Stop Treating Your Chuck Roast Like Brisket!
4 Mistakes Between You and Juicy Pulled Beef
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Introduction
Chuck Roast Is Not Brisket, So Don't Cook It Like One
What's up BBQ fans! There's nothing worse than spending hours on a chuck roast only to end up with dry, stringy pot roast. If you're treating chuck like brisket, you've already failed. Today I'm going over the mistakes people make with pulled beef. It started as three and turned into four, and here's how to get juicy, tender pulled beef instead.
The Beef
This is American Wagyu chuck from Costco: two pieces, 4.65 lb total at $10.99 a pound, which isn't bad for Wagyu. In full transparency, I'm not a big fan of Costco cuts like this, because they're blade tenderized (it says so right on the label, even for Wagyu). You can ask the butcher for a whole cryovac package instead.
One piece was thicker than the other, so the cook times were different. That's the point: you can't cook meat by time. Every piece is different. Learn to balance the bark, the look, the temperature and the probe feel.
The Rub
Pepper: a little over 3 tbsp of fresh cracked pepper from the Pepper Cannon (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%)
Salt: about ¾ of that in Season-All, which is like Lawry's Seasoned Salt, but a little coarser
Binder: W sauce. These pieces were pretty dry, and it helps the rub stick. It's like Worcestershire on steroids, and I stock up on the case of 12 around Christmas.
Let it sit a few minutes. It soaks up the moisture nicely.
The Setup
It was 9°F outside (about -13°C) when I started. On the Komodo Kamado 38, don't crank the heat right away in the cold. It's refractory cement with expansion joints and grout that need to warm up and expand together.
Two chunks of Bear Mountain Hickory on the bottom, Bear Mountain lump on top (about half a basket)
Only about 30 seconds with the GrillGun (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%) to get the lump going
Top vent about 1 turn open, bottom about an eighth open, which is my usual setting for 225 to 300°F
It came up slowly: 50°F after 20 minutes, 200°F after about 45
Target: 275°F dome, about 250°F at the grate, indirect on the cool side
I probed each piece with my Typhur Sync Gold Dual (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%). Insert past the line, go into the center of the meat, and avoid big pockets of fat.
This is the only part where you treat chuck like brisket: low and slow. Rush it and it'll be flavorless.
Mistake 1: Chasing Bark
At about 3 hours, the temp had crept up to about 325°F dome while I wasn't watching. No big deal, since we were about to wrap. The pieces were at 162°F and 154°F.
People push chuck to 170 or 180°F trying to build brisket-style bark. Don't. You're wrapping it, so the bark doesn't matter. Get good smoke and color, then wrap early, around 150 to 160°F.
Mistake 2: Wrapping It Dry
A brisket can be wrapped by itself, because it's loaded with fat that renders and self-bastes. Chuck is lean, with just a few small pockets of fat. It needs liquid in the wrap.
My mix: W sauce, everyday red wine and beef broth. Skip the wine and use all broth if you like. I wrapped each piece in foil with the sides folded up to hold the liquid close, then set them in a container for good measure. Back on for at least two more hours.
Mistake 3: Pulling It Too Early
People treat it like brisket and pull at 203 to 204°F, before the magic happens. Use an instant-read like my Typhur InstaProbe to probe for tenderness. It should feel like warm peanut butter, with no give.
I took one piece to 207°F and the other to 209°F. Total cook times were about 5½ hours and 5 hours. Just those couple of degrees made a significant difference. The 209°F piece shredded like butter.
Mistake 4: Skipping the Rest
Long rest, baby. The longer the better. I rested these 45 minutes, and they came down to about 150 and 159°F. If you open it too early, the juices haven't redistributed, and all that steam is moisture escaping. With more time, I'd have held them in the oven overnight.
Taste Test
Look at the surface moisture. I just squeezed with my finger and thumb, and it fell apart. So soft. Tossed with the wrap juices, it's absolutely delicious. Jake approved, and doggy approved.
Final Thoughts
Wrap early, add liquid, cook to probe tender instead of a number, and give it a long rest. Do that, and you'll never wonder what the hype about pulled chuck is about again.
Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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