I'm sure you'll love the results. Just make sure you have a good leave-in thermometer.
I haven't tried but I've heard of others rigging something up to catch drippings. See this post as one example, I've also heard of people drilling holes lower in the barrel for inserting screws and a second grate sits on those screws. Remember that much of the smoke comes from the drippings hitting the coals so you don't want to lose all of that, but there have been many occasions where I've wanted to catch drippings and couldn't with my stock setup.
As for wood, I've recently started using chunks instead of chips. I honestly can't tell much difference. Others like fzxdoc can taste a subtle flavor when using chunks, but I think wood is secondary on the PBC. I still add wood just because I feel cool when I do
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Thanks, next question: I know in meathead's recipe he says you can't really use a leave in thermometer with ribs... has anyone here had any luck with doing this? I have zero rib experience, and I'm kinda nervous about NOT using a thermometer.Comment
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What Meathead is referring to is that its near impossible to use a thermometer on ribs because its around 50% bone. Therefore you cannot get an accurate reading-the bend test is the go to method to test doneness for ribs. The thermometer that you leave in the PBC is to monitor the temperature of the PBC itself. However, larger cuts of meat such as brisket, chicken , et al also can use a temperature probe probe to check their progress. Meathead does have recommendations for thermometers, etc. Personally I have two Mavericks and two Thermapens. Others on this site have other units as well. Welcome to the Forum that rocks and gives great advice!Comment
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Not sure about the PBC and capacity of weight on rods but why not hang a Dutch oven with no lid on a chain?Comment
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Hi COS_Chris , you're going to love using that PBC! The flavors you get from it are amazing.
About catching the drippings off the ribs: some folks have tried to rig up various setups, but it's a precarious endeavor. Plus, as others have said, some of the great flavor comes from the meat self-basting itself as the drippings run down the length of the meat and then hit the fire, sending up puffs of smoke carrying the delicious volatile compounds that help enhance the PBC's signature flavors.
About using a thermometer with ribs: Meathead's bend test is the best way to go to test for doneness, but I have had good success using my Thermapen to get an idea of the meat temp. It has such a thin probe and responds so quickly as it slips into the rib meat. I especially like using it when one end of the ribs is thicker than the other. I can't use a Maverick probe, though. It just doesn't read well in that thin meat.
Speaking of ribs: When you hang them in your PBC, you can do as Noah shows in his video, or you can add some extra insurance by double serial hooking them. You use 2 hooks in each rib instead of one. Put the first hook in where Noah shows, then insert a second hook a few ribs below it and hook it into the bottom of the first hook. That way you won't run the risk of the meat falling into the fire as the ribs get more and more tender.
Also, I cut my ribs in half if I have room because I don't like the bottom of the ribs hanging so close to the fire. Not everybody does that though, and they get good rib results too.
About adding wood: You won't need nearly as much with the PBC. Many folks don't use wood at all. Me, I like it. It only takes about 4-5 oz of wood for a rib or chicken cook, and more for a long cook like a brisket or pork butt. For the longer cooks, I use two different sizes of wood chunks, one smaller 3oz and one larger 6-7 oz so that the smoke carries on for plenty of time through the cook. I get excellent chunks of wood (3-7 oz range of chunks) from www.fruitawoodchunks.com . I don't use chips because they burn up too fast in the PBC and produce a lot of dense white smoke while doing it. I like the nice thin blue smoke that comes from using the chunks.
I only add wood once by using 2 different chunk sizes for long cooks. Since listening to Doc Blonder's seminar on smoke where he says that when wood is initially lit it gives off some bad-tasting compounds, I don't like to add wood after the meat has been hung in the PBC.
HTH,
Kathryn
Last edited by fzxdoc; August 4, 2016, 07:23 AM.Comment
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I wouldn't bother adding wood during the cook. Smoke only sticks to meat that is cold and/or wet. Most of the smoke adhesion occurs at the beginning of the cook. Also, in the PBC the meat drips into the coals which creates grill smoke on top of any smoke that comes from a wood chunk.Comment
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I use wood chunks every cook. The wood doesn't burn so much as it carbonizes. Get very clean smoke.Comment
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I use a single hook in the ribs and have never had a problem. I suppose if you cook it to the point the meat falls off the bone, you could dump the meat into the coals. You could probably rig something up with butchers twine around the ends of the bone to keep it intact.
I use pellets in a foil smoke bomb each time I use the PBC. It releases a controlled amount of smoke, and it does add something special to the meat. Hypothetically, even if it didn't, I'd still use wood. The smell drives the neighbors crazy, and drifts over to the park. I love making everybody jealous!Comment
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Thermoworks has an article on using a temp probe cooking ribs. It gives some suggestions on things you can do.
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