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Chuck Roasts trial

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    Chuck Roasts trial

    Well some chuck roasts were BOGO so I decided to give them a shot on the smoker after looking up the recipes here. Somehow that thought hadn’t even crossed my mind till now. Guess I should copy this on the recipe page. Prelude:
    So I learned the art of smoking on my WSM 22” but these were done on my newly acquired (tomorrow morning when I pay for it) less than 1 year old GMG DC from my co-worker for $100. I absolutely love charcoal but what can I say, the deal is too good to pass up. Either way this isn’t meant to be a critique, just my learning experience. I should have taken some "right out of the package" pics of the meat but know that I dug through three separate piles to find 2 that had the best marbling.
    Method:
    I gave the smoker a good cleaning as I don’t think that had ever been done. The drip pan was awful so I soaked it for an hour, scraped it with the same blade I use to clean my glass top stove, and then wrapped it with foil. I wrapped it as tight as I could and made sure it followed the contour of the side and bottom edges as close as possible for airflow. For the meat I salted them both yesterday around 2pm and dry brined till noon today. For seasoning the one on the left just got peppered, the one on the right got the big bad beef rub. For reference they were put into the smoker in the same orientation with the one on the left getting the temp probe, consequently closest to the pellet box, and the diffuser was pushed all the way to the right per some recommendations on here. Before, after and during pics all reflect this orientation. Ran it in my garage out of the wind with the other garage door open for ventilation as the avg temp here in WI was between 35 and 40 and there was no snow in my garage’s forecast. Roasts were both put on the relatively small cooking surface but there was more than an inch between them so I wasn’t worried about overcrowding. Both were on by 12:30 at 225 and I went back to work so they were left unattended. No water pan, no spritzing, just over a completely electro-mechanically automated temperature regulated fire fueled by compressed wood pellets... the way nature intended. I used Lumberjack competition blend pellets btw, presumably also harvested by cheap labor directly from the forest. 5:15 the one one the left read 156 and with kids to feed I knew I needed to speed things up in order to even hit 180 per the recipe. I made some beef broth, pulled the roasts, wrapped in foil with 1/4 cup broth each and crutched for 30 mins, bumping the temp up to 235. I did not re-insert the temp probe but given the time constraint I knew I was only had time to crutch for 30 mins. Once that was done I unwrapped and put them back on for another 30 mins to get the bark back. I did notice that when putting them back on the one on the left felt rigid while the right felt more tender... more bend to it. Once they were taken off they sat on a platter under foil for about 5 mins, maybe longer, then sliced.
    Results:
    Both smelled fantastic and had great flavor but they lacked moisture overall. The left one was dry all around and needed bbq sauce to make it edible. I could tell the moment the knife hit it that it was dry. The one on the right was dry around the edges, maybe 1” all around, but after that it was very tender and juicy. Unfortunately I didn’t realize this until we were done eating because my original intent was to cut the leftovers up and freeze them or make chili or tacos or something. After dinner I sliced up the rest and threw it in the cast iron skillet with the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth to simmer while covered. It is now 5 hrs later and it’s all as tender as I hoped it would be at dinner.
    Post mortem and lessons learned:
    1: I should really dry run this smoker atv225 and do the bread test on it to identify the hot spots. Funny because I look at pic 2 below and you’d think the right roast was dryer based on color but it was just opposite. Bark didn’t mean anything in terms of being dry.
    2: I’ll make sure I spritz next time which means it’s not really set it and forget it unless I can sneak a small water pan in there on the left side. Shouldn’t be too hard. Again I learned on WSM 22 and always fill my water pan to the top. Extends the cook time but I’ve NEVER had anything even remotely dry. Consequently I’ve read a lot on here, from weekend warriors to champions, that they don’t use water pans and it always turns out perfectly moist. Not saying anyone is wrong but that hasn’t been my experience thus far.
    3: Both seasoning methods were great. Maybe this is more of a reminder than a lesson but I feel like sometimes I get caught in the trap of trying to perfect some amazing rub but damnit if the simplicity of good old salt and pepper doesn’t do the trick. Really lets the meat and smoke shine.
    4: I’ve crutched pork, ribs specifically via the 3-2-1 method at 225, and they’ve always turned out a little too gummy for my taste. If anything it’s 3-1-1 for me and maybe less than 1 depending on how thick they are. Literally a different animal but I think that got me a little gun shy on the chuck roasts. Next time I think I would wrap these for at least 2 hrs or more AND probe them during the wrap. Timing had a lot to do with my decisions today but really when is that ever not a factor.

    Well I’ll that was long winded but maybe someone out there has some tips or other lessons learned that make my next attempt better, or visa versa. Thanks in advance.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Andrrr; November 5, 2019, 12:15 AM.

    #2
    Learning as we go is just as much fun as eating. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your new cooker.
    It is so important to monitor meat temps right until the end, a couple degrees either side makes a big difference to the result. No need to ask me how I know this.

    Comment


    • Andrrr
      Andrrr commented
      Editing a comment
      Agreed! I didn’t realize how important temp cooking was till I started doing it. I’m all for hitting 203. I’ve pulled at 200 and it just wasn’t the same.

    #3
    Good write up. When you wind up with a sliced chucky that's not as tender as you would like, try cutting a thick slice, turning it on it's side, and slicing across the grain. That should make it seem a little more tender.
    Last edited by RonB; November 5, 2019, 11:22 AM.

