# Smoked round roast.



## oleras (Jun 18, 2015)

This is only the second time i have smoked anything, done ribs last week when i got the ProQ for the first time.

I kinda followed this guys recipe for some inexpensive Lidl beef roast i picked up today. I left out the injections of marinade....even typing that just seems wrong !

€10, i wasn't going to the poor house if i made a balls of it.













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__ oleras
__ Jun 18, 2015






I removed the netting and used the rub from the recipe, minus the celery salt, didn't have any of that.













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__ oleras
__ Jun 18, 2015






I was using up some old briquets i had in the garage, it was only going in for max 2 hrs anyway. A bowl of soaked maple chips added for some smoke, no water bath, i sat the meat in a section above the direct heat to keep it from burning. The temperature pretty much stayed at 275 for most of the cook.













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__ Jun 18, 2015






After an hour.













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__ Jun 18, 2015






When the temp started to dip at ~ 80min, rather than add more fuel i just stoked the coals and it came right back to 275.

I took it off at around 95 mins, stuck a cheapo probe in and it eventually read 145 internal. I *might* be getting  maverick dual probe for fathers day, it seems to be an essential piece of kit when smoking.













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__ oleras
__ Jun 18, 2015






Now...if you read the recipe you would know this is to be wrapped in foil, let cool, refrigerated overnight and then thinly sliced.

Hopefully i will have the money shot tomorrow sometime. ;)

I must say i am really enjoying this, getting a chance to combine 2 things i enjoy doing, cooking and eating !


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## kc5tpy (Jun 18, 2015)

Hello oleras.  Glad to have you with us!  GREAT lookin piece of beef!  I think you did a fine job with it.  Please forgive me.  Some times I sound like an a**.  I am abrupt.  I don't mean to be. Only trying to help.  Not a wordsmith  If I may offer advice:  I would look for a piece of beef with more fat/marbling next time.  You trimmed that piece of beef to DEATH!  before cooking.  Fat = Flavour.  You threw flavour away!  Trim it as you slice it if you don't want to eat it.  IF you have a very lean piece of beef, throw it on DIRECT heat; HOT fire!  Right over the coals.  Watch it and sear it ( get a crust ) on all sides ( all over the joint ) THEN move it to indirect heat.  YES! get a good digital therm.!  It is a MUST HAVE!   Take that lean piece of beef to an internal temp of about 135-140f then remove and foil wrap and wrap in towels to rest for at least 1/2 hour.  I don't mean to criticize.  I am just offering advice which you are free to take or dismiss,  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## demosthenes9 (Jun 18, 2015)

Danny,

That looks to be what is called an Eye of Round here in the US, and if so, there's very little fat on the outside to begin with.   I don't think he trimmed it at all.

As to the cook, similar to the experiment that Wade just performed, that piece is best cooked low and slow, 225F or even lower.   If you want a crisped up crust, do a reverse sear at the end.  

There's a method to the madness.  If you sear it at the beginning and then move to indirect for slow cooking, the outer edges of the meat will get to well done as the surface gets seared.   When you move the meat to cook indirect, the accumulated heat in the outer regions makes it's way inward.  Result is large band of well done meat on the outer edges.

If you do a reverse sear at the end, you will get a crispy surface but you won't get that thick band of well done meat.  Instead, you'll have a nice consistent edge to edge color.

Here's a much better explanation of it:

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/cooking_temperatures_and_reverse_sear.html


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## ak1 (Jun 18, 2015)

Got the weeks flyers and one local grocery store has eye of round for $2.97 per pound. I'm loading up!!!


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## oleras (Jun 19, 2015)

KC5TPY said:


> Hello oleras.  Glad to have you with us!  GREAT lookin piece of beef!  I think you did a fine job with it.  Please forgive me.  Some times I sound like an a**.  I am abrupt.  I don't mean to be. Only trying to help.  Not a wordsmith  If I may offer advice:  I would look for a piece of beef with more fat/marbling next time.  You trimmed that piece of beef to DEATH!  before cooking.  Fat = Flavour.  You threw flavour away!  Trim it as you slice it if you don't want to eat it.  IF you have a very lean piece of beef, throw it on DIRECT heat; HOT fire!  Right over the coals.  Watch it and sear it ( get a crust ) on all sides ( all over the joint ) THEN move it to indirect heat.  YES! get a good digital therm.!  It is a MUST HAVE!   Take that lean piece of beef to an internal temp of about 135-140f then remove and foil wrap and wrap in towels to rest for at least 1/2 hour.  I don't mean to criticize.  I am just offering advice which you are free to take or dismiss,  Keep Smokin!
> 
> Danny


Its all advice, and its all welcome Danny. I am a complete noob to smoking.

