Brick wrote:

I smoked a couple of chuck roasts in the last few weeks. The first,
I took off at 135°. It was delicious, tasting a lot like rib roast. But
it was difficult to eat because the connective tissue was not broken
down and had to be meticulously cut away at the table. I cooked
the second chuck to 185° internal. It was moist and falling apart tender.
There was no need to slice it any particular way. Both were rubbed
with reduced salt cajun seasoning before cooking.

That pretty much reflects my experience with chuck as well. You've
got two choices, rare (135 F) or shredded (180+ F). In between
doesn't work. If you cook it rare you've got a lot of trimming to
do. For that reason I tend to serve it cold in salads and sandwiches
and the like, or use something with less gristle like top round. I
make it regularly because I'm addicted to roast beef. The stuff you
can make in your smoker is light years beyond you get at the
average deli. It's one of those things that when you serve it to
others they can't believe the low quality of the other stuff
they've been eating their whole lives.

When I've cooked it to shredded stage it's been good many times,
but I've found it can be hit and miss. A few times it was just too
dry and it ended up going to the dogs, literally. I think it depends
on the particular cut and to some degree the luck of the draw.

So with chuck, I normally either cook it rare and trim it or I
do as Ed does and make a nice braise.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com