Chuck Roast Pulled/Chopped Beef

[HJS]

Hey guys. I've never made Pulled/Chopped Beef before and I have a couple of questions before I begin. I've seen people cook it at 325, 350, 225, 250. I plan on doing 225 to 250 using the SNS. Family is coming over for lunch tomorrow. I'm trimming them and dry brining them right now. Ballpark range how long does it usually take so I know what time to get up and start them? I also don't plan on wrapping them in foil.

[HouseHomey]

I would start them about 2am. HJS they look well trimmed.

[RonB]

Whatever time you start them, don't be afraid to bump the temp up to ~ 275* if they don't look like they will be ready when you want them ready.

[Huskee]

11-14hrs if wrapped...14-18 if unwrapped. Just like a pork butt except perhaps an hour longer. Take their IT up a little higher, say 205, 209, and hold it there an hour, then do the faux cambro hold for 1-2hrs. If you want it ready at noon, I'd lean toward starting at 10-11pm tonight if wrapping...an hour ago if not

[Steve R.]

@huskee's advice is on point. That's exactly how I do it and it's always a crowd pleaser.

[sblair1255]

What about maybe cutting the chuck roast in half or thirds, any improvement there in flavor and cook time?

[Huskee]

sblair1255 Yes! I do the same w/ pork butts. Usually the chucks I get from my local grocery store are ~ 3.5 to 4.5lbs already, so I leave them as is. But if you get a big one, don't be afraid to cut it down to 3-5lbers. If you get two tiny ones, you can stack them too to mimic a bigger one.

[HJS]

Ok. They're on and temp is holding nicely. I'm confused how I would hold the internal temperature of the beef for an hour. Dial the smoker temperature back? Throw it in the oven at 170 then put it in the cooler? I'm worried if I leave it on the the temperature would continue to rise and it would dry out.

[Huskee]

Ok. They're on and temp is holding nicely. I'm confused how I would hold the internal temperature of the beef for an hour. Dial the smoker temperature back? Throw it in the oven at 170 then put it in the cooler? I'm worried if I leave it on the the temperature would continue to rise and it would dry out.

Great question, and you hit the nail on the head. To hold it there, simply drop your cooker temp to anywhere under that, say 200, as the meat's approaching your goal. Carryover will make the meat rise some more, it's hard to slow that train instantly. It's not an exact science nor are there exact steps for that, just a common sense feel really. And you can drop your cooker temp to 170 for the 'faux cambro' hold, (that's what I do to take advantage of my already-burning fuel), OR do the indoor oven at 170, or do the pre-heated cooler and towels...a few ways to skin that cat.

[Breadhead]

Huskee ... I've been turning my BGE down to 170° since the first time you posted that in the Pit. It's magic, much easier, and I believe safer than the faux cambro method, kind of. The faux cambro is great for about 4 hours if you leave a thermometer in it.

[Huskee]

Breadhead if my constant ramblings help even one person then I've succeeded!

[kmhfive]

More than you know…more than you know!

I have moved ahead leaps and bound since joining the Pit this spring. Thanks!

[HJS]

Next time I'll follow the recipe and wrap. Bark was amazing but the meat came out just a little dry. Nevertheless it was delicious. No complaints. Thanks to everyone for their advice!

[HJS]

10pm, ate at 1pm. 2 hour rest time in the oven. So what's that 13 hours?

[HJS]

Found it frustrating that IT was at 207 but not yet brisket-like probe tender. Then it started dropping, 205, 203, and there was no change in the pit temp (250). I think this was the point it was drying out so I threw it in the oven at 275 and it got to 210 pretty quickly and I held it there an hour

[HJS]

In hindsight, I should have wrapped like the recipe said. I usually don't wrap brisket and I thought it would be similar. Chuck vs brisket, prime vs choice? Way too many variables. But hey it just means I'll have to try again and see what happens. That's why we cook right?

[Flat Rocker]

So, is there some ball-park formula that I can use to get a better to estimate of how long chuck roast would take to cook? I see that HJS started out around 5 lbs. and his plan was to cook at 225 - 250. If I were doing it similar to a pork butt, I'd say 2 hrs./lb. then another hour holding it at 205-210, then rest it 1-3 hours in the cambro, which would be 10 hours + 1 + 1-3 = 12 - 14 hours. Does that sound right ?
How do you estimate the time difference between wrapping after the stall and letting it go without wrapping? Would that formula hold for butts and briskets too? Huskee said there would be about a 3-4 hour difference above, between wrapping and letting it go.

I'm cooking on a Grand Slam pellet smoker and plan to cook 2 roasts - average of 2.75 lbs. each, at 225, and wrap around and IT of 170-180. I'm estimating 9 hrs. cooking time, then 1 hour to hold the temp around 205-210, then 1-3 hours in the cambro, does that sound reasonable ? I'd appreciate any advice from the math geniuses and more experienced pit masters.

[DeusDingo]

Flat Rocker
that is assuming all chuck roasts are the same thickness. cook time depends more on the thickness than the weight, in addition to fat content.

i'm unaware of any formula for cooking meat that is accurate across all cuts of meat. the timing will depend more on your cooker, the temp of the cook, the cut of meat, humidity, wrapping, wind, etc.

if you're new to this cut i usually take the worst case scenario from the advice given and do it on a day where if you are off by 4 hours it'll be ok.