First Cook

[Tinzebra]

Completed my first cook, a chicken and sweet potatoes. 

First lesson I learned was that Noah must be using a compact chimney starter, because he can fit his into the cooker and pour out the charcoal. I had to pour from outside the cooker, which resulted in the coals not distributing evenly.  I was trying to "set and forget" so I did not remove the lid and see that only 2/3 of the basked was lit until an hour into the cook.

The chicken came out pretty well, though the skin was leathery not crisp. The meat, however, was moist and flavorful.   

I tried to cook two sweet potatoes.  I put mine on hooks and even after for 1.5 hours they were not cooked.  Not sure what happened there.  The video suggested cooking them for no longer than 45 minutes on the grate.  I didn't think that the hook would make a difference, but I may have been wrong.

I am pushing on to ribs tomorrow.

[hikerman]

Tinzebra, most of the problems in a less-then-expected cook stem from the coals in the basket not going good enough when food is hung and lid on. Try after putting hot coals in, waiting fifteen to twenty minutes before loading meat in and placing lid on. You'll get there buddy!

[drholly]

Tinzebra, most of the problems in a less-then-expected cook stem from the coals in the basket not going good enough when food is hung and lid on. Try after putting hot coals in, waiting fifteen to twenty minutes before loading meat in and placing lid on. You'll get there buddy!

Gene is right about the charcoal. You might even want to give the lighter fluid method a shot - I've been doing that since I got my PBC - works great. Fill the basket, douse it, light it and wait 20 minutes - almost fool proof (which I appreciate!) Like anything, it takes some practice, but you will find it worth while! Keep us up to date.

[Tinzebra]

Thanks guys, that is what I suspected.

[SPAM]

You start those ribs yet?  I'm dying for some Q view this mornin!

[muebe]

If you want crispy skin then you will need to air dry the chicken for 24 hours in the fridge while the skin is salted.

And an established coal bed is important with the PBC. Especially when cooking chicken.

[smokeasaurus]

Don't be afraid of using lighter fluid. It is fun, darn near fool-proof and you never taste the fluid......

[Tinzebra]

Second cook went better than the first, as I did a much better jobs with the coals.  The ribs came out tender and I even got a smoke ring.  The mistake I made this time was with the run.  I used half a bottle of beef and game rub for a three pound rack of ribs which resulted in some salty ribs.  When I rewarded th video I noticed that Noah used a sprinkling of rub.  I will make the appropriate adjustment next time.  Overall, I was happy with the result becuase it is pretty easy to adjust the amount of rub.

[hikerman]

Hey buddy good to hear you had progress!
Now what everyone here wants is to see your handiwork!
Good or bad we live and learn with each other. Continued success!

[MikeC01]

Second cook went better than the first, as I did a much better jobs with the coals.  The ribs came out tender and I even got a smoke ring.  The mistake I made this time was with the run.  I used half a bottle of beef and game rub for a three pound rack of ribs which resulted in some salty ribs.  When I rewarded th video I noticed that Noah used a sprinkling of rub.  I will make the appropriate adjustment next time.  Overall, I was happy with the result becuase it is pretty easy to adjust the amount of rub.

I really like the PBC B&G rub.  In fact, I just got some more in the mail today.  However, even I wouldn't recommend using a half bottle on a single rack of ribs. 

Personally, I'm never quite sure if I'm putting on enough or too much rub.  When I see BBQ competitions on TV it looks like they are putting on WAY more rub than I do.  So, I always think I'm not putting on enough.

The B&G rub is magical on brisket and beef ribs BTW.

[SPAM]

Glad it all turned out ok. Lil less rub and sounds like your good to go. Post some pics when u get a chance. Thx

[akruckus]

If you want crispy skin then you will need to air dry the chicken for 24 hours in the fridge while the skin is salted.

And an established coal bed is important with the PBC. Especially when cooking chicken.

I agree, minimum of 24 hours, I try to shoot for 48 hours if I plan ahead.

[tekn50]

Getting a good light initial light is key to success with the barrel.  When I use the chiney method, I remove 40 coals from the basket.  Lite them in a chimney till they are slightly ashed over, then dump them around the basket.  I have a cheap pair of welding gloves (4.99) from lowes that I wear.  I take some long bbq tongs and move the lit coals around some.  Then I let it burn with the lid off for 5 to 10 minutes, before adding the meat and closing the lid.  For chicken, I crack the the lid a 1/4in for the last 5 minutes to help crisp the skin.  For rib rub, I like Meat Heads Memphis Dust.  You can find the recipe on his site.  Just google it, you will not believe the results you will get out of this thing.  There is a small tasty learning curve, so enjoy.
 

[enassar]

Completed my first cook, a chicken and sweet potatoes. 

First lesson I learned was that Noah must be using a compact chimney starter, because he can fit his into the cooker and pour out the charcoal. I had to pour from outside the cooker, which resulted in the coals not distributing evenly.  I was trying to "set and forget" so I did not remove the lid and see that only 2/3 of the basked was lit until an hour into the cook.

The chicken came out pretty well, though the skin was leathery not crisp. The meat, however, was moist and flavorful.   

I tried to cook two sweet potatoes.  I put mine on hooks and even after for 1.5 hours they were not cooked.  Not sure what happened there.  The video suggested cooking them for no longer than 45 minutes on the grate.  I didn't think that the hook would make a difference, but I may have been wrong.

I am pushing on to ribs tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure, like everyone is commenting, that your temperature was too low. To cook chicken with a crispy skin that PBC has to be running close to 350 I would think. Same goes for the potatoes or else you would be cooking potatoes for hours!