Took a 2.25 lb boneless chuck roast just now and put it in a gallon
ziplock of water with about a cup of salt, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar,
some ground coriander, garlic powder, black pepper, and a little
pickling spice. Right now its sitting in the brine at room temp as it
wasn't quite fully thawed.

This meat was otherwise destined for the crock pot so I figured why not
take a chance. This evening I'll cook it indirect on a kettle grill,
maybe 225-250f, in hickory or mesquite smoke for maybe 2 hours. (It's
flat, boneless, about 2" thick, decently larded with collagen or fat
throughout - hard to tell which without manhandling but with the chuck,
prolly collagen)...plan right now is to rub it with pastrami-type mix of
coriander and black pepper right before putting it in the smoke...

I've tried chuck roast in the smoke twice before with bad results once,
tolerable results the other...never tried to brine it before. Think I
saw this "brine a chuck" idea on this list a few weeks back.

Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this I'll
be a happy camper.

Douglas Barber wrote:
>
> I've tried chuck roast in the smoke twice before with bad results
> once, tolerable results the other...never tried to brine it before.
> Think I saw this "brine a chuck" idea on this list a few weeks back.
>
> Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
> welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
> won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this
> I'll be a happy camper.

Guess what I have thawing for tomorrow? Please do report results.
As to suggestions, raw whiskey is good for numbing tastebuds if necessary.
<BG>

Dale
--

Duwop wrote:

> Douglas Barber wrote:
>
>>I've tried chuck roast in the smoke twice before with bad results
>>once, tolerable results the other...never tried to brine it before.
>>Think I saw this "brine a chuck" idea on this list a few weeks back.
>>
>>Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
>>welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
>>won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this
>>I'll be a happy camper.
>
>
> Guess what I have thawing for tomorrow? Please do report results.
> As to suggestions, raw whiskey is good for numbing tastebuds if necessary.
> <BG>
>
> Dale

Good idea, about the whiskey....
I'll let ya know

Douglas Barber wrote:

> Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
> welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
> won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this I'll
> be a happy camper.
>

Douglas,

My first suggestion would be to plan on more time than 2 hours. It's
a tough piece of meat and it probably won't surrender that easily

My other comment would be that BBQ chuck is one of the few times
where foiling towards the end of the cook is useful. It may even
be necessary depending on the cut.

Here's some info on BBQ chuck. I've had good experience with this
method

About halfway down the page
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ktaylor11/bbq_tips.htm

Here's another interesting piece

http://yyyz.net/bge/Picture42.asp

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

Reg wrote:

> Douglas Barber wrote:
>
>> Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
>> welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
>> won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this
>> I'll be a happy camper.
>>
>
> Douglas,
>
> My first suggestion would be to plan on more time than 2 hours. It's
> a tough piece of meat and it probably won't surrender that easily
>
> My other comment would be that BBQ chuck is one of the few times
> where foiling towards the end of the cook is useful. It may even
> be necessary depending on the cut.
>
> Here's some info on BBQ chuck. I've had good experience with this
> method
>
> About halfway down the page
> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ktaylor11/bbq_tips.htm
>
> Here's another interesting piece
>
> http://yyyz.net/bge/Picture42.asp
>

Thanks Reg, great info. Dayumm, guy #1 above mentions 9 and a half hours
for a 3# chuck....!!!

Douglas Barber wrote:

> Thanks Reg, great info. Dayumm, guy #1 above mentions 9 and a half hours
> for a 3# chuck....!!!

Yeah, and I don't neccesarily agree with his opinion that internal
temp isn't a reliable indicator with this type of meat - I get good
results in the 190-200 F range every time. Definetely use your
thermo.

Good luck and have a great weekend.

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

In article >, Reg
> wrote:

> Douglas Barber wrote:
>
> > Thanks Reg, great info. Dayumm, guy #1 above mentions 9 and a half hours
> > for a 3# chuck....!!!
>
> Yeah, and I don't neccesarily agree with his opinion that internal
> temp isn't a reliable indicator with this type of meat - I get good
> results in the 190-200 F range every time. Definetely use your
> thermo.
>
> Good luck and have a great weekend.

