Really late Stall in Chuck

[DobriDim]

Hey guys, did this ever happened to you.

Last two time i was smoking chuck, i smoke it to round 65-70C (150-160F), put it in Alu foil, put some beef broth in, wrap it, and return to the smoker. It goes on slowly, raising internal temp to round 84C (183-185F), and then it stops, and the meat starts cooling for 2-3 degrees C, for hour our two, and then starts raising again. Really odd. Also, both times the meat turned out a bit dry.
Smoker temp is between 225-250F...

Thx

 

[normanaj]

Was it ever frozen at some point?It may not have been fully defrosted?

I've found that beef that has been frozen and then defrosted can "behave" differently than fresh with the end result being a little on the dry side.

 

[DobriDim]

No, it wasnt. It was cold (5-10C aprox), but not frozen. Fresh meat, or the butcher f...ed me over. I mean cold shouldnt matter, beside the size of the smoke ring.

 

[illini40]

That is interesting. Did it ever have any stall earlier in the cook, closer to the 150-160* mark as well?

 

[DobriDim]

No, or i didnt notice it. It went a bit slower from 150 to 160/165 but not that it stalld and cooled

 

[chopsaw]

I had it happen once , but wasn't beef . Outside temps were in the teens , opened the smoker just long enough to probe with an instant read . The meat temp fell 10 degrees and stayed there . Took forever to come back up .

 

[DobriDim]

I was thinking, maybe not enough fat in the meat?

 

[gmc2003]

Did you move your probe at all. You may have stuck it into/next to a fat pocket. I've had meat cool during the foiling stage before, mostly because it takes some time to wrap it and get it back on the smoker. For that reason I use a disposable aluminum pan when foiling. It cuts down on the time the meat is away from the heat. Less cooling. Also as mentioned above peeking could cause this. For the dry part it sounds like it wasn't cooked long enough for pulling. You need to smoke it to tenderness instead to temp.

Chris

 

[Preacher Man]

I haven't had that with chuck, but my last brisket did that. It was a little 9 lbs packer. It hit the normal 165°ish stall where I wrapped it, climbed to 185° and then dropped to 183° before taking a really long time to climb back up. I waited it out and still came out with a super moist and tender brisket at 198°.

From all the reading I've done on here, 2nd stalls aren't as uncommon as some might think.

 

[DobriDim]

Hey gmc, i didnt movethe probe... How do u mean alu pan? U put it in a pan, and then foil over, or wrap it and put it in the pan? What are the differences if its not tightly wrapped?
Also, i dont pull it, i slice it. Dryness, i thought i overcooked it, but u sat it mightve been undercooked?
Precherman, happened with a brisket too.

 

[gmc2003]

Hi Dobri,

Ok it wasn't because the probe was moved.

I use an aluminum pan for two reasons, first and foremost it's a whole lot quicker for me to put the chuck steak, ribs, brisket or whatever meat in a pan with beef broth and cover the pan with aluminum foil then it is to wrap it in a sheet of foil. While trying to keep the foiling liquid contained.

Sorry I didn't realize you were slicing the chuck. If your smoking a chuck steak for slicing then I agree with you. It was overcooked. 130* is the temp for rare, and 140 for medium. I'm not a fan of chuck steak for slicing, but I do love it pulled. I also don't see any reason to foil it if your going to slice it.

Chris

 

[noboundaries]

It isn't unusual for meat to have 2-3 stalls. I used to use my meat probe religiously, watching meat temps stall, drop, rise again, etc. Plus, when they start giving weird readings, it drove me crazy. My solution? Stopped using the meat probe entirely and now use an instant read. Sanity regained, and stalls happen without my watching.

 

[hardcookin]

As mentioned above slicing you probably over cooked it.

I don't really worry about temps to much. When it gets desired bark I pan with some beef broth and cover. Then usually check to see if it's probe tender with an instant probe. You will be able to tell by probing.
I usually always pull chuck roasts.
I have seen brisket drop temp, but with brisket you also want probe tender. Temp is just kind of a guideline/reference . I have had brisket be probe tender from anywhere from 195 - 209.

 

[DobriDim]

Thing is, i wanna slice it as you slice brisket.. .I mean its similar meat, why is chuck sliced at lower temps, and brisket at 195-205?

 

[DobriDim]

hey guys... so, stupid serbian naming of beef cuts... seems like chuck is what here we call beef neck. just did a piece, 2,6kg (5,7lb) took 11 and a half hours on temperatures 225-250F, pulled it out at 198F. Sliced it, was perfect, moist, really good. Heres a gif
https://i.imgflip.com/2qiwbk.gif