smoking a top rump tomorrow...ideas needed please!

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irishkamadoguy

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 23, 2015
41
10
Surrey, england
Hey everyone,

So i have a 3lb top rump that i'd like to smoke over charcoal and hickory chips. The question is really do i go for internal temp around 135°f for medium rare, or go all out for a pulled meat style of cook? I'm really torn here. Going to start things out tonight witha dry rub salt, mustard, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder.

Obviously copious photos of the journey will be on the way throughout tomorrow!

Justin
 
This is not a pulling cut. Go for the 135. For more smoke flavor try and keep your pit temps super low. I shoot for 180-190. Put a pan of Au jus under the roast for some smokey Au jus. Chef JJ's smokey Au Jus that can be found here is great.
 
Thanks Dirtsailor,

I'll give it a go. Seems sensible with the rump being such a lean cut off meat. Any idea how long the smoking will take?

Justin
 
Nice one, thanks for that, thought out was going to be a much longer smoke...looks like my standing around drinking time will be reduced!

Happy smoking
Justin
 
As said above you really need to hot roast this as you would in the oven. The rub and the smoker combination will give it great flavour though. A few months ago I tried just what you were thinking of trying and I just ended up with a tough leathery joint rather than the succulent pulled-pork like product that I was expecting. I don't know for certain but I suspect that the rump just does not have sufficient collagen and fat in it to break down when cooking low and slow and the muscle fibres just get harder and more dense.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out. 
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Hey Wade,

Apologies but you seem to be my go to guy at the mo.

Disappointed with the brisket offering up here so I bought a lump of (6KG) of Australian Silverside from Makro.  However your comment about the rump being tough if smoked had me thinking the same. Although it has a fat cap is it also too lean to smoke successfully? Might I be better off curing it?
 
Rump is a great smoked, you just do not want to over cook it. Rare to medium rare is the best. Thinly sliced is the best way to serve it.
 
Hi Justin

Just been Googling and found this a "Baltimore Pit Beef" Sandwich!

Might be worth a try with the rump. Have a google looks good to me as an alternative
 
It is not cooking it in the smoker that made it tough, I think it was trying to do it low and slow. It will taste great cooked in the smoker at about 180-200 C (350-400 F) until...
  • For rare - the centre reaches 50-52 C (125-130 F).
  • For Medium - the centre reaches 56-59 C (133-137 F)
  • For Well Done (there should be a law against cooking beef this much!) - the centre reaches 60-66 C (140-150 F)
Remove it from the smoker and immediately wrap in several layers of foil and leave in a warm place for at least 30 minutes - preferably longer. Whilst resting the higher outside temperature of the meat will continue to radiate inwards and the centre temperature will continue to rise by another ~6 C (12 F).

Just before you carve don't forget to collect the juices from the foil to make the jus/gravy.
 
Many, many thanks guys for the advice. Unfortunately I have failed mightily! Ask was going well, temp set at 220°f with IT increasing at a decent rate. The kids were kicking off, so thought I had 2.5 hours to take them to Hollycombe (local steam powered fairground). When I returned....the bbq temp had spiked to 365°f and bugger, IT was 165°f! Took it out, foil wrapped and left to test while I sorted out chef jj Smokey au jus and roast potatoes.

When I took out the rump, then sliced...Well it was indeed well over cooked-but to be fair the meat was not tough, good flavour, but a complete fail none the less. Pictures to follow. Knowing smiles and shakes of the head all round....
 
Hey Kiska, I was in Costco last week and they had some brisket, unfortunately it was a "rolled brisket" Anyway for £20 I thought I would give it a punt.  It was quite a large piece of meat so I cut it in half to reduce cooking time.  I had to re-tie it prior to smoking but It turned out really nice, I was quite surprised.  I would definitely buy it again.... The ribs are also from Costco and are also excellent  I will post that in the other thread.    
 
Hello Justin.  Sorry it didn't turn out well.  Unless you have some sort of temp control system you can never completely leave a smoke.  Follow the new crowd.  Wire that smoker up to all the technology so that it looks like the space station.  
icon_biggrin.gif
  As stated above as soon as you turn your back it will bite you in your, AHH! back, as you now know.  I hope the next will turn out better.  Also when talking British rump or silverside and other such cuts the joint has been trimmed to death.  Almost ZERO fat and very little marbling.  If you take those cuts much over 140F. IT you are chancing it.  Fat equals flavour.  Pork is now becoming the same.  I think THAT is our biggest challenge.  To convince the British public fat is a good thing.  You don't have to eat it if you chose not to; trim it as you slice.  It has done it's job by then.  Just my old school thoughts.  Keep Smokin!


Danny
 
 
It is not cooking it in the smoker that made it tough, I think it was trying to do it low and slow. It will taste great cooked in the smoker at about 180-200 C (350-400 F) until...
  • For rare - the centre reaches 50-52 C (125-130 F).
  • For Medium - the centre reaches 56-59 C (133-137 F)
  • For Well Done (there should be a law against cooking beef this much!) - the centre reaches 60-66 C (140-150 F)
Remove it from the smoker and immediately wrap in several layers of foil and leave in a warm place for at least 30 minutes - preferably longer. Whilst resting the higher outside temperature of the meat will continue to radiate inwards and the centre temperature will continue to rise by another ~6 C (12 F).

Just before you carve don't forget to collect the juices from the foil to make the jus/gravy.
One thing I'd disagree with here is that "low and slow" made it tough.   The final IT is what does it.  Cooking low and slow to an IT of 125 degrees actually helps make it more tender and you get consistent edge to edge color.   Heck, if you can, do it at 200 degrees.
 
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