    Comment


    • Andrrr
      Andrrr commented
      Editing a comment
      I like it. Figuring out if the grain runs N/S or E/W can be challenging on a cut like this but cutting sideways will always be across the grain. So obvious. Thanks.

    #4
    I've only done a few chuckies but have found pulling them instead of cutting is more favourable to me anyway.
    Anyway good thing for lots of gravy when they're dry.

    Comment


    • Andrrr
      Andrrr commented
      Editing a comment
      Certainly. What do you use for a gravy?

    • smokin fool
      smokin fool commented
      Editing a comment
      Depends, sometimes there is gravy left from a previous cook or, don't hate me, canned gravy.
      There are some canned gravies or poutines that are quite tasty.
      I've tried to catch the dripping when doing a chuck roast in my diffuser with varying degrees of luck. Maybe one or two stand out, the rest went down the sink.

    • Andrrr
      Andrrr commented
      Editing a comment
      There’s no hating here but you got me thinking...

      Smoke these chucks till 180, slice, then throw in a slow cooker with gravy. I don’t care if it’s canned I just want it to taste good, though canned always seems to be saltier.

      I at least know what poutine is but I can’t say I’ve had the authentic stuff if there is such a thing. Given that it originated in your neck of the woods you should post a good recipe. I could use one!

    #5
    Thank you for the pictures and the write-up. I learned some things reading your work.

    Comment


    • Andrrr
      Andrrr commented
      Editing a comment
      My pleasure. I wrote it up the way I’ve found cook reviews to be the most helpful to me. It should be a template. I think all the little details help me and others figure out what to do when you’re presented with the same situation.... by far it’s the biggest benefit I’ve received from being here. Can’t believe I actually taught someone something but glad I could help, even if it’s from my mistakes!

    #6
    Thanks for the detailed write up.

    Comment


      #7
      Great write up. The way nature intended, that's funny! Seriously, if you're able to manage the time on your next cook, wrapping and resting in the faux Cambro makes a big difference for me. Letting the the connective tissue you've melted absorb into the meat makes it more moist. I'm not saying it would fix all the problems you encountered, but it will help.
      Last edited by Oak Smoke; November 5, 2019, 10:34 AM.

      Comment


      • Andrrr
        Andrrr commented
        Editing a comment
        Agreed. The best brisket I ever made was because I couldn’t sleep and woke up way earlier than I planned to get it started. It hit 203 hours before I wanted it to so I wrapped in in a couple layers of foil and into the faux but left the probe in. Ended up taking it out for dinner and it had dropped to 170. Honestly if I was good enough to plan that for every cook I would... it was that good. But from the sounds of it I don’t need to convince you.

      #8
      I've followed both the sliced and the pulled chuck recipes on the free side of AR, and found that when only cooked to 180F for slicing, the meat was dry. If you go all the way to the 203-205 range, wrapped, it will be moist like smokey pot roast. At 180F I don't think the marbled fat has had time to render properly. Personally I feel that the roast was dry because it didn't cook long enough, and maybe you didn't crutch for enough of the cook - I think the AR recipes for both sliced and pulled chuck say to wrap in foil at about 150 or 160.
      Last edited by jfmorris; November 5, 2019, 11:16 AM.

      Comment


      • Andrrr
        Andrrr commented
        Editing a comment
        Totally agree but thanks for validating my thoughts. 203 is magic and I think clutching on a smoker like this is way more important than it is on my WSM. Thanks for the feedback.

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        Andrrr another thought is that while the smoker was set to 225 while you were at work, it may have been lower. You need to check the temperature with an independent thermometer (I use a Smoke) and see if the built in thermostat is off. And it may not be off for where the internal temperature probe is located. Unfortunately, I think in a lot of cases it is above grate level.

      • smokin fool
        smokin fool commented
        Editing a comment
        Agree with the 200ish temp seems to be the finishing touch

      #9
      To me chuck has to be cooked very low and slow. Then wrapped with beef broth at about 150 and taken to 170 for slicing or 200 for pulling.

      Comment


      • Andrrr
        Andrrr commented
        Editing a comment
        Yep. I’ll definitely do that to 203 internal next time. Thanks!

      #10
      Chuck roasts are my favorite. I don't use temp as much as probe feel. I find if I flip and spritz about every hour after the bark starts to set the flavor is better. S & P or BBBR, just tried some Harry Soo Beef rub on a brisket and really liked it. I will use it on one of my next chuck cooks.
      I also like to SVQ chucks. "Whole different conversation though".
      As you know the grain runs all different ways on a chuck so I pull each muscle and slice accordingly. Personally like sliced way better than pulled. As soon as They start to come out of the stall tightly wrap in butcher paper to finish Probe tender. At least a 2 hour cambro rest, usually go 4 hours.
      Give them another try you'll like them. I usually do two to four at a time and one rarely makes it off the cutting board to the plate with just just two of us eating and my wife doesn't eat much meat. 😋

      Comment


      • smokin fool
        smokin fool commented
        Editing a comment
        My chuckies never see a rest....the wolves are at the door when mine come off the Keg.
        Be interesting to see the difference between unrested and rested.

      • hogdog6
        hogdog6 commented
        Editing a comment
        smokin fool A true test in patience and self control for sure. Haha.

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