Meadow Creek PR60GT Pig Cooker Story

We just returned from a vacation up north, visiting family and friends. Part of our trip included a family reunion on my wife’s side in upstate New York. We borrowed a friend’s Meadow Creek PR60GT Pig Roaster and I cooked 5 pork butts, 4 chickens, and 2 slabs of baby back ribs.

The event was on Tuesday and I cooked on Monday because I didn’t want to cook all through the night or deal with meat in the morning while I could be relaxing with family. It was rainy the day I cooked, so we put up a tent with one side panel to block the breeze, and it worked very nicely.

My friend who owns the pig roaster ordered it custom without a drip pan or a stainless steel grate. Instead he has a pan with a slanted bottom, and he uses it mostly for whole pigs. I didn’t want to fry the meat, so we laid it on several oven racks inside the pan. He doesn’t have a chip tray, so I filled foil pouches with wood chips and chunks to make my smoke. The pouches worked okay once I figured out how to make it work, but it’s not the ideal way to make smoke in a Meadow Creek Pig Roaster! However, it was a fun challenge and I enjoyed cooking another batch of outrageous barbecue.

My cook site with a mountain view:

Roaster Loaded:

A Little Smoke Puffing:

Since the cooker was gas-fired, I never had to add more fuel, and for the most part, it stayed a constant temperature throughout the day. Even when I opened the lid, it only took three minutes to get back up to cooking temp (250 degrees F).

Cherry Chunks:

Apple Juice and Toolbox:

Only the butts were for the reunion, but I wanted to make the cook more interesting, so we added the chickens and ribs. The chicken was home-raised on my father-in-law’s farm in NY. The ribs came from Price Chopper, a local grocery store. I didn’t brine or marinade any of this meat. Just prepped it Sunday evening, put it in the fridge, and then in the cooker Monday morning at 8:00.

The butts and baby back ribs were seasoned with Meadow Creek Black Pepper Brisket Rub. I used Heaven Made Mexicajun and Meadow Creek Traditional on the chicken.

The butts had nice marbling and came in packs of two. To prep them, I just unwrapped them, rinsed them off with cold water, and trimmed off the bloody stuff and most of the fat cap. Then I seasoned them heavily with the rub. The ribs didn’t need trimming, so I just seasoned them heavily. (If you are using a salty rub, go easy on it.) The chickens were not hard to prep either. I cut them open along the spine and laid them out flat, then seasoned them all over. I carefully pulled some of the skin loose and worked until I “got under it’s skin.”

Here are the cooking times:

  8:00 Meat on.
12:15 Ribs done and one chicken. Decided to leave the other chickens on longer.
  2:05 Last of the chickens done. Butts up to 155 degrees F.
  6:00 Two of the butts done (in the 190s).
  8:15 Last of the butts done.

I sprayed the meat about once an hour with apple juice; during the first part of the cook, occasionally added more foil pouches with smoking wood.

Chicken:

Ribs (and Butts in the Back):

Finished Pork Butts:

Pulled Pork:

Dead Bones:

Pans of Pulled Pork:

Pulled and Mixed, Ready to Serve:

Some people like to mix gravy with their pulled pork. I prefer sauce. I pulled the butts pretty fine with Bear Paws and seasoned it with Meadow Creek Black Pepper Brisket Rub and Heaven Made Mexicajun (you can choose your own rubs). I sauced it with Dinosaur Sauce Sensuous Slathering, a runny, peppery, tomato-based sauce. It was better than candy!

Smoked Chicken:

Pulled Chicken:

Sliced Chicken Breast:

Smoked Chicken in Freezer Bags:

Smoked Ribs:

I regret not having pictures of the sandwiches and the whole meal. For sides, we had potato salad, beans, veggies and dip. Dessert was amazing—strawberry pie, cookies, granola bars, and other homemade delicacies.

Did that make you hungry? It did me, just looking at the pics and writing about strawberry pie. Wow, the craving really kicked in! Please leave a comment, Facebook like it, pin it, or do something to show me you are aggravated! 🙂

Have fun,

Lavern Gingerich

Tags: Barbequed Food, gas pig roaster, meadow creek pig roaster, smoked chicken, smoked pork butts, smoked ribs

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