Hello Demo. I am quite familiar that you don't always follow the "party line" Good for you. As I am sure you are aware neither do I. I meant no disrespect as I do like most of your methods and ideas. Not by any means saying your way is "wrong". I know your way is also right. We are just giving two methods to achieve the same product. Other than brisket, butts, ribs and prime rib I just chose not to smoke those cuts. It is just a personal choice. In fact I do not buy those other cuts to roast, slow or fast. Yes I know it sounds silly and I MAY be missing some good beef but it goes back to a personal choice. I wasn't going to go in to detail but: Not that my experience with these cuts have been bad smoking wise. I can get them rare. I can get them tender-ish. I can get them juicy. I just don't care for the cut of meat. I know you have read my posts. You know I am in to salt and pepper, no rubs and no sauce. So with these cuts of beef you need a rub and or at least a good Au Jus for the slices. ZERO fat so ya gotta put flavour in there somewhere. And then you must slice thin. Why, because rare those cuts can be tough. Well for me, if I gotta cover my smoked meat in rub and or sauce to hide the fact that there is no flavour I am not interested. If I am grilling a steak give me an EXCELLENT ribeye. Salt and pepper and smoke. If I am making chicken fried steak then of course ya gotta have gravy! Give me a good U.S. style packer brisket and allow me to smoke it or braise it in the oven. Can't be beat. Unless you are talking prime rib, but that is a duck of a different colour! Told you it sounded silly and was personal choice. BUT! All this smoking should be done by personal choice. There are WRONG ways but there is not one right way. Just my opinions and who tha he** am I?? Keep Smokin!
Danny
Hey Danny. It's all good. Like you, I'm a salt and pepper guy as well when it comes to beef. Perhaps maybe some onion power and garlic powder thrown in as well. That's it. Slather on some olive or canola oil, season liberally with SPOG and off you go.
My only contention in this thread is that I disagreed with Wade when he said he believe that "low and slow" made the meat tough. That's it. I smoke quite a bit of Top, bottom and eye of round and haven't found that to be the case. Inf fact, I've found it to be the opposite. While higher heat cooking makes for a tasty, yet somewhat chewy top/bottom round roast, cooking low and slow produces a more tender product.
Scientifically, it has to do with calpains and cathepsins:
http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/science_of_cooking/slow_cooking.htm
105F/40C - 122F/50C --Calpains begin to denature and lose activity till around 105F, cathepsins at 122F. Since enzyme activity increases up to those temperatures, slow cooking can provide a significant aging effect during cooking.
Increased activity of enzymes calpains and cathepsin disrupt myofibrils and will produce more tender meat. Calpains, which are stored in the cytosol near Z-lines require calcium to be activated, Cathepsins, are stored in lysosomes. Calpains work on Z-lines while cathepsins work on actin-myosin bonds.
High heat cooking moves the meat through the 105 to 122 range faster while cooking at low heat keeps the meat in that range longer, making for a more tender piece of meat.
As for "sliced thin", when I cook a top/bottom round for carving, I slice it at about 1/4 inch against the grain, about the same as I do brisket and can be served with or without au jus. It's just downright tasty. Not as tender as Prime Rib of course, but far from being tough.
If you happen to see a round roast in the discount bin at your butcher's, grab it and give it a shot. Smoke it at somewhere between 180-225, the lower the better.
