Chuck vs. Chuck: The Grudge Match

[DaveD]

Laaaaadies and gentlemen, tomorrow morning I'll be doing a Chuxperiment: smoking a pair of smaller chuck roasts, both USDA choice, one from the local grocery store and the other from Wild Fork, to see if we can tell the diff. Not a totally fair fight, because the WF chuck has been in the freezer for four months, whereas the local cut has been in there only a few weeks.

Game plan is dry brining overnight and then a while before going in, dusting both with the beef rub I've been iterating on, "Steer Prudence." Will go easy on the rub so as not to overpower the meat. Will target 250F/121C in the cooker and ITs in the low 200sF/mid 90sC or probe tender, whenever that happens. Not planning on wrapping, but I'll reserve the right to change my mind if need be

The local cut is from Wegmans, labeled 100% grass fed; the WF cut is their normal chuck. I got the WF cut in January (the "12/21" in Sharpie is my error) for under US$6/pound, whereas the Wegmans piece was $12.99/pound in early May. Here they are ready to go, and I'll be getting these babies in there bright and early Eastern time, so grab a coffee and peek in

[Richard Chrz]

I got my Fav picked out, can’t wait for the follow up.

[Panhead John]

I’m waiting….

[grantgallagher]

Should be a fun one! I find wegmans typically has pretty good meat but i wonder if 100% grass fed vs what is probably grain finished will tilt the scales unfairly one way or the other depending on the judges taste.

[Mosca]

I’m here to tell you that as long as your roast has been properly sealed, and your freezer has maintained 0° or lower, there will be no difference. I’ve cooked roasts that were frozen for over two years. They were great. Not okay; GREAT.

Burgers and whole birds are a different story. But beef, pork, and chicken pieces are all fine, as long as they’re frozen quickly and thawed slowly.

[DaveD]

Indeed, it stayed well sealed and my chestie sits between -6 and 0 F / -21 and -18 C, I have no real worry that it won't be fine...

[Steve B]

I already know the winner here. But will wait until your final results to Divulge my pick.
Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

[Richard Chrz]

If you are agreeing with me, you’re likely wrong. 😂

[rickgregory]

I'm with grantgallagher - I think the grassfed vs grain will make this a difficult comparison not only because they're inherently different from the start, but because (if your area is like here), grassfed is more expensive so even if you end up liking it a bit better it's going to be hard to justify the cost.

[painter]

Chuxperiment ? A candidate for word of the year.

[DaveD]

Thank you, thankyouverymuch... I'm here all week

[DavidNorcross]

I know which one I would choose. Anxious to see the results.

[Greygoose]

Lots of pics

[DaveD]

Lots and lots! And hey, you'll be hitting 1000 posts here soon, woo hoo!

[Draznnl]

C’mon DaveD we’re all sitting here with bated breath. Update please. Are they on the cooker? Did you cheat and make one for breakfast? What’s up?

[Panhead John]

Thank you for using the correct spelling of "bated". Much appreciated. 🥸

[DaveD]

I was gettin' 'em in there at that very moment! And yes, proper usage of "bated" much appreciated

[Draznnl]

Panhead John DaveD I'm just glad someone noticed.

[DaveD]

Good morning Chuckmeisters! Welcome to the grudge match. Great to see y'all getting into the spirit of things! Here's the roasts after overnight dry brine... Wegmans cut on the left, WF on the right (but you knew that).



And after applying the Steer Prudence:


And in the smoker by 7am, 250F/121C in the box. Wegmans cut is now on the right, WF on the left.

(Note, camera angle makes it look like the wire from the WF piece is lying atop the other one - there's plenty of clearance in actuality.)

More later in the morning...!

[Chuck in Charlotte]

You guys are too kind

[Bogy]

What is this, a game of 3 card Monty? Keep switching sides like that we're going to lose track! I call a fix!

[DaveD]

Don't worry, they stay on the same side for the duration!

[bbqLuv]

Wild Fork Chuck Roast will be tender. It has been blade tenderized.
For that reason, I am still interested in the results.

[Panhead John]

Wow! Sorry Mr. Luv, you were right. I just googled it and Wild Fork does blade tenderize their meat. I had no idea.

[bbqLuv]

It's all in good fun,

[DaveD]

And yeah, the "Blade Tenderized" on the label of the WF cut in the first photo kinda gave it away

[DaveD]

Welp, after posting that last photo, I thought I'd better check to see that the probe wire was still out of contact, and the metal softening in the heat had indeed allowed the wire to droop, and it was allllllmost touching. Rotated the cuts a little bit to make sure there won't be any contact.

[DaveD]

A little under 90 minutes in, and the temps on all three probes are the same to within 3F/1C, currently at 125F/52C. Forgot to mention that the pellets I've got in the hopper are Cookin' Pellets mesquite + apple blend, of which there is probably about 4 or 5 hours' worth left, so I just poured in a 20lb/9kg bag of Traeger mesquite pellets on top of that.

Meater+ app constantly updates its estimate of time to completion, and currently that's at 3.5 hours. It will start to balloon when the meat starts stalling...