First time chuck roasts

[Bob's BBQ]

My first attempt at smoked chucks using Pit Boss's tips. The flavor was really good and peppers, onions, & provolone sandwiches were great. Used BBBR as rub. Bark was awesome - even after wrapping. Used hickory for smoke. After 2 1/2 hours it was at 180. Wrapped, and after about another 1 1/2 hours it was at 208. Held in the cooler for about 1 hour 15 minutes. It wasn't pull tender as I had hoped but I think there were a few reasons for that. Pit Boss please give me your thoughts:
1. I didn't dry brine as I was busy doing other things and plain forgot about it. I salted, rubbed and threw it on the smoker.
2. I had a temp probe that was on the fritz and had the lid off the PBC for too long. I think my starting temp might have been a little high. Does 4 hours cook time seem too short?
3. Need to check on meat grade. They were "on sale" chucks at the local grocery store.

Thanks,
Bob

[Jerod Broussard]

He is off the grid at the moment.

I would say you didn't leave them at 208 long enough. I would have put them in a 210 degree oven once they reached 208 for about 1 hour, then rested for about 2 hours.

[Bob's BBQ]

Thanks Jerod - I'll try it. Definitely going to make these again. Just enjoying some of the leftovers as I type! When you say "rest" do you mean faux cambro?

[Jerod Broussard]

I let mine roll a long time on the smoker after being sous vide, and then they sat in the pan staying warm for 5 hours. They had no choice but to be tender.

[fzxdoc]

Bob's BBQ I've done a bunch of chuckies, most of them around 2.5 to 3 lbs each, with a PBC temp that hovers around 270.

I use BBBR, sprinkled on right before putting the chuckies into the PBC. I usually dry brine the roasts from 1 to 3 days or so.

I usually smoke 2 to 4 chuckies at a time, using Kingsford Original and a couple of chunks (about 6 oz or so) of Jack Daniels Whiskey Barrel Oak.

On average,

• they go into a stall around 2 hours from the beginning of the cook
• the stall lasts about 2 hours
• they get wrapped dry (no added fluid) in double heavy duty aluminum foil when they reach 170-180, which averages 5-6 hours from the beginning of the cook.
• After wrapping, they take about 1 to 1.5 hours to come to 208 deg F
• They are then faux cambroed for 2 hours or so.

Each one I've done has turned out beautifully. The bark and smoke ring are great, and the flavor is amazing. I like to pull instead of slice, which is why I take it up to 208 or so.

The first time I did one, I wrapped at 150 and took it off at about 203. The total cook time was 4.5 hours). I cambroed for 2 hours. The chuckie was difficult to pull, even with Bear Paws. I probably should have sliced it instead. The flavor was delicious, but I wanted a more tender end result.

After that, I started wrapping the chuckies at 170-180, and leaving the wrapped chuckies on until they reached 208 (still cambroing for 2 hours). With those two modifications, each one has pulled "like buttah", with my fingers alone--not even a fork, much less Bear Paws.

HTH,
Kathryn

[Bob's BBQ]

Thanks Kathryn - this will help a lot. If you had to guess, do you think lack of brining or too fast a cook was the main culprit? I'm thinking cook and hold time? Do you hang yours prior to wrapping or think it would make any difference?

Bob

[fzxdoc]

Bob's BBQ, I hang the chuckie (double serial hook method for extra insurance) because I think part of the reason why PBC food tastes so good is that it self-bastes as it hangs over the fire. Then I put them on the grate when they're wrapped. When I do 4 at a time, there's no grate room (Hovergrate mod does not allow enough space between the two levels) so I put them in a 225-250 degree oven to get to 208-209.

Brining for sure helps to hold in the moisture. I've always brined, so I don't know how one is without it. I also inject the roast with that amazing Butcher's Prime Beef injection (and cut back on the salt used for dry brining). I always use Butcher's for briskets and chuckies. Call it an insurance policy. Here's what Meathead says about Butcher's BBQ injections:

Many BBQ champs use commercial products such as Butcher BBQ Brisket Marinade whose ingredient lists include flavor enhancers monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium inosinate, and guanylate. Papaya extract tenderizes, sodium phosphate is good at improving the ability of proteins to hold water during heat stress, and xanthan gum is added as an emulsifier to hold them all together for injecting uniformity. Some traditionalists think this is way too Barry Bonds. But Butcher's Blends win trophies, and I've tasted the product and been impressed.

Butcher's now sells the moisture-holding phosphate product alone, without salt or flavors. I really like using that product because there's nothing else in there to mess with the taste.

About PBC temperature: Surely if you let the PBC's heat get too high you're flirting with a jerky end result. Left to its own, the PBC does pretty well, but for me at least, even a tiny leak at the lid can send the PBC temps soaring well into the 300s or even higher. That's one reason why I like to keep an eye on the smoker probe numbers. So if your PBC temp was high throughout the cook, you can certainly have a quicker cook with drier meat, I would guess.

As far as starting temp goes, I always add the meat (as cold as possible) when the PBC is 360-420 and let that cold meat help the temp to drop to the PBC's temp sweet spot. I've so far (knock wood) never had a dry brisket or chuckie. I've had some results that were better than others, but none that I would call a dry failure. As I said, knock wood.

Do you know what your PBC temperature range was?

And finally, a chuckie is a tough cut and in my experience it loves that 2 hour visit to the Cambro Spa.

If you haven't already, read David Parrish 's post about smoking chuckies on the PBC. It's a sticky in the PBC or maybe the Recipe section, I think. Between Dave and a fellow member here who gave me great advice via PM, my chuckie results were elevated greatly from my first chuckie cook, which, like yours, was short, timewise, with the meat not as tender as I would have liked. I always say that this site has made me a better cook, fo' sure!

HTH,
Kathryn

[Bob's BBQ]

Thanks Kathryn - I really appreciate you taking time to reply. With your great information I think I am ready for attempt number 2. I'll let you know how it goes.

Bob

[fzxdoc]

Great, Bob's BBQ ! I'm sure it will be a terrific cook for you. Let us know how it turns out.

K

[_John_]

I cook mine similar to those above, but to add there is a lot of difference in my experience between the grades. I have done I think 4 selects and only one was tender enough to pull, and that is just because I left it on until I knew that it was, which was I think 212 and it was a bit dry. My choice cuts have all come out ready to pull and juicy, though I prefer it sliced.

[Bob's BBQ]

This is the variable I need to check on. Thanks John!

[DWCowles]

Awwww chuckies.....one of my favorites

[Bob's BBQ]

The taste on these is quickly becoming a favorite. Meathead's BBBR is awesome on these.