Hi again, all.
Today, I smoked my first beef ever. It was beef loin bottom sirloin tri-tip pieces from Sam's Club. They were already cut into convenient (or not?) log-like strips by the folks at Sam's. The pieces were about 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches by between 9 and 14 inches. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of them before I did anything to them.
At 10:00 this morning, I rinsed them, patted them dry, and sprinkled them with rub (I used the homemade rub I always use for pork, but without the brown sugar). I covered them, and put them back in the fridge.
At 4:00pm, I started the smoker (MES30), and heated it to 180. I put in the beef pieces, without smoke for 45 minutes (I read somewhere that I should cook it some first to dry out the surface a bit). It never dried, but was getting up there in temperature, so I started the smoke. I chose hickory, because it's what I have the most experience with. Here is half the meat, just before I put it in the smoker.
At first, I was worried, because the smoke seemed way too dense, but it quickly calmed down to a nice TBS. I've never STARTED the smoke while the meat was in there...I've always just waited for the smoke to be thin and blue, then put in the food.
In any case, after just about 2 hours, the beef was done. I pulled it out of the smoker at 138°F. I put it in a baking pan, and covered it with foil to rest while I made macaroni and cheese.
I cannot imagine it having been much more perfectly cooked, and my husband and I LOVED it! Thank you, all, who offered help and suggestions! I count this a HUGE success.
My only notes to self: Slightly less rub next time. Gotta remember I'm not trying for a crust in such a short time...just adding a bit of tasty flavor.
Today, I smoked my first beef ever. It was beef loin bottom sirloin tri-tip pieces from Sam's Club. They were already cut into convenient (or not?) log-like strips by the folks at Sam's. The pieces were about 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches by between 9 and 14 inches. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of them before I did anything to them.
At 10:00 this morning, I rinsed them, patted them dry, and sprinkled them with rub (I used the homemade rub I always use for pork, but without the brown sugar). I covered them, and put them back in the fridge.
At 4:00pm, I started the smoker (MES30), and heated it to 180. I put in the beef pieces, without smoke for 45 minutes (I read somewhere that I should cook it some first to dry out the surface a bit). It never dried, but was getting up there in temperature, so I started the smoke. I chose hickory, because it's what I have the most experience with. Here is half the meat, just before I put it in the smoker.
At first, I was worried, because the smoke seemed way too dense, but it quickly calmed down to a nice TBS. I've never STARTED the smoke while the meat was in there...I've always just waited for the smoke to be thin and blue, then put in the food.
In any case, after just about 2 hours, the beef was done. I pulled it out of the smoker at 138°F. I put it in a baking pan, and covered it with foil to rest while I made macaroni and cheese.
I cannot imagine it having been much more perfectly cooked, and my husband and I LOVED it! Thank you, all, who offered help and suggestions! I count this a HUGE success.
My only notes to self: Slightly less rub next time. Gotta remember I'm not trying for a crust in such a short time...just adding a bit of tasty flavor.
