Pulled Chucks Tatanka (hopefuly!) plus beans

[someAZdude]

I have tried to make pulled beef at least twice before with chuck roasts and it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. It was too tough both times and dry on one as I recall. I am hoping that third time is the charm for this effort.

I had a couple of chuck roasts in the freezer from our cow and have been wondering about the difference in using mustard as a coating and oil as a coating for the rub application. Recently I tried mustard on for a brisket on a whim and it turned out good. I tried it on some ribs and it was good as well. I wanted to do a side by side comparison and that is the project today! One is cheap yellow mustard and Tatonka Dust, and the other one is Avocado oil and Tatonka Dust.

I forgot to reweigh them before cooking but when I took them out the other day I think I remembered them being close to 5 lbs each. One is probably a 1/4lb smaller.



I am smoking it using pecan and mesquite chunks with John Henry's lump in my WSM.

I put the meat on the top rack and then the beans on the bottom rack and hour or two later. It is a recipe from here that turned out amazing the first time I made it and horrible the next 3 times! I have made some adjustments and hope that it comes out good here

I'll post the link in a bit and later I'll take a pic of the beans. I actually spilled some of them trying to get it in the bottom rack of the WSM. The foil pan folded at the last second. Lame. Next time I use a double pan!

[barkonbutts]

Looks like a good start! Do you plan to foil? I think it is a must for good pulled beef or it does get tooo dry..... The last one I did I pulled put in juices and then reheated the next day and it was really good and tender and the liquid gold was great to help make the meat juicy! I do like to put some sliced onion and jalapenos in the bottom of foil for extra flavor and moisture!!

Good luck, cant wait to see how they turn out!!

[someAZdude]

Yes, I am going to foil it. I forgot to mention that I rubbed and wrapped them last night and left them in the fridge.
I put the beans under to hopefully collect some drippings. I will add the liquid from the foil back into the meat and maybe into the beans depending. I usually use vernor's ginger soda for my foiling these days and was turned on to it by the very same person that the bean recipe came from. http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...ighlight=beans
I only used 1T of black pepper because last time people (my kids mainly) complained about it being to spicy and it was hot. I also added 24oz of water to it which is probably why I spilled the pan :P Too much in it! Ha ha

I used leftover ribs and put homemade uncooked bacon bits on top instead of strips.

I am loving your idea of putting onions and japs in the foil but for this one I am going to let it ride since I am trying to gauge the difference between the two coatings. Thanks for the suggestion though! I am going to try it sometime fo sho!

[ThunderDome]

Looks good so far. Keep the pics comin

[dsgarner06]

Sure is looking good!

[sweet_magnolia]

Great start!

[someAZdude]

They stalled at 151 and I pulled them and wrapped in foil with a little bit of Vernor's Ginger soda.



Here is the pan of beans. I pulled it and stirred it. I added about 6oz of water and put it back in the smoker.



In the meantime, I reduced a half gallon of Apple Cider down to this!
http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/sho...apple+molasses


In the past I have used Apple cider from concentrate that you get in the grocery store next to all of the other juices. This time I got some real apple cider from the chilled section and let me tell you that there is a HUGE difference in flavor! This one is waaaay better
4 bucks for a half gallon sucks but I am going to go get some more because it is that good!

[Fishawn]

Everything looks great

[someAZdude]

Thanks Fishawn. I just pulled them at 203 and put them in a cooler with towels to rest for a bit. Beans are still on :)

[BIGGLOPEZ]

Looking good Chris, waiting for the finish...

[RowdyRay]

Waiting for the finish too. Don't feel bad. My first several attempts at pulled chucks were a disaster. The third time was the charm. They can be more stubborn than a pork butt, and no two are the same. The larger chunks seem to do better when directly smoked. Smaller ones do better in a pan with onions and beef broth. Just my observations. Don't give up. When you get it right, it's some of the best beef you'll ever eat.

Glad you got to try the apple cider molasses. The real stuff is the way to go. Watch for it on sale. I pay about 6.00 for a gallon. What are you going to use it on or in?

The beans look great too. What's in those?

[chefrob]

looks good to me so far....how did it pull?

[someAZdude]

The recipe for the beans is in my previous post. It is Tadowdaddy's recipe right here on smoked-meat. Not sure what I'm going to do with the molasses except make more! This was 8 bucks a gallon or 4 bucks for the half gallon. I'll be keeping an eye out now.


The beans tasted excellent but my beans were hard again. Also, even after 4-5 hours on the smoker from 250-300 the onions weren't quite finished cooking These beans are my nemesis! I am going to add more water and throw them in the crock pot tomorrow until they are perfect!


The mustard chuck temped at 203 when I pulled it and some of the muscles were easy to pull but one simple wasn't there. Tough as heck. Big chunk too. I sliced it and chopped it and it was fine in the mix. The oil one pulled perfectly. The both had good smoke rings and great flavor. I pulled the juice drippings aside and removed most of the fat and re-added the liquid into the meat.



We grilled some buns on the cast iron and made tater tots to go with it. Overall, an very nice meal. Definitely the best chucks I have done so far.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice!

Almost forgot! For dessert, my wife stopped and picked up some Vanilla ice cream. We heated the Apple Cider Molasses and served it over the ice cream. It was wonderful. We were thinking that something crunchy in it would make it even better next time!

[MossyMO]

It really looks like it turned out well... I see plenty of smoke ring and looks very moist... nice work Chris, that sandwich and plate are top notch!

[Fishawn]

Bravo man, Bravo!!!