Amen to the thermo endorsement. The particular cut of chuck is the
single most determinant factor here.If the piece is big, well marbled
and floppy (remember the floppy brisket test? same thing) things'll
probably go well lo-n-slo. If you can, get the cuts further back on the
shoulder towards the loin.
Another chuck wonder is the chuck eye steak. Half the price of a ribeye
and just about as good for grilling.

monroe(good chuck and have a great weekend)

Duwop wrote:
> Douglas Barber wrote:
>
>>I've tried chuck roast in the smoke twice before with bad results
>>once, tolerable results the other...never tried to brine it before.
>>Think I saw this "brine a chuck" idea on this list a few weeks back.
>>
>>Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
>>welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
>>won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this
>>I'll be a happy camper.
>
>
> Guess what I have thawing for tomorrow? Please do report results.
> As to suggestions, raw whiskey is good for numbing tastebuds if necessary.
> <BG>
>
> Dale

Dale, this came out well. This was a 2.25 lb flat chuck roast, about 2"
thick, brined almost 5 hours in a gallon ziplock bag with 1 cup salt,
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, about 1 TBSP garlic powder, 1 tsp ground
coriander, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 TBSP pickling spices. After brining I
rinsed it well and dried it. Having tasted the finished product, I might
reduce the salt in the "quick brine" by 1/4 cup, especially for a
non-cigarette smoker. I made a rub of 3 parts ground black pepper to 1
part ground coriander. I used 1 TBSP total black pepper to make the rub
and used only 1/2 of the rub. Having tasted the meat I would have done
better to have used the a little bit less rub and to have used a 2 parts
pepper/1 part coriander rub instead of 3/1 - more like a heavy
sprinkling than a light rub would have been better.

Cooked indirect on kettle grill, hickory smoke, temp range 225-325,
mostly around 250, total of 5 hours, turned several times. After 4 hours
I spread the thing with my preferred tub margarine-type spread (that's
right...it looked in danger of becoming dry, and it was that, or EVOO,
and I didn't want an olive flavor)... and wrapped in in foil for the
last hour.

This came out as I had hoped, strongly reminiscent of pastrami, tender,
and moist. A "quick and dirty" pastrami fix with what would have been a
pot roast. Not restaurant fare by any means, but if the option is crock
pot chuck, I think this is worth a try. I'll put a few pics of the
finished product over in ABF. My better half and I were happy with the
results of this cook.

just to be clear, the brining in the ziplock involved dissolving the
named stuff in water and filling the bag with that, not a "dry" process

Douglas Barber > wrote in
:

>
>
> Duwop wrote:
>> Douglas Barber wrote:
>>
>>>I've tried chuck roast in the smoke twice before with bad results
>>>once, tolerable results the other...never tried to brine it before.
>>>Think I saw this "brine a chuck" idea on this list a few weeks back.
>>>
>>>Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
>>>welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
>>>won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this
>>>I'll be a happy camper.
>>
>>
>> Guess what I have thawing for tomorrow? Please do report results.
>> As to suggestions, raw whiskey is good for numbing tastebuds if
>> necessary. <BG>
>>
>> Dale
>
> Dale, this came out well. This was a 2.25 lb flat chuck roast, about
> 2" thick, brined almost 5 hours in a gallon ziplock bag with 1 cup
> salt, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, about 1 TBSP garlic powder, 1 tsp
> ground coriander, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 TBSP pickling spices. After
> brining I rinsed it well and dried it. Having tasted the finished
> product, I might reduce the salt in the "quick brine" by 1/4 cup,
> especially for a non-cigarette smoker. I made a rub of 3 parts ground
> black pepper to 1 part ground coriander. I used 1 TBSP total black
> pepper to make the rub and used only 1/2 of the rub. Having tasted the
> meat I would have done better to have used the a little bit less rub
> and to have used a 2 parts pepper/1 part coriander rub instead of 3/1
> - more like a heavy sprinkling than a light rub would have been
> better.
>
> Cooked indirect on kettle grill, hickory smoke, temp range 225-325,
> mostly around 250, total of 5 hours, turned several times. After 4
> hours I spread the thing with my preferred tub margarine-type spread
> (that's right...it looked in danger of becoming dry, and it was that,
> or EVOO, and I didn't want an olive flavor)... and wrapped in in foil
> for the last hour.
>
> This came out as I had hoped, strongly reminiscent of pastrami,
> tender, and moist. A "quick and dirty" pastrami fix with what would
> have been a pot roast. Not restaurant fare by any means, but if the
> option is crock pot chuck, I think this is worth a try. I'll put a few
> pics of the finished product over in ABF. My better half and I were
> happy with the results of this cook.
>

I've got just such a chuck roast languishing in the freezer. I'm sure it
doesn't suspect I'll be treating it this way in the near future!

