I have read many reviews and forum posts before buying the Pit Barrel Cooker... I am planning on doing some ribs tomorrow. If I follow the most common tips, do I have anything to worry about? I have a Thermorks DOT and wonder if the standard probe would be useful to monitor ambient temps? Any and all suggestions or experiences are welcome. I just don't want to screw up 26 bucks worth of meat.
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I did ribs my first cook with no thermometer and BAM!! Blew our socks off, twas amazed.
Where you located??
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Jerod Broussard I bet that was an experience sitting there eating ribs and your socks blows off. Did you have your shoes on? ðŸ˜â€
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Sure throw a probe through the same hole one of the rebars are... don't let the temp in the first little while freak you out... if it is started like most of us do, you might see some pretty high temps at first...
Also... you can just follow Noahs video and you will do great.
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Ribs are the easiest thing to do on the PBC in my opinion, you just have to know when they are done. The only reason for a probe in the chamber is to give you something to do really. When you want to cook chicken at 325 or something at 225 you have to learn to control the temp and they come in handy then.
As others have said the first time I would light it according to the PBC instructions and cook them like the video, monitor the temp but don't do anything to intervene. If things don't work out the way you want you at least have a clean run to go off of, nobody can help if you were fiddling the entire time.Comment
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When I did my first few PBC cooks (with each new meat), I followed Noah's instructions and had great results. Even though I followed Noah's instructions, I always put a smoker temperature probe in and recorded the temperatures throughout the cook on a cooking log. (With ribs being so thin, you can't really record meat temps with a second probe, but you can with most other meats.) Those cooking logs proved invaluable, because with each subsequent cook, I knew what I wanted to change. Meathead has a sample cooking log form here.
By tweaking the temperatures and following Meathead's tips (such as putting cold meat into the PBC to enhance the smoke absorbtion, for example), my subsequent cooks got better and better. The tips on this forum are also amazingly helpful.
You're going to love cooking on that PBC!
Oh and BTW, I always hang my smoker probe by feeding it through the rebar hole, wrapping it around a rebar and letting it hang about at the mid-level of the hanging meat.
Also, whenever I do ribs, I put in a couple of hooks (like Noah does for Brisket), just to be safe. I've never had any meat fall off the hooks into the fire, but there's always a first time, so I'm cautious!
Kathryn
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Hey Munch Kathryn is giving good advice on the Double Hooking... I am really big on that too. I am not sure Noah show how to double hook ribs in that video so here is a pic of some of my ribs double hooked so you see what we are talking about...
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FWIW, I've done around a dozen cooks in the last twelve months since I got my PBC. I've cooked ribs at least 9 times out of that, usually with at least two racks... I've had one rack fall on two different occasions... Once while I was actually there to salvage it... The other time only cost me 25% (only he says... I was practically in tears) of the rack. I still only single hook because I a) hook down to the third rib b) make sure I didn't manhandle the rack when removing the membrane and c) make darn sure the hook is centered, which it wasn't quite on the two racks that did fall. However doing the double hook will surly give peace of mind, but I like to live on the edge ;-)
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Well, I went to my favorite market and their ribs were $4.99/lb. for St. Louis style. Costco had Swift for $3.69... Costco won. A 3 rack pack was 31.00. I'll trim them up as best I can (for a newb) and cook according to Noah's video and the tips you folks have given. Then hopefully they turn out well, as in good, not as in doneness. 😜 I will try to get decent pics of the lit coal basket prior to hanging and the finished ribs.Last edited by Munch; July 1, 2015, 11:13 AM.Comment
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To be honest, I would do a chicken for my first cook. That way if you screw it up its not gonna break the bank. Although its tough to screw it up with the PBC. Just my to cents. Good Luck.Comment
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Don't sweat the technique!Comment
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Kathryn wrote: "Also, whenever I do ribs, I put in a couple of hooks (like Noah does for Brisket), just to be safe. I've never had any meat fall off the hooks into the fire, but there's always a first time, so I'm cautious!"
I had one rack (out of many) fall into the fire. . . cost the bottom 2 or 3 ribs. I've also begun double hooking, (3 bones down, not 2), hooks side-by-side. However, I want to try to technique shown by Smarkley (bottom hook hooked to top hook, etc.). Seems better.Comment
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Don't sweat the cook! Follow Noah's instructions and you can't go wrong. Literally. I always use a temp probe for the barrel as, like Kathryn I chart every cook. Really helps down the road for planning... Oh, and I usually hook my ribs at the third bone just to shorten them a bit. Haven't lost a rack yet. ENJOY!Comment
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Well the cook went well. 3 hours from closing the lid until saucing then 20 minutes until removal. A big thank to everyone that offered their help. Pics not exactly in the order taken.Attached FilesLast edited by Munch; July 4, 2015, 02:21 PM.Comment
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Good Job, Munch! Now with your new-found confidence you will be cooking like crazy... like most of us did!
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