Thats the way the piece of meat came packaged Danny, i didnt trim anything.

The digital thermometer will hopefully make things easier all right, i suppose you just dont know what kind of temps you are getting on the grate without one, the dome readout can be way out i have been reading.


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## kc5tpy (Jun 19, 2015)

Hi Demo.  I can see the logic there.  You may be EXACTLY correct in that he didn't trim anything.  Never thought of it that way.  The slight amount of fat may have just rendered away.  I tend to shy away from those cuts.  Whether for the smoker OR the oven.  I know many folks like them but I usually don't buy the really lean cuts of meat.  Still working on my first heart attack but I want to see some fat and I hope some marbling.  For Me ( personal choice ) beef and pork is being bred now to be too lean.  I miss the old days when a ham actually had some fat on it.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## wade (Jun 19, 2015)

Great first try Oleras-  looking forward to seeing the result. With this success under your belt you will now progress in leaps and bounds. I hope you do get the Maverick as it will transform your method of cooking.

With the lean cuts of beef I am not sure that the fat really does make as much difference to the flavour as it does in other meats, like pork or lamb. I am with the school that cooks their beef fully trimmed - even my briskets. Even with the good cuts of meat I am also now converted to the low and slow method, as it gave a wonderful texture and flavour right the way through the meat in the test.


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## oleras (Jun 19, 2015)

I cant really cut it that thinly but it will do, when i go bigger the next time i may ask the local deli counter to run it through their slicer.













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__ oleras
__ Jun 19, 2015






Full of smokey and spicy flavor from the rub, quiet tasty.

Maybe a little over done, but hopefully the maverick will sort that.













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__ oleras
__ Jun 19, 2015


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## wade (Jun 19, 2015)

Good looking meat and a bit of a smoke ring too. Well done 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  

A meat slicer will soon be on your birthday and Christmas list as well as the Maverick


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## kc5tpy (Jun 19, 2015)

Great Job!  Don't start us on boys' toys.  We can help you spend it faster than you can make it!  BUT!  You DO need a Mav., a slicer and a vacuum sealer to start with.  Once you remortgage your house we can move on from there.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Danny


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## smokewood (Jun 19, 2015)

Now that looks like proper butty making Beef to me Good Job


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## demosthenes9 (Jun 19, 2015)

oleras said:


> I cant really cut it that thinly but it will do, when i go bigger the next time i may ask the local deli counter to run it through their slicer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks right tasty!   If I may, drop the cooking temp a little bit next time (use fewer lit coals).    Looking at the pics of the slices, you can see that the heating was a bit uneven.  In the last pic, it's evidenced by the right side of the slice being more well done compared to the left.   You could try for more separation between the meat and the coals.  Bank them up closer to the side and put the meat as far away as possible.    Another idea is to stand a brick or two on their sides down next to the coals to act as a heat shield.   Some people go to the trouble of getting fire bricks, I just use two paver bricks that I picked up at Home Depot.

The reason for this is that even with a Maverick, the variance in doneness will still occur unless you further isolate the meat from the heat source..


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## oleras (Jun 19, 2015)

Thanks for all the feedback folks, i appreciate it. It will be a nice smoth learning curve hopefully.

Demosthenes9, that makes perfect sense. Looking at the pics you can see what part of the joint was on the grills and hence ended up getting more heat and having an uneven level of doneness.

Besides using the bricks to deflect direct heat away, would it be normal to turn the piece over midway ?


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## kc5tpy (Jun 19, 2015)

Hello.  That Demo..  He just jumps up and surprises ya.  That brick idea is one very good idea I had not thought of.  And I thought he was just a pretty face.  




  buddy!