Thanks for posting what you did!

--
Wayne in Phoenix

If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.

Douglas Barber wrote:

Copied and saved, thank you sir. I'm gonna play with that and try it out a
little hotter faster with the idea of simply "tender". Lower salt content,
brine time, no coriander. Brine and rub, 350ish indirect roast. Ok, way
different. I wouldnt of thought to brine beef though.........

If you hear back, I was successful, failure deserves to bask in silence.



--

"Douglas Barber" > wrote in message
...

> Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
> welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
> won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this I'll
> be a happy camper.
>

Quite a few yrs. ago we had a house keeper from Guatemala. She used to cook a
chuck roast on my old Mr. Meat bullet that was just killer. I never could get
her to tell me exactly how she prepped in but it was marinated in concentrated
orange juice and some concoction of herbs and spices.

It was just absolutely killer. She started eating her share before we got home
from work because we didn't leave a bite.

_________
ht_redneck

Tyler Hopper wrote:
> "Douglas Barber" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
>>welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
>>won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this I'll
>>be a happy camper.
>>
>
>
> Quite a few yrs. ago we had a house keeper from Guatemala. She used to cook a
> chuck roast on my old Mr. Meat bullet that was just killer. I never could get
> her to tell me exactly how she prepped in but it was marinated in concentrated
> orange juice and some concoction of herbs and spices.
>
> It was just absolutely killer. She started eating her share before we got home
> from work because we didn't leave a bite.
>

Sounds almost like a Guatemalan cousin to Mojo Criollo, which I believe
is Cuban, ever tried that? Goya brand Mojo is in some stores with a
larger Mexican-type section. Think it's organge-based, and I taste
garlic and cumin in there....

Douglas Barber > wrote in message >...
> Tyler Hopper wrote:
> > "Douglas Barber" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >
> >>Any suggestions to keep this from turning into an utter fiasco are
> >>welcome (but I won't have a car till 8:30 PM so "eat at McDonald's"
> >>won't help till later If I can get 3 edible servings out of this I'll
> >>be a happy camper.
> >>
> >
> >
> > Quite a few yrs. ago we had a house keeper from Guatemala. She used to cook a
> > chuck roast on my old Mr. Meat bullet that was just killer. I never could get
> > her to tell me exactly how she prepped in but it was marinated in concentrated
> > orange juice and some concoction of herbs and spices.
> >
> > It was just absolutely killer. She started eating her share before we got home
> > from work because we didn't leave a bite.
> >
>
> Sounds almost like a Guatemalan cousin to Mojo Criollo, which I believe
> is Cuban, ever tried that? Goya brand Mojo is in some stores with a
> larger Mexican-type section. Think it's organge-based, and I taste
> garlic and cumin in there....

If you can't find the Goya in the stores, below is a recipe for a
similar Mojo of what you're describing.

Grilled Flank Steak with Mojo Criollo
Servings 6

7 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
5 tablespoons rice or distilled vinegar
3 scallions, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
1 tablespoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
one 2-1/2 pound flank steak, trimmed of visible fat and scored with a
knife on both sides in a cross-hatch pattern (about 1/8" deep).

In a sealable plastic bag large enough to hold the flank steak,
combine all marinade ingredients. Shake to mix well. Place flank steak
in bag, seal and chill in a shallow dish in the refrigerator for at
least 6 hours or overnight, turning frequently.

Heat broiler or grill until very hot. Remove flank steak from the
marinade and pat dry with paper towel.

Broil or grill steak for 5 minutes on each side or until a meat
thermometer registers 130 F for medium-rare meat. Let steak stand for
10 minutes and slice very thin on an angle.

Hope this helps.
Stan

"pilgrim13" > wrote in message
om...
> Douglas Barber > wrote in message
>...
>
> Broil or grill steak for 5 minutes on each side or until a meat
> thermometer registers 130 F for medium-rare meat. Let steak stand for
> 10 minutes and slice very thin on an angle.
>
> Hope this helps.
> Stan

I think that pretty much approximates what she did. Thanks.

Damn, I miss her.

_________
ht_redneck