So I am debating Here....


 
M

Michael Cowley

New member
I am about to recieve my new 18.5" WSM and I am having about 13 people over to break this bad boy in. Now they all said they dont care what I make. We are all hefty eaters. Here is what I am thinking. I have recently stumbled onto this Chuck Roll thing. What size would fit on the 18 incher? would it be better for me to cut it in half and do one on bottom and one on top? What kind of rub would I use? Inject it with something? If so what? Mop it every so often or no? I have never made such a large piece of meat. I have done ribs and pork butt thats about it. Any and all Suggestions would be wonderfully Appreciated.
 
I think up to 25 pounds can fit, but I try to find one about 20 lbs. I cut that in half

I use this Rub

for injection, I mix the above rub with beef stock and inject.

165 foil 195 all done HTHs.

Good luck!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Michael Cowley:
I am about to recieve my new 18.5" WSM and I am having about 13 people over to break this bad boy in. Now they all said they dont care what I make. We are all hefty eaters. Here is what I am thinking. I have recently stumbled onto this Chuck Roll thing. What size would fit on the 18 incher? would it be better for me to cut it in half and do one on bottom and one on top? What kind of rub would I use? Inject it with something? If so what? Mop it every so often or no? I have never made such a large piece of meat. I have done ribs and pork butt thats about it. Any and all Suggestions would be wonderfully Appreciated. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Mike,

Not trying to discourage you but I would do a trial run beforehand. Smoking is completely different from grilling so if you have the chance, give yourself a trial run. Last thing you want is to have all your family and friends over and the food is either not cooked or everyone is waiting around for hours.

Good luck and enjoy. The WSM is fun.
 
What did you do your pork butts on?
If you were using a ECB(El Cheapo Brinkman) you are ready for a surprise.
If you cut your Chuck Roll to a pork butt size, the cook would be similar to the pork butt.

I am not a fan of mopping on a WSM in that every time you open it you will add to the cook time.
 
I'd suggest you go with something that is fairly foolproof - and for a first cook on the WSM I can't think of anything that fits that description better than pork butts.

Even if you've made them before, you might be surprised at how good they can be coming off of the WSM.
 
I'm going to echo Ernest in that I would encourage you to do a trial run first. You should at least light some charcoal and burn in the smoker first, get any oils and stuff left over all burned off. When I got mine, I did a couple packages of bacon to just get some grease around and let the parts all get hot.

A whole chuck roll is a very bold first cook, whether left whole or cut up, that's lots of meat. For a cook of this size, especially if it truly will be your first, I would give yourself a couple cooks to know your cooker better. If you are set on doing beef of some sort, may I recommend the pepper stout beef recipe from this site. Excellent recipe, and easy to make. You'll still use your cooker, but it's a recipe that is very easily finished inside if something goes awry outside.
 
eh, cook some chicken on it the night before or for lunch for your warmup - I say go for it.

IMO pulled beef is as foolproof as pulled pork, it might even be a little more forgiving. You can't really oversmoke it, you can't burn it, the only thing you could do wrong is let it run out of fuel or overshoot done by 8 hours and then you *might* have a problem (use the beef as shredded beef filling for chimichangas or something).

Do it!

With that much meat it's not going to overshoot your temp. I'd also recommend running the water pan dry just so you get used to how it goes. If you overshoot your temp, no big deal, just relax & gradually close your bottom vents. Prolly have to run it wide open, or 3/4 at least anyway (I have the old 18 wsm). Top vent always open, Kingsford blue or comp. Peeps here will help you out during/before your cook so you're set.
 
I vote for the trial run as well, nothing fancy, a couple of chickens maybe. Just to get the timing of your smoker right. I know I wasn't prepared for how long the cooks could take. But then again, the WSM makes the long cooks a breeze compared to the ECB I had before.

Even if you do "mess up" don't fret, you get to eat the mistakes and all your guests will still get free food.

Good Luck!
 
Love me some pulled beef. If you get a chuck roll you can either put it on whole(way more cooking time) or split it into smaller pieces. That is what I do I usually split it in two. I use this rub
and cook at around 250*-275* till tender. Often I will foil one half to get some liquid to mix into a sauce.


Thom, I used to use that rub but modified it with the help of a few members here give it a try much better in my opinion.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J Graz:

Thom, I used to use that rub but modified it with the help of a few members here give it a try much better in my opinion. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Looks like I got Version 1.0, didn't know they came out with 1.1 and just looking at it, ohhhh baby looks much better
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Guess what I'm doing soon
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Thanks for the link ... I found this site and still <STRIKE>stealing</STRIKE> umm..borrowing the recipe
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I know you have your mind set on having friends over, so with that being the case, hang on tightly as this can be an interesting situation being your first cook.

The biggest issue a novice WSM user will face is time management. ALWAYS give yourself extra time since it is easier to hold meat rather than push it too fast. I rather be done two hours before serving time than two hours after guests arrive. Foiling and resting is a golden rule.

I am sure you enjoy beef...most do. In my opinion, and my opinion is just one of many here, pork butts will be your best and most forgiving choice. Butts have a fairly wide latitide of whats acceptable in terms of internal temperature and doneness. Mistakes can be hidden by chopping finely if underdone.

Beef is, in my opinion, somewhat more complicated. I honestly think the latitude is much tighter and mistakes are easy to make.

Additionally, pork is cheaper and your friends will love you for the smoked effort regardless.
 
Thom, I really ejoyed the original, I just figured it could be so much better. So I got some help from Kruger and Wolfe and in my opinion made it better. It is now my go to for anything beef.
 
I'll 2nd or 3rd the idea of going for a couple pork butts first. They're foolproof to the point that you can cook them at almost any temperature from 150-350 degrees, so it really doesn't how closely you watch either. Or you can start them 4 hours early and cook them high heat and pull them when it's time to eat. It will be a lot easier to drink beer and socialize that way.
 
Ok Awesome thanks for the input I think were going to do the Cherry Dr Pepper Pork Butts. Now my next question is do I baste every so often or just let them get to 165 foil them take them to 190 and pull them and stick them in a cooler to rest? Also, How many butts do u think I need?
 
Michael -- 2 average sized butts should be more than enough. I can't help you with the basting, I always just rub mine and cook them high heat until they're done. No mops, basting, etc.
 
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