I would stick with Pork Butt, Ribs, or chicken as a first cook.....Then ask yourself how much time do you have. If you have a couple of hours....ribs or chicken. If you have a longer amount of time do a pulled pork. All are forgiving and good ways to learn the PBC. Also every cook I have done in the PBC has never been perfect.....to me.....No complaints from anyone at the table though!!!
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Even thought Noah says it isn't necessary, be sure to season your PBC before using it. When I seasoned mine my nose detecting some funky odors coming out of it.
I was going to suggest ribs as your first cook because it was my first cook in mine, but I see you've already went with chicken, which is a good choice.Comment
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Wibs, Wibs, Wibs, did I say Wibs? And do a few racks of them & feed people, a few or many. Yes, I will repeat, Wibs, Wibs, Wibs! You will love them. Then do the chicken, the PBC is a chicken monster. But do yerself a big favor & do WIBS!Comment
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Don't let the rain stop you brother!
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You need to get some pork belly and make bacon in that thing...Comment
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Alright everyone, first cook is in the books! I split and dry brined the bird with the all purpose rub. I definitely used way too much rub though. The rub under the skin was fine, but the skin itself was way too salty. Next time I'll go much lighter on the outside of the skin.
I followed fzxdoc lighting instructions. I used both rebarbs for the cook because I wanted to see what the temps were like before adjusting anything. I found it took over an hour before the temp dropped below 300. Is this normal? I thought I could see some smoke coming out of the lid, but it was tough to tell. Should I try putting some weight on the lid when I cook something that needs lower temps? Anyways, I let it ride since chicken needs the higher temp.
The finished product was absolutely amazing. The only complaint was the saltiness of the skin. It was much better though after wiping some excess rub off with a napkin. The meat was tender and moist, and the skin was crispy. My wife and I, along with our 6 year old nearly ate the whole thing. The 3 year old just had mac and cheese.
Thank you all for the advice. Next up, ribs!Comment
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Although PBC’s rub is good there are plenty of others that go great with chicken. My favorite rub for chicken on the PBC is Big Poppa Smoker’s Money Rub. You can go fairly heavy & not worry about it being too salty.
Have fun with your PBC!Comment
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Well done great pics,. To update my earlier formula having seen the introduction of alcohol -
Wet deck + pre-existing broken leg + beer = 2 broken legs and probably a clavicle.Comment
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Congrats on your chicken cook, goosebr160 , it looks great. Yes, that AP rub is pretty salty but is great on chicken. For the skin, I mix some baking powder in with the rub (1tsp baking powder to 3 tsp AP rub--only use a bit of this mixture) to help dry the skin and let it sit in the fridge overnight. But if overnight is not an option, the skin will dry just fine at the high PBC cooking temp with the previous addition of the baking powder to some rub for the skin only.
FWIW, here's my PBC Chicken Method.
About the possible lid leak: it only takes a tiny leak to keep the temps up, at least that was the case with my PBCs. It sure worked to your advantage in this cook, since temps well over 300°F is what you want when cooking chicken.
Try tapping the lid down with something that won't hurt the finish, like a rubber mallet, to make sure it's nice and tight. If you still see a leak, you could take a long strip of aluminum foil, double it, and crimp it over the rim in the area of the leak. That will work until your lid gets enough gunk on the rim area to make the seal tighter.
The PBC shines in so many cooks, not just chicken, that you're going to have a lot of fun with each new venture. Pork butt, brisket, ribs, meatloaf, jalapeno poppers, chuck roast--the list is endless. I don't do fish because I'm concerned about the fish oils causing an off flavor in future cooks, but a lot of folks here cook fish in the PBC all the time.
Have a great time with that upcoming rib cook!
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; May 19, 2018, 07:27 AM.Comment
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fzxdoc, Kathryn, I Figured You Being the "Queen BEE of the PBC", You Would Have Been in England This AMâ—ï¸
With the Rest of the "ROYALS"‼ï¸
🤗 😇 🤗 Dan
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I always use a bit of wood when cooking a chicken in the PBC. A single bird simply doesn't generate enough drippings to create the 'PBC fog' of constant grill smoke. That is the funny thing about the PBC - if I saw the kind of white smoke billowing out of one of my kettles or my WSM during a low/slow I would not be happy at all. But, with the PBC it's a welcome sight.Comment
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I always smoke a hanging rack or two of sausage to make the chicken taste even better. Besides who doesn't like chicken and sausages. I usually smoke a mix of mild and hot Italian sausages from Fresh Market.
I like cherry wood with chicken a lot.
KathrynComment
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I don't see "Kathryn" spelled that way very often, EdF . I bet your great grandmother was a strong, hardworking woman. Had to be in those days just to survive. She must have been a good cook too, which is one way you came by it. I'll think of your Kathryn the next time I smoke chicken and sausages.
K.
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I think Ribs come out best on the PBC here is a video I did doing ribs ( https://youtu.be/hV_yifVJlMI ) Ok I'll stop now thats the 2nd linked video I did today Somebody stop me. Ok I'll be good now. Really good luck its hard to mess up on the PBC (Aalthough I did once or twice but thats me lol)Comment
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Your temp graph actually looks very nice for a first cook on the PBC. You spiked just above 400 then it tapered down. You'll find over time your lid will develop some gunk and seal better with the barrel, that's what happened with mine. So my first few cooks ran at higher temps, staying high like yours and taking a while to settle down. Now that I have a good seal on my lid temps drop considerably faster and will be back in line easily within 30 minutes.Comment
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