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  • 1st Time Chuckie....DOA

    Welp the thought of a smoked chuck roast sammich was great.....The end product...not so much.

    Bought a chuck roast ~3 lb. Rubbed it down with Mad Hunky GP. Preheated the smoker to 250 F (filled water pan with sand, 1st time trying that). Tossed the chunk of meat in the smoker and added a foil packet of mesquite chips to my smoke pan. I have been using only chunks but I only had apple chunks and wanted a stronger smoke flavor for the beef. Well that is where things started down hill. Thick white smoke billowing out of the smoker. After that first packet of chips I went with apple chunks.

    After ~ 5 hours the meat reached 160 F. Put it in a foil pan with some preheated beef broth, garlic, and onion. Foiled it and returned to the smoker (still about ~250 F). Little over an hour later it was at 201 F. Verified with instant read thermometer. Wrapped pan in towels and let it rest about an hour until the wife got home.

    It was still really hot when I pulled it out of the pan and that's when I realized things weren't so great. Grabbed a couple of forks and it wouldn't shred. I've seen that happen with pot roasts in the crock pot so I figured I'll just eat it without shredding. It was about as tender as a rubber shoe. And tasted like a burnt shoe at that. The odor when I took the foil off of the pan wasn't that great either. Smelled burnt.

    So my question for you is....... WTH did I do wrong?

    I'm sure at least some of the off flavor was the billowing white smoke that I started out with. Do you think anything I did would've caused the shoe like texture? I know tough cuts of meat happen but boy this thing was tough.

    I will definitely try again, but before I do I'd like some feedback on what NOT to do next time.

  • #2
    The bad taste had to be too much thick smoke--Light blue is Perfect, Light White is OK, but Heavy any color is bad.

    As for the toughness---Could have been a bad hunk of meat, but I would think maybe your Meat Therm could be wrong, and you weren't really up to 200° IT. Might have been more in the 180° range??

    Here's a couple:
    http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19284

    http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...596#post297596



    Bear
    Vietnam Vet---9th Inf. Div. Mekong Delta (1969)
    Easy to follow Step By Steps: Pulled Cured Boston Butt Ham and Buckboard Bacon--Smoked Salmon-- Bacon-On-A-Stick--Bacon (Extra Smokey)--Boneless Cured & Smoked Pork Chops & CB--Canadian Bacon & Dried Beef--Ham Twins (Double Smoked)--Double Smoked Hams X 4--Bear Logs (All Beef--Unstuffed)--Smoked Bear Loaf (All Beef-Mild Hot)--Prime Rib (My Best ever)--Another Prime Rib--Chucky (Pulled Beef)--Twin Chuckies--Pork and Beef Spares--Rare Beef (for Sammies)--Raspberry Chiffon Pie---


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    • #3
      Some pieces of beef aren't done @200...
      And some just don't tender up at all...
      Chuck is generally an easy roast to master but it can be a fickle bitch too...

      Try again...Odds are that you did nothing wrong and next time will be better...
      Craig
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      • #4
        Yup give it another try. I've had different parts of the same roast cook differently. Some parts pulled and some didn't. I've also had them turn out just like you describe.

        Next time try probing for tenderness when you get close to your target temp.
        Bored Guy Blog

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        • #5
          I would suggest a little higher temp to really get tender meat. Chuck may not have been an accurate cut. Maybe just a mean cow. Maybe the direction of slicing in relation to the grain of muscle.

          Depending on your smoker, a heavy smoke can impart creosote residue on your food and make it taste quite bitter.

          Next time look at the amount of connective tissue in the cut. Sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesn't. Keep on keeping on. Pulled beef has many options. sandwiches, tacos, Asian, etc...
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          Some days I think Bravo Zulu, other days it's more like Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...

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          • #6
            Im thinking check your therm ...a little over an hour even foiled at 250 to go from 160 to 201 ?? seems a lot quick to me
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            • #7
              Originally posted by T-bone Tim View Post
              Im thinking check your therm ...a little over an hour even foiled at 250 to go from 160 to 201 ?? seems a lot quick to me
              Yup. Seems quite quick to me too.

              Watch your smoke. That can ruin your product if not applied gently. Sorry it did not turn out for your 1st time chuckie. Keep on keepin' on brutha... you'll get it.


              Drinks well with others



              ~ P4 ~

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              • #8
                Some chuck roasts can be brutal, I've had my share of them. Look for ones that have a decent amount of fat in them, that should help.
                Lang 36 Patio, a few Webers, 2 Eggs, plenty of gadgets and a MES 40 Gen 2.5 electric for bacon and sausage.
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                • #9
                  Originally posted by SmokinOutBack View Post
                  Some chuck roasts can be brutal, I've had my share of them. Look for ones that have a decent amount of fat in them, that should help.
                  True. Chuckies are not all created equal. I've had some that were stubborn as hell, and some that fell apart (they were the best). You'll get it.


                  Drinks well with others



                  ~ P4 ~

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by T-bone Tim View Post
                    Im thinking check your therm ...a little over an hour even foiled at 250 to go from 160 to 201 ?? seems a lot quick to me
                    I thought the same thing that's why I grabbed the instant read when the probe was already reading 200. I thought maybe I was getting a false reading from the boiling broth. But no matter where I took the temp in the meaty parts it read 200.

                    No idea myself. Just have to try again.

                    Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by a207769s View Post
                      I thought the same thing that's why I grabbed the instant read when the probe was already reading 200. I thought maybe I was getting a false reading from the boiling broth. But no matter where I took the temp in the meaty parts it read 200.
                      How did the probe feel going in? Did it go in real easy? Or was there some resistance?

                      Lots of folks use temp as a general guide but don't pull it until it's probe tender.

                      Don't worry. You'll get it.
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                      • #12
                        What are you cooking on? Make sure your exhaust vents are wide open. As mentioned, each piece of meat will cook differently. Some just refuse to cooperate
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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by DDave View Post
                          How did the probe feel going in? Did it go in real easy? Or was there some resistance?
                          :
                          Didn't feel very tender when I put the probe in but being my first time doing something I was afraid to let it keep going.



                          "What are you cooking on? Make sure your exhaust vents are wide open."

                          Masterbuilt propane smoker. Top vents are about 1/4 - 1/2 open. Don't know why just where I've always had them. Would you suggest I keep it fully open at all times for better air flow through the smoker? There is no bottom damper on this model. The only place air is getting in on the bottom is around the burner.

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                          • #14
                            i always run every smoker that i owned with the exhaust vents wide open...
                            Island of Misfit Smokers Member #92

                            How to heal the world. Love people and feed them tasty food.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by a207769s View Post
                              Didn't feel very tender when I put the probe in but being my first time doing something I was afraid to let it keep going.
                              Don't be afraid to let it go longer until it's probe tender.


                              Originally posted by a207769s View Post
                              Masterbuilt propane smoker. Top vents are about 1/4 - 1/2 open. Don't know why just where I've always had them. Would you suggest I keep it fully open at all times for better air flow through the smoker? There is no bottom damper on this model. The only place air is getting in on the bottom is around the burner.
                              Yes, keep the top vents open at all times.
                              CUHS Metal Shop Reverse Flow
                              UDS 1.0
                              Afterburner
                              Weber Performer
                              Blue Thermapen
                              Thermoworks Smoke with Gateway
                              Thermoworks Chef Alarm
                              Auber Smoker Controller
                              Proud Smoked-Meat Member #88
                              -
                              "All welcome, take what ya need, share what ya know. " -- Richtee, 12/2/2010

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