Brisket alternatives?

We do lots of chuck rolls. Approx 20 lbs in size, cook like a brisket, foil about 165 and take off at approx 195. Cheaper than brisket and better yield. We get about 75% recovery on rolls vs 50% on brisket.

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. Are chuck rolls widely available, like at Sam's Club, or are they difficult to find?

I've gotten them at BJ's Wholesale, but I'm assuming Sam's would have them as well.

Here's my attempt (complete with mistakes) at cooking one in the Smokette. If you get a 20 pounder, you'll probably have to cut it in half, and use two racks.

http://www.lamaine.com/bbq/chuckroll.html

I get my Chuck rolls at Cash n Carry. Do you have a Smart N Final near you?, same company. I have not done one yet on my FE100, have done lots of them on a WSM, roughly figure one hour per pound.

studly,
another cut you might to look at is a namps 168 round, top (inside). weight ranges from 14 lbs to 23-up. i found the pound range 17-20 (range b) has worked best for me. used a lot of them catering weddings (non smoked) with a chef i know. i have used an alto sham which is similar in design to an sm150. used 250 degress 60 min/lb to 140 internal and then held at 150 for duration. started at 5pm for wedding next day at 3 p.m. plating time. also when i came in at 6 am next morning i would put a pan of water in the unit but never foiled. hope it helps at least on the time temp thing. this cut is very forgiving and has given great results for alan and me including the catering job from hell where it rained 6" in about 4 hours and it sure was fun cooking in mud up to my calves!!!! ah such is life in the summer in florida but it darn sure beats the snow i grew up in!!!!!!
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!
ps be careful on how you trim it. leave as much of the fat cap on as you can while removing the silver skin

Duck, we don't have those two stores here, but I'm hoping maybe Sams or SuperTarget might have them.

Mainelydave, I really liked your Web page and photos about the "Beast." The end product looked very tasty, and I like the idea of only using half if feeding a small group and freezing the rest for a later smoking, or if feeding a large group, cutting in half and using two racks.

2 Greyhounds, is there another name for a "namps 168 round" cut? Is that like a "top round" cut of beef (which I believe is the cut used most often for deli roast beef)?

Dave,
Haven't used brisket in years,too much cutting loss.We went to a beef shoulder clod.They cook great from rare to hockey puck.Great taste look good great for chopped Q. Slices great for smoked french dips.Fresh ground horse radish sauce,get out of here.Cost 1.40 lb for a 70 to 80 lb box which is 3 of these bad boys.Where to get,contact you local wholesalers in your area that service meat markets and resturants.Most of them have a customer service window where you call pick up product.There will be prior paperwork to fill out with them,but belive me its worth the time and effort to do it as it will reflect in your bottom line.
Hope this helps ( why pay retail when you can buy wholesale)
Papa Shaka

Just go to your local supermarket meat manager,if he cuts any of his own chuck roasts.

When they have a big chuck roast /steak sale,he'll usually cut you some slack-because he doesn't have to trim it.

You may need to do a little trimming,but they cook just like duck and jon say.

studly,
yes it is a big old hunk of meat. comes from upper part of rear leg and it is the inside portion of a 158 which is the whole darned rear leg top part. so that gives it's it name top inside round. i really like cooking them they are really forgiving of mistakes or temp spikes. to get one just ask your meat supplier. i give namps numbers since we do big quantities at the prison and it keeps everyone on the same page.but be sure to stay in range "B" as it gives the best yield.
if you need more info email me.
not an expert just trying to help
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!
ps try u.s. foods before you have to try sysco. i hate sysco and would buy tickets to watch them and their salesmen die!!!!!!!
wife says that's too strong but that is how much i like sysco!!!!!

I just checked, and there's good news for those who are Sam's Club members who want to try smoking a chuck roll.

At my local Sam's Club, they never have chuck rolls in the meat case. But I asked the meat cutters there if they had them, and they do ... you just have to ask. (I assume they cut the chuck rolls into chuck roasts, so that's why they have them.)

They said the chuck rolls they have are usually about 15# and today's price is $1.75 per pound. That's a big discount off of the chuck roast price of $2.69 per pound.

I just bought a 20.53 pounder today @ costco. I had to ask for it. I paid about $2 a pound. I'm taking MainelyDave's advice and cutting it in half. Using the same rub --- more or less --- as he has posted on his site.

I start cooking at midnight or 2 am tonight.

Just as an update. I made half of the chuck roll last night and it was pretty darn tasty. Even my father in law liked it which is unusual. But, as always, he put ketchup on it just like he does with my pork.....

Definitely less loss than a pork shoulder or a brisket. Nice and moist.

I used about 10 pounds of the chuck roll and I would guess I had about 8 pounds after cooking. I cooked it and a shoulder that was about 8 pounds and they both finished up in about 12 hours.

Used 3 oz of hickory and 2 oz. of pecan. Very nice first effort with a big old hunk of beef.

If a guy wanted a similar result but only around 5lb, could he just buy a big chuck roast and cook it to the same temperature? Any recommendations on which particular type of chuck roast?

Yep,buy what is on sale.

It will have better internal fat than most briskets.

If you want to slice it,check it around 175�.

Take it up around 195�and it should pull.

You can also foil it about 165�,add 1/4 cup sauce and take it to 195�.

That's a good idea!

Tom, by the way, do you see these alternatives to brisket used in competition?

Nope,has to be a brisket.

In the anything butt,the night before,it could be used.

Usually something more dramatic,like whole beef tenderloins, stands out for that comp.

Tom Do you wrap in foil and hold in ice chess? Are do you pull at 195?

