smoked chuck roast

duffer

Help. I saw a you tube on how to smoke a chuck roast. I bought a 2 pound roast and put rub on the night before. Put on egg next morning at 9:30 and set temp at 250. After 2 hours check temp of roast and was 158. After 2 more hours no change in roast temp. 
Very tough and almost uneatable. What did I do wrong. 
Have had the egg over 20 years and this was the first time I have had a bad result. 

Mattman3969

Chuck is one of my favorites off the egg.  You need to cook it like you did but then add a braise till the meat lets loose.  Usually around 205-212°.  I’ve never had a good one without the braising step.  Search pepper stout beef and you’ll find all kinds of info.   

duffer

Thank you but I could not get the roast temp over 160. How do I do that.

Mattman3969

You hit what is called the stall and at 250 it could a while before you see any temp advancements.  Try bumping temp to 275-285. It’s a game of patience when slow cooking beef.  I don’t really think it matters when you wrap or pan the meat once you hit the 150-160 range.  I like to take an aluminum pan with about a cup of pre warmed beef broth and worcestershire sauce and add about a jar full of pepperoncinis with the meat on top of that then wrap tight with foil.  It will take another 2-3hrs to get the meat to pullable.  Most chucks take me anywhere from 5-7hrs.  

duffer

I will try again. I have never heard of a stall.

Thanks for your insight.

pgprescott

duffer said:

I will try again. I have never heard of a stall.

Thanks for your insight.

Virtually every large cut such as pork butt, shoulder, brisket, chuck roast etc. will have a stall as the fat and connective tissues “melt” away. Happens at @160 degrees. I liken this to sweating. We sweat as a means to cool down or lower our temperature. So, as the meat “sweats” out it’s fat and collagen it stifles the heat being applied to the protein. I suppose all cuts have some sorta stall, but it takes a larger cut for it to be very noticeable. 

Teefus

I’ve done chuck a couple of times. My best effort was rub applied the night before, four hours on the lump at 250* with a couple Mesquite chunks, then three more hours in a sealed foil pan with some beef broth and coarse chopped mirepoix. Final temp was about 205*, and it was held for the better part of an hour. I pulled it and let it rest for 30 minutes. It was melt in your mouth yummy, and the braising liquid made the best gravy I’ve ever eaten. 

duffer

so how do i get the stall to move???

buzd504

duffer said:

so how do i get the stall to move???

Have a couple of drinks.

It can last a while and the temp can even drop.  As noted, you can raise the egg temp a bit from 250 with no ill effects.

bgeBill

duffer, Attached is one of my chuck cooks that shows a typical stall.  The braising, panning and covering, will help get it moving, but you just have to wait it out.  Once it starts to climb again, it finishes pretty fast.

GrahamJ

This is great data thank you.  

HeavyG

duffer said:

... I have never heard of a stall...

Read this:
https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/understanding-and-beating-barbecue-stall-bane-all

EagleIII

A Chucky will be impossible to shred at 160 or anything near that.  I am repeating what has been said above, but we'll have all been there and felt your frustration.  I typically use the Pepper Stout Beef recipe that you can search the Forum or Google and you'll find it.  Smoke it indirect till you hit 160, then put it in the foil pan with veggies, a Guinness Extra Stout and some Worcestershire and foil the top of the pan till you hit 210 - 212.  Probe to make sure, but it should probe like "buttah" at that point.