Pork Butt and chicken cook on PBC and lessons learned

[Royeston]

I thought I would share the written notes on a cook I did yesterday. I was cooking pork butts and chicken for some friends at church and as usual I did not get started early enough and had to transition some items (all of them) to the oven to finish. It all worked out in the end but I wish I had not ruined the bark on the pork butts. Anyway, I know Meathead recommends keeping a log of each cook and I have started keeping notes in a dropbox folder so that I can review my wins and losses and lessons learned for the next cook.

Pork Butts on 12/5/16
Cooked 2 butts, 9Lbs each, on PBC. Tied and hung. Rubbed with mustard and MMD. Started at 6AM in garage because of wind and cool temps. Pit temp about 265 on average. Pulled at 170 at 3PM, crutched and placed in oven at 250 to get it to 203 in 2 more hours. Very moist and tender. Bark completely RUINED! And then could not get temp up to cook 3 split chickens because PBC was fouled with too much ash and could not get over 250 despite addition of new vent on lid. Chicken stalled at 145… You never want chicken to stall. Finished chickens in oven at 360. They were excellent. Skin was great.

Lessons learned:
Start Pork butt late at night and let it cook LONGER (through the night) so that you don’t have to crutch.
Clear ash from PBC before a chicken cook so that temps can reach 325

Sorry I did not take pics of the finished product or of the chickens. If this post helps just one person save the bark it will have been worth the effort. SAVE THE BARK!

[lschweig]

Did you try cracking the lid?

I also have the vent, but haven't installed it yet so don't know it's capabilities and would think you would have to get it at least close to temp and then close lid and adjust vent.

[s502525tim]

What is this lid vent you guys are talking about? It sounds like something I'd be interested in! Is it homemade or something the PBC guys are selling?

[lschweig]

s502525tim there is a earlier thread that jerod started. Use advanced search and enter Thinking Up Another Mod or go to the PBC forum and you should be able to find it.

[Royeston]

Ischweig, after I pulled the pork I moved the coal tray around in the bottom of the pit to try to spread out the accumulated ash. I stirred the coals and added fresh coals that were unlit. I opened the lower vent to let a lot more air in and I even left the lid off for a while to give it plenty of air. I put in 6 chicken halves. I put the lid down and opened the vent on top of the lid. I think that there was still too much ash under the coals restricting air flow to the lit coal. I stirred the coals again a few more times. In the picture below I have the top vent open about half way but I still could not get the temp to go up with the lower vent full open and the top vent full open as well. I am considering setting the coal basket on bricks when cooking food that does not hang down too far on a long cook so the ash cannot choke the coals.

[Jerod Broussard]

Don't mess with the bottom vent. Set it and forget it. I can easily attain 400+ degrees with it only open 1/4 of the way for a sea level setting.

[lschweig]

You may want to cut out the other side of the vent, but I don't know. Once I get mine installed I will be better able to advise.

I second Save The Bark, which is why I have been getting away from wrapping or at least really make sure the bark is super set before wrapping.

In further thought as you feel the ash buildup caused your challenge, perhaps try to move the ash away from the vent side and make sure there is a pathway for air under the basket near the vent.

[JPGators17]

lschweig wouldn't a pork butt pull off the hooks and fall into the coals as the IT nears 200 degrees on the PBC?

[lschweig]

You can tie the butt or transfer it to the grate when you hit like 170.

[Jerod Broussard]

I leave them hanging all the time up to 200+.

[Huskee]

FWIW- don't wrap until your butt(s) hits 180ish+, and don't add liquid. If you start with good bark, foil will not hurt your bark. If you have the time to go unwrapped, you'll of course have even thicker bark. Cutting butts down to 3-5lb chunks will add more bark as well, from the extra surface area that creates.