request advice for pulled beef

I've only tried pulled beef once on the WSM & would like to try it again. It didn't come out great, did it more of a pot roast style with veggies. I don't remember the cut but it never got shred-tender even though the temp got pretty high. Does anyone mind sharing a method/cut/etc on how to do something just basic for pulled beef?

Use a cut from the chuck like a generic 'chuck roast' -- no need to spend serious cash. Don't bother temping as it is immaterial. Use something of a good thickness and smoke for a few hours. Foiling to finish will even out the cooking. Remove when it is fall-apart tender (open the foil and check by hand). After a rest it will then pull effortlessly.

Originally posted by K Kruger:
Use a cut from the chuck like a generic 'chuck roast' -- no need to spend serious cash. Don't bother temping as it is immaterial. Use something of a good thickness and smoke for a few hours. Foiling to finish will even out the cooking. Remove when it is fall-apart tender (open the foil and check by hand). After a rest it will then pull effortlessly.

Click to expand...

I agree! And really emphasize on what Kevin says when he says 'effortlessly', that is KEY!! Chucks will fool you and the outside of the meat will pull easy, but the insides will still be tough.

Chuck is one cut that if you did go by temp you'd screw it up everytime! However, you can use temps as guidelines as to when to foil or when to check for doneness. When I do chucks, I'm more concerned at the bark at the point of foiling than I am about the temperature, but I will still poke a probe into the meat just so I know how it's cooking, though certainly not necessary. I also like to use a probe after foiling as a guide as to when to begin checking for tenderness rather than opening and closing the grill anymore than necessary. I'll leave the chuck cook until it hits 190º-195º, at the point I will begin to probe and fork the meat. The prob should go in with ease and you should be able to stick a fork into the meat and twist it like spaghetti. Larger cuts of chuck are very stringy due to the make up of the muscle and it will wrap around your fork just like spaghetti! Due to the stringiness it is a good idea to minimally chop the meat to break down the strands. This is not necessary for small chuck roasts. But I would highly recommend you get the biggest chuck roast you can find, not necessary a chuck roll, but say a chuck roast in the 6-8lb range. I just think the bigger ones cook much better than the smaller ones.

Here's a recent Midnight Chuck cook, if you notice in the second set of pictures how the bark looks, dry and burnt, that's when you should foil if you do not go by temp.

Thanks guys, that's exactly what I need! I'll try it tomorrow. Riding dirt bikes in the desert is today's plan.

Clint

I just threw on the chuck roast, 6.09#.

1 full ring with ~3 chunks of hickory, 1 mesquite.

It's been on for about 20 minutes, temp is coming up slow. I lit several coals in the middle with my torch. The chunks are mixed in randomly with the coals with smaller partially burned ones on the lit.

I'm planning on running around 300* lid temp to get me 275 grate unless I read differently.

I got a late start, almost froze it & waited for next weekend, but then what would I eat this week? Now I'm forced to think about & smell BBQ for most of the day. Woe is me. ;^)

pics

http://www.facebook.com/photo....ba6d45&id=1290367307

broke out the Maverick wireless, it seems the dome temp & the grill temp are within 10 degrees of each other, although neither thermometer has been tested lately for accuracy.

I'm showing ~274F Grate, 165 Meat. I'm going to give it a little while in the mid to upper 160s unless it just blows through it then I'll foil. It's been on for 6 hours.

**foiled @ 168F. I must confess, I've pulled a few pieces of bark off & the meat is shredding just like I want it to. Some places aren't so tender yet, I assume the foil will take care of these areas. Is foiling absolutely necessary?

just keep cooking it until it falls apart, once it's foiled I throw it in the oven at 225 until it's fall apart tender through and through ... expect perhaps a couple of hours ... go hotter, say up to 300F if you're in a hurry

keep it foiled and rest it a while in a toweled cooler ... 30 minutes should do (but can hold it for many hours this way as well)

try to save the juice!! defat it and dip meat in it in it, add it to a sauce, use it when reheating, add some back into the meat after it is pulled ... etc

I've done it with and without foil, you could try it yourself next time without foil but you will likely find it gets quite dry ...

mmmm. resting. I pulled it @ 198*. I don't think I'll pull it all right now, just going to rest it then put it in the fridge to cool & then portion it tomorrow. Thanks for the help.

I pulled it, most of it pulled effortlessly, there was maybe 15% that was a little difficult but pullable. the 6.09# roast only yielded 2.5# finished product!

The juice was nearly all fat so I just fed it to the dog, there was only maybe 1/4 cup juice & it was late. maybe I should've saved it but the dog was in heaven with the scraps & juice. I got a little stab-happy with a probe & punctured the foil. I saved as much as I could but it just wasn't much.

Here's a pic I quickly snapped before pulling:

http://www.facebook.com/photo....3052c3&id=1290367307

Stogie, who used to post here had the best recipe for shredded beef...

Because of the many different muscle groups in a chuck roast, he recommended 3 hr/lb and forget the temps.

He foiled 2/3 of the way through. I believe he added beef broth to the foil.

Always worked for me... I used "Better Than Bouillon" instead of broth. About 1 tsp and 2/3 cup hot water.

If someone remembers Stogies method more clearly that I do, please feel free to correct me.

Aha!! found it!

Seems like Doug D reposted it some time back.

Here you go:

Stogies Chuck Roast

Originally posted by Clint:
I pulled it, most of it pulled effortlessly, there was maybe 15% that was a little difficult but pullable. the 6.09# roast only yielded 2.5# finished product!

The juice was nearly all fat so I just fed it to the dog, there was only maybe 1/4 cup juice & it was late. maybe I should've saved it but the dog was in heaven with the scraps & juice. I got a little stab-happy with a probe & punctured the foil. I saved as much as I could but it just wasn't much.

Here's a pic I quickly snapped before pulling:

http://www.facebook.com/photo....3052c3&id=1290367307

Click to expand...

Your yield is a touch low, but close to normal. You should get about a 50% yield when you're done.

From your pic's, looks to me like you did a great job!!!