Thursday, April 17, 2008

Smoked Beef Roast-

So, today we did a four pound round top roast from Safeway Select. It was a very nice looking roast, but I was not sure if it might not be too lean for smoking. However, being a novice has its advantages. I rubbed it down with garlic salt, salt, and pepper. I racked it on a v-shaped rack that sat nicely in a drip pan. Ready to go. I put it in the refrigerator for about an hour and a half, since it was too early to begin.

I planned for four hours. I prepped the Silver Smoker and got the fire going. For this one I pulled the food grates and set the roasting pan on the fire grate in the cooking chamber. This placed the racked meat in the center of the cooking chamber; not too high, not too low. I was just guessing that this would make any difference, but it seemed right.

The cooking chamber remained at 200 degrees pretty consistently over the four hours. I actually was wanting a bit more heat in the chamber, to get the center of the meat up to temperature. However, even with the vents opened all the way I only got up to 230 degrees at a few points.

I am measuring temperature at the grate, in the center of the cooking chamber. It is a simple dial thermometer, and I think I really will want to replace it one day with something more accurate. However, I think it will do for now. I still have a lot to learn, and going nuts buying equipment will not make me a better cook.

Or maybe it will. What do I know?

Anyway, it came out looking reddish brown, with a rich chocolate brown at the ends. I got it upstairs and we were ready to eat, so I cut into it. It was very nice inside. Juicy, with a bit of a smoke ring. It was done about a medium rare. There was some connective tissue that remained a bit tough to cut, so I cut around it. The dog liked the chewy bits just fine.

Oh, it was really good! The chips I had for smoking were mesquite, introduced from time to time along with a bit more fuel. They added a good flavor. I hope to experiment with other woods, both chips and chunks, over time. The mesquite was quite satisfactory.

As I wrapped up the left overs (about half was left after three people had their fill) I set aside some of the end bits to chop up. I made a mess of chopped beef and put it in a sealed container with a bit of soy sauce. I shall see how this is tomorrow. It is waiting in the refrigerator, hopefully getting better with time.

Thyme. I threw a bit of that in the water at the bottom of the drip pan. I didn't know if it would help, but it seemed a good idea. Just remembered that.

So, my second adventure went well. On the whole, this has been quite satisfying.

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