Chuck Roast - Smoke or Smoke/Sous Vide


 
GrantT

GrantT

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So, I've picked up a pricey (for a chuck roast) organic, grass fed chuck - about 3.5 pounds. Still deciding on either just a long low/slow smoke on the S6 - OR - or a shorter smoke and then into the sous vide for 48 hours and eat it like prime rib (medium rare'ish) with a hot finish sear back on the Q.

Convince me one way or the other...
 
I need to learn how I a supposed to cook one of these.
I have one similar size in a net style wrapping vac packed waiting to be cooked.
I thought it was like poor mans brisket or something.
I don't know if I should cook it like Italian beef and slice it and make sammies or cook it low n slow and treat it like brisket.
It would be done in a lot less time on low n slow I would guess.
Cooking it like the eye of round leads me to believe it would come out very tough, like it needs the time like a brisket.....
I haven't looked at it in a long time, I believe its pretty fatty???
Have you made one ever Grant?
 
I also gave up using my sous vide.
I am not sold on the texture it makes the meat to be.
Mind you I have only done steaks.
 
while all my cooking stuff is in our new house in boxes, without electric, water, septic, etc. I've been planning my first few cooks......one will be a large chuck-eye roast sous vide at 135F for 24+ hours in an amusing yet elegant marinade, then rotisseried until it has a perfect crust........that's the plan, we'll see what happens
 
Darryl - swazies said:
Have you made one ever Grant?
Click to expand...

I did a 48 hour chuck sous vide (to 132 degrees if I recall) and it actually came out pretty amazing. Texture was pretty close to prime rib we thought.

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I have never smoked one though so this would be a first attempt. Being grass fed beef, I do expect it to possible be a little tougher and perhaps less marbled. Can be tough to determine.

Dammit Brian - I come with option A or option B, and you give me an incredible and much tastier looking option C with photos to throw it over the top...hmmm....maybe I'll cut the roast in HALF, and do half with your suggestion...I think it might be big enough. The remainder might be too small to smoke, but might do the smoke/sous vide/sear route OK.

Now I'm really messed up....perhaps I'll have to get the wife to make a final decision, but once she sees your suggestion, I already know what she is going to say I think.

*sigh*
 
Brett_Roundy said:
while all my cooking stuff is in our new house in boxes, without electric, water, septic, etc. I've been planning my first few cooks......one will be a large chuck-eye roast sous vide at 135F for 24+ hours in an amusing yet elegant marinade, then rotisseried until it has a perfect crust........that's the plan, we'll see what happens
Click to expand...

The last one I did (see pic above) was 48 hours and I recall the texture pleased us. 24 *may* be a little short for chuck, but I would love to hear how it turns out. My wife is a fan of very tender so that is also what I tend to cook towards as well...perhaps at the cost of texture.
 
So is the chuck tough and needs lots of rendering, or can I could it like a prime rib and expect it to be tender?

I hope to see results and what you thought of the cook.....when is the cook?
 
Well, i have the "America's Test Kitchen" sous vide cook book and they recommend 24 hours....they might be pretentions and somewhat uppity but their recipes are spot on....i'll post once i try it
 
Brett_Roundy said:
Well, i have the "America's Test Kitchen" sous vide cook book and they recommend 24 hours....they might be pretentions and somewhat uppity but their recipes are spot on....i'll post once i try it
Click to expand...

Good info...I don't really recall where the 48 hour recommendation came from for me so I'm always looking for an improvement to tastes, procedure, etc.
 
I smoked one last week on the grill. Turned out okay for me but not that great. Not much better than the old foil wrapped oven method.
Maybe a stew style with tomato and star anise...
 
I have done both ways and both are great! It comes down to , do you want a roast or a thick steak. The sous vide way is like steak, my co-workers wanted that for there incentive lunch! :blackkettle::summite6kamado:
 
Brett_Roundy said:
i have the "America's Test Kitchen" sous vide cook book and they recommend 24 hours
Click to expand...
What temp do they recommend for that time? Salt or anything during the sous vide? Do you grill or smoke it afterwards?

I've used sous vide for steak and salmon (the best) and other small items, but I don't recall using it on a big piece like chuck roast. Sounds like a good new project.
 
I found the ATK recipe in a video. They dry brine 24-96 hours, brown in a skillet, then sous vide at 133 for 18-24 hours. Then roll in crust and finish in 475 oven for 20 minutes. Serve with good looking sauce.

Looks like a fun project, but you have to start on Tuesday or Wednesday to eat on Saturday.

 
To be honest I would cook it like PSB, add the veggies if you want, it can go on at 8am and be ready before dinner time.
Pulls nicely and tastes great.....starting on a Tuesday is a commitment.....
 
My cousin's husband cooked us Snake River Farms rib eye and used two methods, sous vide vs. reverse sear on grill. He cooked both well and since it was SRF, both were very tender. I could almost convince myself that the sous vide was more tender but the difference was minuscule. I, like others, preferred the reverse sear because the overall flavor was better. I think the crust was tastier.

I don't have a sous vide because I think I can cook to my satisfaction without one and I don't have that much space.
 
Of those choices, I would smoke it. I cook it for about 2 hours per pound. I start off with it just on the grate and then foil it about half way through.

But for me, this is a cut of meat the I like to cook in my large Dutch oven that I bought especially for pot roast.

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