# Thursday Chuck Roast



## Cliff H. (Jan 31, 2007)

We got 3" of snow this afternoon here in Jonesboro today.  More coming tonight. 

We only get snow once every year or two so ya'll can imagine the chaos.  

Seems to me that tomorrow would be a perfect day to smoke some chucks.

One "Bold" chuck and one Hoochie Mama" chuck.

They are wrapped and waiting till morning in the fridge.


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 1, 2007)

Go Cliff!


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 1, 2007)

Oh man you're making me hungry Cliff!!!  Those are some very nice looking Chuck Roasts!!!


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## john a (Feb 1, 2007)

Hey Cliff, it's morning, got  those things cooking yet?


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## Finney (Feb 1, 2007)

Keep us informed Cliff.
Hope the grease issues are gone.


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## Puff1 (Feb 1, 2007)

Good luck today Cliff


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Feb 1, 2007)

You da MAN Cliff.  Please keep them pics a flowing.


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## wittdog (Feb 1, 2007)

Keep Cooking Cliff u are on a roll...


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## Cliff H. (Feb 1, 2007)

See the noticeable difference between the two smokers.


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## cleglue (Feb 1, 2007)

Cliff,

How long do you smoke chuck roast and what temperature do you take them to?


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## SoEzzy (Feb 1, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> See the noticeable difference between the two smokers.



Yup... one has two chuck roasts in it and the other one doesn't!


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## Puff1 (Feb 1, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> See the noticeable difference between the two smokers.


Shame, shame


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## Unity (Feb 1, 2007)

cleglue said:
			
		

> How long do you smoke chuck roast and what temperature do you take them to?


Two or three fairly recent threads talk about chuck. The general consensus, I think, is to foil them around 160-165°, take them off around 200-205°, then wrap in towels and let them rest 2-3 hrs in a cooler.   

--John  8) 
(Tasty stuff.   )


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## Puff1 (Feb 1, 2007)

What John said as far as temps. You can also do the fork test.


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## cflatt (Feb 1, 2007)

Unity said:
			
		

> cleglue said:
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thats worked great for me everytime. put a pan under it to catch those wonderful juices too. pull it out when you foil...or a little before if its a big cut of meat. makes for a great au jus..or a start to one if you want to kick it up


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 1, 2007)

Unity said:
			
		

> cleglue said:
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Resting the chucks for a long period of time IMO is the difference in good chucks and dry chucks!!


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## Cliff H. (Feb 1, 2007)

Well, 
The chucks hit 165 about three hours after going on the smoker.  No sooner than I foiled them my brother-in-law calls and ask if I want to help him deliver some furntiure$$$$$$$$$.  The pit was holding about 265 in the dome, so I set all the thermometers to go off at 200 and left instructions with my dear wife.  

She did everything just right.  Both chucks had a great flavor. The "Bold" chuck had an excellent flavor that went well with beef. The sample from Gator was very good also.  I will be using both seasonings again.  No complaints there.  

Both the chucks were on the dry side.  I am pretty sure that two hours was not long enough in the cooler.

So I chopped them up and ate good anyway.


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## Unity (Feb 1, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> Both chucks had a great flavor.... were on the dry side.


Too bad they weren't as moist as you expected. The four I've done came out about as moist as a well-cooked butt. 

How'd your WSM do this time? 

--John  8)


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## Cliff H. (Feb 1, 2007)

Unity said:
			
		

> Cliff H. said:
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John,
I have about decided that I am using to much wood.  I am amazed at how the WSM holds heat and conserves fuel for the entire day.  I think I am experiencing a creasote build up not unlike what happens with my CG.

I used one small stick and two big chunks for this cook and wood was burning ten hours later when I took the lid off.

Speaking of lid.  I had my wife shut the pit down after she took the meat off but when I finally got home it was still 90 deg.  With all the variables, pit temp, cold weather, build up on the top lip of the mid section I like to have never got the lid off.  I mean it was welded to the top section with buildup.  Not just the lid but the top vent and even the door latch would not budge for 5-10 min.Only after rehating a bit was I able to get it off.  

I think I am going to use much smaller chunks from now on and not as may of them.


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## Griff (Feb 1, 2007)

When I do a chuck I do a single nine to ten pounder.

Griff


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## Cliff H. (Feb 1, 2007)

Griff said:
			
		

> When I do a chuck I do a single nine to ten pounder.
> 
> Griff



That is a big one.  I don't think I have seen a chuck roast that big at Sam's before.  How long does it take to smoke one of them honkers?


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> Unity said:
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John,
I have about decided that I am using to much wood.  I am amazed at how the WSM holds heat and conserves fuel for the entire day.  I think I am experiencing a creasote build up not unlike what happens with my CG.

I used one small stick and two big chunks for this cook and wood was burning ten hours later when I took the lid off.

