# Smoked Chuck Roast?



## AllenOK

I just thought about this at work.  I love beef, but haven't smoked any yet.  I'd like to get a brisket and smoke it, but I'm not sure about how much one would cost, as well as what to do with ALL that meat.  I was thinking that most chuck roasts are small enough that I won't be left with several pounds of extra meat, and are riddled with fat and connective tissue, making them perfect canidates for smoking.

Has anyone tried one?


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## Raven

DROOL!!

I've never thought of this, but it sounds fantastic!

I will serously be watching this thread for techniques on how to do it because I will be trying it. 

~ Raven ~


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## AdobeFX

I'll usually smoke & cook a Sirloin roast on the weber about once a month. I've never had a bad one yet. 

Just cook it with indirect heat almost as slow as you can till you reach the recomended internal temp, normally takes me about 3 hours for a 3-4 pound roast. I'll usually only check on it once every hour to make sure theres still water in the pie tin and add about 4 coals. 

When it's done, it's juicy and tender. I just wish it was tender enough to pull. I think it needs to be cooked slower but I'm not sure if thats the problemon a grill unlike in the oven.

Try it and enjoy!


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## Andy M.

AdobeFX said:
			
		

> ...I just wish it was tender enough to pull. I think it needs to be cooked slower but I'm not sure if thats the problemon a grill unlike in the oven.  Try it and enjoy!


 
You have to cook a piece of meat to an internal temperature of around 200F to break down the connective tissue within the roast so it can be pulled.  Slow-cooked meats usually have lots of fat and connective tissue so they will not be completely dried out by the time they reach that temp.  

A chuck roast might be a better candidate than a sirloin roast for that reason.


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## AllenOK

Andy, that's exactly why I was thinking using a Chuck roast might be nice.  All that fat and connective tissue....

It's a moot question, now, though, as I went and checked the price on chuck roast, and it costs twice as much per pound as pork butt.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

This ought to be even better than the smoked duck.  If you haven't read my reply to that post, you need to before you'll understand this one.

C'mon Allen.  Let's see it again.  Go go go go go...

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance

Here's a recipe to get you started, Allen:

 Title: Marinated Hickory-Smoked Chuck Roast

     2 lb Beef chuck roast, 1 1/2" thick
     5 ea Cloves, garlic
    1/4 c  Cooking oil
    1/4 c  Wine vinegar
     1 tb Worcestershire sauce
    1/2 ts Salt
    1/2 ts Dried basil, crushed
    1/4 ts Pepper
     dash Hot pepper sauce

  Stud roast with garlic by inserting tip of knife in meat and pushing cloves into meat as you remove kniofe.  Make sure garlic closes are evenly spaced.

  In bowl, mix oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, basil, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.  Place meat in plastic bag.  Set in shallow baking dish.
  Pour marinade over meat; close bag.  Marinate 6-8 hours or overnight in refrigerator; turn roast occasionaly.
  About an hour before cooking soak hickory chips in enough water to cover;
  drain chips.  Drain meat; reserving marinade.  Pat excess moisture from meat with paper towel.  Arrange SLOW coals around drip pan.  Add hickory chips to coals.  Place roast over drip pan on grill.  Cover.  
Grill 25 minutes per side.  Brush occasionaly with marinade and add additional chips.  
 Season to taste; remove garlic;  Serve.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

But seriously folks, other great marriages to hickory smoke are maple, pineapple, apple, teryaki, chili powder and brown sugar, etc.  

If the temp is kept low while smoking, you can use sweetened rubs without fear of burning the sugar.  But with all smoking endeavors, you must mop or baste the meat at regular intervals.  I baste every twenty minutes or so.  Also, keep a small container of water in the smoker, again to help preserve moisture, and to transfer heat from the air and into the meat.  Just think about how humidity makes you feel hotter when the weather is hot.  That's because the water vapor is much better at transfering the heat than is dry air.

Meats to be smoked can be brined and marinated as well, preperatory to the smoking.  Or you can inject the meat with flavored liquids for the same purpose.

And briskets aren't that huge, though they do tend to be pricey as there isn't a large market for them outside of Texas.  most brisket is turned into corned beef, which is another great chunk of meat to smoke (I tried it and it was very good).

Just watch your temperature, baste frequently, and cook until all is tender and full flavored.

You're gonna love the results.  Oh, and I want pictures of you smoking a duck, you know, the one with the burning tail feathers, heh, heh, heh.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Bangbang

I have done it a couple times but the Pork Shoulder or Butt rules!


