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Perfect footy food to feed the crowd on a chilly night. Can be served on a bun, with sides, or in this case Taco's!
We kick off with a 7kg-ish chuck roast courtesy of Two Butchers. Beef chuck is an economical cut with a great texture. Although it is often unfairly packaged as low-quality stew beef, chuck is actually one of the most flavoursome beef cuts available.
Chuck comes from the neck and shoulder area of the cow – these muscles are frequently exercised, which means chuck can be tough, fatty and gristly without proper cooking. To make the most of chuck, it should be cooked slowly on a low heat (and ideally, in a liquid). This low and slow cooking breaks down tough muscle fibres and connective tissue and drastically increases the tenderness of the meat. Chuck is a popular choice for not only low and slow BBQ but also pot roasts, stews, casseroles and curries.
Our rub of choice on this occasion is Jackalope's SPG Rub. We want the beef to be the star of this cook so a simple salt, pepper and garlic rub is the perfect choice and Jackalope have perfected the combo.
Trim any excess hard and loose fat and any silverskin that may be present. Apply a good coverage of SPG rub all over the chuck, enough so that you can still see the meat. (don't go too nuts) Again, we want the beef to be the star of the show. Wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge overnight.
Bring your smoker up to temp (250f) and place the chuck onto the rack. For heat we are using Cleanheat's 4kg Eco Charcoal and for flavour we have chosen Pecan and Plum.
5hrs in. The pecan and plum have given the chuck a great colour and is nearly ready to be wrapped. currently sitting at 155f.
6hrs in. Chuck has reached an internal temp of 165f so it's time to wrap. Place chuck in a foil tray and pour roughly a cup of beef stock into the tray.
Wrap tightly in alfoil and place back into smoker. Crank the smoker to 275f.
10.5hrs in - Chuck has reached 205f internally. At this temperature, the connective tissues in the chuck will have broken down and gelatinised so they just melt in your mouth. Since we also covered the roast and braised in liquid, the roast will be incredibly juicy and tender as well. Place in an esky and let rest for 2hrs.
Shred the beef in the foil pan with the juices. (don't throw the juice out!) The result is super juicy and tasty pulled beef. We're now ready for Taco's!
