I give ya credit for posting the Q anyways. Good or bad, everyone can learn from others efforts. I'm sure you would rather hear praise for how good it looks or tastes, but truth be known, alot of folks won't post their mistake or failures. I'm gonna give ya"honesty points" just for that reason, and it seems like ya learned an awefull lot from your chuck smoke.
As said earlier, it is important to get a piece of chuck that is thick, and well marbled with fat. Next time ask your butcher for a 4-5 lb chunk of chuck roll or shoulder clod. Thats the way to go IMO if you want pulled beef,BOVINE BBQ!
Chucks were on sale around here this week, and I picked up a 19.7 lb chuck roll. Often I cut then in half, but this time I am gonna do the whole piece at one time. I think it will be next weekend though, I like to age them at least a week, 2 is better. These pieces of beef are bigger than a packer, and about as thick as a small pork butt or about 4-5 inches thick at the largest end. It is almost shaped like a triangle.
They take 13-15 hrs to smoke to pulling tenderness, but they are worth it to me. The tenderness of a pork butt, and the taste and color of a brisket point, very little fat clumps or large fat deposits. At 2.19 a lb, I think it is one of the best buys going right now. Didn't mean to highjack your thread. Hope this helps.