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## Raine

Mopping or basting may help, but it depends on the cut of meat you are cooking.   Cuts with fat, butts, shoulders, etc don't really need anything but wood. 

Just remember that everytime you open the cooker, you will need to add 15-30 minutes to the cook time.




> But with all smoking endeavors, you must mop or baste the meat at regular intervals. I baste every twenty minutes or so.


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## TomW

AllenMI said:
			
		

> ...I'd like to get a brisket and smoke it, but I'm not sure about ... what to do with ALL that meat...


I used to smoke brisket occasionally in my Brinkmann smoker.  Instead of smoking the whole thing, I would cut it in half before applying my dry rub, and freeze one uncooked half.

A few months later I would thaw & cook the other half.

Tom


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## Constance

You can always freeze the smoked meat in small packages to use later.


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## kitchenelf

When I smoke a pork butt I never use a rub or marinade - just salt, pepper, and coat with olive oil - about 1 hour or so before it's done I'll turn fat side down.  I like just the smokey flavor then add more flavor through sauces.

Then I make a vinegar based sauce and a  tomato based sauce.

A friend of mine cooked a brisket for about 18 hours with no mop, just a rub.  After the 18 hours it had this wonderful, hard crust and you opened it up and it was falling apart tender and steamy hot -  and about a 1 1/2" smoke ring yum!!!!!


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## Michael in FtW

Allen - I've smoked chuck roasts and they turn out great ... just remember to smoke 'em low and slow, like you would in an oven. 

Brisket generally isn't very expensive (around some holidays you can catch it for 79-cents a pound) - but it can be a large piece of meat (6-10 lbs) depending on how it is trimmed. It really doesn't take any more effort to smoke a whole brisket than it does a half. Just smoke a whole one and freeze any leftovers. On Labor Day weekend my son and I will probably smoke 4-5 (depending on size) and freeze whatever we can't eat in a day or two.


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## BubbaGourmet

A topic that seems well covered but here is 2 cents worth. Pork butts are actually the shoulder of the animal hence all the connective tissue and fat. The equivalent cut of beef would be (who woulda thunk it?) CHUCK! Let me know how it turns out and I may throw one on myself!


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## Bangbang

I just salt and pepper my roast then rub yellow mustard all over it. Works great.


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## Raine

That's correct Bubba. When we make beef bbq, we use the chuck.


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## Marishka_20

*mmmmm...Smoked Meat*

My family and I smoke alot of different kinds of food. Even when it comes to meat, we smoke beef, poultry, lamb, and buffalo. The week before last we smoked a tender roast using hickory chips. This week we did some turkey breast also with the hickory chips. My vote is you can pretty much put any kind of meat in the smoker and it will come out tasteing good.


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## lindatooo

DH is really into smoking food since we got a Bradley smoker.  We've been in hot pursuit of the perfect pulled pork and the Butt roast is the best.  After about 3 hours on the smoker he covered it with foil and put it on the Grill until it reached 190 degrees - nirvanna!  And the rootbeer sauce rates a 10 on our scale.  I suspect because of the ginger taste it would be as good on beef!

This is the sort of stuff cooks (and eaters) can get addicted to, though!

I found Pork Butt roasts at our local UGA store for a very good price - bet they also have chuck or brisket for a much better price than a regular grocery store.  I freeze half of what a buy for the next time.  Thanks to a Seal a Meal we enjoy pulled pork all year 'round!


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## Raine

Linda, try taking it to 200-205°.


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## Bill The Grill Guy

Hey Raine, nice to see a familure face.


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## Raine

Yeah another BBQ'r, and competition team!  Glad to see ya Bill. Qsis is a member here as well.


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## Larry Wolfe

Here's some chuck roasts I did this past weekend.  I got two 8.5lb chuck roasts right from my butcher, rubbed them down with Wolfe Rub and put them on the smoker using oak and hickory.  Cooked with a pit temp of 235* until internal temps hit 160*, then wrapped them both in heavy duty aluminum foil and continued to cook at 235* until the internal temps hit 210*.  Let them rest in the foil, then pulled/shredded and sprinkled with additional rub.  To give you an idea of how much these shrink, I started off with approx. 17lbs of raw meat and ended up with 9lbs finished product.  So plan accordingly!


http://www.ephotohut.net/viewpic.cfm?pic=040206104129.JPG
http://www.ephotohut.net/viewpic.cfm?pic=040206153821.JPG
http://img400.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img08264vd.jpg
http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img08300rx.jpg


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## AllenOK

Larry, that's some nice-lookin' meat ya got there!

