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My 1st PBC Cook

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    My 1st PBC Cook

    I finally got a fair weather day when I had enough time to test drive the new PBC. I stopped by Sam's Club to get some of the Kingsford Charcoal they have on special... 2x20 lbs for $14.98. They also has Boston Butt and Pork Loin for $1.68 per lb. So I ended up getting two boston butt and two roaster chickens. I thought that would be a fair test for a 1st cook.

    I lit the PBC using a charcoal chimney which worked well and is what I'll use in the future. I know many folks use the lighter fluid method with no problem, but the chimney is just my preferred method of lighting coals. After 15 minutes in the chimney, I dumped them in the coal basket and left the lid off of the PBC for another 15 minutes while I was finishing prepping the butts. I was running a bit late in the day, so nothing got brined... just pulled from the package, trimmed and rubbed then hung...

    Butts went on at 2 pm, chicken went on about 2:30. I used only the charcoal and did not add any flavor wood. I wanted to see how well this worked using Noah's instructions. The chicken was done in about 1 hour 45 minutes...

    I was really impressed with the chicken... all I did was split them in half, rubbed them with the PBC's All Purpose rub and hung them in the cooker. About the last 20 minutes on the chicken, I cracked the lid a bit and ran the temp up to about 325 to crisp up the skin. I often cook chicken on my Weber Kettle using indirect heat then crisping up at the end... it's a great method and turns out some good yard bird, however the same or better result was obtained on the PBC without ever touching the chicken once it was hung... pretty amazing.

    The butts hit 160 about the 4 1/2 hour mark, so I wrapped them and set them back on the PBC... about 7 hours into the cook they hit 200 degrees... I let them go on up to 205 and I pulled them and let them rest for a while. I noticed the PBC was starting to drop a bit and was running about 240 degrees at the end of the cook... the charcoal was about shot by then.

    When I first lit the cooker... it was running about 380 degrees... then settled in about 285 until I cracked the lid to run the temp up a bit to crisp the chicken skin. Beyond that it ran 280 - 290 for most of the cook until the very end when the coals were going away.

    The butts were done perfectly as well... pulled easily, tender... moist and flavorful. I had used the PBC Beef and Game rub on the pork. Very nice...

    So my take on the PBC is that it's just as advertised... super easy to use and turns out great Q with a shorter cooking window then traditional low and slow. I like it and think I'll be using this cooker a lot...


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    #2
    Nice job. Now you can relax a little.

    Comment


      #3
      Nice job and pics!!!

      When my butts hit the stall, I crack the lid and get her up to at least 325 so I can let some of that excess moisture out, and bark them babies up really well. I just watch my pit temp, when it drops, I know they are sweatin' plenty.

      Comment


        #4
        Good looking pics!

        Comment


          #5
          Good job, it still looks cold there so that is about right for coal life. When I wrap I put them on the grate and pull a rebar or two at that time which typically gives a few more hours around 275.
          My favorite thing about the PBC is that I took my kids to see grandma and grandpa, we were gone 4 hours and the temp only dropped to 255. Nice to have a life and good food when needed.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Jerod Broussard View Post
            Nice job and pics!!!

            When my butts hit the stall, I crack the lid and get her up to at least 325 so I can let some of that excess moisture out, and bark them babies up really well. I just watch my pit temp, when it drops, I know they are sweatin' plenty.

            Do you wrap yours Jarod? I stopped wrapping mine years ago, however I'm not sure if I can do this on the PBC due to the higher temps...

            Comment


            • David Parrish
              David Parrish commented
              Editing a comment
              I cook butts on the PBC unwrapped. They turn out great!

            • Jerod Broussard
              Jerod Broussard commented
              Editing a comment
              It depends. Some make it without, some need to hurry up, some have gotten plenty dark and could use shade.

            #7
            Nicely done Hondo!

            Comment


              #8
              Nice work! We'll be over...

              Comment


                #9
                Looks great Hondo!

                Comment


                  #10
                  Nice job! Welcome to the PBC club - now you know why we're all such fans

                  Comment


                    #11
                    A few thoughts after using this for about six weeks... still a novice at it of course...

