I was thoroughly inspired by the brisket-chuck roast the Attjack posted a few days ago. I couldn't resist giving it a shot this weekend, even though the selection at the local mart wasn't great. Sometimes ya win, sometimes ya don't. I'd love some feed back on what went wrong...
It was a pretty lean 3lb cut, even for chuck roast. Someone posted a question a while back about grinding a chuck roast for burgers that turned out very dry - it was lean like that. Also, I was in a bit of a hurry, and didn't give it the time it deserved. Mind you, it was an impulse and I was hungry...
Kosher salt approx an hour before going on the grill. A solid rub down with Big Bad Beef rub, and then into the Weber kettle. The cheap version of a slow-N-sear to keep it at 225-250F, with a solid handful of hickory chips at 20 min intervals for the first hour. Then hold...... till it hit the stall about 150. I noticed that my water tray had sprung a leak somewhere along the way, and it ran dry for maybe an hour? When it started to creep up to 155 (about 4.5 hrs in), I judged the stall complete and pulled off the grill. I wrapped in parchment, and shoved in the oven at 325F. It hit 200 about an hout later, and I took it out to let it rest for about 30 min before we sliced ​​​ it up. The smoke ring and flavor were great. But - wow, dry and not succulent or tender at all.
Fortunately, the baked potatoes, grilled squash, and toast garlic bread were excellent, cuz the meat was a disappointment. The Pic below looks better than it was - dry and tough.
Self diagnosis:
1. Very lean meat. Shoulda picked a different cut. Not sure what I could have done different with this one.
2. Too short on the dry brine. Yeah, I know... 24 hrs woulda been much better. Would it have helped with tenderness?
3. Pulled off the grill too soon? Should I have left it on till it was clearly climbing out of the stall?
4. Oven too hot? It was getting late, and I pushed the oven too hard at 325 - I think?
5. Too short rest? I think it was already dry at this point, and resting further wouldn't have helped.

It was a pretty lean 3lb cut, even for chuck roast. Someone posted a question a while back about grinding a chuck roast for burgers that turned out very dry - it was lean like that. Also, I was in a bit of a hurry, and didn't give it the time it deserved. Mind you, it was an impulse and I was hungry...
Kosher salt approx an hour before going on the grill. A solid rub down with Big Bad Beef rub, and then into the Weber kettle. The cheap version of a slow-N-sear to keep it at 225-250F, with a solid handful of hickory chips at 20 min intervals for the first hour. Then hold...... till it hit the stall about 150. I noticed that my water tray had sprung a leak somewhere along the way, and it ran dry for maybe an hour? When it started to creep up to 155 (about 4.5 hrs in), I judged the stall complete and pulled off the grill. I wrapped in parchment, and shoved in the oven at 325F. It hit 200 about an hout later, and I took it out to let it rest for about 30 min before we sliced ​​​ it up. The smoke ring and flavor were great. But - wow, dry and not succulent or tender at all.
Fortunately, the baked potatoes, grilled squash, and toast garlic bread were excellent, cuz the meat was a disappointment. The Pic below looks better than it was - dry and tough.
Self diagnosis:
1. Very lean meat. Shoulda picked a different cut. Not sure what I could have done different with this one.
2. Too short on the dry brine. Yeah, I know... 24 hrs woulda been much better. Would it have helped with tenderness?
3. Pulled off the grill too soon? Should I have left it on till it was clearly climbing out of the stall?
4. Oven too hot? It was getting late, and I pushed the oven too hard at 325 - I think?
5. Too short rest? I think it was already dry at this point, and resting further wouldn't have helped.
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