Chuck Roll - cook whole or chunkify it?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
I'm leaning towards adding pulled beef to the menu for an upcoming scout campout. The local BJs has chuck rolls in stock, so that seems like a good choice. However, that's one big slab of meat (on Monday, the smallest they had was about 17 pounds and the largest was around 20; BTW, it's labeled as "Chuck Roll Neck Off" if that matters) and I'm wondering if it would be better to separate it out into maybe 4 smaller pieces to get more bark?

I'd be cooking it this weekend, then shredding and freezing until next weekend for the camping trip. I'm also making 4 pork butts and grilling a whole mess of chicken, but we'll be feeding about 115 people.

-Chad
 
Well Chad, I cooked a whole chuck roll when I started this crazy hobby 15 years ago, it weighed 21 lbs., I won't do it again, it turned out OK, but it took a long time. Since then there have been several videos posted on YouTube on how to break down a whole chuck roll. I would do that, not only to get more bark but to have a reasonable cook time. Personally I would cut it up into 4 smaller chunks, it would not only cook faster, (4 5lb. chunks as opposed to 1 20b chunk) but I think you'll be happier with the finished product, i.e. more bark. Another word of advice, chuck rolls, chuck roasts, etc, take longer than you think to get to that pullable stage, don't be in a hurry, take your time and wait for it to finish. GOOD LUCK!
 
Bruce Bissonnette said:
Another word of advice, chuck rolls, chuck roasts, etc, take longer than you think to get to that pullable stage, don't be in a hurry, take your time and wait for it to finish. GOOD LUCK!
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I learned that the first time I smoked a chuck roast. I've done a few more since then and learned the value of patience and usually they come out good.
 
Chad.

I did PSB once & blended up the veggie concotion as used it as a gravy on the side, as opposed to adding it to the meat, coz some of the folks didn't like peppers etc.

And all the luck in the world with all those 11 yr olds!!!
 
TonyUK said:
Chad.

I did PSB once & blended up the veggie concotion as used it as a gravy on the side, as opposed to adding it to the meat, coz some of the folks didn't like peppers etc.

And all the luck in the world with all those 11 yr olds!!!
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That's an idea...maybe just onions, though, since I've got a bunch of them. And only about 1/3 of the campers are kids (cub scouts, so between 5-11, and about a dozen older or younger siblings), the rest are the parents. This is my last time as camp chef, so I'm probably going a little overboard. :o
 
I would do as others have said chunk it down to more manageable sizes, You will get much better results. I do a lot of PSBs and it does take a lot longer to get the beef to a pullable stage than you would think. Don't rush it with more heat as you will get a dry unappetizing product, I know from experience.
Good luck on your cook.
 
Rich Dahl said:
I would do as others have said chunk it down to more manageable sizes, You will get much better results. I do a lot of PSBs and it does take a lot longer to get the beef to a pullable stage than you would think. Don't rush it with more heat as you will get a dry unappetizing product, I know from experience.
Good luck on your cook.
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Thanks! I picked up a 20.13 pound slab of beef last night. I'd need to at least cut it in half to fit in my 18" WSM, but I think then I'll cut each half in half again. I'm thinking of keeping the rub simple: salt, pepper, garlic and maybe a little paprika.
 
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