Chuck Roast/Pulled Beef taco ideas

[doctorak]

Hey friends,

We're having around 30 people over for a Sunday-before-Memorial Day BBQ, and my wife and I have decided to do tacos. I know, I know, not the most patriotic thing to cook for Memorial Day, but tacos are super easy for that many people since we can just put out ingredients and people can make their own.

Anyway, I've done pork butt before (not on the PBC yet) and haven't done a chuck roast yet, and you all make them look so friggin' delicious that I'm going to throw some on the PBC to make pulled beef for the tacos. Meathead has a general article on cooking cuts like a chuckie, but nothing specific for pulled beef, so I have a few questions after searching through The Pit, which gave me some answers but not all of them:

-Anyone have a suggestion on a good rub to use for a more Southwestern/Mexican flavor? Or should I just use BBBR and let the accoutrements like hot sauce, cilantro, etc do their work on the tacos?

-How much shrinkage should I expect? For 30 people, I'd like about 15 pounds of meat after cooking, but from reading around here, chuckies tend to shrink a lot because of all the fat rendering out.

-OK to hang all the way to the stall? Double-hook or no? I may not be able to depending on how much meat I'm throwing in there.

-Worth injecting with some beef broth? Or it is fatty enough that it won't be necessary?

Other things I've gathered from you fine folks after pouring through the Pit:

-Make more than I need and I'll have wonderful chuckie sammies for the next week.

-Take to 208-209 instead of 203 for maximum pullage.

-Might have a lower stall (130-150-ish) than pork butt.

-Otherwise treating it like a pork butt: wrap at the stall as long as the bark is good.

-Will start around 6 am, serving at 4 pm. Leaves plenty of wiggle room and will cambro it til ready to pull and serve.

Any and all tips are welcome. I'm going to pick up the meat tomorrow and will dry brine til Sunday AM. Pics will, of course, follow the cook.

[Huskee]

Hey friends,

We're having around 30 people over for a Sunday-before-Memorial Day BBQ, and my wife and I have decided to do tacos. I know, I know, not the most patriotic thing to cook for Memorial Day, but tacos are super easy for that many people since we can just put out ingredients and people can make their own.

Anyway, I've done pork butt before (not on the PBC yet) and haven't done a chuck roast yet, and you all make them look so friggin' delicious that I'm going to throw some on the PBC to make pulled beef for the tacos. Meathead has a general article on cooking cuts like a chuckie, but nothing specific for pulled beef, so I have a few questions after searching through The Pit, which gave me some answers but not all of them:

-Anyone have a suggestion on a good rub to use for a more Southwestern/Mexican flavor? Or should I just use BBBR and let the accoutrements like hot sauce, cilantro, etc do their work on the tacos? You can add some cumin and/or chili powder to the BBBR. Might not be extremely obvious it's there though.

-How much shrinkage should I expect? For 30 people, I'd like about 15 pounds of meat after cooking, but from reading around here, chuckies tend to shrink a lot because of all the fat rendering out. I'm not sure if I've ever weighed raw meat vs final cooked meat, but I'm ballparking 50% loss from trimming and cooking. I'd trim all exterior fat caps on chuckies.

-OK to hang all the way to the stall? Double-hook or no? I may not be able to depending on how much meat I'm throwing in there. I'd double hook yes, if you have the hooks. I'd hang nekkid until past the stall, 170 IT or 180. That might be 6-7hrs.

-Worth injecting with some beef broth? Or it is fatty enough that it won't be necessary? My personal view on that- don't waste your time especially with a chuck.

Other things I've gathered from you fine folks after pouring through the Pit:

-Make more than I need and I'll have wonderful chuckie sammies for the next week. Yep! And omelettes, chili, lasagna, pot pies, nachos, etc etc etc...

-Take to 208-209 instead of 203 for maximum pullage. Yes, and for best results hold it there at 208-210 for an hour before dropping your temp.

-Might have a lower stall (130-150-ish) than pork butt. Might be higher too since the PBC's cooking temp is naturally higher than typical low & slow.

-Otherwise treating it like a pork butt: wrap at the stall as long as the bark is good. ..or after, it's all in how you feel like doing it....best bark is after the stall though.

-Will start around 6 am, serving at 4 pm. Leaves plenty of wiggle room and will cambro it til ready to pull and serve. From experience, an extra 2 or 3 hrs in the faux cambro is better than waiting an extra 2-3hrs for dinner... Might wanna not push 10hrs, but give yourself at least 12 if you can. HAVE FUN! Sounds like a great time.

Any and all tips are welcome. I'm going to pick up the meat tomorrow and will dry brine til Sunday AM. Pics will, of course, follow the cook.

......

[RonB]

A couple more things for you to consider:

Buy the chuckies with the most marbling you can find. Costco seems to have very nice chuckies most of the time. I don't have one, but a good taco seasoning might make a good rub. Either find a recipe online, or buy a mix if you can find a large container.

