Brisket Substitute?

[Count Porcula]

I was thinking of doing a brisket today and tomorrow, but I would have to cut it in half and only smoke part of it because no one else is here to help me eat it right now. I'm thinking I may put it off until the weekend, when a friend will be coming to visit.

Question: if I want brisket, but I don't want to buy a whole brisket today, is there another cut of beef that will make me just as happy?

 

[Ringer]

Chuck roast is your friend.

 

[zwiller]

I think brisket is more richer and more of a steak flavor than chuck. Smoked chuck is still tasty tho. Run the whole thing and vac seal and freeze in meal sizes. Holds up stellar. Do it all the time.

 

[DougE]

Yep, chuck is what you want.

 

[SmokinAl]

Just smoke the brisket & slice the leftovers & vac pack them in single or double servings, ( if you have a vac machine). I also add a frozen cube of beef au jus to the bag. Then freeze. To eat just put the bag in some simmering water for a half hour or so. It tastes like you just smoked it!
Al

 

[Count Porcula]

Al, I love your suggestion, but my buddy has been held prisoner in the frozen North, and I was hoping to celebrate his move to Florida with a brisket. If I smoke one now, I'll be smoking two in one week.

Chuck sounds like it will get me through the week.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[sandyut]

yup what SmokinAl said. having ready to go brisket is the way to roll.

Chucks are good to, but I usually make pulled beef with them. I know some slice them too.

 

[smokerjim]

Chuck will hold you over just be sure to get internal temp up to 195-205 or they can be tough.

 

[schlotz]

I don't see anything wrong with smoking two briskets in one week.

 

[912smoker]

I don't see anything wrong with smoking two briskets in one week.

EXACTLY !
Or a TT smoked like a brisket.....
YUM YUM

KEITH

 

[chopsaw]

Question: if I want brisket, but I don't want to buy a whole brisket today, is there another cut of beef that will make me just as happy?

I like chuck , but wouldn't compare the 2 .

Here's a for what it's worth comment .
Chuck Pectoral . Sits between the brisket and chuck on the animal . It stays with the chuck when the brisket is removed .
Very much like a brisket flat . Usually gets ground up or cubed for soup / stew meat .
Not usually seen at regular Grocery stores . They probably have it for grind . Also called special trim if they put it out for sale . I've done it as steak and roast beef . Could certainly smoke it like a brisket .
This was SV'd then pan seared . You can see it resembles a Brisket flat .

 

[tallbm]

I'm in the camp of getting a vac sealer.
Here in TX, whole packer briskets are almost always cheaper than Chucks.
A chuck will hold you over.

JUST KNOW, that you probably want to foil wrap your chuck at about 180F degrees Internal Temp of the meat, with a little water/wine/broth/any liquid around 2-3 floz or else it can very easily dry out on you.
I do not like wrapping my meats. Chucks are about the only thing I wrap because it will dry out on you so ignore this suggestion at your own risk :)

 

[Count Porcula]

I ended up making a pizza because it was too late for smoking. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[zwiller]

I ended up making a pizza because it was too late for smoking. Maybe tomorrow.

That's the beauty of having a stash of frozen stuff. I often smoke stuff and not even eat it. Maybe a sample for scientific purposes.

 

[Count Porcula]

I watched a YouTube video on smoking brisket. It was kind of funny, because the guy was acting like he was teaching something really difficult. One of the great things about BBQ is that it's so easy.

 

[Count Porcula]

The roast has been smoking for about 2 hours. I applied my usual rub. As of now, it's sweating a lot, and it looks grey.

After I put it in, I saw that other people used twine to tie their roasts up. It's doing fine, however. It's like a piece of rubber, nowhere near falling apart.

How many hours of actual smoke would be good for a 2.5-pound roast? I put about 3 ounces of oak in the Smokin-It, figuring a chuck roast would need about as much smoke as ribs.

 

[tallbm]

The roast has been smoking for about 2 hours. I applied my usual rub. As of now, it's sweating a lot, and it looks grey.

After I put it in, I saw that other people used twine to tie their roasts up. It's doing fine, however. It's like a piece of rubber, nowhere near falling apart.

How many hours of actual smoke would be good for a 2.5-pound roast? I put about 3 ounces of oak in the Smokin-It, figuring a chuck roast would need about as much smoke as ribs.

View attachment 629115

You can smoke it with oak the whole time or as much as you do your ribs.

That guy will likely need to be wrapped at some point later in the smoke and I personally would add a little liquid to the foil wrap. It doesn't have a fatty point muscle to help it out.

Let us know how it goes :)

 

[Newglide]

Just smoke the brisket & slice the leftovers & vac pack them in single or double servings, ( if you have a vac machine). I also add a frozen cube of beef au jus to the bag. Then freeze. To eat just put the bag in some simmering water for a half hour or so. It tastes like you just smoked it!
Al

Haven't thought about putting au jus in the bag. Gonna have to give this a try.

 

[Count Porcula]

I tried the roast. Everything worked, but it's just too rich for me. I never realized how rich chuck roast is until I smoked this one.

I pulled the roast out of the smoker with some time to go, and I put it on a broiler pan and covered the pan with foil. I added cheap beer (Busch) to the pan for moisture. I set the oven at 250 and left. Had a dental appointment. I didn't get back until the meat was almost at 210 inside, so I cooked it more than I wanted to. I turned the heat up for a few minutes without foil to set the crust.

It wasn't dry, but I think it would have been juicier if I had gotten home sooner. It really needed salt. I think I should have salted it the day before and left it in the fridge to absorb it.

I could have eaten it with a fork, but it was solid enough to cut, so I used a knife.

Seems like my pork rub is a little strong for beef.

Anyway, from now on, I'll listen to Al, smoke briskets, and freeze the leftovers.