Where's the (BBQ) beef?

Texas Geezer · July 2006

I guess it's just my "thang," but though I'll occasionally enjoy something grilled, I really prefer to perfect my skills in the BBQ and smoked meat categories. And I'm getting a bit tired of pork, so would like to increase my menu selection to different beef cuts - other than just brisket.[p]I grew up on the edge of the Texas barbeque belt in the 50's, and have very fond memories of those old-time barbeques for whatever kinds of events that gathered crowds; the German/Czech/Polish weddings were especially memorable. I remember them barbequeing whole beef quarters in open pits, and hardly ever encountering briskets in those days. Now we can't manage whole quarters on our BGEs, but somehow those old BBQ cooks did manage to make beef other than briskets into a little taste of Heaven, and that meat included what we now call sirloin tip roasts, chuck roasts, and even round roasts.[p]I've not been able to find many techniques and recipes in print or elsewhere for slo-cooking, ala BBQ, these leaner, tougher, and relatively cheaper cuts of beef. I've been experimenting on my own, and feel like I'm making some progress, but I sure feel like I'm trying to re-invent the wheel.[p]Have any of you tried this, and achieved some degree of success that you can share?

fishlessman · July 2006

Texas Geezer,
i use the chuck roll, with a little trimming you could get a 20 pound piece in a large. ive never done one that large, but i think its doable. also check out clayq's method as it also looks good. makes great pulled beeef. i found it best to foil after the plataue and get the temps well above 200 internal
[ul][li]pulled beef[/ul]

Unknown · July 2006

fishlessman,[p]Do you have Clay's recipe? I had that somewhere but now can't find it.[p]Thanks,
Curly

Texas Geezer · July 2006

fishlessman, thx, I've, in fact, tried ClayQ's recipe, and was very pleased with the result (in fact, just finished up the last of it for lunch). And in fact, I'm currently experimenting with variations to attempt to achieve what I remember from those olden, golden days.[p]I do know that those tougher, leaner cuts of beef have to be cooked much like brisket to get them tender, but the trick is keeping it moist.

Texas Geezer · July 2006

Curly, go here:[p]

[ul][li]ClayQ's pulled beef[/ul]

thirdeye · July 2006

Texas Geezer,[p]With the rumps, round roasts and steaks I have better luck with higher temps, but here are some ideas for other cuts.[p]The link below will take you to an earlier thread where Old Dave and ClayQ discuss some finer points of using chuck roasts for pulled beef. This is a very good technique.
[p] If you http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com you will go to my cookin' site. In the beef section you can see how I slow cook tri-tip, prime rib, beef ribs, tongue and pastrami. For a change of pace, I smoke stew meat too.[p][p]<html><font size="3.5" color="yellowgreen">~thirdeye~</font></html>

[ul][li]Pulled Beef[/ul]

Texas Geezer · July 2006

thirdeye, thanks for the link to that dialog; the dialog has some additional tips and pointers that will be good to try. I've done the pulled beef thing ala ClayQ's recipe and technique posted at the Dizzy Pig site, and it was really good. What I'd now like to do is to find a way to make a tender, flavorful roast-like cut that can be sliced.[p]Chuck roast is pretty easy to work with; my one attempt (so far) with a round roast was nearly a disaster.[p]That stew meat picture sure looks good. That's pretty readily available where I live, and cheap. Was it as good as it looks, and how did you do those?

Texas Geezer · July 2006

Whoops, thought I could direct you to the exact page. From the Dizzy Pig link go to "recipes," and then "customer recipes."

fishlessman · July 2006

Texas Geezer,
another cut that works is the clod, something they just dont seem to sell here, but ive heard has good flavor. for moistness ive had good luck with the foil stage, maybe if you want it sliceable take it off the grill at 190-195 for these cuts. the roll seems to want to be 205-210 for a good pullable piece.

thirdeye · July 2006

Texas Geezer,[p]Trying to balance moisture and tenderness with some beef roasts cooked at low temps can be difficult. Maybe an oil based injection or basting liquid would help.[p]For the stew meat, I just season and put on the cooker around 225° indirect until it is tender. Usually use pecan. I've never taken a finished temp, just sampled until it is ready.[p]A nice alternative to beef and pork is lamb. You can serve it around 140° or take it higher and it will become pullable and still be very moist. Here is a picture of a yearling lamb that we quartered and cooked at 225°. I left the shanks on to make turning and rotating easier in this pit, but without them a leg or shoulder will fit nicely on a large egg.[p][p]~thirdeye~

tach18k · July 2006

<p />Texas Geezer, Tri_tip is my favorite.

