Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Pellet Grills and Smokers => Topic started by: ronman451 on July 29, 2018, 01:30:58 PM
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This weekend I decided to try making pulled beef. Got a couple of chuck roasts from Costco, one was about 3 lbs, the other about 2 lbs. Seasoned with some Oak Ridge Black Ops Brisket Rub and on to the Memphis Elite at 225 for a few hours. I've learned my lesson about using a drip pan. I added a bit of beef broth to the drip pan and chopped up some onions, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes... About three hours into the cook (internal meat temp 150F) I transferred the chuckies into the drip pan and covered with foil, raised the cooker temp to 250. At 201F meat temp, the chuckies were not probe tender. Checked them every 30-45 mins for about 2 additional hours (final meat temp 204). Still didn't get tender enough to pull, but dinner awaits! Sometimes you have to roll with the punches...Plan B: Sliced it like a brisket and chopped the leftovers for tacos in a day or two...
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/858/29844603898_e4e3f5b621.jpg)
Just before the wrap. I'm happy with the bark.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/934/42811232845_f865717456.jpg)
Sliced, "brisket" style. Tender and moist and delicious.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/928/42811230985_830d6cc6b6.jpg)
Close-up, just for fun.
Final notes and observations:
1. I probably could have cooked longer to get the pulled beef texture I was after, but I have a feeling the meat would have dried out too much. The chuckies WERE a little lean to begin with, in my opinion.
2. The Black Ops Brisket Rub is pretty good stuff if you like a little bit of spicy heat. It creates a great bark (I think it has coffee).
3. The internal meat temp never got above 204, even after two hours.
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Sorry to hear about your cook. I've done pulled beef a few times and have never had an issue. Here's my method:
I coat the chuck roasts (which I always buy at Costco) with rub and put on the smoker at 250F. 1.5 hours later, I flip the roasts. After 3 hours total cooking time, I bring the roasts inside in a full aluminum sheet pan that has been underneath them, and then fill the pan with 32oz of warmed beef broth. Cover with foil and back on the smoker. Continue cooking between 2-3 hours until IT
reaches 195F.
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Sometimes chuckies are very stubborn. Looks like you made the right call.
The next ones you do will probably pull like butter...……...
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Looks great to me. Chuck really can be stubborn
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I would recommend that you take them to 210F internal and they will pull like a pork butt.
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I would recommend that you take them to 210F internal and they will pull like a pork butt.
Totally agree with Dave on this. I have had to take them higher than 210 on a few occasions and they did not dry out. When I cooked them to 200 to 203 they were ridiculously hard to pull so I sliced them. Try it at a higher internal temp and you will see the difference. Of course, all chuck roasts are NOT created equal. Some are just more stubborn than others.
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Looks like plan B was a winner.
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Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. Plan B was definitely a winner, so I'm happy about that.
I will plan for the extra time on my next chuckie cook in case I need it!
I have a theory, not sure if it's correct or not... Since the meat was sitting in an inch and a half of boiling liquid, I wonder if this caused the meat temp to stall at 204 degrees (it remained at 204 for about 2 hours and would go no higher). At our high elevation (about 5000 ft.), water boils at around 203 degrees and doesn't get any hotter no matter how long you boil it. We adjust most recipes to account for high elevation cooking...