PSB and pulled chuck on the 22.5" Kettle

[austin87]

Hi all, first I want to thank everyone for all the great info here.... don't think I could have knocked this out of the park like I did without combing tons of threads here.

For my birthday I smoked up some Pepper Stout Beef and plain pulled chuck and had some friends over. Costco trip got one 5lb package and one 4lb package of chuck roast. The bigger batch got turned into PSB, the other was just pulled plain.

We were having people over at 12pm with food set to hit the table at 1pm, so I woke up at 4:45 and set up the 22.5" kettle with a 2-1 snake and used pecan and mesquite chunks for smoke - pecan and mesquite made for a great combination of smoky flavor. Lit 10 coals in the chimney and while they got going I seasoned the roast. The PSB just got salt and pepper, the pieces destined to be pulled beef got salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin, you can see the color difference.



First on the grill at 5:45 - one hour to build the snake, season the meat, get the snake lit and preheat the grill:




After the sun came up (we were expecting rain and had the canopy to enjoy the outdoors):



Halfway there - held 275 on the lid thermometer for 4 hours and about half of the snake with the vents wide open:



After this the PSB went into a 7 quart cast iron dutch oven with:
-sliced red onion
-sliced yellow bell
-sliced red bell
-sliced orange bell
-8 garlic cloves
-Lagunitas Imperial Stout (I saw someone here post that I much prefer that to Guiness)
-worcestershire
-fresh cracked pepper
-splash of Bulliet Rye Whiskey (because why not!) and thrown in the oven at 350.

The pulled beef got wrapped in foil and put back on the kettle. The meat had dripped on the second half of the snake and kept it from lighting as quickly as it should have so I added charcoal and modified to a bank and cook minion method now that I didn't need as much grate space with the PSB in the oven. I was running 275-300 with the bottom vent 1/8-1/4 open and the top vent wide.

I unwrapped the pulled beef at the same time I put the shredded PSB back on the smoking kettle at 1pm. By 1:30pm we were having beef sammiches two ways on hamburger buns with cheddar cheese and horseradish mayo. I also made some coleslaw and my girlfriend made salad and crockpot mac and cheese.

All told, 9lbs of beef and all we had leftover was a half sandwich bag full.

Here are the two finished products:

Pulled beef, look at that smoke ring:



and Pepper Stout Beef:



The crowd and I were pretty happy with the results!

[1buckie]

Another great cookup with rundown....thanks for that !!!

GOMRDS did some nice ribs with a write-up & there's been some other nice cooks  in the last few days too......

[WNC]

Looks incredible, I'm gonna have to try this soon! Best the guest were happy

[Jammato]

great cook

going try the recipes soon

thanks

[jcnaz]

I still need to try PSB. Thanks for the write-up!

[MrHoss]

Very nice cook there. I admire your dedication at getting up in the middle of the night.....liking that green Kettle too.

[austin87]

Very nice cook there. I admire your dedication at getting up in the middle of the night.....liking that green Kettle too.

Thanks, the green is growing on me. I picked it up very gently used and have some wood handles for it on the way (thanks Brian). Will post a few pics once they are on.

[swamprb]

Great cook!

[Winz]

Nice cookup!  Low and slow is always rewarding as you get to spend more time with your kettle(s), even though it often means an early morning or late night.

I like you cooking area, nice place to sit and relax while making some great food.

Winz

[OoPEZoO]

I did PSB for the first time a few months ago and knocked it out of the park. I couldn't believe how well it turned out. I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the post

[Nate]

AWSOME! This is my next pulled chuck cook.

[Taz]

Looks great @austin87 .  I have to say, you seem to have more yard space than you led me to believe.  I think you need some more kettles : )