1st attempt at chuck roast


 
J

Jim Mathews

TVWBB Member
Had a hunjering for BBQ beef, so I'm trying my 1st chuck roast. 3 hours at 250, then I foiled it with some beer in a pan for about 2.5 hours, average temp of 250. Just checked, it's pretty tough, not anywhere near "fork tender".

Leave it on, or did I overdo it? It was a 6 pound roast, no wind here in CT, about 40 degrees outside.
 
I second Dave.:)

Seriously, even though you're braising in foil, which I'd do as well,(and with the beer, also!), chuck roasts are the most stubborn bbq cut I've run into. If you can't twist a fork in it, it's not done. You can raise the temp and get it done much faster, though.
 
Thanks guys. I mean, I cooked this thing for 8.5 solid hours. Just tried a bite, still very tough, nothing that could be pulled. Into the fridge it goes, I'll put her back on tomorrow around 11 AM, hopefully it'll be done by dinner. Or by Easter, at least.

every recipe I saw said to cook for 5 or 6 hours. Not one recipe said "unless it decides it doesn't want to be done until 10 hours of cooking".

But hey, I knew BBQ was a harsh mistress.
 
Jim the last piece of chuck I did for PSB took like 11-12 hours if I remember right and it was around 7-8 pounds. I hit the wall at like 180* at hour 8 and it sat there for almost 2 hours.
 
Jim Mathews said:
Thanks guys. I mean, I cooked this thing for 8.5 solid hours. Just tried a bite, still very tough, nothing that could be pulled. Into the fridge it goes, I'll put her back on tomorrow around 11 AM, hopefully it'll be done by dinner. Or by Easter, at least.

every recipe I saw said to cook for 5 or 6 hours. Not one recipe said "unless it decides it doesn't want to be done until 10 hours of cooking".

But hey, I knew BBQ was a harsh mistress.
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Where those recipes meant for cooking them in an oven at 350? Chuck roasts are full of collagen that has to be broken down in order to make it tender.
 
I've done a number of chucks and at 225-250, I plan on 9 hours for a 3-4lb piece of meat. I foil about 2/3's into the cook (so about 5-6 hours). To me, chuck roasts are right between the time for ribs and the time for a butt. At 8.5hrs and with what you're saying, may I offer a suggestion? Rather than put it back on, cut it up and make vegetable beef soup with it. As you bring the soup to temp, it will finish the beef and you'll be eatin good! Time to move on to the next cook - chucks are one of my favorite.
 
Leaving it in the fridge over-nite IMO is actually a good thing as the flavors get to meld and it does taste better the next day, like a Pot Roast if that what's you're trying to do.
I also agree that it was underdone, a few more hours at a higher temp should get you there.:wsm:

Tim
 
Thanks guys, all is well that ends well. After a few more hours, it was fork tender, puled easy, tasty on a nice roll with a little sweet sauce. Th erecipe on this site has a time chart, and as I recall, it was a 6 hour cook at no more than 275. That's where I got lost.
 
Jim Mathews said:
Thanks guys, all is well that ends well. After a few more hours, it was fork tender, puled easy, tasty on a nice roll with a little sweet sauce. Th erecipe on this site has a time chart, and as I recall, it was a 6 hour cook at no more than 275. That's where I got lost.
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If you take a look at Larry's Pepper Stout Beef recipe, you can crank the WSM up to 350° after the roast hits an internal of 165°

I've made this twice with 2 lb roasts each time and it took about 5 hours to cook each time.
 
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