G'morning, all -

I've got a 4 or 5-ish pound chuck roast (rolled and tied) that I want to barbecue in my 22.5-inch Weber Kettle, then shred/pull for sandwiches. I have a Vortex for the Kettle, which is in my opinion quite a useful accessory:

http://madhunkymeats.com/VortexManual2.pdf

I've never done this before, but have done many, many pork shoulder roasts for pulled pork barbecue, so I have a decent idea. My plan is to have it on the grate to the 160- to 165-degree range, then foil or pan it until it is finished. I'll then let it rest, then shred it. I don't normally foil or pan, but it seems to be the right thing to do here.

I started start by slathering with a mustard/Worcestershire mix, then rubbed with Tatonka Dust from Owens BBQ, which is really great for beef:

http://owensbbq.com/tatonka-dust--brines.html

I've got apple and Pecan wood chunks for smoke, and decided to go with apple, since pecan is hard to get up here.

As for spritzing, I may go with a Kentucky-style blend of Worcestershire and apple cider vinegar (50/50), or maybe just with beer or hard apple cider, I haven't decided yet.

When I get the beef shredded, I figure to mix with some sort of barbecue sauce until the beef is the right consistency. I'm leaning toward a historic sauce from Mississippi that I am rather fond of:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...sauce_topic3574.html

We'll see if I'm in the mood to make a sauce from scratch or not.

Currently, I have the bottom vent of the Kettle just barely open (just a sliver), and the top vent wide-open, opposite where the coals are currently burning. Hopefully, we're on our way to some good eats!

Okay, guys - forgive the quality of the pictures as I learn to photograph, edit photos etc from my iPod, but here we go. This first one of the slathered and rubbed chuckie was taken by The beautiful Mrs. Tas as I was getting the Kettle going:



And here we are, an hour in:



As I said before, the bottom vent is nearly closed with just a sliver showing, and the top is wide open. As soon as I find my thermometer (long story), I'll have an idea as to what my temperatures are; but so far, things SEEM to be on the right track.

Following up on my comments above, I am leaning more toward a store-bought sauce rather than making my own, simply because the day is getting away from me here....

I'm just thinking out loud here, but maybe a better way to go (instead of foil) would be to set the chuckie in my Dutch oven, then add a bottle of the hard cider mentioned above (or a beer). It could be that the results would be about the same, but those Dutch ovens sure do the job where braising is concerned.

Updates:

It's looking like there's no real need to spritz - I've just been brushing the chuckie with its own juices and rendered fat - good stuff, I think.

As for a sauce to mix with the beef, I'll see what our local grocery has - every now and then, some good stuff shows up that can't be gotten elsewhere.

Coming on three hours in, and looking good ~

I was lookin at that and my mouth started waterin. Here in Oh hi we have guys bbq sweet baby rays spicy honey is real good. its a little sweet. We really have a good selection. hum so many that are good.
I would hate to see those drippins go to waste.
add a bit of vinegar for a Carolina sauce. or some of the rub you used and some pomegranate/ cranberry juice my special dipppin sauce. How about a chipotle/ mango bbq. what time we eatin.
I ordered 6oz of the dust to try.
Dave

Eatin' in about 3 hours, I'm guessin'!

I went to our local, small-town grocery, but the pickin's were slim after a busy weekend, especially with such beautiful weather. For a beer to use as a braising liquid, I decided to use half a tallboy of Bud Lite with Clamato and a little lime. They didn't have any sauces or marinades from Stubbs, so I grabbed a bottle of Bullseye, which has always been a good performer. They also had one foil pan left, so I picked it up, deciding to go with that rather than the Dutch oven, just because.

5 hours into the cook, I removed the chuckie from the heat and put it in the pan with half of the tallboy of beer:



After that, I foiled the top and it went back on the heat, where it will remain until it's done. I'll then shred the beef, mix in the sauce and serve on buns.

You going to just shred it with tongs like a pork shoulder? If you didn't roll and tie that roast, would it be unmanageable once done?

Hi, Ken -

The roast was from our own family's beef and was extremely good. It was boned, rolled and tied during processing as per my request, and the butcher did a great job with it.

I did indeed shred it just like I do a pork shoulder. When I shred meats like this for "pulled" pork or beef, I simply use two forks and rake them across the meat, working my way down until nothing is left. Along the way, I clean out any remaining fat or "gunk" - properly-barbecued meat should have very little, as most fat and connective tissue will have rendered out during the cooking and especially the resting period.

This particular roast was perfectly manageable, and I had no trouble with it while shredding it - it behaved pretty much the same as any pork shoulder, except there was no bone.

I'll have more to reprt later, when I have time, but wanted to get your question answered.

I'd slice it cross-grain rather than shred it, but I prefer that with pork too. Try it once and see what you think.

I putting a 10 pound chuck in the egg now. What internal temp did you get to?

I've got a sneaky feeling Tas can't talk because his mouth is full.

Just put it on. Internal temp is 46. So he has time to chew.

Weli I think we are done. Internal temp is 190 so it coming off the egg to rest before it gets shredded.

J - I apologise! I was away from the computer pretty much all day yesterday, and missed your post!

Having said that, it looks like you nailed it!

Lavaca - I'll give "sliced" a try sometime ~ main concern is the amount of un-rendered fat?

No problem thanks for pointing out how good a chuck roast is for smoking.