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PBC: The Overnight

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    PBC: The Overnight

    I am planning on doing an overnight/very early morning cook tonight. I'm making a #15 butt in the PBC. The food needs to be ready at about Noon Saturday. So I'm going to have to start it early. I was planning on using my Maverick to monitor temps and then going back to bed. Just wondering if anyone has had any issues when doing an overnight with the PBC. Any input is appreciated!! Thanks!!!

    #2
    Most folks seem to say the run time on one load of charcoal is ~8-10 hrs. Worst case scenario you have to get up early and reload it. Might I suggest cutting that monster butt in half, more seasoning, smoke penetration, and more bark? The Maverick is simply awesome for those types of things. Hi/lo cooker alarm, and hi meat alarm. Even a lost signal alarm. It's foolproof for an overnight cook!

    Comment


      #3
      I agree with Huskee, cut down the big chunk... good thoughts. Throw more fuel in the morning if you need... worst case scenario it stalls and you have to finish in the oven. Not a problem, and also not likely. You have enough PBC experience to pull this off easily... good luck and let us know the outcome!

      Comment


        #4
        Doing the exact same thing Saturday night. My overnight PBC cooks have gone well, I usually don't sleep too well because when I do I just dream that the fire went out so I check on it a bit.

        The one really big mistake I made was in an effort to save time I prepared everything I could in advance, including putting charcoal in the basket and chimney etc. so I could get back to bed ASAP. I was too sleepy to realize what was going on until it was too late, but the temp change had caused a lot of moisture to develop all over my coals, and it took me almost an hour to get the chimney ready to dump. Still not thinking, I dumped them on the basket of more damp coals. It took another hour with the lid cracked to get everything dried out and running.

        Comment


        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          John, so glad that you wrote in. I found, I had the same problem a few cooks ago. especially in the cold weather here in Minnesota, I store my Charcoal in to my Mud Room so they can be warmer when I start. (I can get a way with this being a bachelor.) This has seemed to remedy this problem.

        • _John_
          _John_ commented
          Editing a comment
          What time do you plan on starting?

        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          @ John I'm planning on around 3 or 3:30 am

        #5
        You're plannign a 15 lb butt taking only 9 hrs? Even if you split it into two 7 or 8lbers I still think that's cutting it a bit close. Are you plannign to wrap them at the stall? To be honest I'd give 'em 12 hrs. I realize PBCs cook faster than most other cookers but you still might want to have a couple hrs of wrap & hold time to soften them. Maybe I'm overshooting what they'll take, but you can always hold them in a faux cambro until serving time, PBs are very forgiving that way.

        Comment


        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          True. Thats why I'm here. Thanks for the heads up. I just didn't want it to be done too early. Then have to worry about reheating the meat before serving. Then i would feel like serving leftovers. Although, I have a Yeti cooler that I'm going to use as my Cambro so it should stay warm enough i would think. I would rather start it at midnight than 3 am!!
          Last edited by Spinaker; December 19, 2014, 04:27 PM.

        #6
        Originally posted by Huskee View Post
        You're plannign a 15 lb butt taking only 9 hrs? Even if you split it into two 7 or 8lbers I still think that's cutting it a bit close. Are you plannign to wrap them at the stall? To be honest I'd give 'em 12 hrs. I realize PBCs cook faster than most other cookers but you still might want to have a couple hrs of wrap & hold time to soften them. Maybe I'm overshooting what they'll take, but you can always hold them in a faux cambro until serving time, PBs are very forgiving that way.

        Ditto.

        I am cooking a 7 pound butt and 2 briskets Saturday night, after I finish 3 (3+ pound) butts and 2 briskets (which will be pulled and sliced and bagged). I will be serving around 1 PM. I will be hanging meat at about 1 AM. Plan to be done b/n 10 and 11 AM to allow 2+ hours of rest.
        Last edited by Jerod Broussard; December 19, 2014, 04:08 PM.

        Comment


        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          I have two pieces that are roughly 7 1/2 lbs a piece. And I'm serving at noon. I would think midnight would give me plenty of time.

        • Jerod Broussard
          Jerod Broussard commented
          Editing a comment
          Yeh...I like to let them ride and I can always crack the lid at the stall, to get more bark quicker, then once you got bark, you can wrap and kick up the heat to at least 350+

        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          Jerod,
          Thanks for the heads up on letting it ride. That worked great. I got the bark I wanted then sent it up to about 365 F and it finished really nice. Really handy technique.

        #7
        If you wrap it shouldn't be a problem at all, if you don't then I'd aim for 12AM if you keep it whole, and 2AM if you split. If going whole I might even add an hour to that because you want plenty of rest time and depending on the weather you will probably need a full chimney to get you the last few hours.
        I am splitting mine again and will have 4 ~3lb chunks and i'm starting at 2AM.

        Comment


        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          Then do you only put on hook in each of the hunks-o-meat? I would think you could.....

        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          Totally agree Jerod. I think 3-4lbs is the magic number on PBs.