Speaking of lid.  I had my wife shut the pit down after she took the meat off but when I finally got home it was still 90 deg.  With all the variables, pit temp, cold weather, build up on the top lip of the mid section I like to have never got the lid off.  I mean it was welded to the top section with buildup.  Not just the lid but the top vent and even the door latch would not budge for 5-10 min.Only after rehating a bit was I able to get it off.  

I think I am going to use much smaller chunks from now on and not as may of them.[/quote:2eyched9]

Cliff, the chucks sure looked great, sorry they turned out dry for you.  What finish temp did you pull them at?

Several things come to mind when you mention creosote build up on the WSM, which you should not be getting.  2 things that immediately come to mind for the creosote build up. 1. Is your top vent 100% open?  It should be the entire cook.  2.  Is the wood you are using fully seasoned.  The wood in the WSM burns a little different in the WSM than it does in your offset.  You could probably have gotten away with wood that wasn't fully seasoned in the offset, but it's going to reek havoc on the WSM due to the slow burning process.  It did not sound like you used too much wood (1 stick and 2 chunks) to me.


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## Cliff H. (Feb 2, 2007)

Larry,
I did have some issues with temps trying to climb.  At one point the dome got up to 280 and I had no alternative but to close the top vent by 1/2 to bring the temps down.  When I left, the temps were falling from 270 and the vent was 3/4 open.  This could have caused the creasote formation and the hi temps could have caused the chucks to dry out.  

I agree with you on the wood.  The wood I am using is some that was cut almost a year ago.  I picked out sticks that clicked when tapped together but felt heavy.  With the weather the way it has been the wood in the garage may have picked up some humidity.  

That little bit of wood would have only lasted two hours tops in an offset but it was still burning after 10-12 hours on the wsm.

When the wife shut the vents down there was enough air getting to the fire to keep it in the 100 deg range for a few hours.  I feel that this is when most of the creasote was formed and everything stuck together.


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> Larry,
> I did have some issues with temps trying to climb.  At one point the dome got up to 280 and I had no alternative but to close the top vent by 1/2 to bring the temps down.  When I left, the temps were falling from 270 and the vent was 3/4 open.  This could have caused the creasote formation and the hi temps could have caused the chucks to dry out.
> 
> I agree with you on the wood.  The wood I am using is some that was cut almost a year ago.  I picked out sticks that clicked when tapped together but felt heavy.  With the weather the way it has been the wood in the garage may have picked up some humidity.
> ...



Hmmm..... If you have a hard time with temps in the future and they get out of hand, just totally close the bottom temps for a bit until you gain control.  The problem with closing the top vent is you create a "smoldering" fire, versus a clean properly "burning" fire.  A smoldering fire will indeed create soot.  Short heat spikes won't hurt a thing so don't panic when they rise above your ideal temps.  Just concentrate on your heat control with the bottom three vents.    

For the wood, instead of using sticks or small logs in the WSM, try cutting your small logs into the size of a hockey puck.  That should help dry them out quicker and burn better.


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## Cliff H. (Feb 2, 2007)

Thanks for the info


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

Like Larry said, close the bottom vents to lower the heat, not the top. It will cool faster with the top vent open. The same is true about firefighting, we cut holes in the roof for a reason, to get the crap out of the building.


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

Your not letting your gasses escape. Closing the bottom will start to snuff out the fire.


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

..


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## Unity (Feb 2, 2007)

Cliff, it surprised me when you said you're burning wood -- first I've heard about anybody doing that. The FAQs at virtualweberbullet.com say this:



			
				VWB said:
			
		

> Q: Can the WSM be fired using wood chunks or logs instead of charcoal?
> 
> A: Yes, but with considerable effort and inconvenience. Wood must be burned down to hot coals in a separate container, then shoveled into the WSM, and this process must be repeated several times during the course of cooking. Most people who try this once don't try it again.


--John  8)


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

brian j said:
			
		

> please explain how closing the top vent 1/3 - 1/2 creates a smoldering fire where as shutting down all the botton vents won't.  both are limiting the amount of air getting to the fire.



Closing the top vent doesn't feed the fire, it gives the smoke/gases an outlet, "exhaust".  The bigger outlet for the exhaust the better your fire will burn.  Closing the bottom vent's shut off the majority of oxygen feeding the fire, thus causing it to burn at a lower temp, but still burning vs. smoldering.  You want a clean efficient burning fire, not a smoldering fire.

Use your truck as an example.  If you stick a rag in your exhaust pipe it will start to spit and sputter and soon cut off because you choked the cylinders ability fire properly.  When you restart your truck, you're going to get a plume of black smoke which is all of the nasties it was unable to get rid of.  Same thing with your smoker if you stop it's ability to breathe properly.


