Chuckie question for you butcher types

[the dude abides]

Ok, so last week I did my first chuckie and loved the thing. It was a Chuck Tender Roast and was about 3 pounds. So tonight I was at the store looking for something to smoke this weekend. They had Chuck Tender Roast for $3.99 lb and Chuck Pot Roast for $2.99 a lb.

I asked the guy at the meat counter what the difference was and you could see the look of fear in his eyes as he tried to make something up.

So seriousy, what's the difference? I grabbed both and God willing I'll get them both done this weekend and comment on the finished results. Just trying to decide if a buck a pound will make a difference in a low and slow smoke.

 

[meatball]

Don't have an answer for you, but you piqued my curiosity - do they look like the same cut of meat or, if not, how do they differ in terms of appearance?

 

[the dude abides]

As far as apperance, at least with the two packages I picked up, the tender is more "rounded". More like I think a roast should look like. It's a bit over 2.5 lbs. The pot roast is about 3lbs and is longer but flatter. More like a big 3 inch thick steak but without the "form" or firmness of a steak.

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

Hey dude!
The chucktender is actually a "by-product cut" of the chuck roast. The tender is leaner and a tighter muscle than the rest of the chuck. They cook up pretty much the same way.

 

[garyt]

I cant answer your question, but walking by the meat case tonight I bought 3 racks of baby backs and a chuck roast, It will be my first and at 2.99 per pound it looked really good almost like a rib eye steak.

 

[the dude abides]

Thanks SOB. I did notice the pot roast was a little more fatty than the tender. But if they'll cook up the same way, probably no sense in paying the extra buck a pound huh?

garyt-good luck with it. How are you going to do it? I pulled my first one and made some great sandwiches with it.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=80840
Then did several personal pizzas with the leftovers. Great stuff. Maybe better than brisket in my humble opinion.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=80906

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

Here is a pic of a bone-in chuck roast. I circled the chucktender. sorry for the bad finger painting job.
Attachment 22487
The raost should look similar to this without the bones and the chuck tender right? Now since the tender is more of a lean tight muscle I'm not sure if it will be better to cook it to 135* and cool to slice for sammies, or if it needs to be cooked allthe way to pulling temp...was going to test this myself sometime!

 

[the dude abides]

Looks about right. Last one I did (link above) I took to over 200 and it pulled beautifilly. I'll probably take both of them to pulling temp this weekend and see what I think. But guessing there won't be much of a difference I'm guessing since they're such a comparable cut.

Thanks for your help.

 

[alx]

DUDE-Please post your observations on this smoke.I was under assumption from my mom and grandfather(butcher etc) that they just cut one thinner etc and gave it different name-charged more..Nice conversation you started....

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

I'm thinking about doing a nice chunk of top round or a sirloin tip roast to make some real roast beef for sammies! Mrs SOB will love it!

Italian dressing marinade maybe? any suggestions for seasoning?

 

[rivet]

Can't pass up probably the best and most basic for roast beef- coarse ground black pepper and some sea salt!

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

Nice and simple!!! Awesome! I just cant resist using the hickory salt I got from Butcher Packer. MMMMMM

 

[flash]

And thus the reason some pull, some pull partially and some don't pull at all.
I've pointed this out in the past, but some of you must have missed it. There are several different types of chucks out there.

http://www.sonic.net/~alden/MeatBeefChuck.html

 

[pignit]

I found these chuck tender roasts on sale here a few weeks ago and was askin the same question. I find in general... leaner cuts work best for me to pull at lower temps and the fatter cuts I like to take on up there. I used my chuck tenders to make Roast Beef... sliced thin. Took them to about 140 and pulled. They were excellent. That's not to say they wouldn't be great to pull.... I haven't tried taking the leaner cut to that pullin temp.... but the leaner cuts I like to pull out sooner for slicin. This works for me except with steak. That's a whole different deal.

 

[flash]

So far I have found the 7 bone and Underblades seem to pull well for me.

 

[woodentrout]

The chuck tender has been sold in less than honest butcher shops as Filet or tenderloin, however the difference is that small seam of connective tissue that runs across the face of a slice of the chuck tender. Restaurants with Filet specials also use this cheaper cut to improve margins. I see it all the time in grocery stores mis-labeled as tenderloin, but the average joe doesn't know the difference, he just thinks he's getting a deal.

 

[gnubee]

Man I hate it when a clerk gets that look. Really I'd rather they just say I'm not sure, let me check with the butcher. Problem solved, but instead for some reason they would rather give you the old run around than get the right info to you. Sometimes I call them on it sometimes not. There are times when I think our society is a bit too polite.

Thanks people for the great info and ideas from this thread. I never would have even thought about those particular cuts of meat if you hadn't brought it up.

I always assume that the cheaper cut of meat may be the tougher cut and therefore low and slow will bring out the better flavour of a harder worked muscle. Any cut with more connective tissue and marbled fat seems to me to be the better cut to buy. Am I wrong in this? When smoking low and slow I stay away from the expensive leaner cuts of meat.

 

[the dude abides]

Yeah once he realized I wasn't buying his attempted line of BS he said "how are you planning on cooking it?" I explained that I was going to smoke it. And that I'd done the tender before (and all the details about the cook). Then he looked at me and said "well, it sounds like you know more about meat than I do." Then we chuckled (cause I don't know squat about cuts of meat) and I bought one of each and I'd let him know what I thought of each.

But in all fairness he was more of a clerk in the meat department of a chain (Hy-Vee) grocery store and obviously NOT a butcher. But I'm not sure they even have a butcher. It seems like anytime I ask simple questions at that store to anyone behind the meat counter, I get somebody who seems to be trying to BS me.

Maybe I just know a little more than I realize. Thanks SMF!