Brisket and chuck roast taste the same upon smoking?

[Tallbald]

Disappointed in the briskets I looked over locally of late, because there is a lot of hard fat I would be paying for in these cases. But there's chuck roast (angus) on sale at $2.99 a pound at Kroger. Given the same SPOG rub, do brisket and chuck roast taste the same when equally smoked? Don't know why they wouldn't. Is there a real texture difference? Both would be sliced very thin for a number of dishes. Just learning. Thanks. Don.

 

[tallbm]

Disappointed in the briskets I looked over locally of late, because there is a lot of hard fat I would be paying for in these cases. But there's chuck roast (angus) on sale at $2.99 a pound at Kroger. Given the same SPOG rub, do brisket and chuck roast taste the same when equally smoked? Don't know why they wouldn't. Is there a real texture difference? Both would be sliced very thin for a number of dishes. Just learning. Thanks. Don.

I think the taste is very very very close.

HOWEVER, I don't slice the chucks. I shred them.
If you were to cook brisket for shredding the same way as a chuck then I think you would have very very similar flavor.

I say give it a shot, you shouldn't be let down if the chuck is still cooked well even if they turn out a little different.

Let me know if this makes sense :)

 

[troutman]

I agree give it a shot. I cook chuck rare these days via SVQ and recently did a full packer brisket that way as well. There was a lot of similarity, the brisket is after all just below the chuck in the front of the cow, so similar muscles. As tallbm suggests, give it a try and report back with pictures!! Would be a good post !

 

[lovethemeats]

I think the chucks have some good flavor to them when smoked. Did burnt ends before with them and they turned out great. Done a few of them whole as the misses loves them. They are a great back up when the briskets don't look so great. Get them with good marbling in them. Yeah your in for some good tasting food.

 

[Rings Я Us]

I buy the full 15 lb brisket and shave off up to 4 lbs of fat. That's just how it goes. It's $3.29 lb with the fat on or $5.99 no fat. I would just pay for the extra 3-4 lbs and trim off the fat . They do not sell brisket whole, ready to put on the smoker. You can save some fat and add it to lean beef pieces you see on sale to make burger or for chili meat. I just toss out the $10 worth of fat when I trim a brisket.
Same for jerky, bye bye $10

 

[Tallbald]

I will give it a try. The chuck roasts at Krogers here are usually nicely marbled, offer a good selection and at $2.99 a pound with little hard fat to trim off, are to me a fairly good deal. And they are only a little more than 81/19 hamburger in our parts. I've been told all briskets have a lot of fat needing trimmed off, but it was hard on me cutting away 2-3 pounds of just fat from my first (and so far only ) brisket. I did simmer the fat though and refrigerate it as a daily small treat for our three indoor rescue dogs. They love my smoking hobby.
Chuck roast with SPOG rub overnight and a slow smoke using hickory and oak (the woods I have on hand) makes me hopeful for good results. This time I want to slice the roasts though instead of pulling, because it will most likely be used for deli style sandwiches.
I seem to remember the grain runs differently in a chuck roast (?) so I'll make a note to self of the direction before the smoke so I can make good, cross grain slices after resting and a bit of cooling.
Looking forward to this. Maybe with photographic documentation I can finally offer benefit to some new folks here instead of just asking questions.
Thanks again. Don.

 

[lovethemeats]

I do hickory and at times apple or maple. The hickory turns out tasting really good. Can't say about oak. Sorry.
Good smoking there. Tell how it went for you.

 

[bregent]

I just toss out the $10 worth of fat when I trim a brisket

Don't toss the fat, make some tallow
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/tallow.272882/

 

[SmokyMose]

I like chuckies, but they're not a replacement for brisket. I've cooked chucks the same way and they have been different every time. Who knows? You may cook them the same way, but no, they don't taste the same as brisket.
Cutting the extra fat off a brisket is just part of the game.
That being said, I can usually get brisket at GFS cheaper than chuck in these parts. It's "choice" rather than "prime", but I'm OK with that.
The grain runs differently in a brisket between the point and the flat, but all the chuckies I've seen have the grain running in one direction...
Make a small cut in the meat across the grain before cooking so you can find it afterwards
Smoke on!

 

[Rings Я Us]

Don't toss the fat, make some tallow
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/tallow.272882/

No thanks.

 

[tallbm]

I hunt so saving the beef fat to mix with lean venison or lean wild pork to make sausage items is helpful.
Just something to keep in mind :)

 

[SmokinAl]

Chuck roasts around here are more than twice the price of brisket. I use the trimmed brisket fat on a rack above the brisket, so it self bastes as the fat renders.
Al

 

[sauced]

I usually make burnt ends out of the chuck. Also I smoke the chuck to make pulled beef sandwiches. Brisket prices here in Northeast are in the $8 per pound range. Chucks can go on sale for half that.

 

[indaswamp]

The will smoke the same, but will not BE the same....

The reason for this is the collagen and connective tissue in the brisket that makes it a tough cut of meat. All that gets softened and make brisket so ooey gooey good!!! Chuck roast cooked the same will be drier.

 

[Tallbald]

I went to Kroger's this morning for some other stuff. Examined the chuck roasts on sale and found two on sale that are well marbled and needed no trimming. Bought them and already have one rubbed and awaiting tomorrow's smoke. Sure pretty roasts. I'll treat them like briskets, and slice them in 1/4 inch slices (bias cut)for sandwiches and layered casseroles. Will wrap them after say 6-8 hours and include a cup of apple juice/worchestire(spelling?) sauce, then a rest for a few hours. Very happy here. Wish me luck please. Don.

 

[SmokyMose]

I usually make burnt ends out of the chuck. Also I smoke the chuck to make pulled beef sandwiches. Brisket prices here in Northeast are in the $8 per pound range. Chucks can go on sale for half that.

Isn't it amazing the difference in prices for meats around this nation?

 

[Tallbald]

I agree on the amazing differences in pricing on meats.Milk here in Southern KY yesterday was $1.19 a gallon, up from price wars last fall in which it was 99 cents a gallon at most big grocers in Bowling Green. I do suppose though that it's a reflection of costs of living in general(?) in different areas of our beautiful nation. I was likewise amazed maybe ten years ago when I met a fellow at a funeral for a distant relative. Our conversation wandered to of all things, property taxes. I complained about my home property tax on our three bedroom two bath 30 year old brick ranch home in an older, established city/county annexed subdivision being $1050 a year. He shook his head and said that he lives in the same home back in Wisconsin but that his annual property taxes were closer to $3500. I don't recall the name of the city from which he came, but that talk has stuck in my mind all these years. Don.

 

[gmc2003]

Tall, you'd be amazed at what we pay here in VT. I own a 4 bedroom cape with an attached two car garage on an acre of land in a semi-rural part of VT. Property taxes when I bought the place 30 years ago were under 800.00, today we pay close to 3500. We have no local police, a volunteer fire dept. use well water and septic systems. I also own a condo that I rent out in Burlington(VTs big apple) and pay close to 4000.00 on that unit. Milk is around 1.75 to 2.00/gallon, and we're a dairy state. Some our senior citizens have to sell their homes that have been in their families for generations because they can't afford the taxes and cost of living. It's sad.

Chris