Ironbaugh · July 2006

tach18k,
That piece of meat looks great. I've never cooked a tri tip. Is it best sliced thin across the grain? Thx

tach18k · July 2006

Ironbaugh, yes, I do mine slowly indirect, @ 250 dome till the center is 125, I remove and wrap in foil for about 20 minutes, in the mean time I Egg goes to sear temps and remove the plate setter, I then sear the meat, let it rest about 10 and then slice across the grain, never leftovers.

Unknown · July 2006

Texas Geezer,[p]Most of the more lean roasts really need to cook quicker but they all can be sliced and are usually very good. I like to marinade them overnight in a marinade with heavy garlic and then cook them around 425 degrees. I also inject some of the meat for a different taste as well. Some folks call this pit beef but it is just thin sliced beef. I did this one on my rotisserie but it can be done equally as well on the Egg. [p][p]This is a round center roast and I cooked it to about 130 and pulled it off and then wrapped in foil for an hour before cutting. It took about 50 minutes. [p][p]I then cut it thin for our use which is usually sandwiches and salads and a couple of Mexican treats. [p][p]I usually make up some Lipton onion soup and place the meat into that bowl for serving. Really adds some extra flavor to this treat. Then add some onion, tomatoes, and a grilled roll and it makes a good sandwich.[p][p]There are many different recipes on the web for this type of roast and a fellow can just pick out something that looks good to him or her. I don't ever do them the same way twice!! [p][p]

fishlessman · July 2006

<p />Texas Geezer,
another relatively cheap cut is a rump roast. this was cooked at 225 with the temps increasing to about 275 towards the end of the cook. 119 internal thenwrapped in foil and chilled before slicing. raised grill direct. good served cold with some bbq sauce as a sandwich

Unknown · July 2006

fishlessman,[p]wow, that looks delicious. what size rump roast did you start out with? and, how long did it cook for??? any seasonings on it before it went on?[p]

fishlessman · July 2006

George,
it was about seven pounds and it was tied to hold it together. some of the fat could be cut off before cooking but i like the fat on the beef. i cook them on friday nights and slice on saterdays while cold. dont know how long they take, but its not long to get to 119 internal if you like beef on the rare side. ive only done this low style cook 3 times, maybe next time ill watch the clock instead of how many beers are left in the 12 pack. rump roast is a good choice for this and is pretty good steaked. cowlick for the rub.

Borders · July 2006

Texas Geezer, As a result of a post by Elder Ward I recently did my second tri-tip. This was a beauty of a tri-tip and was about 2.5lbs. I used the Dizzy Pig "Raising the Steaks" as a rub over a coat of balsamic vinegar and cooked it direct @ 375-400 until the thickest part was 140 internal. This gave me a nice range of well done to rare, along with a tasteee crust. [p]The flavor on that piece was beef at its best in my opinion. Dinner was good and sandwiches as well. [p]I just don't cook beef anymore without mesquite. To me, the experts are correct when they say it matches well with beef. On this cook, I hit the meat with 2 small batches of soaked chips, no more than 1/3 cup each. [p]I realize this is not really low/slow, but it certainly was BBQ! [p]Scott

Unknown · July 2006

Texas Geezer, Tri-Tip MMMMmmmm MMMMmmm Goooooood !!!

UnConundrum · July 2006

Texas Geezer,[p]I just love a good chuck roast. Get mine at Sam's club.... They call it a whole chuck roll...

Texas Geezer · July 2006

Thanks everyone for all the tips and ideas. I guess there is hope after all for some (temporary) relief from the pork.[p]For what it's worth, tri-tip is a little hard to find in my area, though I have found it at Costco. And it's relatively expensive - i.e., on a par with a relatively good steak. I've done some of that, and will do it again as sort of a novelty. But since it's about as expensive as a good steak, I'd prefer steak.[p]You know how memory plays tricks on you? Maybe my memory of those old-time real BBQs has inflated over the years... But what I think I remember was moist, cut-it-with-a-fork, tasty lean beef that's pretty close to what you get with ClayQ's pulled beef recipe. (I'll plan on continuing to experiment with marinades, rubs, and liquids (or not) in the foil or Dutch oven stage to see if I can come close.)

Where's the (BBQ) beef?

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