Question:  Do you save the juices that come out of your chuck roasts and use them for anything?

The reason I ask, is that the last time I smoked anything last year, I smoked a couple of pork butts.  I saved all the leftover pulled pork, as well as the juices that came from them.  I've found that these juices are most the natural gelatin rendered from the meat, and some of the fat as well.  I skimmed the fat, and used the gelatin as well as the leftover pulled pork, and made a most excellent Posole with it.


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## Larry Wolfe

AllenMI said:
			
		

> Larry, that's some nice-lookin' meat ya got there!
> 
> Question: Do you save the juices that come out of your chuck roasts and use them for anything?
> 
> The reason I ask, is that the last time I smoked anything last year, I smoked a couple of pork butts. I saved all the leftover pulled pork, as well as the juices that came from them. I've found that these juices are most the natural gelatin rendered from the meat, and some of the fat as well. I skimmed the fat, and used the gelatin as well as the leftover pulled pork, and made a most excellent Posole with it.


 
With chuck I mix most of the juices back into the meat, otherwise the chuck will be on the dry side.  But I don't foil pulled pork until it comes off the cooker.  I will foil it once it's done if I'm planning on resting, otherwise  whatever juices are left when it's done cooking are left in the pan with the pulled pork.


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## Gretchen

Do not brine beef. That is called corning.  There is more than one way to fix a smoked roast. I have smoked sirloin tips that are delicious. They remain rare but have the nice smoke ring. Sliced thin across the grain they are tender and flavorful. I don't think chuck is a candidate for smoking. I think you could make a delicious pulled beef recipe in a crockpot however. Have done it--slice 4 or 5 onions and put in bottom of crockpot. Put in 5# chuck roast. Pour a can of beer and 15 oz. of BBQ sauce over it. Cook for 8-10 hours until falling apart. Concentrat the sauce/juices and serve on sub rolls.


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## Larry Wolfe

Gretchen said:
			
		

> Do not brine beef. That is called corning. There is more than one way to fix a smoked roast. I have smoked sirloin tips that are delicious. They remain rare but have the nice smoke ring. Sliced thin across the grain they are tender and flavorful. *I don't think chuck is a candidate for smoking.* I think you could make a delicious pulled beef recipe in a crockpot however. Have done it--slice 4 or 5 onions and put in bottom of crockpot. Put in 5# chuck roast. Pour a can of beer and 15 oz. of BBQ sauce over it. Cook for 8-10 hours until falling apart. Concentrat the sauce/juices and serve on sub rolls.


 
I beg to differ on this one Gretchen. I've been smoking chuck for years without any problems. What's your rationale for chuck not being a good candidate for smoking? The thought of cookin BBQ or any kind in a crock pot makes my skin crawl. Now I'm not saying years and years ago I haven't done it, cause I have. But I'd never even consider it now.  There is a HUGE difference between pit cooked BBQ and the mushy mess you get from a crock pot.  There would be nothing wrong with brining beef or anyother cut of meat for that matter. All brining does is promote tenderness and increases the moisture content of a normally dry piece of meat.  Is it necessary on a chuck roast?  No, but it wouldn't hurt it either.


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## Gretchen

I would agree wholeheartedly that pit cooking is better. Maybe I will give chuck a try in my smoker.
As far as brining is concerned, beef in a brine becomes corned.


[FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Beef, lamb, duck, and other meats with high fat content and bold flavors do not benefit from brining--they're naturally moist and flavorful. They also tend to be cooked to lower internal temperatures and thus don't lose as much of their natural moisture.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Pork butt is not a good candidate for brining because of its high fat content. Brisket can be brined to become corned beef or pastrami depending on the seasonings used in the brine.[/FONT]


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## Larry Wolfe

Gretchen said:
			
		

> I would agree wholeheartedly that pit cooking is better. Maybe I will give chuck a try in my smoker.
> As far as brining is concerned, beef in a brine becomes corned.
> 
> 
> [FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Beef, lamb, duck, and other meats with high fat content and bold flavors do not benefit from brining--they're naturally moist and flavorful. They also tend to be cooked to lower internal temperatures and thus don't lose as much of their natural moisture.[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Helvetica,Arial]Pork butt is not a good candidate for brining because of its high fat content. Brisket can be brined to become corned beef or pastrami depending on the seasonings used in the brine.[/FONT]


 
I agree. But I never said to brine in the first place.......


