4 More Questions

[pa317]

I made it through most posts in the 20 pages of PBC material tonight! Man, you all have some great advice.

1. Has anyone done a pork belly on a PBC and then sliced it into bacon? I didn't see a post sitting out there

2. I think I need to research more into fzxdoc and brisket. I have been on the fence about doing one for fear of messing up an expensive cut.

3. Has anyone done a modest size pork butt and modest size brisket at the same time? The local smoke off has those two cuts as benchmarks and I have a single PBC. I see from the catering post someone mentions two grates. (I'm hesitant about drilling new standoffs and would prefer to just use the one.)

4. I am expecting overwhelming responses to this question: is a SnS really worth it on my weber kettle? Or can I stack the coals to one side and see comparable results? ($100 is a lot for me right now!)

[RonB]

#4 - Yes! It's a game changer. Besides digital thermometers, the best purchase I have made.

Having said that, it's really not necessary, but it makes maintaining temps and reverse searing much easier. A few others things too.

[mnavarre]

#1) Around here? It would be absolutely astonishing if someone hadn't

#2) Right there with yah. Not sure I know the PBJr. well enough to try a $60 brisket yet.

#3) No reason it wouldn't work, but if you're going to wrap, yeah grate space is an issue.

#4) Dear god, YES! I smoked on nekkid Webers for years until I got the SnS. The Weber baskets help a bit, you can set up a snake, you can kind of pile coals to one side and kid of do a "lazy snake" and none of it is going to get you close to the stability you get from the SnS. Probably the best $125 i've spent on BBQ stuff maybe ever.

[Catmandu]

I cut a 9lb pork belly into thirds to make bacon. After the curing process, put two on my Weber kettle and the other in my PBC. Since the PBC generally runs hotter than the kettle, it cooked a little faster in the PBC. Let it cool, sliced it into bacon strips and turned out great!

I used the new skewers to hang it in the PBC.

[FishTalesNC]

#1 - yeah, here in this thread (the title doesn't help identify it as such, sorry).

#3 - haven't done it, but if you're just hanging the entire time should be fine. If you're going to wrap, you could just move them to an indoor oven during that time, and maybe hang them again at the end to firm up the bark. I've done that before with ribs, I left the hook in when I wrapped, it was easy to manage.

#4 - not required, but definitely worth it if you can swing it, great "bang for the buck" value there

[BRic]

Haven`t done both at the same time . THE butts and brisket turn out pretty good . Wrap butts at around 170 f in tin foil and
brisket at around 175 f in butcher paper . and put them on grill .
pork butt pics




Brisket Pics

[pa317]

1. FishTalesNC - I saw that post. Pros/cons on the PBC method? My gut is telling me that I should be able to take a raw belly and turn it into amazing bacon for less than amazing bacon costs at the store. Do you think that's true?

4. I guess I know what is on my Fathers Day wish list. Still, I'm a pretty happy guy to have a PBC and kettle in my back yard.

[FishTalesNC]

pa317 I do think its true that you can produce better bacon less expensively. Now, I haven't actually weighed the end result and compared per/lb pricing of what I smoke up vs. store bought. But I know what I produce is much better than high end store bought, and ~10lb belly lasts us almost 3 months. I now prefer the PBC to my kettle - it took about an hour less, and had a much stronger grill flavor which we liked. I'm with you on the cookers, I just have a kettle and my PBC - all good!

[pa317]

BRic - I am seeing more and more pictures on here where meats are trussed either with strong or the silicon bands. I get that a uniform shape has more predictable results. Is there some rule of thumb sitting out there for me to keep in mind? I have never gone the extra mile to truss my meat (take that statement how you will)

[BRic]

pa317 at the time I had used a boneless pork butt . normally I use butts with bone
in . I think the meat smokes better when meat is more uniform and you have better
results .

[HawkerXP]

pa317 if you what to send or reply to someone be sure to put @ in front of their name like I did for you.

[au4stree]

pa317 .

Dont be be afraid to mess up the brisket, the PBC is a brisket cooking powerhouse. The first one I ever did was a BA choice packer from restaurant depot. I followed Noah’s video, mostly.

The only differences i made made were a heavy trim of fat and dry brined for approx 18hrs. I did observe the end (the point) closest to the coals was a bit charred, but after wrapping it mellowed out and did not have a "burnt" taste. It was the most sought after burnt end pieces.

My my family constantly tells me that was my best brisket and questions why I don’t cook brisket on it more often. 🤷‍♂️😂. I tell them I have other cookers and don’t want them to get jealous.

[klflowers]

If you can swing the SNS, get one. You don't have to have it - I have used kettles for years without one - but it has upped my kettle game quite a bit. I just pulled the trigger last fall.

[Attjack]

I have SnS for my 26 and I like it and would recommend it to anyone who wants a better quality charcoal basket. But I dont have one for my 22 and don't want one. Not having one makes me a better cook imo. You can cook just as well without one.

[JGo37]

I'll take door #4 please.

The SnS is worth it but in the mean time you can get exactly the same results from a foil baking sheet and a foil pan. As the pics show: ↓

[pa317]

#4 - I should say I have absolutely no charcoal basket currently. I'm happy with how burgers turn out on the PBC, but something about the SnS with a griddle or cast iron is alluring to get the crust