Hey folks.....
I have a new Pit Barrel Jr. My first cook was *OK*, though my ribs had a bit of an acrid smoke taste. For my second cook, I switched to @fzxdoc's 15-10-10 lighting method (actually, 20-10-10 worked better for me), which seemed to solve that issue.
My third cook was a brisket, and also the first time I used my new dual-probe digital thermometer. I put one probe in the meat and the other out in the barrel, and got steady temps in the 300s... up as high as 380°F. I was able to bring the temp down close to 300° by closing the vent a little and packing foil around the rebar holes, but it didn’t seem like it was burning right, so I just decided to "trust the barrel" as many people have said. The 5lb. brisket reached 160° in one hour. I left it on another hour and it got to 180°. I wrapped it then and let it cook for another couple hours until it measured 205°. Turned out tender and delicious... but the cooking times are nothing like those I’ve read about.
I cooked some brats and Italian sausages tonight and the cooker hovered around 325°F most of the time.
I am using Kingsford blue bag charcoal and threw in a few chunks (not chips) of hickory with the brisket and apple with the brats.
Why is my PB burning so much hotter that the ones I read about here? Should I be doing something different?
Thanks!
I have a new Pit Barrel Jr. My first cook was *OK*, though my ribs had a bit of an acrid smoke taste. For my second cook, I switched to @fzxdoc's 15-10-10 lighting method (actually, 20-10-10 worked better for me), which seemed to solve that issue.
My third cook was a brisket, and also the first time I used my new dual-probe digital thermometer. I put one probe in the meat and the other out in the barrel, and got steady temps in the 300s... up as high as 380°F. I was able to bring the temp down close to 300° by closing the vent a little and packing foil around the rebar holes, but it didn’t seem like it was burning right, so I just decided to "trust the barrel" as many people have said. The 5lb. brisket reached 160° in one hour. I left it on another hour and it got to 180°. I wrapped it then and let it cook for another couple hours until it measured 205°. Turned out tender and delicious... but the cooking times are nothing like those I’ve read about.
I cooked some brats and Italian sausages tonight and the cooker hovered around 325°F most of the time.
I am using Kingsford blue bag charcoal and threw in a few chunks (not chips) of hickory with the brisket and apple with the brats.
Why is my PB burning so much hotter that the ones I read about here? Should I be doing something different?
Thanks!
Comment