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First run on my new PBC

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    First run on my new PBC

    So after weeks if not months of going back and forth about my desire to purchase a pit barrel cooker I finally decided that I should get one. I picked one up at my local ACE hardware on the 3rd and because of this the wife wanted ribs for the 4th. Since I adhere to the happy wife happy life philosophy I was happy to comply. Picked up a couple racks of baby backs and since this whole ordeal was so last minute just figured I would use the rub that pit barrel provides with the cooker.

    So on the 4th I set the PBC up based on the lighting instructions that have been posted up top. Filled my basket with kingsford briquettes, pulled out 40 to light in the chimmney, and once those were going put them back into the basket along with a piece of cherry wood. I let the coals go for 10 minutes with the lid off then put the lid on for 10 minutes before hanging my ribs. Out of curiosity I placed an oven thermometer in the cooker just to see what temp it ran at. Everyone here and just about everywhere I have looked on the internet have said to not worry about the temp of the PBC. I looked at it about 15 minutes after hanging the ribs and about 2 hrs into the cook. It stayed around 275 for me the whole time.

    I only peeked at the ribs at the 2 hour mark and again at three hours. The pull back was looking good at three hours and so I sauced them and put them back on for about 20ish minutes. Overall the cook went great, ribs turned out good with a bit of chew but still came clean off the bone. I did not place my rub on these ribs until about an hour before putting them on the grill, so I don't know if the PBC rub is just boring or if it is because I didn't give them enough time to absorb it but I was a little underwhelmed by the flavor (although the wife liked them). I've always done my ribs with some sort of a mop during cooking and was wondering if anyone does this with the PBC? Anyway its just something for me to work on which is just an excuse to make more ribs.

    Pre-cook
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    Start
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    Two hours in
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    Finished product
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    #2
    Those are good looking ribs. Congratulations on your first cook on the PBC.

    Comment


      #3
      My first cook was ribs. Still remember those first bites..... Wow factor x2.

      Comment


        #4
        Nice clean barrel.....it will cook better when it gets a little messed up inside! Quick question, I see foil apparently wrapped around charcoal basket........didn't this restrict air flow somewhat as air entered the basket from the bottom? Regardless the end result looks great. A little chewy you say? What temp were them internally when you removed them from the cooker? I usually take them to about 205*. Your 3.5 hr time seems very reasonable for baby backs though.

        Comment


        • Calicowdoc
          Calicowdoc commented
          Editing a comment
          So the foil was based on what fzxdoc posted about making cleanup a little easier because I do not have the ash pan that PBC sells yet. The foil was flat on the bottom with a little bit of the corners sticking up since they are squares. I oriented those parts away from the intake and feel that airflow was not impaired.

        #5
        What a great way to break in a new PBC! Congrats on that rib cook. Looking good.

        That PBC All Purpose rub is great on chicken. I'm not a fan of it for pork--Meathead's Memphis Dust is a much better choice, IMO.

        PBC's other rub, Beef and Game, never rang my chimes--Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub is often a go-to instead.

        As I said, for chicken, PBC's All Purpose rub is great. I smoke so many chickens on my PBC that I buy the AP rub in the 2.5 lb bag size. My family loves PBC chicken! FWIW, here's a post on how to do chicken in the PBC.

        Let us know how your next cook goes.

        Kathryn

        P.S. about the foil--it works best if you shape it to fit the bottom of the barrel. I tear off a long piece of Heavy Duty foil, fold it in half to make 2 layers, and lay it on top of the barrel (lid removed), I press around the barrel rim, leaving an impression of the inside circumference of the barrel on the foil. Then I just fold the foil under, following the indentation of that circle. Next I drop it into the barrel and push down to make sure it's nice and flat before adding the basket. You can do the same thing using the inside rim edge of the lid as a template. Your choice.

        PS#2.
        cgrover60 convinced me to make the switch from using the lid to using the barrel rim as a template a few years back. Every time I use the rim for a template for folding the foil, I think of him. Thanks, C Grover!
        Last edited by fzxdoc; July 6, 2020, 07:09 AM.

        Comment


        • Calicowdoc
          Calicowdoc commented
          Editing a comment
          I’ll try the other rub next time I run it but was not impressed. Oddly enough we had some leftovers and the flavor profile was defiantly better the next day. As for the foil I didn’t tuck the corners but did everything like you described. Eager for another cook though.

        • fzxdoc
          fzxdoc commented
          Editing a comment
          The PBC rubs have a ton of salt in them, Calicowdoc , as do many rubs. All that salt content is great for dry brining especially poultry which needs the salt flavor, but also for other meats. I prefer to make my own rubs and add salt separately, so Meathead's rub recipes are perfect for that, since they contain no salt.

          K.

        #6
        Congrats on a successful cook.

        Comment


          #7
          Good looking first cook! Welcome to the PBC club.

          If the ribs were chewy, they just need to cook a little longer. Perfect bark, moisture, and texture is an elusive beast. Good thing 'not quite perfect' runs are still super delicious.
          ​​​​​​
          Definitely try the chicken.

          ​​​

          Comment


            #8
            Looks great! Congrats! I see you only single hooked. I stopped doing that after hearing others here tales of losing half a rack. PBC, PBC, PBC!

            Comment


            • Calicowdoc
              Calicowdoc commented
              Editing a comment
              I kept going back forth between single and double hook. Chose to go one but can’t say I wasn’t a little on edge.

            #9
            Love my PBC, great looking cook to kick off yours!

            Comment


              #10
              Great 1st cook on your PBC Calicowdoc ! Have fun experimenting with it. My only suggestion for you is listen to fzxdoc as She is the "Pit Expert" on the PBC.

              Comment


                #11
                I wasn't a fan of any of the rubs that came with my PBC. Like the posts above Memphis Dust for pork\chicken and big bad beef rub for brisket are my go-to rubs. If you like to stick to a store-bought pre-made rub my family is a big fan of the weber honey garlic rub for ribs and chicken. I also like to throw a chunk of wood or 2 on the coals right before i hang the meat. usually a fruit wood or hickory for pork\chicken and oak for beef.

                Comment


                  #12
                  Great first cook. Looking good.

                  Comment


                    #13
                    Looking good!

                    Comment

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