[kmhfive]

I've only done chuckies once on a pellet grill, but I love the ideas you've got. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Good luck v

[Steve R.]

BBBR is always a good choice. And just remember that an average sized chuck roast will take about the same amount of time as an average sized butt, just because you have to cook the heck out of it to get it that tender. At least an hour at 210 IT usually gets it where I like it. And then the more faux cambro time, the better. I love my ribs, but nothing beats pulled chuckie for flavor and versatility.

I ltypically choose the ones that have the least exterior (hard) fat, since I'm buying by the pound. The stuff you trim off doesn't add anything to the finished product.

Crap, now I have the urge again....

[bardsleyque]

I heard that Texans only chop never pull....

[Steve R.]

Texans need to branch out. Ha!

doctorak is in CT, so...

[Wes Klinkerman]

I can't really imagine a real Texan using the terms "chuckie" or "sammie" either.

Other than that, I may have to try smoking a chuck roast, sounds interesting, but its awfully tough to break into the usual rotation of chicken, ribs, brisket, & pulled pork.

[Potkettleblack]

An asada style rub might work nicely on chuck for tacos. Maybe BBBR amped with some ancho and garlic.

Or, go Dalmation rub or SPG and make some nice salsa for it.

[JCGrill]

Similar to how some might mix a Carolina sauce in with pulled pork after pulling, you might be better off making a thin sauce after pulling your chuck. I don't think anything you do to the outside is going to come through when pulled. I'd play with some beef broth, cumin, cilantro, and chilis. Don't overdo it.

[PappyBBQ]

I've typically added my seasonings to pulled chuck after the cook/pull for tacos, enchiladas, etc. I usually go with something along the carne asada palate though a light "taco seasoning" can be nice as well. I usually cook with BBBR. My other go to for tacos is carne asada skirt steak fast grilled over high heat and chopped. This is also known as "flap meat" in some areas...

[Mr. Bones]

Okay, so I've watched this thread with great interest, as to what th' answers might be...
I make pulled chuck Mexican fare, quite frequently...
There's been some great answers, but, FWIW, here's mine:

Here's my method: (To Be Continued, I gotta hit th' stores, first, git some tucker!)
With SPG/desired pepper(s), dry brine th' chuck(s), fer at least overnight; couple o' days is better...
Stay tuned. Same Bones time, Same Bones Channel.

[kmhfive]

Waiting with baited breath!!!!

[RonB]

kmhfive -Ah - yes. I have noticed you do smell like fish.

[Obi-Dan]

If you basically want to make barbacoa (which it sounds like you do) the traditional spices are garlic, oregano, cumin, adobo, chile, salt and pepper. Then add lime, onion, and cilantro to the taco.

[EdF]

Here's my favorite chuck roast recipe. Expect it to take less time on the PBC. At the point where they say to add your favorite BBQ sauce, add something like the Asada a couple of folks have recommended. Otherwise, the result it actually pretty neutral so you could just spice it in the tacos.

https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/clays-pulled-beef/

This would be on the grid rather than hanging.

[hogdog6]

EdF Chucks are my favorite BBQ and the recipe you posted looks fantastic thanks for sharing it wil be used for my next Chuck cook

[doctorak]

You guys all rock. Thanks for the fantastic suggestions. I went to Costco today and picked up about 24 lbs of chuck roasts (already very nicely trimmed, and cut conveniently into 8 relatively equal thick steaks to match my 8 PBC hooks), and they are salted and dry-brining in the fridge as we speak.

I think I'm going to do some BBBR with some ancho in it to amp it up a bit with the rub, then will probably do a light sauce with some extra rub mixed in with the juices over the meat after pulling (kinda board sauce-ish, maybe).

Because I'm using 8 separate chucks, I'm not sure they'll fit on the grate, so I may forego the wrap. I'll play it by ear with timing; if I'm starting to stall and getting closer to dinner time, I'll wrap em, but will probably have to use the gasser and/or oven to finish all of them.

This will be an adventure, never cooked this much meat before. Again, thanks for all the tips, fine people.

[fzxdoc]

Keep us posted, doctorak . Usually I smoke 4 chuckies at a time in the PBC and put them back in on two grates separated by bricks to finish up after wrapping. 8 chuckies is a challenge. I'm eager to hear your findings.

Kathryn

[doctorak]

Keep us posted, doctorak . Usually I smoke 4 chuckies at a time in the PBC and put them back in on two grates separated by bricks to finish up after wrapping. 8 chuckies is a challenge. I'm eager to hear your findings.

Kathryn

How big are the chuckies you usually do 4 of? These are probably about 3 lbs each.

[Notavegan]

May not be super convenient but if you really need to, and do two cooks, chuck reheats amazing!!!!!!!