Meat dry, but very tender.

[Japan_Dave_]

Hi all,

Did my first long low and slow yesterday. It was a 12lbs Japanese raised lump of beef. I am not not sure what part of the cow but, it looks like it was either the shoulder or thigh and was just one big lump of meat with not much fat, just a little bit of marbling. Definitely not Wagyu.

Anyway, cooked it at 225 on offset smoker. Seasoned with just half and half salt and pepper.
Cooked for 7 hours and started spritzing with apple cider vinegar at about the 3 hour mark and every hour from there.
Then wrapped in two layers of butcher paper for a further 8 hours.
Total time 15 hours.

I had two temp monitors in what I thought was the thickest part and I pulled the meat when one was 200 and the other 189.
Used a thermo pen and it was what I thought very tender. Slide in and out with ease.

I let it sit for 1 and 1/2 hours with a cut in the top of the butcher paper to let some air out.

When eating the meat was very soft and pulled apart with ease, but it was reasonably dry and not what I was expecting.
Am I waiting to long to take it off? Or is there something else I did in all of this that was not good?

Cheers.

 

[pops6927]

Got a photo to identify the cut of meat?

 

[kruizer]

You said the meat was very lean and that is probably why it turned out kind of dry.

 

[noboundaries]

Lean cuts of meat generally are best served as roast beef taken to an IT of 130-140F. I can't recall taking a lean cut to the pull temps, but Chef JJ will probaby be along soon.

 

[Japan_Dave_]

Got a photo to identify the cut of meat?

Sorry I didn’t take a pic. But, I asked the place I bought it from and they said it was the rear leg thigh muscle.

 

[smokerjim]

Probably part of the round which you dont want to over cook, if you want a long slow cook try the shoulder or chuck roast

 

[Magic Meat]

Hi all,

Did my first long low and slow yesterday. It was a 12lbs Japanese raised lump of beef. I am not not sure what part of the cow but, it looks like it was either the shoulder or thigh and was just one big lump of meat with not much fat, just a little bit of marbling. Definitely not Wagyu.

Anyway, cooked it at 225 on offset smoker. Seasoned with just half and half salt and pepper.
Cooked for 7 hours and started spritzing with apple cider vinegar at about the 3 hour mark and every hour from there.
Then wrapped in two layers of butcher paper for a further 8 hours.
Total time 15 hours.

I had two temp monitors in what I thought was the thickest part and I pulled the meat when one was 200 and the other 189.
Used a thermo pen and it was what I thought very tender. Slide in and out with ease.

I let it sit for 1 and 1/2 hours with a cut in the top of the butcher paper to let some air out.

When eating the meat was very soft and pulled apart with ease, but it was reasonably dry and not what I was expecting.
Am I waiting to long to take it off? Or is there something else I did in all of this that was not good?

Cheers.

I am with noboundaries on that one, lean beef doesn't have enough fat in it to internally self baste at higher finish temps like say a brisket or such.. Without the extra oils in the meat to help seal in the moisture it kind of has no option but to force the water out drying over time. Cooking it at lower temps helps like 215-220 max will slow the cook and get you better tenderness although it won't totally break down some of the tougher connective tissue if it's a mixed muscle type cut. So it can be kind of a tradeoff sometimes.. I personally would have lost my mind if I saw any higher then 135-140 center on a lean chunk like a top round or similar before pulling it off the heat. I have been deceived though by unidentifed mixed muscle type cuts as far as formulating my cooking schedule for best results.

 

[SmokinAl]

^^^^^^^Yea that!!
Al