Smoked a small turkey on the PBC yesterday and decided to make the wife happy with crispy skin she prefers. Lit the PBC to run a bit hot and managed lid cracking periodically to keep barrel temps between 325 and 375 which worked great for one side of the bird which turned out to be the back instead of the breast. I'm guessing that cracking the lid on the front every time caused the fire to run hotter on that side so note to self - alternate lid cracking front to back and side to side next time. Better yet thinking about trying the thin steel rods to replace the rebars fzxdoc uses to increase airflow and temps. The bird still turned out great flavor wise so live and learn for next time.
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Maybe it's because my PBCjr gets loaded up when I do an 11lb turkey or six chicken halves so there's not a cooler side. I crack the lid using a small piece of mulch about the size of my little finger. I keep the open edge downwind of any breeze.
Have you noticed that the coal basket burn quicker nearest the vent? Consider rotating it.
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Great to hear the bird came out excellent!Comment
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That’s a good strategy to rotate the cracked opening. If you want thinner rod Home Depot/Lowe’s sells 3/8†dowel rods.Comment
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On my PBC, I'm not sure if it makes a difference which way I crack the lid. I always place the lid so the crack is 180° from the lower vent so that (to my mind at least), there is a bit of a crossdraft.
I've smoked many, many chickens on the PBC and the fire has never burned in a truly predictable pattern from one cook to the next. Chickens have a lot of moisture; I've had instances where exactly one half of the basket has burned almost completely while the other is barely smoking, then the other half takes over as the cook progresses .
I always place the handle of the basket parallel to the rebars. I place the wood chunk under the handle. I do this for consistency and to keep the meat from dripping directly on the handle of the basket. Sometimes the fire will be hotter toward the vent side first and sometimes not. In my PBC, the temperature of the barrel can vary by as much as 40°F from one side of the barrel to the other at the level of the meat (I always use 2 ambient probes). In a long cook, those temps tend to even out as the cooks progress, but for short cooks like poultry or meatloaf, whichever side is hotter can make a big difference in cook time for meats on one side vs. the other.
KathrynComment
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My secret for crispy skin is simple. About 1/4th the salt volume in baking powder I would apply to the skin (I rub about half under the skin) mixed in and rubbed on... it does its magic while the skin does and cook that baby at 325F in the smoker and it comes out crackling good with no aftertaste. An early experiment on some chicken legs showed similar results but metallic aftertaste for baking soda.Comment
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Followed Meatheads spatchcocked turkey recipe to the letter and used Simon and Garfunkle rub with Kosher salt the day before on 2 12 pound turkeys, 1 fresh 1 frozen. Placed on my new custom reverse flow smoker at 325 and whammy.... got all the rave reveiws and the crispiest skin I ever et! Family started pickin the skin off and eatin it without the meat. Oddly I put all of the trimmings and giblets from the turkeys under the grate but on top of the 1/4 inch plate steel with some water and it made the best gravy we have had. Was suspicious about the moisture coming from the pans of giblets but skin was really crispy! Took off at 162 and they devoured it all like their last meal. Been really pleased with the recipes and the reverse flow. SOunds like yours was just as good if not better!Comment
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I've had a hard time getting good crispy skin on chicken in the PBC. It looks good, but often tastes like rubber. I get fantastic results using the rotisserie on my Weber gasser and a smoke box, so that's my go-to.
One thing to consider if you want to get higher temps without cracking the lid is to use Kingsford competition. It's been a while, but I believe that I've gotten consistent temps in the PBC around 350 without needing to crack the lid, pull a rebar, etc. I'm going to smoke a turkey this weekend (sister-in-law's turkey wasn't very good last week so I need my fix), and will be using Kingsford competition in the PBC with the PBC turkey hanger.Comment
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