After researching a bunch here, including some recent posts on accessories and charcoal baskets, my new grill arrived last week and I'm totally enjoying it. After a break in burn, and then a couple quick grills of sausages and eggs (the latter cooked on a cast iron skillet), I tried a Boston butt low and slow for the 4th of July. Unfortunately, my local butcher was closed when I went shopping on the 3rd, I guess to give his staff a long holiday weekend. So I ended up using a supermarket Hormel butt, pre-brined. Not my first choice, but all I could get on short notice.
The final product tasted great, but the cook did not go as planned. Up til now I've done my low and slow on an Akorn Kamado, which does really well for me. I use an old (1st generation, I think) BBQ Guru PartyQ for temperature control, and I get a steady continuous burn at whatever temp I set it for. I think I've gone up to 16 hours on one load of fuel and still had plenty of lump charcoal left.
While I was tempted to try and control the PK360 with just with the vents, I had some errands to run during the day, so I wasn't able to babysit it while I learned how to fine tune the temperature. So I hooked up the PartyQ using the tips given here on AR by Polarbear777 and Larry Grover. I used a slightly different way to block off the vent tube that the fan connects to, using a silicone rubber cork and some stainless hardware:
Found the plugs on Amazon, size #8. Hardware from my local True Value bins. Here's the front view of my setup:
While my PartyQ works, the "up" button for setting the temp doesn't always respond, and I'm afraid one day soon it might fail completely. Which is all the excuse I needed to order a Fireboard2 Drive and a Pit Viper fan. The fan has already arrived, and I'm hoping to have the controller this week.
Alas, the cook didn't go entirely as planned. It was a 8lb butt. I started it at 5 AM at 225F, hoping it would be done no later than 5 PM. I'm using the recently discussed Burn Shop charcoal basket designed for the PK360 with the divider set on I think the third set of slots from the right, and used some Royal Oak lump. Somewhere around noon the temps started to fall off with the fan blowing strong, and sure enough it needed more fuel. So I filled it again. At 5 PM I think I was only around 160F, but I wasn't in a rush, added more fuel, and bumped the set temp up to 240. Then more fuel at 8. And then I conked out on the couch, woke up at 11 PM, and it was still just at 187F. But I wasn't going to be able to stay awake any longer, so I pulled it, shut down the grill, and sliced/pulled the meat into what was still very tasty BBQ.
Not the stupendous success I was hoping for. But I'm not in the least discouraged. It was delicious, and fortunately no one was waiting for me to serve dinner that night. Next time I will start with a LOT more fuel, and a set temp of 250F. I also wonder if the pre-brined butt had more moisture and thus took longer for that reason, too. I'm encouraged that Polarbear has gotten 19+ hours at 225 on one load of fuel, so I'll eventually try to emulate the parts of his technique that I haven't already. I did have the fan on the left as shown, with the left hand side of the charcoal grate covered in foil to force the incoming air to the coals on the right. Right top vent was closed. Left top vent at half. I tinkered with the vents a bit, but not much, since the fan was there to get it hit the set temp.
Since then I've done more breakfast fare, and tonight did some chicken breasts in a spicy lime marinade which my wife will turn into chicken salad tomorrow. The pieces I snuck were delicious.
Still learning, but enjoying every minute up. Next time I'll try to take some pictures with the lid open, and of the finished product.
The final product tasted great, but the cook did not go as planned. Up til now I've done my low and slow on an Akorn Kamado, which does really well for me. I use an old (1st generation, I think) BBQ Guru PartyQ for temperature control, and I get a steady continuous burn at whatever temp I set it for. I think I've gone up to 16 hours on one load of fuel and still had plenty of lump charcoal left.
While I was tempted to try and control the PK360 with just with the vents, I had some errands to run during the day, so I wasn't able to babysit it while I learned how to fine tune the temperature. So I hooked up the PartyQ using the tips given here on AR by Polarbear777 and Larry Grover. I used a slightly different way to block off the vent tube that the fan connects to, using a silicone rubber cork and some stainless hardware:
Found the plugs on Amazon, size #8. Hardware from my local True Value bins. Here's the front view of my setup:
While my PartyQ works, the "up" button for setting the temp doesn't always respond, and I'm afraid one day soon it might fail completely. Which is all the excuse I needed to order a Fireboard2 Drive and a Pit Viper fan. The fan has already arrived, and I'm hoping to have the controller this week.
Alas, the cook didn't go entirely as planned. It was a 8lb butt. I started it at 5 AM at 225F, hoping it would be done no later than 5 PM. I'm using the recently discussed Burn Shop charcoal basket designed for the PK360 with the divider set on I think the third set of slots from the right, and used some Royal Oak lump. Somewhere around noon the temps started to fall off with the fan blowing strong, and sure enough it needed more fuel. So I filled it again. At 5 PM I think I was only around 160F, but I wasn't in a rush, added more fuel, and bumped the set temp up to 240. Then more fuel at 8. And then I conked out on the couch, woke up at 11 PM, and it was still just at 187F. But I wasn't going to be able to stay awake any longer, so I pulled it, shut down the grill, and sliced/pulled the meat into what was still very tasty BBQ.
Not the stupendous success I was hoping for. But I'm not in the least discouraged. It was delicious, and fortunately no one was waiting for me to serve dinner that night. Next time I will start with a LOT more fuel, and a set temp of 250F. I also wonder if the pre-brined butt had more moisture and thus took longer for that reason, too. I'm encouraged that Polarbear has gotten 19+ hours at 225 on one load of fuel, so I'll eventually try to emulate the parts of his technique that I haven't already. I did have the fan on the left as shown, with the left hand side of the charcoal grate covered in foil to force the incoming air to the coals on the right. Right top vent was closed. Left top vent at half. I tinkered with the vents a bit, but not much, since the fan was there to get it hit the set temp.
Since then I've done more breakfast fare, and tonight did some chicken breasts in a spicy lime marinade which my wife will turn into chicken salad tomorrow. The pieces I snuck were delicious.
Still learning, but enjoying every minute up. Next time I'll try to take some pictures with the lid open, and of the finished product.
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