Chuck roast - thoughts on what went wrong?

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biaviian

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
I did a chuck roast at 135 for 24 hours then I smoked it at 220 for three hours.  When I took it out of the bath it almost fell apart.  I dried it and put it in the smoker.  After the three hours, the beef was a bit dry.  I usually smoke the roast sans water pan, at 240, for 6-8 hours without foiling.

I want to know why the SV portion caused the beef to dry out in the smoker.  When I say dry, the ends were hard.  My wife and I went for the BBQ sauce and that never happens.
 
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I just did a Chucky in the SV, and finished it on the Grill.

It was awesome & Tasty & Fork Tender. I'll be posting it in a week or so.

Yours probably was dry because of being in the smoker for 3 hours after the SV pulled a lot of liquid out of the roast. (All that juice in the bag)

I would suggest either Smoking it before SV, or just Grill it after SV.

Bear
 
As Bear said the low temp smoke after more than likely dried it out. In my opinion the best method would be to cold smoke prior to the SV. Then if you want to high temp sear/grill after the SV.
 
I agree with Case.

Smoke prior to SV, then sear after.

Sounds like Bears method will work good too, just no smoke flavor.

Or there is liquid smoke, that you could put in the bag.

Al
 
 
I just did a Chucky in the SV, and finished it on the Grill.

It was awesome & Tasty & Fork Tender. I'll be posting it in a week or so.

Yours probably was dry because of being in the smoker for 3 hours after the SV pulled a lot of liquid out of the roast. (All that juice in the bag)

I would suggest either Smoking it before SV, or just Grill it after SV.

Bear
I thought of the grill but I wanted some smoke flavor.  It was perfect out of the bath.  As I said above, I think the issue is as you stated, the SV process removed too much liquid.
 
I just did a arm roast which I believe is close to a chuck roast. I seared it first and then SV for 20 hrs at 135 and then under broiler for 10 minutes. My roast was still very firm like a med rare roast beef. 

I would suggest suggest smoking it first to maybe 140° and then SV. for 16-20 hours and maybe on a hot grill or broiler after for no more than 5 minutes.  I've watched a lot of youtube videos and looks like smoking first is the way to go.

Had I put my roast back in the oven or smoker for another 3 hours it would of been saw dust. 

 
 
I was thinking of smoking first but I thought I'd try this way first.  I agree with Bear, the SV removed too much liquid.  I'll be trying it again next weekend.
It will take us rookies awhile to learn this SV thing, but if we continue to share our successes & failures, we can all learn a lot faster.

We'll get there!!

Bear
 
 
It will take us rookies awhile to learn this SV thing, but if we continue to share our successes & failures, we can all learn a lot faster.

We'll get there!!

Bear
I reheated the beef in a pan with a bit of the juice and it was FANTASTIC.  My wife and I agreed it was like a new hunk of meat.  I have never seen such a transformation on the reheat but then again I have never cooked something that dry.  Maybe that is the secret, make it dry so the leftovers are better than the original.  
 
 
I reheated the beef in a pan with a bit of the juice and it was FANTASTIC.  My wife and I agreed it was like a new hunk of meat.  I have never seen such a transformation on the reheat but then again I have never cooked something that dry.  Maybe that is the secret, make it dry so the leftovers are better than the original.  
Sounds Great !!

I can't wait to post the Chucky I did---I was shocked---It ended up like a Huge 133° Steak!!

I'm loving this SV thing!

Bear
 
What's wrong with chuck roast like an old fashioned pot roast? Carrots and potatoes.. gravy..

Hot beef and gravy sammich too.
I've never been a fan of pot roast.  Maybe my mother's was worse than most but I got turned off to it at an early age.  I need to give it a go sometime.
 
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