Couple Chuck Questions

I'm about to do my first chuck roast on the UDS. I got a two pack of Angus chucks from Sams , the whole pack weighs 8.5 pounds , but one of the roasts looks a little bigger than the other. I'd say one is 4 pounds and one 4 and a half. I'm going to freeze one for later use , I'll be cooking the bigger of the two today. I have read through quite a few of the chuck threads here and have somewhat of a game plan based on the info.

My plan is to get the drum up to about 250, rub the chuck roast with Plowboys Bovine Bold , put the chuck roast directly on the drum at this temp and let it take on smoke for a couple hours , or until internal temp is around 160-165. At that point I intend to put it in a foil pan with a little beef broth and maybe a little additional rub , seal it up tight with foil to keep the moisture in , and let it finish like that until it's done , which from what I gather is around 205 degrees but more by feel than anything.

Here are my questions before I get started.....

1. Is my plan ok , or am I screwing up somewhere?

2. Is that rub a good choice for chuck? Ive never used it before and would have no objection to using only salt and pepper if it will work better.

3. Timing , I'm about to head outside and get the drum ready right now and it will probably be ready for meat around Noon. I would like to have dinner at around 6 P.M. Considering a 4.5 pound roast starting at Noon , 2 hours at 250 degrees , going into foil and liquid at 2 P.M. , should I raise the pit temp to have it done in time? to say 350 or so?

4. How well does chuck take on smoke? Should I go heavy like i would for a Butt , or lighter like for poultry or somewhere between?

Wampus said:

I've only done a chuckie one time, but after much advice that they tend to dry out a bit, I did it THIS way. Turned out REALLY good.

Click to expand...

Well , that looks a lot like what I had in mind , except I don't have the dark beer or jalpenos , I could use a regular beer , and I got some onions........

Here we go

An we're off.......

I got the drum started like usual , Hickory , apple and cherry chunks...













Gotta wait for all this thick white smoke to clear up



Rubbed the meat down with the plowboys bovine bold





White smoke gone , temp is where I want it , or close enough for my standards anyhow



Meat on the pit , was right at Noon , notice my temperature probe arrangement. I have two probes from the maverick on either side of the meat and the turkey fry just under it. It gives me a real good sense of what temps are like all around the meat.



I am going to follow that pepper stout recipe as close as I can with what I have , I think the idea behind the method is solid , hopefully all will turn out well , and I will keep yall posted.

Update Time !

I had an amber beer , and pickled jalapenos, red onions and garlic. So this is somewhat following the pepper stout recipe , but different.







And now time to finish cooking it , I'll probably check in about two hours for tenderness.

I just checked on the meat , it's just about where I want it to be as far as doneness goes. Here's where the recipe differs from my instinct. What my first instinct says , is pull it out and let it rest in the foil for at least an hour before pulling. what the recipe says is shred it up and cook it even further in its juices.

Any suggestions here?

This turned out excellent , we didn't make sandwiches or anything , just ate it with a fork along side some mac'n'cheese and coleslaw. It was tender and delicious , I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.