Shredded Chuck roast Chili idea for this weekend

[LiesGuy]

Hey everyone! I got a chuck roast that I wanna smoke this weekend in my WSM 18. I have a pretty good idea of what I *want* to do - but this will be my first attempt at what I'm doing and I don't really know if it's something I * should* do:

Smoke chuck roast, to shred it - maybe cube depending on patience levels! Seasoned with Ancho chile powder /garlic/sugar/cumin/coriander - a smoky SW style seasoning. Using Mesquite wood.

underneath the roast, a tray to catch drippings with canned black beans (or maybe canned black CHILI beans?) - 1 can stays inside to make the chili... uh, "Base" with?

Create the "Base" chili in a dutch oven with the basics - onion, garlic, stock, canned tomato products, beans - whatever else to make a decent chili.

pull the bean tray from the smoker after the first hour or two to just dump into to the dutch oven.

once the meat's done, just either chop or shred it and dump it all into the dutch oven to let everything mingle for a bit.

does that sound good?

 

[zwiller]

NO, it doesn't sound good... IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE. :) This is something I plan to do myself but have never smoked beans. I would be slightly worried both could be too smokey but hopeful someone else will chime in with experience. The chuckie alone is gonna bring some serious smoke.

 

[gmc2003]

Hi Lies, I probably wouldn't put the beans in the smoker under the chucky. Reason being I would want to defat the juice before putting it into the chili. Maybe just add a little beef broth to the pan instead. I like chunky chili so I would cube the chucky for use in chili. Let us know how it goes. Sounds like a great meal.

Chris

 

[chilerelleno]

My first question is, "Do you want the purist version, the base sauce made with chiles or straight chile powder, or do you want the base made from tomatoes with a blended chili powder?"
Now I know you already mentioned tomatoes, and tomato based sauce is good, but if you're going to the trouble of a nice Chuckie then you're going to have plenty of time to do a killer chile sauce.

Do you like Chipotle chiles?
I've a wonderful recipe for a chipotle chile, fairly spicy, but it can be adjusted.

The Chuck will be great either way, shredded or cubed.
May I suggest a fajita or carne asada type marinade before cooking.
And adding the meat last and only simmering a short time.

Chile's Chipotle Chile
8 cans: Herdez Chipotle chiles in Adobo sauce.
*4 cans: Rotel HOT, optional
*1lb Pinto beans, cooked, optional
2 cups: Brown Sugar
*1 large Hershey Special Dark chocolate bar, optional
2 large Onions quartered
4 large Garlic cloves
8-10lbs skirt/flank steak
Salt, Cumin and whatever other spices float your boat.

In a blender, combine Chipotles/adobo sauce & *Rotel, blend till smooth.
In large stock pot, add 1/2cup oil and roast onions/garlic, remove, chop & return to pot.
Add Chipotle/Rotel to stock pot, heat on low-med.
Add brown sugar & *chocolate.
Grill steaks rare/med rare, char over heavy flame for great grill flavor, cool and cut into large bite sized chunks, add to pot.
*Add beans.
Season to taste.
Simmer 1/2hr, over low/med heat, careful not to scorch, stir frequently.

Serve topped with crumbled Queso Anejo and fresh tortilla chips.
Ice cold Horchata or Cerveza to wash it down.

Enjoy!

 

[LiesGuy]

Hey thanks for the tips! Chilerelleno - I don't know if the skirt steak would ever make it into the pot! I love that stuff so much just straight off the grill. Always marinate it with some beer so the drippings flare up a bit. aaand I'm hungry now.

GMC: you'd want to Defat the juice mainly because the meat will be fatty enough once it goes into the chili - and that would be just too much fat, right? I was only thinking of the beans+drippings because I did that recently with a pork shoulder and the beans turned out spectacularly - but the pork and the beans wound up being separate instead of combined like this will be.

 

[chilerelleno]

That recipe is my chili competition recipe it definitely needs to be adjusted for size because that will feed a lot of people.
The ratios of chiles to tomato and sugar controls heat and the bitterness of the Chipotles. The amount of chocolate controls the subtlety of the mole flavor.

In my Recipe Index I've a Red Chile sauce recipe, it makes a very nice base
I used it for my brisket chile yesterday.
It wasn't quite enough so I pureed a can of Rotel Hot and added a cup of water.

I should add one or two of my chile recipes to my recipe index.

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm kind of at the other end of the spectrum, I like the added grease in my chili.
As a matter of fact my chili recipe has bacon in it & after cooking & drying the bacon & chopping it up. I pour the bacon grease into the chili.
So to each his own!
Al

 

[gmc2003]

I de-fat because I'm trying to eliminate all excess fat that I can w/o losing much of the flavor. I already have high blood pressure and don't want to be told by the doctor that you need to stop eating certain foods or foods cooked a certain way. Namely deep fried or red meat. It's more for health reasons in my case. After smoking a chuck steak or butt if you let the drippings separate you'd be surprised by the amount of fat that solidifies at the top. I'm 58 and have had high blood pressure for around 30 yrs. Yet I can still eat most of the foods I like. I still enjoy eggs cooked sunny side up in bacon grease, however I don't hold onto the grease for future cooks. It's all in moderation. Al likes to add in extra fat which is good for flavor, but to me it just gets a little to greasy. For me a good chuck steak has plenty of flavor for chili by itself. I don't need the extra fat added. Your mileage may vary depending on your tastes and health. If you want to smoke the beans then toss them on a splatter shield and smoke them above the chuck steak. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Either way you decide I'm sure it will be good.

Chris