OT - first cook with PBC

Focker

konablue50 said:

hey everyone, I haven't posted in some time but I do lurk from time to time as I'm a BBQ nut. I was in the hunt for an egg long ago but funds didn't allow it so ended up with a PBC. I'd still like to add an egg to my backyard in the future. I'm happy to share some cooks that I've done on the PBC. I've cooked about everything. I have a die hard egg co-worker who has told me I've made some of the best food he's ever tasted, especially ribs. The PBC generally runs between 270-310, it's a set it and forget it. You can add a BBQ controller to obtain lower temps. This is some food I've done recently...

Spicy Yucatan Wings with citrus Habanero sauce

Spatchcock chicken (my preferred method)...

Glazed ribs...

Beef ribs...

Whole beef Picanha (fat cap cut off)

Beautiful reel!
And it definitely proves the point......
It's the COOK, not the cooker. 

I need to crush a pile of those Yucatan wings, they look amazing.
Mind sharing your recipe?

HeavyG

Focker said:

konablue50 said:

hey everyone, I haven't posted in some time but I do lurk from time to time as I'm a BBQ nut. I was in the hunt for an egg long ago but funds didn't allow it so ended up with a PBC. I'd still like to add an egg to my backyard in the future. I'm happy to share some cooks that I've done on the PBC. I've cooked about everything. I have a die hard egg co-worker who has told me I've made some of the best food he's ever tasted, especially ribs. The PBC generally runs between 270-310, it's a set it and forget it. You can add a BBQ controller to obtain lower temps. This is some food I've done recently...

Spicy Yucatan Wings with citrus Habanero sauce

Spatchcock chicken (my preferred method)...

Glazed ribs...

Beef ribs...

Whole beef Picanha (fat cap cut off)

Beautiful reel!
And it definitely proves the point......
It's the COOK, not the cooker. 

I need to crush a pile of those Yucatan wings, they look amazing.
Mind sharing your recipe?

"And it definitely proves the point......

It's the COOK, not the cooker. "

Truth!

konablue50

The Spicy Yucatan wings are easily one of the top wings I've had. They are from Jess Pryles (link below). I highly recommend letting them marinade overnight. The marinade has a beautiful red color due to Achiote paste that's used. If you can't find Habanero's for the citrus sauce, I've used Scotch Bonnet's as well.

Here's the links for the wings and sauce...

http://jesspryles.com/recipe/spicy-yucatan-chicken-wings/

http://jesspryles.com/recipe/spicy-habanero-citrus-sauce/

lousubcap

@konablue50 - you have definitely mastered the PBC.  Great looking results right there.  I will definitely have to give those wings a go.  Great post.  

konablue50

@lousubcap If you're on her site, she has some awesome recipes. I just recently made her "smoked jalapeno dip", it's HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!

Skiddymarker

Great post. PBC and the 22” WSM are about the same if you remove the water pan and add a hanger. Suppose it could work with the 18” WSM as well. Like the idea of hanging chicken halves, must give that a try. 
Looks like you are bringing your work home with you!

Canugghead

@Skiddymarker Someone told me he loves his PBC, right up there with BGE,  Had to pulled the trigger when this showed up in Kijiji!

konablue50

Just a couple more cooks I've done...

Smoked pork chops with a mustard BBQ sauce

This was my version of a "Cuban Sandwich". I smoked a pork butt that had been injected and marinaded with mojo and rubbed with Cuban spices. Pulled it and used a mustard BBQ sauce from amazingribs to add something a little different...

konablue50

"Monroe County pork steaks with spicy vinegar dip"

just simple skirt steak

couple chuck roasts for pepper stout beef

and just a close up of some sliced chicken...

Griffin

Those are some killer looking cooks. I'm contemplating getting one for the ranch as my old offset down there rusted through. Father In Law said look up some different smokers and let him know which one I want. He didn't give a price range, but hopefully he'll pony up for it. It's that, or I don't cook for them anymore when I'm done there. Haha.

Focker

konablue50 said:

The Spicy Yucatan wings are easily one of the top wings I've had. They are from Jess Pryles (link below). I highly recommend letting them marinade overnight. The marinade has a beautiful red color due to Achiote paste that's used. If you can't find Habanero's for the citrus sauce, I've used Scotch Bonnet's as well.

Here's the links for the wings and sauce...

http://jesspryles.com/recipe/spicy-yucatan-chicken-wings/

http://jesspryles.com/recipe/spicy-habanero-citrus-sauce/

Beautiful $$$ shots!
That simple skirt...dayum.
Thanks for sharing the recipes.
Next time wings are up in the rotation, they're getting this treatment.