                    The simplicity of the PBC design and the speed at which it naturally cooks still amazes me. We took the RV and went to Thunder Over Louisville this past weekend. We always have a group of family and friends over on Saturday for the air show and fireworks display. Just before the air show we have a pitch-in style dinner. This year I cooked two large pork butts on the PBC for pulled pork sandwiches... I put the butts on at 6 am... we ate at 2:30 pm. I was never rushed and the pork was wonderful. Last year I did a similar cook, however used my GOSM at low and slow temps and put the pork on the night before and had to baby sit it all night and the next morning... now I can sleep again! The PBC is my hero... lol.

                    The PBC is compact and lightweight which makes it easy to travel with. The GOSM Big Block was a pain to move... not so heavy but large and awkward to move around. The GOSM Big Block still has a larger capacity but not by much... I'll probably sell the GOSM... I like the PBC so well that just don't see me using the others anymore.

                    If I could make any changes at all to the PBC...

                    I would add a well placed Tel-Tru Thermometer... I use my Maverick for chamber temps... but would prefer a mounted Tel-Tru...

                    I would like to have a more precise vent adjustment for the bottom vent...

                    And finally I would like to have a bottom door so I could access the coal basket...

                    I'll probably not do any of these since the PBC works so well out of the box... well... I may still ad that Tel-Tru...

                    Overall though, I'm super impressed with the PBC... it turns out excellent food with minimal effort.

                    Great product that I highly recommend...

                    Comment


                    • BruceB
                      BruceB commented
                      Editing a comment
                      I agree with most of Kathryn's comments. I think a small adjustable vent at the top of the barrel or even in the cover would be great for the ultimate temperature control, without having to guess just how far the cover is "cracked open". Perhaps the a topside vent opposite the bottom vent so it helps the air flow from bottom front to top rear would be great, a top vent would be a problem is our rainy climate here on the wet side of Washington.

                    • Ernest
                      Ernest commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Did you read this DWCowles?

                    • DWCowles
                      DWCowles commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Read what? Ernest

                    #12
                    It is great indeed, my only real complaint is capacity. Now that isn't the fault of the cooker, well it sort of is, nobody wanted to eat my food before and now I regularly cook for 20-30. For capacity sake I am thinking a 22" WSM is next.
                    I think the PBC is hands down the best smoker a newbie can get to learn smoking. Sure a pellet is easier to use, but the skills I picked up on fire and smoke control, maintaining multiple temps on a machine designed for just one has made me much better all around. I would be confident running anything now, it might take me a rack of ribs worth to figure out a stick burner but that is it.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      That New PBC looks great. Especially with all the meat inside. Glad to see that PBC is still gaining ground in the smoker world!!!

                      Comment


                      #14
                      This is a pair of pork butts that I did last week... these were the biggest that I've ever cooked... the package was almost 20 lbs and what I usually get is closer to 16 lbs. They were wonderful... the PBC really makes me look good!

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                      Today I did a 13 lb whole packer brisket... sorry no pics of the cook... I started late and finished late, It was cool and windy day... however it was the best brisket that I have ever cooked. I credit this to the PBC... it's amazing at holding a constant temp for hours at a time. I cooked the brisket for 8 hours and only had the PBC lid off twice during the cook... the PBC continues to impress me...

                      I'd never cooked a Walmart brisket before... I was pleasantly surprised that it was so good... Sometimes I not a fan of their meats... $3.48 per pound for Choice... which is pretty good for around here...

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                      Last edited by Hondo; April 26, 2015, 10:56 PM.

                      Comment


                        #15
                        Hondo, you're really soaring with that brand spankin' new PBC. Congrats! Did you make some burnt ends with that brisket point?

                        You sure got a great price on that brisket, too. I think that Jerod Broussard The Brisketmeister shops for selects at Walmart a lot--I remember him saying he paws through the lot to find the ones with the most marbling and snags them. Can't beat the price on that Choice brisket that you got--they're over twice that at Sam's Club in these parts.

                        Kathryn

                        Comment


                        • Hondo
                          Hondo commented
                          Editing a comment
                          (Hangs head in shame)... no Kathryn, no burnt ends this time... but the PBC Brisket is so good I see another opportunity coming soon!

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