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## DGriffin

*Smoked Chuck ... Try a "Flat-Iron" ... it is from the chuck*

The flat iron steak is the top blade steak (infraspinatus muscle) and is cut from the beef shoulder (chuck). It is very tender. Generally sold in 1 to 1 1/3 lb strips that are about 3/4 to 1 inch thick ... smoke like a lean minature brisket but always tender.


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## Crestman

Well, I made my first attempt at smoking beef chuck roast yesterday. I’ll start with the equipment used. No smoker _*yet*_, so Vermont Castings VC100 gas grille currently on propane. Using hickory chips, I made up smoke packs with tinfoil. Soaked 1/3rd of the bag and made the packs up 2 handfuls dry to one wet. Removed left side grates and placed a drip pan under the right side. Set one pack of chips on the "v" grate, left side, and set on high to get the smoke started. In about 1/2hr it started to smoke so I turned the grille down (tested this earlier as to what the setting needed to be for about 230deg). I then placed the roasts on which were both approximately 6 to 7Lbs. About 1.5hrs before I put them on I gave them a quick rub with olive oil then a dry rub (just mixed a few things together like Hy's seasoning, Keg Cajun, white pepper, onion powder). Using a temp probe I set for 160. After about 3.5hrs and 3 smoke packs (also kept about ½” of water in the drip pan) it was there. I then wrapped them both in foil and set the probe for 205. After another hour they were there. I took them off and let them rest for about 20min or so in the tin foil then removed and walla!!!...Yummy!!!!. I didn't get much of a smoke ring (I’ll double up on the chips next time), but the taste was there. The one wasn't quite "soft" enough to pull, but the second wasn't too bad. Next time I'll run them up to 210 or I’ll slow the cooking down near the end so it cooks longer at 200 or so (any advice here?).

I had these two roasts in my freezer which is why I did them. Next time will be an attempt at pork and I'll try and remember pictures!!!! 

I’m not sure I explained things that well so if anyone has any questions or advice, please let me know. 

Keith


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## Lizannd

*Why couldn't you put beef in a brine for 24 hours and*

just have brined beef and not corned beef?  It is my understanding that to make corned beef it takes 2 weeks.


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## kitchenelf

Sounds like a great first time!!!!  I like to use Hickory chunks versus chips.  The chips just don't produce a lot of flavor IMHO.  I like to soak all of my chunks though - no dry ones.  I soak in 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 water for about 1/2 to 1 hour.  I also put apple juice in my drip pan - it totally makes a difference in flavor.  I smoke at around 200°F - 220°F - usually takes a 7 or so pound pork butt about 8 - 10 hours.  I use hardwood charcoal instead of briquettes and add just a few Hickory chunks along the way - I have used too much Hickory before and it gives the meat a bitter taste.

I agree with your deduction that you need to cook at a lower temp for longer to get it more pullable.  

Did you use any kind of bbq sauce when you ate it?


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## Crestman

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> Sounds like a great first time!!!! I like to use Hickory chunks versus chips. The chips just don't produce a lot of flavor IMHO. I like to soak all of my chunks though - no dry ones. I soak in 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 water for about 1/2 to 1 hour. I also put apple juice in my drip pan - it totally makes a difference in flavor. I smoke at around 200°F - 220°F - usually takes a 7 or so pound pork butt about 8 - 10 hours. I use hardwood charcoal instead of briquettes and add just a few Hickory chunks along the way - I have used too much Hickory before and it gives the meat a bitter taste.
> 
> I agree with your deduction that you need to cook at a lower temp for longer to get it more pullable.
> 
> Did you use any kind of bbq sauce when you ate it?


 
Thanks for the advice!!!

Actually, I've smoked pork ribs a few times and have always used apple juice for both the wood and the drip pan. Not sure why I didn't with the beef. I guess I just didn't associate the sweet apple juice with beef, but I'm sure it would be great!!!! Next time I will also use the drippings in the drip pan for extra flavor. 

I used a bit of hickory flavored BBQ sauce on my toasted bun, but really didn't need any as the flavor was great on its own. 

Keith


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## kitchenelf

oops - BEEF - you're right there - I always use apple juice with pork.  If you want a nice thinnish-type bbq sauce recipe let me know.  I have a great one that lasts about 8 months in the fridge and is great to take to bbq's as a host/hostess gift.  It's just a nice condiment with smoked pork, beef, or chicken.

