Your Recommendations, Please

[Soonerpop]

Welcome to you. I, too, am a pretty new PBJ owner. My first cook was like yours with the same results. The second rib cook, I did most of what you’ve decided to do. I let the charcoal get a little more ash (15-10-10 or there about). I haven’t used the PBC rub yet, too stuck on my favorites, but any good rub should be fine. I use a couple of chunks of pecan just because I like the smell when I cook, but I’m not sure it adds a lot of flavor. I also cut the racks in half to keep them from getting too close to the fire, more consistent top to bottom. Good luck, hope this helps.

[Potkettleblack]

I think it’s the PBC JR.

[cashelton]

In my past cooks with cheese and the PBC, the cheese has taken on a ton of the barrel flavor and not always in the best ways. If I do smoked mac and cheese these days, I use Chris Cantwell's recipe on the main site and only put the mac and cheese on at the end.


Smoked Queso Mac and Cheese was one of my worst ideas...flavor wise!

[Mr. Bones]

PBC Pbc pbc!!!! lol

[Mr. Bones]

Me three...

[N227GB]

If you're adding wood for smoke just use one chunk about half the size of your fist. Remember the drippings on the coals will also produce smoke.

I agree that following the lighting procedure stickied is the key to a good PBC cook.

I can't comment on the mac n' cheese because I don't make it.

You've got some really good cooks in your future!

[Skip]

As HawkerXP just said-----get your fire hot to start with and let it go. Don't use too much wood so your smoke is mellow.

[HawkerXP]

Starting the fire correctly and consistently is the way to get good results with PBC or PBJ or any cooker for that matter. Chicken is great from a PB. You'll get it! Have fun!

[RonB]

Well, that shows ya how much I know about PB products...

[RickyBobby]

Well played, sir! I don’t have a PB-anything, so I’m not much help here, but I absolutely have my eye on a PBc or even a pbJ! TONS of great advice around here from VERY experienced Pit Barrel Pit Masters! They will have you sorted out in very short order!

[Rick_in_MN]

Welcome to The Pit Rick. So you're cookin in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Ya gotta post pictures of that... Or maybe you meant PBC? LOL - sorry I couldn't resist. I don't have a PBC although I have eaten my share of PBJs, so I can't really help. I'll leave now.

PBJ = Pit Barrel Jr.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit Rick. So you're cookin in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Ya gotta post pictures of that... Or maybe you meant PBC? LOL - sorry I couldn't resist. I don't have a PBC although I have eaten my share of PBJs, so I can't really help. I'll leave now.

[Dadof3Illinois]

What I’ve found is you need to let that charcoal light a little longer with the lid off. Seems to reduce that off taste. Let that charcoal settle in and burn clean before putting anything in the cooker.

[Rick_in_MN]

Hi everyone......
This week, I just got a PBJ and last night, I decided to tackle a couple racks of ribs. With the new cooker, I decided to stay close to what the manufacturer recommends and used their rib recipe, rub, and cooking instructions. At the last minute, I decided to add a crock of their mac & cheese, again, following their recipe exactly.

The ribs turned out pretty good. Evenly cooked, nice crust, not fall-off-the-bone, but still tender. That was encouraging. They were saltier than I like, and I did see one reviewer who said their rub had a lot of salt in it, so that wasn’t too surprising.

However, the mac was a total fail, with a bitter, acrid smoky flavor throughout. After tasting that, I realized a little of that acrid flavor was in my ribs as well. (But it didn’t stop me from eating them.)

I used Kingsford original and the manufacturer confirmed I had the vent set properly.

So, before I throw in the towel on the PBJ, I thought I’d look for input from the experts here at AR.

From reading posts here, I’ve already decided to...
1. Use the 15-10-10 lighting scheme from fzxdoc to get the PBJ to a higher temp before putting on my food.
2. Use one of Steve Raichlen’s excellent rubs
3. Throw in a couple lumps of apple or hickory when I put my food on
4. Leave the top off after I’m done cooking to help it burn off any leftover residue.

Is there anything else I should do differently?

I will probably cook a whole chicken for my next effort.

Thanks in advance for any guidance you have for this newbie.