Stalled chuck roast

[Workaholic]

At this point I'm very concerned. I threw the chuck on several hours ago. I know the smoker was sitting in sunlight for about half the afternoon. The chuck has been stalled, for a lack of a better word, for the past 3 or 4 hours. I was expecting a stall around 170 or 180. Not at 2 hours to go from 144 to 156, and then just sitting there. Am I missing something here? Is there something I can do to speed up the process?

 

[smokerjim]

what's your smoker set at, are the smoker thermometers accurate, did you wrap the chuckie up, if not wrap it and crank the heat up some.

 

[Workaholic]

Smoker has been settled in at about 240-250. I'll go wrap it now

 

[smokerjim]

yeah that should help push it through the stall, you could even put the heat up some to help out if you want, depends on how quick you want to eat.

 

[Workaholic]

I wanted to eat a couple hours ago. I opened up one intake all the way on this wsm. The internal on the chuck climbed 6 degrees already, and the smoker temp is already above 270.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

You can take her up to 290-300 and still be ok.
As smokerjim said, wrapping will push thru that stall.
Chuckies can be very stubborn.

 

[chopsaw]

What's been said above , and don't be afraid to use the oven if needed .

 

[jcam222]

I’ve been doing fattier cuts like pork butts and chuck at 275F during the first 4 hours for smoke then wrapping and cranking up to 300F for a turbo finish. Seems for me to yield just as good a result as low and slow and eating faster :). Maybe give that a shot next time.

 

[Workaholic]

I'll have to give that a try next time. Or maybe something similar. Thanks for the help.

 

[kelbro]

Are you sure that the roast had completely thawed before you put it on?

I saw in your other post that you mentioned taking it out of the freezer.

 

[SmokinAl]

So how did it turn out?
Al

 

[EdP]

I smoked a 2.5lb chuck roast at 275 last week, it took almost 8 hours.

Earlier this summer, a 4+ lb chuck at 275 took over 10 hours.

 

[Workaholic]

Yes, it was thawed. It had been sitting in the fridge for 4 or 5 days. It came out absolutely amazing. The outer edges were just a touch dry, and most of the taters weren't done to where I was wanting them. But it tasted great, and was definitely edible. Also learned a few things. A win in my book.

 

[EdP]

Yes, it was thawed. It had been sitting in the fridge for 4 or 5 days. It came out absolutely amazing. The outer edges were just a touch dry, and most of the taters weren't done to where I was wanting them. But it tasted great, and was definitely edible. Also learned a few things. A win in my book.

Packer briskets have been hard to find near me, so I started smoking big chuck roasts (4lbs+). They don't need trimming and there's no waste.

The experts can chime in, but it seems they need more time than briskets. Maybe it's the muscle composition vs a brisket.

I've smoked them this year @275, double wrapping with paper at 160+, and it takes 2 hours+ per pound to get to 200+/-.

 

[Workaholic]

Packer briskets have been hard to find near me, so I started smoking big chuck roasts (4lbs+). They don't need trimming and there's no waste.

The experts can chime in, but it seems they need more time than briskets. Maybe it's the muscle composition vs a brisket.

I've smoked them this year @275, double wrapping with paper at 160+, and it takes 2 hours+ per pound to get to 200+/-.

Maybe it's the difference in the way its cut or muscle composition. I dont know. The one I did was about 3.2 lbs. The biggest issue I ran into, and likely why I felt the outer edges were a bit dry, was the stall came in 30 degrees before I was expecting it, based on the threads I've read on briskets, chucks, etc, I was expecting a stall at about 170-180, not at 144. It was also the first piece of old dead cow I've ever smoked. Always before was either turkey or ribs. So my inexperience with this particular cut of beef also made a big difference. But, and this is o e of the biggest take away I have from this, I now know from experience, how to recognize and deal with a stall, as well as that it can come a lot earlier than you expect.

 

[Khaymanbb]

I always just wrap at 160 or close to it, then pop it back in. Wrapping or not wrapping basically comes down to how much bark you want. The smoke flavor is pretty much done after 3 or 4 hours, so you can even finish it off in the oven if you are going to wrap it. Saves wood/pellets doing that too. I personally haven't ever finished in the oven, I just love to have that delicious smoke smell make my neighbors jealous. But when it gets cold outside, I may end up doing so.

 

[Workaholic]

The biggest issue I ran into was when it stalled, and with that being my first stall, not recognizing it for what it was. I expected the stall at 170-180, not at about 140. Once I wrapped it, and turned up the heat a bit, it finished in about 2 hours.