The Butt-Off: Primo XL v. PBC

[Bobmcgahan]

I'm conducting a Butt-Off this Memorial Day weekend. I'm doing a low-and-slow smoke on the Primo XL starting tonight and then will do a hot-and-fast on the PBC starting tomorrow morning. I'm subjecting the family and neighbors to a blind taste test. Question for this panel of experts: I'm assuming I will need to wrap the butt on the PBC; should I use butcher paper or foil? Thanks in advance.

[LA Pork Butt]

No matter what the results it seems to me you have created a dilemma. While you will know which one tastes the best, you won’t know if it is the result of the cooker or the method.

[cashelton]

When cooking pork shoulders on the PBC, I typically remove from hooks around 180° and place in a disposable aluminum pan. If I like where the bark is, I'll cover with HD aluminum foil. If I want more bark, I leave uncovered until the preferred level of bark is achieved.

[Red Man]

For me, the PBC is such a humid cooking environment that wrapping is rarely needed. I’m used to bark on my kettle, and my PBC has never come close to that.

[fzxdoc]

I never wrap a PB on the PBC unless I'm in a hurry, in which case I use foil with no added liquid.

Eager to hear the results...

K.

[Bobmcgahan]

And the panel of experts was right. No need to wrap. 7.5 pound bone-in shoulder picnic was done after 6.75 hours. Plenty of charcoal left. Could have gone another 2 hours if necessary. It's sitting in the Yeti cooler covered in towels. The 8.5 pound bone-in shoulder has been slow smoking in the Primo for almost 20 hours. I will pull it in about 45 minutes. I will report back on the results later.

[Bobmcgahan]

The results: in a blind taste, there was a consensus that the butt coming off the Primo was more moist and succulent, but the one coming off the PBC had a richer, smokier flavor to it. So, kind of depends on what you prefer. I would note that the PBC had much more temperature fluctuation over the length of the cook which required much closer monitoring. I use a Digi Q v 2 on the Primo and it truly is set-it-and-forget-it. At the end of the day, I prefer the Primo but would note that the PBC is far superior for ribs and chicken. Either way, you can’t go wrong.