Certified Angus Chuck Eye Roast question

[HunkyDory]

We have a 2.69 lb chuck eye roast thawing out for this weekend. I have searched this forum and other sources. There seems to be some confusion as to how to best cook this cut. Of course I could put it in the crock pot for 6 or so hours and have a good meal. With many chuck roasts that is a great approach but if this is from a more tender portion of the forward extension of the ribeye, it seems a waste to treat it like a pot roast.

I would like to cook this in the smoker. Should I treat it kind of like a steak and smoke it to 130 deg F then sear it and rest it for a bit, Or do I need to smoke it to the 160 degree F range then crutch it slowly to about 190. Or, something else?

Thanks in advance for your opinionhttp://www.hunkydory.cc/pics/chuckeyeroast.jpg.

[PatAttack]

Try a search for Pepper Stout Beef.

You won't be disappointed.

[Ron_L]

I've never tried chuck cooked to 130 but I would suspect that it would be pretty tough. I would either cook it to 185-ish and slice or cook it until it is probe tender for pulled beef. Braising it like in the Pepper Stout Beef recipe is also another good choice.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211545

[Untraceable]

Not sure that is labeled correctly. Appears to be a standard chuck roast, not chuck eye

[MisterChrister]

The bottom half portion in your picture is chuck eye, the top is the Denver portion. http://askabutcher.proboards.com/thread/802 There's no WAY I'd waste the chuck eye portion treating it like a regular chuck roast! The Denver portion on top looks deceivingly marbled and steak like but is tough when treated like a steak in my opinion, although some people will marinate and grill it.

I'd separate the two pieces and cook them differently. The top portion Denver cut can be cut up and used for stew meat as it's too small to effectively treat like a whole chuck roast on the smoker. You can smoke it for awhile to get some additional flavor, then chunk it into a beef stew or soup to simmer a few more hours to tenderize. The chuck eye at the bottom of your picture, I'd do nearly as you suggested. I'd liberally salt it with kosher, and let it rest in the fridge on a wire rack 6-8 hours, unwrapped. Apply the salt to what looks like a fairly excessive degree, as you're not just salting the outside, but also the inside of the meat as the salinity equalizes when the salt draws water to the surface, dissolves the salt, then reverses direction back into the meat, carrying salt with it. It shouldn't look like you're applying a rub, not that heavy, just noticeably heavier than you'd salt the exterior of a steak on your plate. This dry brine step will tenderize the meat and also help shed some tasteless water weight. Then, I'd let it come to room temp for a few hours, then start the smoker and let it come up to no higher than 225. The key to a good reverse sear is low smoker temp to let the heat slowly raise the meat temp for good edge to edge color and doneness. It's even more critical on smaller cuts. I'd then put the chuck eye on for awhile to take in some smoke directly to the meat, uninhibited. When it hits about 100 IT, paint it on all sides with olive oil (or preferably rendered beef fat a.k.a. "beef love", if you have any) that's infused with copious amounts of finely minced fresh garlic, and coarse black pepper. Continue smoking to no more than 120 degrees, and remove from the cooker to rest. Get set up for a screaming hot sear at this point, and quickly char all sides. I continue basting the charred sides as I flip with the garlic olive oil to relubricate as I go. Watch for flare ups as the olive oil can light up if you're not careful! When done, immediately plate and serve. A second rest isn't necessary, and can even be detrimental as additional carryover heat from the sear can take you past target temp on smaller cuts. Slice against the grain/on the bias and serve with garlic-butter sautéed mushrooms and onions right over the sliced sections. Be ready to fend off attackers who are eyeballing your plate after they inhaled theirs too soon!

[HunkyDory]

I certain will try the pepper stout recipe soon PatAttack but probably not with this piece.

I am inclined to believe Untraceable on the mislabling of at least the top section of the cut and think Ron_L is right. That part looks like it would be way tough at 130 degrees.

I am going to follow MisterChrister's advice and split the upper and lower sections and treat the top like soup meat and bottom as suggested with the dry brine and reverse sear. I have had very good luck with ribeye steaks done that way.

Thanks for the advise. It will be used.

[SmittyJonz]

I'd smoke it for 2-3 hrs then Chunk it in the Crock Pot. Taters too. Make the Gravy with beef broth........

[Roguejim]

I've eaten many chuck eye steaks. They used to be the butcher's best kept secret, rivaling rib eyes. They are best grilled to med-rare/rare. Stew half the roast; grill the other.