A friend of mine smoked a big ol' hunk of beef (can't remember the cut right now) for about 18 hours - you had to crack the crust (which was really yummy) and the meat inside just fell everywhere.  There was a good 1 1/2" smoke ring which makes one proud, you know?


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## Crestman

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> oops - BEEF - you're right there - I always use apple juice with pork. If you want a nice thinnish-type bbq sauce recipe let me know. I have a great one that lasts about 8 months in the fridge and is great to take to bbq's as a host/hostess gift. It's just a nice condiment with smoked pork, beef, or chicken.
> 
> A friend of mine smoked a big ol' hunk of beef (can't remember the cut right now) for about 18 hours - you had to crack the crust (which was really yummy) and the meat inside just fell everywhere. There was a good 1 1/2" smoke ring which makes one proud, *you know*?


 
Well, actually I don't....YET!....hehe. But I will!

I think the crust on mine would have been crunchy if I didn't foil them for the end cooking, which I will try without next time. Being that I had two roasts this time I should have foiled one and not the other to test the difference.....Stupid me!

Anyway, I've been allot less successful in some of my other "first times" so I'm happy!

Hey, I would love the bbq sauce recipe if you care to share. Thanks!

Keith


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## sirsmokesalot

I've smoked several chuck roasts and have been very happy with the results.  Here's what I have done:

1. Place in aluminum pan the night before.  Cover with olive oil and your favorite seasonings.
2. Let it rest in the refrigerator all night.
3. Leave in aluminum pan and smoke at 225-250 until it reaches 175 internal.
4. Cover with foil and cook at 275 for approx. 2 hours.

Leave it alone for at least an hour.  It will be unbelievably tender and juicy.  It shreads just like pulled pork.  It's worth trying!


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## theboss

I picked up a 4 pound sirloin roast from my local grocery store to put on my smoker.  I have read many articles where people tried to slow-cook a sirloin and failed.  Many stated that it was over cooked and tough, but I was able to achieve success on my first go at it.  Typically, sirloin is too lean to slow-cook or smoke and becomes dry and tough, just like sirloin steaks do if they are overcooked.

The night before cooking, I unpacked the big four pound sirloin roast and rubbed it down with some fresh cracked peppercorn and sea salt.  I believe that the sea salt helped to cure the outer crust of the roast and allowed it to hold the majority of the flavor and juice.  I started my smoker around 10:30am, it is an offset smoker.  Using regular old Kingsford charcoal to start with, I think it's a good way to get some heat built up.  When the black is gone from the briquettes I added some Jack Daniels charcoal, which contains wood from actual barrells, and then some Jack Daniels smoking blocks around the perimeter of the pit.  Some people say to wrap the roast in aluminum foil, but I chose not to do this since it wouldn't have soaked up the good smoke flavor.  Once my smoker cooled back down to 200 degrees F, I took the roast (along with some baking potatoes wrapped in foil) and placed them in the smoker.  This happened around 11:30am.  Throughout the process I added some smaller, aged and dried cherry twigs directly on the hot coals and closed the ventilation on the bottom of the smoke pit.  This created an ample amount of flavorful smoke that soaked in really nicely to the roast.   You will want to avoid opening the smoker during the cooking process, as you are only dealing with around 200 or 300 degrees of heat, plus you'll just end up losing the smoke flavor.  

I was able to keep the temperature between 200 and 250 degrees throughout the entire cooking process by adding small bits of wood to the pit.  Airflow is also important and you want to make sure you are trying different things, like adjusting the upper and lower flu's, or vents.  Your wood will typically burn hotter and faster with full ventilation and will generate much less smoke.  The opposite is true as well, but by closing off the ventilation completely you stand a good chance of putting your fire out or reducing the temperature to an undesirable level.

I kept the lid closed on my sirloin roast and removed it around 3:30pm, so all in all about 4 hours of cook time.  I was a little scared to bring it in and slice it, but I could tell after the first cut that it was nothing short of a perfectly smoked slab of meat.  About an inch in all around the outside was bright red and the center was extremely juicy and overall had an incredible flavor.  No other seasonings or sauces were needed.  I sliced a few thicker slices, about 1/4 inch, and then cut about 3/4 of the roast in an very thin, almost transparent manner for sandwiches (I might add some good barbecue sauce to them!).  To slice it I used my Rapala electric filet knife, I know, I know, it's made for filetting fishes but it worked extremely well for beef as well.  

I spent about twelve bucks on my sirloin roast and will probably eat it for a week and be much more satisfied than eating twelve dollars worth of fast food burgers, which would only be about 2 days worth of eating.


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