I want to smoke some beef soon but I am not sure which cuts are the best. I'm looking for something other than brisket. Any suggestions?
Smoke a whole ribeye. Dayum!! Any cut that you would normally roast (not braise) in the oven would be good on the smoker.
I went to a tiny store after work. No Tri Tips but I will keep a look out for them in the future. I picked up a shoulder roast. Not sure if that is good or bad. I figured that if I see people smoking pork shoulder than beef shoulder has to be about the same.
tri-tips are good, but of course its a taste thing.... as for smoking steak, if they aren't fairly thick, the downside is they tend to be dried out....unless you are like me, and like your meat black and blue.....
Small. I only smoke food for myself. Kind of keep it a secret from everyone. Besides, that would mean I would have to share.
Brisket prices have gone through the roof, in part because Arby's started offering a brisket sandwich nationwide. It used to be a throwaway cut and now it's $7.99/lb in my local Scams Club. The "smokability" of meat largely depends on its fat content. Very lean cuts do not do well in a smoker and tend to try out. Fatty cuts such as brisket and pork butts do well as they stay moist throughout the cooking process. Just make sure you have a good drip pan, otherwise they a flipping mess. Never through of BBQ chuck and will give that a try.
I smoked this chuck ( arm roast) last year following this recipe, really liked the results, made great pulled beef sandwiches 3 – 4 lb Chuck Roast 2 cup’s of beef broth ½ packet of ranch dressing mix ½ packet of brown gravy mix ½ packet of Italian dressing mix Course fresh ground pepper 1 onion 2-3 large peppers (I used green, red and yellow) ***************************** Mix the packets of ranch, brown gravy and Italian dressing together (just the powder Mix) Place the roast in an aluminum pan and coat with the powder mix plus some course pepper Add 1 cup of beef broth Smoked @ 190* for 2 hours Then put aluminum foil over the aluminum pan, raised the grill temp up to 250* for 3 hours Then add up to 1 cup of beef broth if needed and add the cut peppers and onion and re-foiled @ 250* for another 1 ½ hours or until the peppers are done and the beef easily pulls apart. Let rest for at least 30 minutes, pull the roast and mix and drain off any unwanted broth.
x2 on the ribeye. Best prime rib I ever had, if I do say so myself. Salt, pepper, and hickory smoke - no A1 sauce here!
This post is predicated on the premise that we are discussing "low & slow" BBQ. there are a number of cuts of meat which do not do well with Low & Slow: eye round for example. It has low fat content, not a heck of a lot of flavor, and smoking it has yielded poor results. Brisket is the quintessential BBQ cut.....it has a huge fat cap even after trimming, and 14 hours of 225-degree smoking will produce insane brisket. The use of chuck as mentioned in this thread is a new one and seems very worth exploring. With beef prices through the flipping roof, I'm interested in cuts that are good candidates for BBQ.
Get a "FAT" beef brisket! smoke 200* for 8 to 12 hr's…. Use a fruit wood if you have some, don't matter which… Have fun!
I've smoked a couple chuck roasts recently for my "smoky chipotle chili". They were a from a 1/4 beef I got from a neighbor, a bit on the lean side. Came out a little drier than I'd like off the smoker, but it was all going in the chili so it didn't matter. You probably won't find many lean chuck roasts anyway, but as others have mentioned, you want a fatty cut if its going in the smoker for 10 hours.
My first introduction to smoked food was brisket. It is why I love mesquite. Only looking for alternatives now.
