Ok, so here's the scoop. I was at Costco yesterday, minding my own business I'll have you know, and out popped a Maverick: Remote Roasting Thermometer. I don't 'have' that one, says I, and I must correct that. (yes, it's thrmometer number 4 for me, but hey, who's counting...except my wife). It was $21-something, and a bargain I figured.
Then, says I, I must smoke something in honor of my new acquisition, so, I start trolling the carne aisle, and up popped a package of two, quite thick, boneless chuck roasts, maybe 4 pounds each. Perfect.
I get home, wipe dry the meat and hit it heavy with Head Country rub, sample a bit of the rub 'raw,' stink of garlic, so says my wife, wrap the meat in plastic wrap and head off to my monthly poker game.
I get back at 10:30 with an extra $1.25 in my pocket...which I explained to my wife that it helped offset the day's purchase...and clean up the Cookshack for the new smoke.
At 11:30 the meat is in there, new probe in the middle of the thicker chuckie, a fair sized handfull of wine-barrel-oak and some mesquite chips in the smoke box...it 'is' beef you know... and I crank the dial to about 235 deg. and go roughhouse with the dogs until I'm sure things are getting warm inside the CS and smoke of some sort is coming out the top.
Middle of the night I check in on it a coupla times to be sure it's still smoking...old habits die hard! And at 6:00, 6:30, and 6:45 I'm ticked off because the darn thermometer hasn't moved from 171 degrees! Cheap thing, I figure...oh well, go back to bed and play with it at a decent hour, and hope there's something left of the meat as I figure it's incinerating inside the CS...but it is way early for me and I'm in no mood to check it right then.
At 8:30 I'm awakened by the thermo chirping, "It's 195 degrees in the meat, wake up you idiot"...or something to that effect.
Put the dogs out, get my tongs and sheet pan, and pull out two of the most beautiful hunks of smoked heaven you'd ever want to see! Wrapped it in foil...all but about a 6 ounce hunk that was begging to be eaten...stuck the rest in one of my small styro cooler chests, some of wifey's favorite dishtowels on top, and I sit down to some fantastic smoked chuckie.
Now, these are probably my 40th or so chuckie that I've smoked in the 055, and STILL I got fooled by the 171 degree 'plateau'...and STILL I had forgotten how just darned good a smoked chuckie can be... and man, how simple!
You've heard it said, "it's done when it's done," and "don't open the door," ...heck "I've" even said those things, but I 'of little faith' thought something was wrong...thermo was broken, CS had stalled, something...and yet, just leaving it alone was the answer. Man, I love my Cookshack!
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