I wanted to make some buckboard bacon and got some pork butts, got a dry cure on em and now they're sitting in the fridge for 9 days. Now you may ask yourself, where's the beef? Well, seeing as I got a batch of bacon brewing, I knew I would really like to slice it up nice and neat, so I got a Chef's Choice 615 slicer off Amazon. It cost just under $200 because I ordered the non-serrated blade and some food-safe lubricant.
I couldn't wait weeks to try it so I stopped by Cash N Carry and snagged 2 eye of round roasts about 7.5lbs each. I trimmed the excess fat off them and seasoned them with garlic salt and ground black pepper. Keeping it nice and simple.
I put them in the smoker at 225°F with some Cabela's competition mix pellets for a few hours until they hit 125°F. Then I pulled them and let them rest for a bit. Then into the fridge overnight to cool off. Hot meat is way to wiggly and jiggly to slice with a cheapo slicer like this. I had been spoiled from my deli working days and using the high end Hobart slicers. They could slice a hot shoe paper thin enough to eat. But, seeing as I don't have a few thousand to spend on a Hobart, I am making due with my Chef's Choice 615.
I pulled them from the fridge the next morning and sliced them up. I can't get them as think and even as I would prefer. Again, for under $200, it's par for the course. They're way thinner and more even than if I were to slice by hand. These roasts were so juicy. They came out fantastic. I think next time I will use mesquite or something a bit stronger. The smoke flavor is there but it's subtle. I would like it a little more pronounced.
Would it be possible to cold smoke them for a few hours, then turn up the heat? It's still pretty chilly out here and with the smoker filled with ice pans, it should keep the temp in the 50's.
All in all it was a good smoke. The roasts were $3.50lb. After trimming and cooking, I ended up with 12.5lbs worth of meat. The cheap, gross-looking store brand roast beef goes for almost $10 per lb. A good brand like Boar's Head eye of round is about $12 a lb. So it's costing me 1/3rd of the price to make it myself. Can't beat that.
Trimmed and seasoned and ready to go!
Garlic salt and ground pepper. Next time I will do a brined roast.
Double trouble.
Into the smoker at 225°F.
Done roasting when they hit 125°F. Resting and waiting to go into the fridge.
Gonna be a long night waiting for lunch tomorrow.
Meat on the Chef's Choice 615 slicer.
A huge mountain of meat. Guess what's for lunch and dinner at work all week?
Soft french hoagie roll with roast beef, swiss and some mayo. Perfect!
I couldn't wait weeks to try it so I stopped by Cash N Carry and snagged 2 eye of round roasts about 7.5lbs each. I trimmed the excess fat off them and seasoned them with garlic salt and ground black pepper. Keeping it nice and simple.
I put them in the smoker at 225°F with some Cabela's competition mix pellets for a few hours until they hit 125°F. Then I pulled them and let them rest for a bit. Then into the fridge overnight to cool off. Hot meat is way to wiggly and jiggly to slice with a cheapo slicer like this. I had been spoiled from my deli working days and using the high end Hobart slicers. They could slice a hot shoe paper thin enough to eat. But, seeing as I don't have a few thousand to spend on a Hobart, I am making due with my Chef's Choice 615.
I pulled them from the fridge the next morning and sliced them up. I can't get them as think and even as I would prefer. Again, for under $200, it's par for the course. They're way thinner and more even than if I were to slice by hand. These roasts were so juicy. They came out fantastic. I think next time I will use mesquite or something a bit stronger. The smoke flavor is there but it's subtle. I would like it a little more pronounced.
Would it be possible to cold smoke them for a few hours, then turn up the heat? It's still pretty chilly out here and with the smoker filled with ice pans, it should keep the temp in the 50's.
All in all it was a good smoke. The roasts were $3.50lb. After trimming and cooking, I ended up with 12.5lbs worth of meat. The cheap, gross-looking store brand roast beef goes for almost $10 per lb. A good brand like Boar's Head eye of round is about $12 a lb. So it's costing me 1/3rd of the price to make it myself. Can't beat that.
Trimmed and seasoned and ready to go!
Garlic salt and ground pepper. Next time I will do a brined roast.
Double trouble.
Into the smoker at 225°F.
Done roasting when they hit 125°F. Resting and waiting to go into the fridge.
Gonna be a long night waiting for lunch tomorrow.
Meat on the Chef's Choice 615 slicer.
A huge mountain of meat. Guess what's for lunch and dinner at work all week?
Soft french hoagie roll with roast beef, swiss and some mayo. Perfect!