New PBC Owner - A Few questions

[Mattyk]

Hi,

I just bought a PBC and did my first cook. Box arrived damaged and the barrel had a few small scratches. I emailed the company just to let them know in case I had a warranty issue down the road. Within minutes they called me. Great customer service! I hit the scratches with Rustoleum high heat and all is good. What a great start.

Cooked a shoulder this weekend and it was delicious. I followed the PBC video and then wrapped in a towel and put in a cooler for about 45 minutes before eating. The bark was a little soft so I searched for some tips. I found some answers, but not exactly what I was looking for. I have a couple questions if anyone out there has advice:

- Does anyone skip the foil? Does it add a lot of time to the cook?
- Can you use foil to get through the stall and then remove the foil towards the end to dry out the bark?
- Does anyone ever use a mop sauce during the cook?

I have only smoked a few shoulders on a kettle before getting the PBC. The old recipe used a vinegar mop sauce with jalapeño, onions, red pepper flakes, etc... I missed the vinegar and slight heat from the peppers.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[akruckus]

I have done two butts on the PBC and wrapped one and the other I wrapped after it came off to let it rest.  The time difference wasn't too much.  I needed to hurry the wrapped butt along before FF draft, I feel like it helped by maybe 30-45 minutes.  You can always try and use butcher paper for your wrap it might help cut down on the softening of the bark.

I have sprayed both butts with cider vinegar and "wooder" (aka water for non Philadelphians) mixture, but not mopped.  You can mop to add more flavor, but the PBC is a moist environment.

[Kona]

I've done it both ways and prefer wrapping. The one I didn't wrap I felt the bark was way too hard and the stall on that cook took FOREVER to get through.

Some will foil till a certain temp then put it back on the grate unfoiled to firm up the bark a bit.

I've never mopped / sprayed a cook yet. Here's a good article on the science of it...  http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/basting.html

What I will do tho, if you miss your mop flavors, after I shred I will add a vinegar finishing sauce mix to the pulled pork and mix it in. It's different from the bbq sauce i'll actually use when I put it on the buns.

[Mattyk]

Thanks for the tips. Next time I think I'll put it back on without foil for 20-30 to firm up the bark. Might try the spray bottle also. I read that Amazing Ribs article before. That's one reason I stopped mopping. I never thought the mop did much, but it did seem to give the bark a vinegar flavor and a little heat from the jalapeños and pepper flakes I put in. I would put some of the jalapeños and onions right on top and let them cook in also.