Smoked Chuckie - Do you really need to wrap it?

[Stevo]

What if I just smoked that puppy at 225 until the IT reached ~200? What if?

[barelfly]

I have a chuckie on as we speak. I did wrap mine, and I usually don't wrap. Using brown paper for the wrap. I am also smoking at a higher temp than normal, going with 275*. But this is also a cook that is different than my normal chuckie process, so I'm all over the board here - usually I QVQ chuckies. But wanted to try a little something different this go.

But, you really don't have to wrap anything during the cook if you don't want to.

enjoy that chuckie!

[fuzzydaddy]

It would still taste great but my experience is the bark is more chewy than I like. I wrap after about 7 hours since at that point I have the smoke profile and bark I like. IT is typically 170-180 and it's tender in another 2 or so hours after wrapping. Then a 2 hour faux cambro. I run about 250 the entire cook. Find your smoked chuckie happy place!

[HawkerXP]

agree!

[Mr. Bones]

I've never done one at 225° fer th whole ride, nor have I ever wrapped. Cookers I was usin, their sweet spots were bout 250°~275°

I DO use a pan, beneath, most often, to catch that Beefy Goodness that's all renderin down outta that (those) rascal(s)...
Also, I've always used a small loaf pan, fer a water pan.

I done some, previous, no drip pan, an lost alla that jus...don't be that guy...

[JeffJ]

At 225? That's a judgement call. After it gets through the stall test the exterior. If the bark gets to a point where it's solidified prior to the interior of the meat being done....wrap.

[Steve B]

I always wrap my chuckies around the 170* mark. That’s usually enough time to give it a good bark but not have it to tough. Also rarely do I add anything to the wrap. It comes out nice and juicy after the cambro, which I try to go 3-4 hrs.

[RonB]

I have never wrapped a chuckie, and have cooked anywhere from 225* to 275*. I have never had a bad result either.

[Stevo]

Thanks all.

My logic is, that I've had excellent results with baby back ribs in my pellet smoker, just ridin' at 225 with an hourly spritz, until they pass the bend test which is around 6 hours. I figured the chuckie should do the same. We'll see! I'm cooking it tomorrow. It's a teenytiny chuckie, but looked well marbled, and it looked perfect for 2.

I'll post pics and such tomorrow on this thread!

[HawkerXP]

Sounds like a date!

[Stevo]

Small chuckster went on about 8am. 225 RecTec Stampede with a mix of B&B cherry/oak and pecan/oak pellets. It was dry brined for around 18 hours, and then liberally coated with PGO rub this morning while I slammed a few espresso shots to clear my head. I think the PGO recipe i used is 6 parts coarse black pepper to 1 part garlic powder and 1 part onion powder. Or 2T pepper, 1t garlic and 1t onion...





Here it is around 2pm and the IT was around 160. I spritzed it occasionally with 60/40 beef broth/water with a splash of hot sauce added. I had to unexpectidly leave so the spritzing was twice the first 2 hours, and then maybe once or twice more at 1pmish. I would have done it hourly had I been home.





Currently its IT is ~166 at 4pm, 8 hours into the cook...so its in DA Stall...

[Dadof3Illinois]

I’ve done chuck roast all different ways and for me I really like panning it when it teaches 170. I lay a bed of onions and peppers down add some beef broth or consume then cook until the IT reaches 205 or probes tender.
I’ve cooked several without wrapping and the outer bark gets too hard for me.

[NoCo Griller]

Dadof3Illinois do you put foil over the pan to create the braising compartment? don't forget a couple cloves of garlic.

[Dadof3Illinois]

NoCo Griller, Yes I use foil to cover the pan. Chuck roast are so versatile you could use about anything in the pan.

[Stevo]

Here we go. After 12 hours! the IT was around 200, and I was tired of waiting, so I pulled it. The bark had some chew, but my wife and I loved it. I didn't think it was too tough, but I guess wrapping also shortens the cook time.

Here is the end result. We had already eaten dinner, so we just tried a little...just to taste. But we ate it all!!!!

[Spinaker]

I do it all the time. Even if it is a little bit dry, I am generally mixing in sauce when I make chuckies, for BBQ samies. So I will trade a little dryness in the meat for thick bark.

[jfmorris]

I've always wrapped my chuck roasts on the smoker, since the recipes here on AR (by Clint Cantwell I believe) called for wrapping around 160F or after the stall. I've been very pleased by the results for both slicing and pulling, and they were done a lot faster than 12 hours.

[Troutman]

I'd say that last picture above says it all