Alternative to Brisket (Chuck?)

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fireiteup

Knows what a fatty is.
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as we've all been posting for a while, brisket prices (and beef in general) is out of line. i'm looking to get my smoked beef fix for a few less bucks.

a couple people have posted recently smoking chuck roasts and then pulling them. i've only done them in the oven with the standard onion/carrot/gravy business in there....smoking seems way better. i love bark on beef.

i've seen people smoke in a pan adding stock during the cook...some not

i've seen people recommend a bigger cut so it doesn't dry out (over 8lbs), some do smaller

any recommendations to get some killer smoky pulled beef out of one these bad boys?
 
Chuck is a great cut to BBQ, and one of the original Texas BBQ cuts. You can do them a load of ways, from sliced to pulled, from dry to braised. Simplest, just rub it up and smoke like a brisket, cook until probe tender. Slice and enjoy.
 
You can do beef chuck steaks as either pulled beef or treat it like a brisket and cook it till it is probe tender and slice it. You can you any size but 3+ lbs works the best for doing sliced chuck steak.

Another cheap cut of beef that is good for slicing is beef round (i prefer bottom round over top round and eye of round) The thing with beef round is that it should be cooked to medium rare and sliced thin against the grain so you aren't chewing it forever. You can also do pulled beef with them, but they lack the amount of interconnective tissues and won't be as moist and succulent as brisket or chuck.
 
I bought a Chuck roast yesterday 4.27 lb packers where 3.28 lb Brisket is still cheaper than Ground beef
 
PatAttack said:
I usually cook one til' about 160-165 then put it in a pan with onions covering the bottom. Let it go until it pulls easily. Makes some pretty good sammiches. Check this thread out from our superstar, "cowgirl"! Cook one like her and you can't go wrong!!

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204230
Click to expand...

yeah this sealed the deal for me man...for sure.

she pans hers with (i believe) stock or broth. i'm cool with just letting it ride nekkid until it probes through? prolly around 200ish?
 
fireiteup said:
yeah this sealed the deal for me man...for sure.

she pans hers with (i believe) stock or broth. i'm cool with just letting it ride nekkid until it probes through? prolly around 200ish?
Click to expand...

You are right on!
 
Chuck is great for pulled, decent sliced. brisket is still the cheapest cut on the steer.
 
Chuck is usually a bit more expensive per lb than brisket, but you don't have to buy 14lbs of it. That's the big difference.

I love a good chuckie, but I will usually slice or cube for make burnt ends. Pulled is phenomenal too..
 
fireiteup said:
yeah this sealed the deal for me man...for sure.

she pans hers with (i believe) stock or broth. i'm cool with just letting it ride nekkid until it probes through? prolly around 200ish?
Click to expand...

I either let it sit on the grate or in a pan uncovered for a few hours to catch some smoke, then I add beef stock and cover til tender. Then I remove the foil and let it finish uncovered.
Good luck with yours! Chucks are pretty good eating!
 
Price also is subject on how you buy it, locally I can pay slightly less for a full chuck roll than brisket but the rolls run 25-30 pounds. But that is ok because you can make several cuts. I usually cut boneless ribs, chuck steaks and several chuck roasts out of one.
 
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