Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) Appreciation Thread

[Stlsportster]

I picked up a couple of really nice picnics at Kroger yesterday for 77 cents a pound. I like to live vicariously through this site and see all the beautiful Wagyu and prime cuts you guys cook, but to me, turning something cheap into something delicious is what got me started smoking!

I agree Lloyd. I'll probably never do Waygu or order from SRF. Chuck roast..cheap spares and baby backs...fatties...jalapeño poppers..briskets..butts...that's where my heart (stomach) is!

 

[LloydQ]

BTW, Sportster, congrats on the Lang!

 

[Deebo]

I haven't been able to fire up the PBC in a couple weeks so I've been going thru withdrawls. I had an itch to do something I havent done yet so I'm doing pork belly burnt ends. I'm taking it old school this time. I'm not monitoring temps at all. We'll see how it goes. I haven't decided just when I'm gonna pull them yet so hopefully I don't screw this up!!

 

[Bob C Cue]

I haven't been able to fire up the PBC in a couple weeks so I've been going thru withdrawls. I had an itch to do something I havent done yet so I'm doing pork belly burnt ends. I'm taking it old school this time. I'm not monitoring temps at all. We'll see how it goes. I haven't decided just when I'm gonna pull them yet so hopefully I don't screw this up!!

Best of luck. Looking forward to the pron.

 

[Stlsportster]

BTW, Sportster, congrats on the Lang!

Thanks...I think the PBC is gonna be jealous. Need to find a way to keep it in the rotation!

 

[Thingfish]

No prob, Stlsportster! Sometimes you want to live the American dream and hang out in the backyard all day with a beer tending a stick burner and sometimes you want to hang some meat in the PBC and have some time to do other things while it does the work. These are two perfectly compatible worlds!

 

[Deebo]

I completely forgot to post the pron!!!

I can officially say that these pork belly burnt ends are an exercise in self control because I am ADDICTED to these things!!!

I cubed a 5 lb pork belly that I picked up from Sam's Club.



Sprinkled some Killer Hogs AP seasoning and Meatheads Memphis Dust on it.



Got the PBC going with some Royal Oak briquetted and a couple chunks of cherry wood. Let her get up to temp and set the pork belly cubes in there to soak up some smoke.



After about 3 hours, I took the pork belly nuggets out and transferred them into an aluminum pan. Sprinkled some brown sugar, then hit the burnt end with some honey and blue bottle squeeze butter. I covered it with aluminum foil and popped it back into the PBC. After an hour or so, I took the pan out and opened her up to see this gloriousness.



I made a glaze out of 50/50 blues hog and apple juice. I tossed them around in the glaze and put them back on the PBC uncovered for another 10 minutes. I'll just say that I didn't have enough time to get pictures of the end result before hands were reaching in and grabbing the little cubes of pork belly heaven. This may be my favorite thing to make so far! The fact that Sam's club is only 10 minutes away from me means I'll be making this again REAL soon!!

 

[AClarke44]

Well it sure does look good Deebo!

 

[Vammy]

You guys have been posting up some killer cooks! We're getting ready for our Independence Day festivities, and our host asked me to do BBR's again, and my co-cook wants to put a brisket on the PBC as well...I'm thinking that's a bit much to accomplish in a 7-8 hour cook, so here's my plan, I'd like your feedback on this:

Start brisket at 8:00am and pray to the BBQ Gods I hit the stall by 2:30pm
Wrap as normal, and drop it in my Weber kettle lit with a snake method to take it through the stall to 205-ish/probe tender, and wrap-n-rest
Hang 8 racks of BBR's in the PBC until "break over", which is normally 3 hours-ish

We'd like to be eating somewhere around 5-5:30.

After writing this, I realize I need to start earlier; that brisket can rest of a few hours if it has to while the ribs get done.

What say you Brethren? Am I nuts?:-D

 

[Stlsportster]

Vam...if you haven't read about Bludawg's KISS method for brisket you should. Run the PBC hotter...at least 300. Cook the brisket until you hit 160 internal...about 4 hours. Wrap it in butcher paper or foil and it will only take 1-2 hours after that to probe tender. Then you can hold it for 4-6 hours in a cooler until it's time to eat.

Then you have plenty of time for the ribs. You can even do the last 2 hours wrapped in an oven or the Weber.

 

[BBQ Diva]

I have one of these. It's awesome!

 

[Stlsportster]

I have one of these. It's awesome!

Hi Elena! Welcome to the PBC Club. Nice to see your blog and to have a woman around here. Can't wait to see some of your cooks!

 

[AClarke44]

I have one of these. It's awesome!

Welcome BBQ Diva! Nice blog! We look forward to seeing more posts from you and hopefully some good food pron :becky:

 

[coyote_5]

^^^

Hell yes!!

Let me show you what this sorry a$$ cooker has done for me. This is fairly recently BTW. :nod:


Al pastor tacos

Hey ssv3, love all your cooks! Curious about what you used to hang the al pastor... is that the turkey hanger? If so, what did you use to mod the bottom to give the meat something to sit on?

Thanks!

 

[ssv3]

Hey ssv3, love all your cooks! Curious about what you used to hang the al pastor... is that the turkey hanger? If so, what did you use to mod the bottom to give the meat something to sit on?

Thanks!

Thanks Coyote! I used a Bayou Classic poultry rack I got from Lowes and the hook portion of the PBC turkey hanger.

Still available through shipping only if interested. Perhaps a store will still have overstock from the holiday season. Plug in your zip as some stores in my area still have a few left over.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bayou-Classic-Aluminum-Rack-for-Turkey-Fryer/1000132845

 

[Vammy]

Vam...if you haven't read about Bludawg's KISS method for brisket you should. Run the PBC hotter...at least 300. Cook the brisket until you hit 160 internal...about 4 hours. Wrap it in butcher paper or foil and it will only take 1-2 hours after that to probe tender. Then you can hold it for 4-6 hours in a cooler until it's time to eat.

Then you have plenty of time for the ribs. You can even do the last 2 hours wrapped in an oven or the Weber.

Thanks Sportser! I had read Bludawg's KISS method, and completely forgot about it. That sounds like the perfect deal right there!

Cheers!:thumb:

 

[coyote_5]

Thanks Coyote! I used a Bayou Classic poultry rack I got from Lowes and the hook portion of the PBC turkey hanger.

Still available through shipping only if interested. Perhaps a store will still have overstock from the holiday season. Plug in your zip as some stores in my area still have a few left over.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bayou-Classic-Aluminum-Rack-for-Turkey-Fryer/1000132845

Gracias! No Lowes around here but it looks like Target may carry them online as well

 

[SS13]

Has anyone tried a SwineApple on the PBC. I am considering one this weekend, possibly using the turkey hanger SSV3 used for his al pastor. I am worried the bacon might fall off though if vertical.

 

[ssv3]

Has anyone tried a SwineApple on the PBC. I am considering one this weekend, possibly using the turkey hanger SSV3 used for his al pastor. I am worried the bacon might fall off though if vertical.

I don't think you'll have problems SS. As long as your bacon lattice is tight and secured with a few toothpicks or bamboo skewers along the seam it shouldn't fall especially when it cooks down and the bacon crisps up.

 

[Stlsportster]

Has anyone tried a SwineApple on the PBC. I am considering one this weekend, possibly using the turkey hanger SSV3 used for his al pastor. I am worried the bacon might fall off though if vertical.

That's why I love this forum. Still learn something new everyday. Swineapple. Never heard of that before. Google it..Damn. How did I not know. Now it's on my list.