I don't know why folks think they should put the meat on the smoker and never touch it.  YES!  Every time you open the door/lid you are letting out heat and smoke; "if you are looking you ain't cooking".  I flip my meat and rotate it 180 degrees every 1/2 hr. to 45 minutes or so.  Not something I "TIME".  Maybe quicker if the temp is a bit high and a little longer if the temp is a little low.  I will also move meat to different parts of the grill if cooking multiple pieces.  Today I started with 4 chicken leg quarters and then add 3 ribeye steaks.  This DOES need to be like a military operation.  Plan it well before opening and you may need some help.  Lose as little heat as possible.  Here's how it goes:  Tongs in hand and a mental picture of what is where.  Missus "snatches" the lid off.  Quick visual assessment ( everything looks like it is cooking evenly? ).  Flip, turn, move and add ( more meat or baste or whatever ).  Missus puts the lid back.  No matter the smoker; even if I am cooking a 7-10kg. brisket I flip and rotate every 1/2-3/4 hour.  Just my way of doing it.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## demosthenes9 (Jun 19, 2015)

oleras said:


> Thanks for all the feedback folks, i appreciate it. It will be a nice smoth learning curve hopefully.
> 
> Demosthenes9, that makes perfect sense. Looking at the pics you can see what part of the joint was on the grills and hence ended up getting more heat and having an uneven level of doneness.
> 
> Besides using the bricks to deflect direct heat away, would it be normal to turn the piece over midway ?


Yes, it would be "normal" to turn the piece over midway, but even then you can still have some issues.   More below in my response to Danny


KC5TPY said:


> Hello.  That Demo..  He just jumps up and surprises ya.  That brick idea is one very good idea I had not thought of.  And I thought he was just a pretty face.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh yeah, I agree.    I have no problems with looking while I'm cooking and I toy with things throughout the cook.   I try to stay away from arguments about it, but most smokers/grills will recover temp quite rapidly after taking the lid off or opening the door.  Meat temps won't drop that much either during the brief amount of time a door/lid is open.    Granted, you don't want to have the door/lid open for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, but a minute or two here and there aren't going to hurt anything.

When it's all said and done, my only real concern is the final product, how it tastes, and what it looks like.   Here's part of a batch of 40lbs of roast beef that I did back a while ago.













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__ demosthenes9
__ Jun 19, 2015


















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__ Jun 19, 2015






This was from 16 Sirloin Tip roasts that I did in my vertical smoker.  Notice that the color is consistent from edge to edge on each slice.  There's about 1/'4 inch of smoke ring on the edges, but what isn't there is a 1/4 or 1/2inch band of well done meat. 

With regards to just popping the top and flipping the meat, in a perfect world, that could work.  But, there are a number of things that could still cause some problems and lead to some unevenly cooked meat.     One of the biggest is a personal failing of mine, which is that I often lose track of time or lose focus.   I SHOULD rotate the meat after 30 mins, but something else pops up and maybe it's 45 mins before I turn the meat.   Or I might forget which way I have been turning it and lose track of which side should be facing the heat next.

Again, there's any number of things that might lead to the meat being cooked unevenly and I have found that placing two bricks down inside my kettle to act as a heat shield will take care of all that for me. 

The setup is something like this:













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__ demosthenes9
__ Jun 19, 2015






This isn't a concern in my vertical smoker as I run with a water pan filled with sand acting as my heat deflector.


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## kc5tpy (Jun 20, 2015)

Hello.  I agree Demo.  Proper temp control eliminates a lot of the problems.  I will also give the bricks idea a try.  LIKE IT!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   Anything that makes life easier.  I too lose track; is it time to turn the meat or time to get another cold one from the fridge?  That one always confuses me.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I also do things at home that I usually don't discuss here.  The above was my first mention of turning meat; as an example.  I probably won't mention it again in the open forum.  I don't usually "follow the rules" but Demo's method for even cooking of a VERY lean joint of meat makes sense to me.

Danny


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## the black spot (Jun 21, 2015)

That still looks like a nice sandwich waiting to happen Oleras.
Isn't the ProQ a vertical smoker? It might be possible to get good results with a dry water pan between the meat and the fire. Then search it at the end of it doesn't look like it's got enough colour for your taste. 
With the offset system you used its like in a kettle bbq but you have more options.
Taste test? Good as it looke?


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## the black spot (Jun 21, 2015)

"Good as it looke?"
Exsuse the typo, post night shift...


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## smokin monkey (Jun 21, 2015)

Hi oleras, welcome to our "Family" and Addiction.
Good looking Beef for you first Smoke.

Plenty on good folk on here who will always offer advice, (even if it's not asked for)!!

Smokin Monkey [emoji]133660013031[/emoji]


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