Most chuckies I do are around 2.5 to 3 lbs, doctorak . I try to find the largest ones that still have good marbling because the yield, weightwise, is about 50%.
Kathryn
Kathryn
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kmhfiveOriginally posted by Mr. Bones View PostOkay, 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.
This is my "Quick Method"..., I do mix up my own rubs, most of th' time.
Okay, so I do as above, then use plain ol taco seasoning fer my rub. Williams, or even store brand. I put it on thick, throughly coverin' my chuckie...
Cook, as needed.
When I pull, I add some more (not so heavily) taco seasoning mix into th' pulled meat an' juices. I want th' beef to be th' Star flavour, here! Ya' can make a thin gruel of it, with some beef broth, if ya' wish...
As pointed out above, a splash of lime juice here an' there will only help tastiness...I use Rose's
When serving, I offer multiple cheeses, tomatoes, onions, peppers, salsas, cilantro, sometimes even lightly grilled jicama...
All I can tell ya', with certainty, is there's never any leftovers
Last edited by Mr. Bones; June 1, 2017, 05:28 PM.Comment
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Like I said, it is a quick 'cheater' method, when pressed fer time
I also add more heat, depends on who/what th' cooks's fer.
Me? I likes some FIRE
Fer guests? Family? Tone it down, or season mult chuckies different (fave solution)
Riff on it to suit yer flavour profile.
Report back.
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Yup. Good $#¡+, Maynard! I grill th' onion peppers etc.. Coat 'em with yer fave cookin' oil, seasonin's etc.
I just try to get a lil' carmelization, bring out th' sugar(s) in it some, nano-char...experiment
Nice tool in th' Mexican food palette!
Veggie pan, foil, smooth side o' GrillGrates, all work.
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So the chucksters are on. Probably because of all the cold meat, the pit temp dropped almost immediately down into the 220-225 range, even with the lid cracked, and hasn't budged for 45 minutes. I know the PBC likes hanging out in the 270-290 range, any reason to be worried? Smallest cut is already up to 113.Comment
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Just ran out to the deli to grab breakfast since our kitchen is a mess, and came back an hour later, pit temp has now dropped to 180! Meat is up to 145. I cracked the lid to see if I could get the temp back up, but if not I may have to abort and finish on the gasser and oven. I'm starting to think the PBC is not really meant to hang 8 hunks of meat at once.Comment
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As you can tell by the haphazard posts this morning, I kind of freaked out there for a while during the cook. With that much meat hanging, the PBC just couldn't maintain a high enough temp. Most of the cook, lid open, the thing basically wouldn't crack 250, and when it did, it would just slowly drop down towards 200 where it would hang for a while. At some point, I had to light some more charcoal and even then it didn't hold 250 for very long before dipping down again. At what seemed like a second stall at 154 IT (and back down to 200 cooker temp), it was 1 pm (just under 6 hours in) and with company coming at 4 with a 5 pm serve time I didn't feel like messing around anymore, so I wrapped them and threw 4 chucks in the gasser at around 280-290, and the other 4 in the oven at 290. They were all done (up to 208 and probe tender) at different times, and they were all in the cambro around 3:30 (about 9 total hours cook time.
Anyway, for all my worrying...I mean it was heartwarming to hear and see the reaction to everyone's first bite. People were coming up as I pulled it and couldn't keep their hands away. It was indeed extremely delicious, pulled pretty easily, and was just some of the best beef I've ever had. Certainly the best I've ever cooked. My friend's mother came with him; she's a professional Chinese chef, and she couldn't stop raving. She was the first to say "you have to let me take some of this home." Seeing as I cooked probably 4 times as much meat as needed, she wasn't the only one going home empty handed.
Photos attached, including some shots of the spread my wife and I put together for the party, including chicken I sous vide'd yesterday then seared today before the party, red peppers, onions, and zucchini all grilled for the tacos, and some shishito peppers I threw on the grill this afternoon (that I overdid a bit) .
Everyone who's posted here, plus others in the Pit...this was pretty much all you. Every single thing I did, every little tweak, every adjustment, has been because of some tip or recipe one of you has posted. Thank you all so much for your help.
Additional lessons learned:
-I tried the Spinaker OCD method. Not sure if I did it right, and not sure if that contributed to my issues. 2 rings of Kingsford original, 40 briquettes in the chimney poured into the center, followed fzxdoc 's lighting instructions otherwise (which has worked out well for me). I set up the charcoal last night and it sat out in the open air overnight, not sure if that contributed.
-The PBC is indeed meant to be easier, and I usually try my best to let it do it's thing, but in this case a little micromanaging picked up on the dropping temps and probably saved me from not having anything to serve. Also, being prepared for issues with the cooker is always a good idea.
-I put a little mezcal that I had sitting around in the wrap with some beef broth. I've never cooked chuckie before but I do think it added a little kick to the end of the cook.
-I had some taco seasoning I made ready to put on the meat to serve, but honestly, the BBBR with that beef broth/mezcal wrap was more than enough flavor and it really needed nothing at the end; big beefy flavor.
-Chuckie rocks. Probably my favorite thing I've cooked so far.Attached FilesComment
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Well shucks that's a great looking table doctorak ! Well done!!
One comment. Depending upon the relative humidity, leaving charcoal out over night could cause burn issues as charcoal will soak up moisture like a sponge. I've done the OCD stack the night before as well, but I've left it in the house, not outside. Now I live in Los Angeles, so we have pretty constant 60% humidity which is far less than some areas experience. I do note that relative humidity has the most impact on charcoal cooks than other factors.Comment
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That is an awesome looking spread.Comment
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That's One Fantastic Spread, there! You an' th Missus are both to be congratulated!!!
Great pics an story, too!
Bet yer th' Talk o' th' Town, right 'bout now!!!
Super fine job on a big ol' cook!!!
Thanks fer sharin'!!!
Last edited by Mr. Bones; June 1, 2017, 04:54 PM.Comment
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And please don't forget photos.
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well done to you, sir! Great backup plans are a must when entertaining. Thanks for the pictures.Comment
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doctorak If you can get some beef tri tip, that may be your favorite cook on the PBC. Trim the fat, dry brine overnight. Use BBBR and hang in the PBC. When temp hits 125 to 130 pull it and enjoy! Usually about an hour cook. I found some at a local grocery here and it's fantastic! It is said that tri tip is the poor man's prime rib.Comment
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I think PappyBBQ hit the nail on the head, doctorak . In the past there have been several reports here of PBC users setting their charcoal up the night before, only to have unsatisfactory burn results the next day. I have sometimes poured and stored the basket and the chimney in sealed Rubbermaid tub overnight just to get a bit of a head start the next day. It's not that humid where I live, but even the little bit of humidity in the air affects my charcoal. I also store my bags of charcoal in sealed Rubbermaid tubs in the garage.Originally posted by PappyBBQ View Post
Also, although the PBC can hold large amounts of meat, it does so at the expense of the "set and forget" philosophy. All of that meat and all of the moisture + drippings it produces makes keeping temps where your want them more of a challenge. My hat's off to you for doing 8 chuckies. I've done 5 in the past, and that was a squeaker, firewise, causing some temperature-babysitting but not too much. Eight is a lot, but you did it! Congrats!
Your cook looks awesome. You and your wife are quite a good team, getting such a delicious-looking spread on the table. Thanks so much for sharing the process and the photos.
KathrynComment
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Seriously impressive!Comment
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