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[okie smokie]

1. It was not tender when I took it off.
2. I wanted to separate the juice from the rendered fat, and then add the juice back in when I pulled it.
3. After getting to 208* and letting it sit wrapped for 1.5 hrs. it was so tuff, I almost could not separate it with two forks. Big surprise and disappointment.  This chuck was sold as "prime" and ended up tough as an old boot.  Finally I got enough separated to eat on sandwich bread but was not happy.  My wife being the good person that she is said it was not so bad and had a great flavor and she ate a large portion without bread. Bless her.
Total cook time was only 5.5 hrs with another 1.5 hrs wrapped. Still was hot when I tried to separate.  Back to the old crock pot?

[Bentley]

Don't rely on X° temperature to tell you when the meat is tender, that is the lesson there!  Use the Force Luke, and a fork to see if it is tender!  So, use the Fork Luke...

[Bar-B-Lew]

yeah, my bbq rule of thumb is the meat is done when its done and don't rush it

and with the method I use I have never had a tough chuck roast as they all easily are pulled apart with two forks or I don't pull them off the smoker until they do

[Hank D Thoreau]

Two more excellent chucks today. Had a bit of a blip when my smoker turned off while I was taking someone who lives with us to work.

I held it for the requisite hour after it hit mid 200's. I would have held it a little longer but I had to pick up the person that lives with us from work.

I have been cranking these chucks out like crazy since I cooked my first, which I think is what started this thread. These were numbers 12 and 13.

After the first one, I have been doing them in pairs. Even then, they don't last long. No picture of the shredded beef. It looks pretty much like the other pictures I have posted.

Here is my chart of the cook.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

[dk117]

Total cook time was only 5.5 hrs with another 1.5 hrs wrapped. Still was hot when I tried to separate.  Back to the old crock pot?

I think you need more time.  For it to fully render and be able to fork pull.   Like 7-8 hours, maybe even more.   Bentley probably said it better, but time for chucks. 

DK

[Hank D Thoreau]

I had mentioned in another post that the key to making mine tender was to hold in the 210 range for 1 to 2 hours. I didn't make this up. I read it on a recipe site.

It works really well. The first couple of chucks I cooked were difficult to shred. Once I started holding, they just fell apart. I was a little rushed on the one I did today.

I would have held another hour if I had the time, but it turned out great.

[okie smokie]

I had mentioned in another post that the key to making mine tender was to hold in the 210 range for 1 to 2 hours. I didn't make this up. I read it on a recipe site.

It works really well. The first couple of chucks I cooked were difficult to shred. Once I started holding, they just fell apart. I was a little rushed on the one I did today.

I would have held another hour if I had the time, but it turned out great.

Good points.  Also, I think that 3 hrs of smoke at 225 was too long even when spiritsing.  I would cover it earlier next time to reduce moisture loss. Also, next time would keep heat at 225, and just take longer as suggested.  (and not quit until it passed the "poke" test with a kabob stick. I am thinking of doing a different simpler approach.  Smoke for 2 hrs at 225, and then put it in a crock pot in the morning with onion soup mix and some beef broth, (maybe go ahead and add potatoes, carrots and onions later?). 

[Bar-B-Lew]

You can get away with cooking the beef to a temp of 160° on the smoker at 275° without drying it out before you put it in the liquid to finish.  I've probably done 100 of them that way without fail.

[glitchy]

I've missed the 210 mark the last couple times and gotten the hour cook/hold around 206-208 and been very happy with the results. The last one even dropped back down to 204 or so as I dialed back the Woodwind temp a little too far. Wife said it was one of the best ones I've made. I beginning to think there's not a magic number, just that chuck likes to stay in the 200-210 range for an hour or so to really render and tenderize. It's definitely a lot easier to pull and a lot less greasy and fatty when doing this hot hold. Chuck roasts have been one of my favorites for quite a while, but this info has moved them probably to the top of my BBQ favorites. I'll still take a great steak over chuck, but can't think of much else I'd prefer.

[Hank D Thoreau]

I use multiple probes and they don't all hit 210. I try to keep them above 205. Sometimes, they go high into the teens. I think the key is holding the 1 to 2 hours.