I've got a 5lb chuck roast that's gonna get smoked in a couple days for pulled beef. I've been doing some reading about dry aging, and was wondering if that would have any benifit on a roast that's gonna be pulled rather than sliced? I would think it would be better for something that's gonna be served in slices, but have no experience in the method. Also, what kind of internal temp should I be shooting for? Is it like butt and brisket, where you shoot for around 195-200F? Thanks in advance for any insight!
BBQ Chuck Roast questions...
- Thread starter Thomas B.
- Start date
Mike Draper
TVWBB Super Fan
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T.J. Balcerak:
Also, what kind of internal temp should I be shooting for? Is it like butt and brisket, where you shoot for around 195-200F? Thanks in advance for any insight! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
What I have been told is about 3 hrs per lb, don't worry about internal temp. Mine eneded up in the 200-205 range and was great.
Others may have better advice.
Also, what kind of internal temp should I be shooting for? Is it like butt and brisket, where you shoot for around 195-200F? Thanks in advance for any insight! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
What I have been told is about 3 hrs per lb, don't worry about internal temp. Mine eneded up in the 200-205 range and was great.
Others may have better advice.
Rusty Barton
TVWBB Pro
Here's a link to a VWB thread with others experiences smoking chuck roasts:
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...010011463#6010011463
http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m...010011463#6010011463
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
I would agree that trying to dry age a chuck roast is going overboard - especially for your first roast. Chuck roast is very good on it's own. If you ever do decide to go ahead with the dry aging, you'll at least have something to compare it to if you do a regular one first.
On the 3 hours per pound, be careful. I've done some 4 pound chucks and they don't take the full 3 hours per pound. I think they take closer to 9 hours plus an hour and a half for each pound over 3. So a five pound roast would take about 12 hours. I foil for the last 1/3 of the cook so in this case, the last 4 hours would be in foil.
Good luck.
On the 3 hours per pound, be careful. I've done some 4 pound chucks and they don't take the full 3 hours per pound. I think they take closer to 9 hours plus an hour and a half for each pound over 3. So a five pound roast would take about 12 hours. I foil for the last 1/3 of the cook so in this case, the last 4 hours would be in foil.
Good luck.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I'm with Jerry. Dry-aging chuck (good for flavor, not necessary for tenderness) can be a worthwhile try at some point (make sure you are able to set up conditions that will be stable) but it's probably not worth bothering with for your first chuck smoke.
And, agreed, 3 hrs/lb may or may not be needed--it depends on cook temp and whether you foil. Mostly, I do small chuck roasts at higher temps (300-350) and foil halfway through. In those cases they run much, much less than 3 hrs/lb--but if you are low/slow-ing they could run 2-3 hrs/lb depending on cook temp and, most importantly, thickness of the roast.
For low/slows Mike is right: temps are likely to be in the range he noted ( but for high-heat cooks, especially if foiling, ignore temps as they can be all over the place). Use temps as a guide, not as the sole determining measure of 'done'. Let your fork or temp probe tell you that. The meat will feel very tender--the fork or probe will enter it effortlessly. If the roast you have is from a cross-cut (like a 7-bone roast) it will comprise different sections of the chuck--so check for tenderness in more than one place.
Have fun with your cook and let us know how it goes.
And, agreed, 3 hrs/lb may or may not be needed--it depends on cook temp and whether you foil. Mostly, I do small chuck roasts at higher temps (300-350) and foil halfway through. In those cases they run much, much less than 3 hrs/lb--but if you are low/slow-ing they could run 2-3 hrs/lb depending on cook temp and, most importantly, thickness of the roast.
For low/slows Mike is right: temps are likely to be in the range he noted ( but for high-heat cooks, especially if foiling, ignore temps as they can be all over the place). Use temps as a guide, not as the sole determining measure of 'done'. Let your fork or temp probe tell you that. The meat will feel very tender--the fork or probe will enter it effortlessly. If the roast you have is from a cross-cut (like a 7-bone roast) it will comprise different sections of the chuck--so check for tenderness in more than one place.
Have fun with your cook and let us know how it goes.
Well the chuck smoke went pretty well, although I havn't sampled yet. I'm shooting for a late lunch today with it, with baked taters for a side.
I was quite surprised at how short of a cook it took to get them done. It was 5lbs, and I put it on the WSM at 9:30 last night, and the Maverick alram woke me up at about 3:00 AM with a 203F internal temp. I can only attribute that to either higher temps (chamber temp was at 283F when the alarm woke me up, but was at around 230F when I went to sleep) or that this was a flat roast, about 1 3/4" thick. I dunno for sure, but they looked and felt great when I rubbed the sleepy dust from my eyes and pulled them off. I've been holding them double wrapped in foil and in two bath towels and in the microwave (not turned on, LOL!) since then.
BTW: I got this meat from Costco, and it was sort of like two seperate flat sections connected at one end. That connection broke during cooking, so it's like two 2.5lb flat chucks really.
EDIT: It came out really good, I was happy, as were my parents that I cooked for. Although I found it to be just a tad tougher than I'd hoped, it was still great. Maybe next time I'll pull it a little earlier, maybe at 195F or something. But all went well, thanks everyone!
I was quite surprised at how short of a cook it took to get them done. It was 5lbs, and I put it on the WSM at 9:30 last night, and the Maverick alram woke me up at about 3:00 AM with a 203F internal temp. I can only attribute that to either higher temps (chamber temp was at 283F when the alarm woke me up, but was at around 230F when I went to sleep) or that this was a flat roast, about 1 3/4" thick. I dunno for sure, but they looked and felt great when I rubbed the sleepy dust from my eyes and pulled them off. I've been holding them double wrapped in foil and in two bath towels and in the microwave (not turned on, LOL!) since then.
BTW: I got this meat from Costco, and it was sort of like two seperate flat sections connected at one end. That connection broke during cooking, so it's like two 2.5lb flat chucks really.
EDIT: It came out really good, I was happy, as were my parents that I cooked for. Although I found it to be just a tad tougher than I'd hoped, it was still great. Maybe next time I'll pull it a little earlier, maybe at 195F or something. But all went well, thanks everyone!