Skiddymarker

Canugghead said:

@Skiddymarker Someone told me he loves his PBC, right up there with BGE,  Had to pulled the trigger when this showed up in Kijiji!

As far as deals go, as @lousubcap says, better to be lucky than good any day. Don’t blame you at all.Son was after PBC or UDS some time ago and when he already had all three bullets, I asked him what he thought the advantage might be. The WSM is an incredibly versatile cooker. Bit of a fuel hog, but then briquettes are cheap, and when you compare to a kamado, just about all charcoal grills tend to use fuel. Enjoy the new “appliance”!

lousubcap

@konablue50 - curious as to whether your cook times are close to the advertised recipe results.  Disclosure- I'm not even close.  I have the lower vent opening about twice the recommended setting for an altitude of 800' and always plan for an extra hours at a minimum.  

caliking

@konablue50 dude... Where have you been?? Those are killer eats

konablue50

lousubcap said:

@konablue50 - curious as to whether your cook times are close to the advertised recipe results.  Disclosure- I'm not even close.  I have the lower vent opening about twice the recommended setting for an altitude of 800' and always plan for an extra hours at a minimum.  

I'm in South Florida so my vent is set to 1/4 open. I learned to ignore the cook times on the PBC recipe section if those are the times you mean? In the beginning I learned they weren't accurate for me. As they say, BBQ is done when it's done. Ribs generally take me about 4 hours if they're really meaty. I've had some take much less. I don't wrap or sauce my ribs anymore, I serve sauce on the side. I've had 8# pork butts take 6-8 hours and some take 10. A whole Spatchcock chicken generally takes me 2 - 2.5 hours. 

lousubcap

@ konablue50  thanks as I am all in with the "done when its done".  Yesterday I ran 3.5 hours for some hanging chix-but that's the norm.  (website was 2 hrs then check-certainly not a dang near 80% increase).  Must be the rarified air in bourbon country    Thanks.

konablue50

lousubcap said:

@ konablue50  thanks as I am all in with the "done when its done".  Yesterday I ran 3.5 hours for some hanging chix-but that's the norm.  (website was 2 hrs then check-certainly not a dang near 80% increase).  Must be the rarified air in bourbon country    Thanks.

I forgot to mention, whenever I do chicken, I always take the rebars out for a little extra heat to help crisp the skin

Canugghead

@konablue50 been a while. Got a dumb question, do you use full basket of briquettes even for smaller/short cooks, or can you get away with less?

lousubcap

Not @konablue50 here but I will go with the full basket as all my cooks run long compared with advertised (see prior posts above) cook times.  You could likely get away with less if doing a recipe timed shorter cook but...  Better to have more fuel than run out before the finish-line for me.  FWIW-

Canugghead

Thanks @lousubcap that's why I lean towards BGE or Traeger most of the time, hard to justify burning half bag of briquettes for a chicken or couple of racks of ribs. 

Still want to try a whole turkey some day but thinking of 'modding' the configuration by raising a round stone above the charcoal basket with firebricks to make it indirect. Hope to reduce the smokiness this way.

caliking

Canugghead said:

@konablue50 been a while. Got a dumb question, do you use full basket of briquettes even for smaller/short cooks, or can you get away with less?

This wasn't directed at me, but when I used to cook with my drum smoker, I would just load up the charcoal basket. The drum would seal up pretty tight and snuff the remaining charcoal when I was done. I'm assuming that the PBC seals pretty well too?

Maybe there is some fuel wasted, but not much compared to the aggravation of trying to guess how much charcoal to add for each cook .

mEGG_My_Day

I have never used a drum smoker.  But I did see this on the CGS website.  Maybe a good deal for those in the market,

https://ceramicgrillstore.com/collections/close-outs-bargains/products/old-66-drum-smoker-55-gallon

Canugghead

@caliking The lid is tight but by design the PBC has four holes (larger than the rebar diameter) for inserting the two rebars which are supposed to be inserted even when they're not needed for hanging food. In conjunction with the size of the bottom vent based on altitude is how it accomplishes the set it and forget it concept. Guess I can seal the holes with flexible fridge magnets. As mentioned above the over smokiness is also an issue for us, plan to create an indirect configuration with a stone over the fire. Would be interesting to see the result.

Canugghead

@mEGG_My_Day That's a great drum, love the centered adjustable outlet and balanced adjustable dual inlets, even has a thermometer. It lacks the hanging setup though but one can mod it for hanging I guess.