        • Jerod Broussard
          Jerod Broussard commented
          Editing a comment
          I do. One hook per hunk. Never had a problem, and I've cooked on the hooks until 200. Every butt I get, or split, has a part that is thinner than the rest. The hook(s) go in the butt so that thinner part can be pointing towards the coals.

        #8
        Cook it on the rack, not the hooks. That way you don't have to worry about what temp it hits while you're sleeping

        Comment


          #9
          I'm just about to get the chimney going. Really looking forward to this. Thanks guys. Then Im gonna throw these guys on!!
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          Comment


          • HC in SC
            HC in SC commented
            Editing a comment
            Looks good! Good luck!

          #10
          Looks good, I tried to get mine salted, still 80% frozen after 5 days... So those don't look like a 15 pound butt, was it 2 7 pounders in one pack?

          Comment


          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            Two 7 pounders in one pack. Boneless. Costco buy

          #11
          Just hit the stall, Brutus is at 268 F, Internal is 163 F. I put the butts on right at midnight. I had some problems with my probes. I have the worst luck with Mavericks. Always have problems. One of the probes wasn't working right. You'd think for that kind of money, the probes included could at least be washed properly with out being ruined. (Heaven forbid you would ever drop one) Enough complaining.
          I added about 15 coals to the fire at around 4:30 am and Brutus is going strong. I am going to try and not wrap at all, but we'll see what happens.
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          Comment


          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            I was going to try that but the butts were too big (ahem). I pulled them off the hooks at about 175 F and put the grate in and placed the butts on the rack. I'm coming down the home stretch right now. I've got an internal of 194 F after 9 1/2 hrs. Then its to the YETI for a good long rest.

          • David Parrish
            David Parrish commented
            Editing a comment
            For your probes... try putting them in your oven at 350F for an hour and watch the Maverick to see what kind of temps they read. If they work in the oven (or are broke initially but then work after a while) you know it's actually your pit that is causing the problem. I have had trouble with my Maverick in both my PBC and in my Kamado. I attributed these issues to extreme pit humidity. so give my oven trick a try and let us know how it goes.

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            David,
            I tried the oven trick and they both worked just fine. It must be my PBC. I'm going to try to seal it were the wire meets the probe. Thanks for the tip.

          #12
          Sounds like perfect timing! Those suckers are gonna be good. Did you stay up all night? I am starting mine tonight at about 12AM

          Comment


          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            Yep John, all night. I just couldn't get to sleep.

          • HC in SC
            HC in SC commented
            Editing a comment
            I don't see how Jerod does it. If I have meat on the grill there is no way I could sleep. As soon as I nodded off the gremlins would go to work and jack up my cook. Lol

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            I hear ya HC. It was still fun though. I will be doing it again.

          #13
          I finally got everything pulled off the PBC. Overall, I would say things went well (except for my nights sleep) We may have had meteor shower last night! Look at bark on those guys. I got some great bark on these after this cook. I waited for a while longer to wrap them this time and I know that helped with bark formation. The only reason I wrapped was, I was worried about the moisture level. Seeing how this is for a birthday party, I didn't want to risk making it to dry. Next time when I do a personal cook, I'm going all the way, no wrap. Man, I can't wait to tear into these bad boys. They are both resting nicely in the YETI for serving at noon!!! Thanks for the discussion guys.

          Comment


          • _John_
            _John_ commented
            Editing a comment
            pics aren't showing...

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            John, I reposted below.

          #14
          I'm so envious, Spinaker. I passed on that double butt pack at Sam's Club last week. Got a couple of chuckies instead, which will have their PBC day tomorrow, perhaps.

          Now I wish I had picked it up and done a HC in SC plan--smoked the butts and then put some in the freezer for Xmas guests. Of course the week is young, so I could always go back to Sams to see if they have any of those butts left. The price was pretty good, as I recall.

          I can hardly wait to hear how those butts tasted and see how they looked, all pulled and ready to enjoy. Your timing was perfect. Congrats.

          Kathryn

          Comment


          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            @ Kathryn, I just look for a big wad of compressed meat, lol. If I notice excess fat I avoid that one, but often one that looks great on top has the big wad of fat cap on the bottom once you open it at home. They tend to all be the same at the end of the day in my experience.

          • fzxdoc
            fzxdoc commented
            Editing a comment
            I guess that's part of the Sams surprise, that huge chunk of fat hidden somwhere in the wad of compressed meat. Thanks, Huskee. You probably saved me from turning over 40 packages of PB in the Sams case looking for perfection.

            Kathryn

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            I do the same thing. I just grab one.

          #15
          I'm hoping this works. Let me know if these go through this time.
          Kathryn, its almost impossible for me to walk out of Sam's or Costco and not buy some type of meat.
          Everything turned out great!! People were saying best they've ever had. Great bark, smokering, and the flavor was awesome. Husk's rub comes through once again! Thanks Brother!!
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          Comment


          • David Parrish
            David Parrish commented
            Editing a comment
            We really do need Smellovision =)

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            Sign me up for the smell-o-vision!!

          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            Right on my man! Glad you and everyone else liked the rub!

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