First Time Chuck Roast


 
K

KC Lee

New member
I've never done a chuck roast, but have two of them that I was saving for chili that I have decided to smoke this weekend. I've searched the forums and have some ideas, but what have you guys found to be best practices with chuck roast, or what have you tried recently that you liked?

Thanks!
 
I much prefer smoked-braised over smoked alone. Here is an example. Sometimes I include dried fruit in the foil, like cherries or diced apricot.
 
I've done many chucks roasts and they are always a big hit. It's my go-to beef cut for the smoker, even over brisket. I also do a smoke/braise technique when I cook them. I also do them high heat, 325ish out of the foil, 350-375 when foiled. I smoke for ~2 hours out of the foil, or until i'm happy with the color/bark and then I place them in a foil pan. Before the roast gets panned, I slice up some onions and peppers and lay them in the bottom, and place the roasts on top. The veg pretty much disintegrates, but gives a very nice flavor and some liquid as well. I don't add any liquid to the pan, as I find with the fat in the chuck, it never lacks for moisture. I couldn't begin to give you any idea on temp for doneness, as I only go by feel. when you can twist a fork like spaghetti, it's done.
 
I've only done Chuck two ways ...
~ using the TVWBB recipe - Chuck Roll
~ slow-cooker pot roast

But I think I'm going to give Kruger's a try this weekend.
 
I plan to do a chuck roast for the first time soon as well.

What size roast would be recomended to feed about 20 (mostly light eaters), when sides are plenty?

Boneless chuck roasts are about $3.99/lb in my area, I'm thinking bone in might be the way to go for price savings.

Any thoughts for a novice?

Thanks!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J. Morgan:
I plan to do a chuck roast for the first time soon as well.

What size roast would be recomended to feed about 20 (mostly light eaters), when sides are plenty?

Boneless chuck roasts are about $3.99/lb in my area, I'm thinking bone in might be the way to go for price savings.

Any thoughts for a novice?

Thanks! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Shoot for an 8-10lb roast (the best size anyways for pulled beef in my opinion), you will get roughly 55-60% yield giving you roughly 5lbs of finished product, give or take. That will give you enough for 16-4oz sandwiches. Since you say they are light eaters, this should be more than enough.

Here is a 10lb Chuck Roast I cooked awhile back. I cook in the 245º-260º range until the internal temp hits around 160º-165º (don't need to be precise) or until it has a nice bark formed. Then foil and continue to cook until 'tender' to the point you can insert a fork and twist like spaghetti. Generally I start checking when the meat gets around 195º. It's not done at any certain temp, it's done when it's tender, that's extremely important with chucks. Also, let it rest at least an hour in the foil and cool for 30 minutes before pulling. Hope this helps.

Pepper Stout Beef is another pretty good alternative to plain old smoked pulled beef sandwiches, with a twist and spice!

IMO, any chuck roast cut will work for this, so get the cheapest one you can find (bone in or boneless) with a good amount of fat.
 
About 9-10 lbs. You could do a larger portion of a shoulder clod or about half a chuck roll, but I'd likely just select two large roasts of around 4.5-5 lbs each. Try to get two that are similar in thickness. Weight is not that operative; thickness is. If possible, get two squatter, thicker roasts rather than two flatter, thinner roasts. But better to get two similarly sized roasts of either rather than one thick and one thin, even if the weights are the same.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
I've only done Chuck two ways ...
~ using the TVWBB recipe - Chuck Roll
~ slow-cooker pot roast

But I think I'm going to give Kruger's a try this weekend. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My plan is to give the TVWBB recipe a try this weekend...basically to treat these like pork butts and see what happens.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions so far. Might have to give my first go at posting pics on here this weekend!
 
I have done a few chuck roast and there are wonderful.

I did this one about a year ago after reading this that Larry cooked.

I have found that a 10 lb. roast comes out better then 5 lb. or smaller for pulled beef.

Good luck and can't wait to see the pictures.
 
Thanks a ton for your help and input everyone!

You've given me a real boost to pull this off.

I'm sure it will be a hit - none of the guests have had pulled beef before - it should knock there socks off!
 
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