Ordering a PBC. What additional items to Get?

[PappyBBQ]

Agree with all. I have the turkey hanger, but I've only used it when cooking "presentation" birds. You know, the Rockwellian Thanksgiving table center piece. That's done mostly for neighbors who ask me to crank out their Thanksgiving turkeys. Personally I like to spatchcock chickens and turkeys as I typically only cook 1/2 at a time.

I have the split grate and use it quite frequently - more frequently that I thought I would when I bought it.

I have the ash pan, and I like it though I still put foil in the bottom. I just don't pull the foil up after every cook, just when it needs it.

No cover as mine lives in the garage.

[fuzzydaddy]

Order placed! In about a week I'll post photos of my shipment. I also ordered a Char Broil Half Time compact chimney from Amazon. I'm excited! First cook will be soon afterwards.

[PBCDad]

Excellent! It's been calling your name for a while now huh?
So what PBC accessories did you go with, or are you going to just add as you go?

[fuzzydaddy]

PBCDad I ordered a Cover, Pit Grips, Turkey Hanger, Hook Remover and an extra set of meat hooks. Yep, the PBC has been calling me for a while. It may actually show up before I'm at my house next weekend. My BGE and 26" Weber Kettle were moved last week (Tennessee to Florida) by our movers, so I've got to reassemble my BGE and get all my bbq tools out of boxes too.

[hogdog6]

Congrats!!! You'll be happy you got the smaller chimney the std size is too big to pour out. Instead of news paper (too messy). I pour a little 90% rubbing alcohol in a old tuna can, lite it and set my small chimney with 40 briquettes over it and let her burn. Works fast and cleaner than news paper. As mentioned above follow Kathryn's posts and you'll be loving your new PBC!!! "I can smell the chuckies a cookin."

[Nate]

So what are you going to cook first on it to break it in?

A common complaint is that the lid doesn't seal up to well for the first few cooks or so... I had a few bricks wrapped in foil to put on the lid to help... After a few cooks the buildup around the lid will help it seal up better.

[fuzzydaddy]

I haven't decided but I'm thinking baby back ribs.

[Nate]

fuzzydaddy , sounds great but go ahead & put a split in half chicken on there too. birds on the PBC are amazing. I use some grill basket things i purchased from walmart to do pieces of chicken like thighs & legs... with a few mods they work great and save room from having to use the grate for pieces

[fuzzydaddy]

Nate Thanks for that suggestion!

[rototiller78]

fuzzydaddy Congrats on joining the PBC Family! It is a wonderful apparatus of BBQ enjoyment. The ash catcher is a very nice addition but I use a 16" stainless steel pizza pan that I got from Wolly World for $5 and some change, it's a lot bigger than the charcoal basket so it catches all the ash minus the big wind gusts that blow through and some ash gets on the bottom of the PBC.

[fuzzydaddy]

Thank you! I'm going to start with using double foil on the bottom and see how that works for me. Delivery is scheduled for tomorrow and that's when I also arrive back at my house, so I hope to be cooking this weekend!

[HawkerXP]

One other thing, don't wear your favorite shirt when installing or removing your layer of foil. I am 6' 3" with what I consider long arms but my upper body still rubs the edge of the drum and some of that lovely black build up comes off on my shirt.

[fuzzydaddy]

I have an old bbq smoking lightweight coat that I'll wear. I've put it in my little outside cabinet. Now lets see if I remember to put it on.

[HawkerXP]

So that would be a "smoking jacket" red velvet with black trim?! Sweet!

[fuzzydaddy]

I almost did call it a smoking jacket! Good one!

[Gator Lau]

One other thing, don't wear your favorite shirt when installing or removing your layer of foil. I am 6' 3" with what I consider long arms but my upper body still rubs the edge of the drum and some of that lovely black build up comes off on my shirt.

I found that ou early on, so I wear an apron for that task. A nice PBC logo on one would be nice. Noah?

[fzxdoc]

Woo hoo! Congrats on pulling the trigger on that PBC order, fuzzydaddy !

Unpack it, load up the fuel and smoke a chicken, split, just like Noah shows in his video. It'll be quick, easy, and tasty eating right off the bat.

You can always tweak the chicken smoke later. Here is the method I use for chicken on the PBC.


