Bullseye Worst pot roast ever!

[PonySoldier]

Tried a 3lb chuck pot roast on my RecTeq Bullseye 380 today... my first long cook. Did 30 min for each side at 250 degrees (grill). Did the braising liquid in foil pan (covered) for one hour - again at 250 and then added potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms. Covered and cooked for 2 more hours (250 degrees), Temperature maintained well throughout the cook. Vegetables were good but the roast was really tough. Since I am new at this I am just chalking it up to my inexperience (done a bunch of "short" cooks - steaks, burgers, etc - with great results).

 

[C. Keeper]

Tried a 3lb chuck pot roast on my RecTeq Bullseye 380 today... my first long cook. Did 30 min for each side at 250 degrees (grill). Did the braising liquid in foil pan (covered) for one hour - again at 250 and then added potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms. Covered and cooked for 2 more hours (250 degrees), Temperature maintained well throughout the cook. Vegetables were good but the roast was really tough. Since I am new at this I am just chalking it up to my inexperience (done a bunch of "short" cooks - steaks, burgers, etc - with great results).

Been there, done that. I cook just the chuck so I can control doneness. Others here have been successful with your intended method. Welcome aboard!

 

[Greg Jones]

What was your indicator of doneness after 3 hours total of braising? I’ve done a lot of these, and in my experience 3 hours in the braising liquid is not enough. My process is to first sear all 6 sides of the chuck at high temp, 450-500°. Then prepare the braise and cook at 250° until the chuck is probe tender. My logs show that the last 3# chuck I did like this was on at 250° for 6-½ hours, which is on the long end for a chuck. You were smart to split the cook time on the vegetables as they will be mush if left in for the full cook.

 

[Buckeye1]

What was the IT of the roast when you pulled it? Also did you let it rest before cutting up?

 

[PonySoldier]

Been there, done that. I cook just the chuck so I can control doneness. Others here have been successful with your intended method. Welcome aboard!

I get it... I continued cooking for an additional hour in hope that the roast would improve (at the expense of the vegetables) but no such luck! I thought I would follow your lead in the future. I really like the BullsEye and feel confident that the problem is due to my not knowing what I am doing.

 

[PonySoldier]

What was your indicator of doneness after 3 hours total of braising? I’ve done a lot of these, and in my experience 3 hours in the braising liquid is not enough. My process is to first sear all 6 sides of the chuck at high temp, 450-500°. Then prepare the braise and cook at 250° until the chuck is probe tender. My logs show that the last 3# chuck I did like this was on at 250° for 6-½ hours, which is on the long end for a chuck. You were smart to split the cook time on the vegetables as they will be mush if left in for the full cook.

Makes sense... I thought the 3 hour time suggestion was short - especially with no sear - was not going to be great. So far I have been more than pleased with the BullsEye and I will trust my intuition more! Thanks for your experience.

 

[PonySoldier]

What was the IT of the roast when you pulled it? Also did you let it rest before cutting up?

195 and, yes I did let it rest, Every indication was that I needed more time but - in the absence of experience I went ahead and ended the cook. I should probably add that this particular roast was far leaner than I have seen before. For me I think it is a "live and learn" experience and another reason to be thankful for this forum.

 

[Jim6820]

My experience with pot roast (one of our favorites) is that “browning” (not just “searing”) is one of the keys. “Browning” takes at least 5 minutes per side and we dust the meat with flour on all sides before browning. The browning is done in a cast iron Dutch oven.

Then, we put the browned meat in the braising liquid (which includes at least one cup of red wine) for 5-6 hours until it is “fork tender.” The wine helps break down the connective tissue, as well as adding flavor.

By my experience, I’d say your pot roast was 2-3 hours undercooked. It is hard to over-cook pot roast!

 

[PonySoldier]

My experience with pot roast (one of our favorites) is that “browning” (not just “searing”) is one of the keys. “Browning” takes at least 5 minutes per side and we dust the meat with flour on all sides before browning. The browning is done in a cast iron Dutch oven.

Then, we put the browned meat in the braising liquid (which includes at least one cup of red wine) for 5-6 hours until it is “fork tender.” The wine helps break down the connective tissue, as well as adding flavor.

By my experience, I’d say your pot roast was 2-3 hours undercooked. It is hard to over-cook pot roast!

Thank you! I will certainly heed your advice and report back here when I next do pot roast (one of my favorite dishes).

 

[BadgerFan]

I smoke the chuck roast for about 3 hours at 180. I pull it and finish it in the Instantpot.

 

[DoWorkHat]

Smoke @250 for around 3 hours. Or until about 160 internal.
Wrap tightly, place back until probe tender. Anywhere from 200-210 depending on the chuck roast.

Fantastic for pulled beef sandwiches and tacos the next day.

 

[GeneralMills]

I did poor man burnt ends using a 2.5lb chuck roast on my 590 on Saturday. Total time to get where I needed to be was 12 hours! Was expecting more in the 8 hour range! Thankfully no one was waiting on me to provide dinner. Was pretty damn good in the end, but man I didn't expect to pull them off at 9:30pm! Cooking to temp ain't for the impatient that's for sure. Good luck on your next cook.

 

[mikeporter616]

I did a 2 lb roast burnt ends a couple of weeks ago and they were actually over done at 8.5 hrs. Seems to take more time per lb for these smaller cuts.