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## Cliff H. (Feb 2, 2007)

Unity said:
			
		

> Cliff, it surprised me when you said you're burning wood -- first I've heard about anybody doing that. The FAQs at virtualweberbullet.com say this:
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I didn't actually burn all wood.  After 10 hours of cooking and not adding anything to the wsm there was still wood that had not burned up.  When I took the lid off for a few min wood caught on fire and I could see that the chunks I put in there still had a ways to go before they would be exhausted.


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## Unity (Feb 2, 2007)

Cliff H. said:
			
		

> I didn't actually burn all wood.  After 10 hours of cooking and not adding anything to the wsm there was still wood that had not burned up.  When I took the lid off for a few min wood caught on fire and I could see that the chunks I put in there still had a ways to go before they would be exhausted.


Oh, you were talking about smoke wood. Gotcha.  [smilie=a_doh.gif] 

--John  8)


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

brian j said:
			
		

> [quote="Larry Wolfe":1r82er75]Closing the top vent doesn't feed the fire, it gives the smoke/gases an outlet, "exhaust".  The bigger outlet for the exhaust the better your fire will burn.  Closing the bottom vent's shut off the majority of oxygen feeding the fire, thus causing it to burn at a lower temp, but still burning vs. smoldering.  You want a clean efficient burning fire, not a smoldering fire.
> 
> Use your truck as an example.  If you stick a rag in your exhaust pipe it will start to spit and sputter and soon cut off because you choked the cylinders ability fire properly.  When you restart your truck, you're going to get a plume of black smoke which is all of the nasties it was unable to get rid of.  Same thing with your smoker if you stop it's ability to breathe properly.


this may be like foiling briskets and we may have to agree to disagree, but what you have described is cutting out oxygen from fueling a fire (in this case the spark plug from firing and driving a piston). to me you haven't described the difference between a clean burning fire and a smoldering fire which is going to occur whenever a fire is limited fuel (wood or oxygen).

air is constantly trying to equalize.  that's why cold air tries to get in your house when its cold outside.  its trying to equalize the 2 temps.  when you leave the top vent completely open the outside air will try to equalize the oxygen/carbon dioxide ratio in the pit and oxygen is allowed in fuiling the fire, unless of course there is enough flow of carbon dioxide out the vent to prevent oxygen from getting in.  shutting the top vent a bit limits the amount of air that can flow through the cooker thereby allowing you to maintain a smaller fire and cook at lower temps.

now i'm not saying you should cook with the top vent closed or partially closed and the bottom vents wide open because that would cause creosote to build up.  and if you don't care whether you cook at 240 or 260 it probably doesn't matter, but i've been closing the top vent 1/3 - 1/2 ever since i stopped using water in the pan to maintain consistent low temps (225 - 235) with no ill effect.  i do this at home and in comps, and this is same thing is done on other low flow cookers like bge's.[/quote:1r82er75]

Have you ever tried controling it with the bottom vents like it was designed?


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

brian j said:
			
		

> [quote="Larry Wolfe":1d2mxqbq]Closing the top vent doesn't feed the fire, it gives the smoke/gases an outlet, "exhaust".  The bigger outlet for the exhaust the better your fire will burn.  Closing the bottom vent's shut off the majority of oxygen feeding the fire, thus causing it to burn at a lower temp, but still burning vs. smoldering.  You want a clean efficient burning fire, not a smoldering fire.
> 
> Use your truck as an example.  If you stick a rag in your exhaust pipe it will start to spit and sputter and soon cut off because you choked the cylinders ability fire properly.  When you restart your truck, you're going to get a plume of black smoke which is all of the nasties it was unable to get rid of.  Same thing with your smoker if you stop it's ability to breathe properly.



*to me you haven't described the difference between a clean burning fire and a smoldering fire which is going to occur whenever a fire is limited fuel (wood or oxygen).*
[/quote:1d2mxqbq]

Well I tried to describe it!  You just didn't understand my explanation!   [smilie=a_takethatfoo.gif]  A clean burning fire is exactly that, a clean burning fire and a smoldering fire is exactly that, a smoldering fire.  How else can I explain it?  Bottomline is you have to have airflow and oxygen and exhaust or the fire will smolder and create soot.  

Cliff had problems with soot and I was offering my advice to help prevent it the next time.  Is that what caused it?  Who knows.  Could it have been?  In my opinion, YES it could have indeed caused it.  Can you cook on the WSM with the top vent partially closed without creating soot?  In my opinion, on a calm day with no wind it would more than likely create soot.  On a day with a light breeze to create more flow, sure it would work better. 