Hey Mr. Prisonchef313,

For those of us not in the know, what do "namps" refer to. I've tried to make sense of it and I can't come up with anything edible. Is it a rating or something like that?

quote:

Originally posted by Bodacious BBQ:
[qb] Just as an update. I made half of the chuck roll last night and it was pretty darn tasty. Even my father in law liked it which is unusual. But, as always, he put ketchup on it just like he does with my pork.....

Definitely less loss than a pork shoulder or a brisket. Nice and moist.

I used about 10 pounds of the chuck roll and I would guess I had about 8 pounds after cooking. I cooked it and a shoulder that was about 8 pounds and they both finished up in about 12 hours.

Used 3 oz of hickory and 2 oz. of pecan. Very nice first effort with a big old hunk of beef. [/qb]

Ketchup? My condolescences to you having to put up with that! Hopefully he's otherwise a nice guy.

hook,
sorry for the delay in replying.
namps refers to the National Association of Meat Purveyors. Their book "The Meat Buyers Guide" is like the bible of meat cuts and the specifications are listed with the U.S. government for bidding proceedures. The book is used a lot in large quantity cooking as it makes the salesmen all quote on the same thing. It lists beef, lamb, veal and pork and includes sections on portion size cuts and even processed meats.
My book is so old that it doesn't list a website but here is there mailing and phone and fax info.
National Association of Meat Purveyors
1920 Association Drive, Suite 400
Reston, Va. 22091-1547
phone (703) 758-1900
fax (703) 758-8001
This book has helped me a lot both professionally and just in figuring out how to cook the meat as it shows where on the animal it comes from and from that you can figure out whether it will be tough cut or not.
hope this helps
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Howdy drhys,

I don't worry about holding in the cooler,since it will be pot roast tender at 195�.

If I'm not ready to eat,I will cooler it until I'm ready to eat.

You should be able to break it down with a couple of forks.

Thanks Jack,

From what you say, it sounds like some interesting reading. I'll try to chase down a copy. Need all the help I can get.

Hook

What is splenda?

SPLENDA: an artificial sweetener like nutrasweet, sacharine.... found in the same aisle. It is in the YELLOW packaging.

Thanks Bodacious.... I think I'll use brown suger and give it a try.

d9

See www.namp.com for the Buyer's Guide. Unfortunately, a new copy is pretty expensive - $50 as a book, or $70 as a CD. Might turn up a used one as low as $15, tho.

tjr
i aint about to give up my old book for any price but man have they gone up since i got mine!!!!
jack

Hey, I just tried smoking my first chuck roll, due to the recommendations in this thread, and wanted to report back the results. Bought it at Sam's Club (you have to ask at the meat counter, they're not on the shelves). It was 17 lbs., so I cut it in thirds and froze the other two chunks for smokin' later. I guess cutting it down would be the same as cutting it into three chuck roasts, but when you buy it as a chuck roll, you save almost $1 per pound compared to the chuck roast price. So with a 17 pounder, you save almost $17 compared to buying three chuck roasts.

Cooked mine at 225*, with about 3 oz. of wood (next time I'd use 4 oz.) to an internal temp of 195*, and it took about the same amount of time as a pork butt: about 2 hours per pound.

Anyway, it pulled nicely and turned out really good. It's got a smokey pot-roast taste, so it's definitely more "beefy" flavored than a brisket. Also, it's a bit dryer than pork butt, probably because it has less fat in it. I'm guessing that's why some people who have tried both prefer pork butt over chuck roll. But if you haven't tried smoking a chuck roll yet, I'd recommend it, especially if you have a large group to feed or want to try a different cut of beef (that's less expensive than a brisket) in the smoker.

studly,
thanks for the info on the chuck roll. from the sounds of it it could make nice sandwiches or even a way to serve beef to catering customers that don't want to spend a lot!!!
jack

If the chuck is too lean you can always go to the butcher and pick up some lard, and then use what is called a larding needle to plug the roast with strips of lard. This should help with the dryness. If ya cant find any lard, bacon strips are a good substitute.

Don't want to seem argumentative,but chuck roll needs nothing done to it.

It is meant for the cater that requires pulled/chunked beef.

You aren't going to get a deep smoke into it.

Duck,Jackitup,and Jim Minion give very simple,basic approaches that can't be messed up in a Cookshack.

Do a search on their methods.

It is a moist cooker.

They tell how and when they keep it moist and pullable.

We do these and they are hard to mess up.

Not fine cuisine,but flexible and always appreciated.

They hold as well as butts,in most cases.

I recently did a Sirloin Tip Roast and fell in love with it. I did a 5 pounder in 80 minutes. Great taste. Just have to be careful not to use too much wood. I went with about 3 oz. of mesquite and it was a bit too much - and I like smoke. The roast cost about $12 and I got more meat out of it than a big brisket that cost a little more.

Blubayoo, I think I'll have to give a sirloin tip roast a try, too. It sounds like an expensive cut of meat, but was just at Sam's Club and saw that it's among the lowest priced beef ($2.22/pound) ... about the same as brisket. But it's a larger cut than a flat brisket. What do sirloin tip roasts taste like: roast beef, brisket, steak, pot roast/chuck roast? Do you smoke it to a high internal temp to pull it, or is it better sliced? Please share more details on the sirloin tip roast!!

I'm surprised that Tom has not suggested Top Round. It's my favorite beef recipe, cooks quickly and very tasty.

LJ.. how do you cook the top round?

I rub it and smoke with about 2 ounces of hickory. Using an internal temp probe I remove it at 120 degrees, foil it, and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. It cooks fast so keep an eye on it, a small piece for a couple of people will be less then one hour.

Top round is the same cut that delicatessens and restaurants use for regular sliced roast beef, right? So smoking that would be like regular smoked roast beef, which I'm sure would be tastey.