My 2nd Chuckie

[itschris]

Well... I started at about 5am and just got finished stuffing my face. This one was better than the last, but I'm still missing the elusive melt in your mouth quality. It's still a bit dry, but was more tender than last time. I got a good smoke ring though... or at least I think it's a good thing. Anyway... I think the smoker got a bit hot near the end (around 260 for about 15 min) and may have jacked things up a bit.

I made some shrimp using a recipe from the sublime smoke cookbook. They came out awful. I've never been a fan of marinating shrimp and now I'm 100% sure I wont change my mind when using the smoker either. The texture was terrible and the flavor itself was just odd and didn't work well.

I'll give shrimp another shot, but I think I like the hot and fast approach better. Overall, I give myself a solid "B" on the meat. It wasn't great, but the flavor was excellent and I did eat about half of it!

[keale]

Try getting a "thicker" cut of chuck...at least 3 in.

[burnin butts]

Did you try wraping the beef to let it self steam while cooking?
The shrimp look good. What did you marinate them in?

[itschris]

I foiled right about 170 and took it to 195 for slicing. It was about 3 inches when it started...it shrunk down quite a bit.

The marinade for the shimp was beer, cider vinegar, molasses, minced garlic, and some lea perrins. Believe me... they may look good, but they tasted like crap. The rub was just way too spicey and completely clashed with the marinade. You couldn't even taste the shrimp. The recipe didn't make sense to me when I read it, but I figured I'd give it a shot since i'm new to the smoking thing. I figured I gotta just try stuff. It was just all wrong, everything about it.

[tkuehn5410]

You should try pulling the chuckie a little before it hits 195. A chuck is a much better cut than a brisket and you don't need to take it as high in order to break down the connective tissue.

[itschris]

About what temp would you suggest to foil, then pull off the smoker, than slice?

[motley que]

i dont slice the chuck, i foil at 160, pull at 205, cooler for an hour or more. falls apart and is juicy

[Norcoredneck]

Great looking smoke ring. I am always hard on myself when i critique my food, what did others say?

[SmokeInDaEye]

I have a couple chuckies in the freezer to try some day, but that looks pretty darn tasty! Is the grain running up and down? May have something to do with the dryness. Slice it on an angle if possible.

[itschris]

I was thinking about he grain when I started cutting, but I couldn't really figure out which would be the best way to cut it with the grain going up and down like it was. I probably should have angles the blade about 30 degree and also cut a longer pieces on angle to the meat rather than just slicing off the end. Good advice.

It was just me, the wife to be, and our daughter (my stepdaughter) this time around. They thought it was good and liked it a lot, but I'm still searching for that greatness. I'll know it when I bite into it!

[Bill-Chicago]

Originally Posted by motley que

i dont slice the chuck, i foil at 160, pull at 205, cooler for an hour or more. falls apart and is juicy

Same exact thing here, and they come out perfect every time.

Maybe its because your calling it the wrong thing Chris.

Them there have been called Chusck roasts here for years, and maybe the term Chuckie makes them tougher?

If you search chusck, there is a ton of good hits out there from the past.

Good luck with #3

HEres a pretty good chusck thread: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7795

[itschris]

I was going for the sliced style, but maybe it's just not condusive to slicing. Thanks for the input guys.

[Papa Hogg]

I normally do not foil anything I smoke, but I have foiled a chusck that I have smoked for tacos, when I foiled at about 175* I added a can of diced tomatos with green chili's. Cooked to internal temp of 205* then coolered for an hour then shredded, the tomatos & chili's were a nice compliment to the meat.

[itschris]

It seems that everyone pretty much take the finished chuck and uses it for something else like taco, enchiladas, stew, etc.

I've just trying to get it good all on it's own because I actually think it's a great tasting meat when done right.

[Papa Hogg]

Originally Posted by itschris

It seems that everyone pretty much take the finished chuck and uses it for something else like taco, enchiladas, stew, etc.

I've just trying to get it good all on it's own because I actually think it's a great tasting meat when done right.

I agree that it is a really good tasting cut of beef & it is good just on its own, but why not jazz up an otherwise ordinary meal that uses ground beef or the likes & make an outstanding meal

When I do chusck's my wife usually tells me to make a couple so we can freeze 1 or 2 to make other meals from (tacos, shredded beef sammies, ect.)