If the way you're cooking works for you, don't change a thing and I'll continue to cook with my top vent all the way open.   [smilie=a_goodjob.gif]


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

brian j said:
			
		

> [quote="Nick Prochilo":3mdic47c]Have you ever tried controling it with the bottom vents like it was designed?


who said it was designed to work that way?  i have not seen anything from weber saying to use only the bottom vents to control temp.  but to answer you question yes, and i feel i have better control using both the bottom and top vents.  creosote is only going to build up if you have a big fire and no place for the smoke to go i.e. closed top vent.[/quote:3mdic47c]

I thought that's the way it was said in the Weber booklet that came with it. I just search for mine but I couldn't find it. If opening and closing your top vent works for you, then by all means keep doing it that way. I'm gonna side with Larry here and keep my top vent wide open and control my temps through the bottom. What Larry said makes sense to me about smoldering and clean burning.


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

okay then! I'll still keep mine open. Thanks for the info.


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

brian j said:
			
		

> [quote="Nick Prochilo":15fqc3fb]I thought that's the way it was said in the Weber booklet that came with it. *I just search for mine but I couldn't find it.* If opening and closing your top vent works for you, then by all means keep doing it that way. I'm gonna side with Larry here and keep my top vent wide open and control my temps through the bottom. What Larry said makes sense to me about smoldering and clean burning.


i have mine.  i sleep with under my pillow.   :P   page 10 under helpful hits.

smoking - all vents partially closed
barbecue - all vents open
steaming - top vent closed, bottom vents open[/quote:15fqc3fb]

Yeah keep believing everything else you read in that manual!!!  [smilie=a_chuckle.gif]   The best thing that is good for is to light your charcoal chimney with!!   [smilie=a_happyhappy.gif]


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## cflatt (Feb 2, 2007)

I checked the Weber booklet that came with it and it states

Adjust vents as indicated for each method of cooking in your smoker:
Smoking—all vents partially closed.
Barbecuing—all vents wide open.
Steaming—top vent closed, bottom vents open.

but personally I always leave the top open and adjust the bottom ones


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## Unity (Feb 2, 2007)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

> Cliff had problems with soot and I was offering my advice to help prevent it the next time.


Uh, I think Cliff was talking about creosote, not soot. 

--John  8)
(Although I'm puzzled how creosote could build up in several cooks from a few chunks of smoke wood.  :scratch )


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

Unity said:
			
		

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*Soot*, also called lampblack or carbon black, is a dark powdery deposit of unburned fuel residues, usually composed mainly of amorphous carbon, that accumulates in chimneys, automobile mufflers and other surfaces exposed to smoke—especially from the combustion of carbon-rich organic fuels in the lack of sufficient oxygen. 

*creosote*, a very flammable byproduct of combustion that can build up within the smoke pipe and chimney and then ignite, causing "chimney-fire."


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## Cliff H. (Feb 2, 2007)

What is the shiney black coating that everyone has on there dome and mid section ?

I had an excessive amount of that, whatever you call it.


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## Unity (Feb 2, 2007)

As already stressed in Larry's posts, lack of air leads to formation of both soot and creosote. Unseasoned wood seems to be the major culprit in the case of creosote (which is what the firemen told me once after I had a chimney fire).



			
				http://www.doityourself.com/stry/chimneyfires said:
			
		

> Certain conditions encourage the buildup of creosote: restricted air supply, unseasoned wood and cooler-than-normal chimney temperatures are all factors that can accelerate the buildup of creosote on chimney flue walls.
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> Air supply: The air supply on fireplaces may be restricted by closed glass doors or by failure to open the damper wide enough to move heated smoke up the chimney rapidly (the longer the smoke's "residence time" in the flue, the more likely is it that creosote will form). A wood stove's air supply can be limited by closing down the stove damper or air inlets too soon and too much, and by improperly using the stovepipe damper to restrict air movement.
> 
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--John  8)


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

I just found that same article John. It seems more like a combination of 3 things. Wood not season properly, not enough air to burn the fire (bottom vents) and restricting the airflow out (top vent)


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## Greg Rempe (Feb 2, 2007)

Can you burn the CSL in the WSM to dry out the creasote?  LOL!!

http://www.chimneysweepinglog.com/


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## Nick Prochilo (Feb 2, 2007)

Greg Rempe said:
			
		

> Can you burn the CSL in the WSM to dry out the creasote?  LOL!!
> 
> http://www.chimneysweepinglog.com/



You don't use those do you?.................................................I mean in your fireplace!


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## wittdog (Feb 2, 2007)

Cliff what kind of wood were you using?


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## Cliff H. (Feb 2, 2007)

wittdog said:
			
		

> Cliff what kind of wood were you using?



Burning Hickory Dave.

I really think the wood was just getting seasoned good and picked up some moisure sitting out in the garage.  It has been real wet here for the last couple of weeks.


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## LarryWolfe (Feb 2, 2007)

wboggs said:
			
		

> Greg Rempe said:
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For Greg it is, it's part of his houses' chimney!  Well at least that's why he told me he keeps his WSM in the attic!


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