Chicken on the PBC: How to get juicy chicken with crispy skin

First, about salt: if my rub contains salt then I don't add any extra salt. Ever. I use the salt-containing rub as a dry brine.

Even though it contains a lot of salt, I love PBC's AP rub with chicken and use it as a dry brine. I never add more salt. I smoke chickens once every two weeks, on average, and they're always done in an hour or so and the skin is crispy.

Chicken prep:

1. Slice the chicken in half the way Noah shows on his chicken video.
2. Separate the skin from the muscle underneath on the breast, thigh, and leg.
3. Sprinkle AP rub all over that exposed muscle and rub/pat to get it to stick.
4. Smooth the skin back into place and sprinkle the skin with a mixture of one Tablespoon of rub and a teaspoon of baking powder.The baking powder helps to dry the skin.
5. Set the chicken, uncovered, positioned with the maximum amount of skin exposed, in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This helps to dry the skin.
6. When it comes time to smoke the chicken, sprinkle it lightly with sweet paprika. This helps give it a pretty color
7. Hook and hang the chicken in the PBC once it has gone through the 15-10-10 lighting procedure outlined in the first post of this topic I let the PBC temp get over 400 before hanging the chicken. The PBC temp drops quickly when this cold meat mass is introduced, then climbs back up.

Smoking:

1. Keep the PBC temperature up between 325 and 360. Usually I keep it around 350 or so. I do this by judiciously cracking the lid for short periods of time and by pulling a rebar if I'm only doing one chicken.
2. Check the chicken temp and pull it when the breast reads 160. The carryover cooking will bring it to the safe 165. At this temperature, the legs and thighs are done as well.
3. Let the chicken rest for a little bit before slicing. Otherwise, because the meat is so juicy and tender, the bone sometimes pulls right out of the leg when you try to eat it!

I like slicing the chicken in half in the prep phase because I can get 3 chickens in the PBC that way, or 2 chickens and 2 hanging sausage holders filled with sausages. (Those sausages add a flavor bomb to the chicken, at least to my taste buds.)

The chicken easier to carve if I remove the breast bone after slicing the bird in two in the prep stage. Then during carving, breast section easily pulls away from the rib cage so I can slice it crosswise.

I don't use any oil on or under the skin for two reasons: first, Meathead now says that it doesn't do much, flavorwise, for oil-soluble spices, and second, for me at least, it prevents the chicken skin from crisping. I get crisper skin without it. Lots of folks use oil, though, so try for yourself and see what works best.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

I'm glad my PBC Chicken technique worked so well for you, lschweig . I've got 3 chickens in the fridge right now with a dozen large hot Italian sausages, waiting for me to fire up both my PBC and my WSCGC. I'm having a one woman chicken & sausage cookoff between both my smokers this evening.

Kathryn

[lschweig]

I just saw your posting showing your improvised sausage holder and looks like I will be doing that the next time I do chicken as well.

[fzxdoc]

You'll love sausages cooked with the chicken in the same PBC, lschweig. I take the sausages to 185 internal because the skin pops better. Also, I use really dense sausages like Johnsonville or the hot Italian Sausages from Fresh Market.

I poke the bottom-most one for drippings. "Artisanal" sausages that are not densely packed do not do well if poked, though, so make the sacrificial bottom sausage a dense one instead.

Kathryn

[fuzzydaddy]

It just arrived!

[Nate]

Just in time for a midnight snack!

[DWCowles]

Congrats on your new toy fuzzydaddy can't wait till you get that stickburner

[Jerod Broussard]

Nice. I'm about to hang 3 butts in mine in a couple hours.

[MBMorgan]

Nice!!! That's no "toy" ...

[DWCowles]

Dang, I thought we all considered our cookers as toys. I played with my Lang every chance that I get.

[MBMorgan]

DWCowles - Oh, it's a toy alright ... I just can't let She Who Controls the Purse Strings know it.

[Huskee]

Congrats on the new toy. Yes, yes, it is a toy, they all are that's why they're fun.

[fuzzydaddy]

Today I'll be unboxing the PBC and all my bbq gear and getting set up at the new place. Hopefully this afternoon I'll get to the store for some purchases!

[HawkerXP]

here chicky chicky.............................