Died and Gone to Meat Heaven

[tony b]

Did my first chuck roast today. I swear by all that is holy in BBQ, I may never cook another brisket again as long as I live (except to make pastrami)!

 

A small (4 lb) boneless chuck roast. Rubbed overnight with CYM and a dry rub that I picked up from a vendor (Just North of Memphis) at our local 4th of July BBQ Festival. First time using it and was pleased (base seems to be Worcestershire powder). 

 

Roast went on the KK at 9am and finished off around 6pm today (Internal temp was 210F). Smoking pot with mesquite, hickory and apple woods. Guru was set at 250F. Cook was indirect with drip pan on lower grate.

 

This pulled as easily as any pork butt I've ever done. Just amazing! And the great beef flavor - OMG!

 

Yeah, yeah. I know, no pics it didn't happen, so here they are: 1) just going on the KK; 2) finished @ 210F; 3) pulled; 4) din-din - beef in pita with raw red onions and a jus of mushroom and beef stocks, homemade frites, and grilled corn-on-the cob.

[wilburpan]

Looks great!

 

On a tangent: I’m assuming that your homemade frites are deep fried. If so, how do you go about deep frying? That’s something that I’m reluctant to do at home, because of the mess and corralling the oil.

[EGGARY]

Check out on the Beef Recipes in the KK Forum, Clay's Pulled Beef BBQ.  It is really good.  

[tony b]

Yes, they were double fried in my deep fryer. Cut the potatoes, soak them in salt water for an hour to remove some starch. Dry them off. First cook is for 7 minutes @ 320F. (Time will vary a little depending on how big you cut your fries). Drain on paper towels and let cool. Second cook is 3 minutes @ 370F, until crispy brown.

 

I've read the Clay's recipe. It does sound good. But for my first one, I went KISS, so I could compare it to brisket. Future ones, I'll start to branch out and do Clay's, Baltimore style pit beef, etc.

[Loquitur]

Wilburpan: Check out this fryer. It has its limitations being an inexpensive home model but the oil management system is fantastic!! It stores the oil in a container under the unit. When you want to use it, you pull out the container, remove the cap and pour the oil in the top part of the fryer. When done and the oil has cooled, you turn a lever and the oil strains and drains back into the container underneath ready to be used for the next time.  It works great!!   

 

 http://www.amazon.com/Emeril-FR7015001-Advanced-Control-Filter/dp/B008JCIWJM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410439359&sr=8-1&keywords=emeril+fryer

[tony b]

I'd be all over this if it weren't for the fact that I already own 2 different fryers. My Delonghi roto-fryer for big stuff and a Fry Daddy for the smaller ones. 

 

If you didn't notice in the Amazon listing, there's a newer model, that significantly cheaper - 

 

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-FR7008002-2-65-Pound-3-3-Liter-Stainless/dp/B000AOMA68/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen 

[Loquitur]

Your fries look soooo good!! I cut a russett into 12 wedges for fries out of no reason but pure laziness. Now that I'm seeing yours that's got to change. What kind of cutter are you using and what size fries are they? I have a french fry disc for my Cuisinart which would cut 6mm fries. Never tried it but it looks like they would be really small.

[tony b]

I used this mandolin. Have owned it for over 20 years and still razor sharp. The fries were cut with the 7mm blade. I own a seriously expensive french stainless steel mandolin that I almost never use, as this one does as good a job (if not better) and is easier to use. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-Borner-V-1001-V-Slicer-Mandoline/dp/B0000632QE/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1410532594&sr=1-1&keywords=mandolin

 

I think your 6mm blade on the Cuisinart would work just fine. 

[Loquitur]

You were right - only took about 2 seconds per potato once I cut it to fit the feed tube. I overcooked them a couple of seconds but they still came out great!! Thanks for the inspiration!! 

[tony b]

They look great!

 

I won't buy frozen fries anymore. It's just too damned easy to make them properly. 

[tony b]

OK, adventures in beef cuts #2 was yesterday. This time it was a pot roast, about 2.5 lbs. Similar to the chuck roast cook, indirect @ 250F using the Guru. Smoking pot was hickory, red oak and mesquite. Roast was injected with Butcher's brisket injection and rubbed with OakRidge's Secret Weapon brisket rub, rested overnight. Pulled off the grill @ 200F internal (I was shooting for the same 210F as before, but it was taking forever to move a single degree and it had been on for 9 hours already). It didn't pull, but sliced easily and was very tender. Killer beef flavor again, but I might have had a touch too much rub on it - bold flavor!

 

Here's the pix to prove it happened! 

 

 

 

 

 

[GoFrogs91]

Tony,

Interesting experiments with the non-traditional meats. I never would have thought to try pot roast. Would you do it again?

Sweet knife by the way.

[tony b]

Definitely! Having said that, I did prefer the chuck roast over the pot roast though. Local supermarket is having a sale right now on Angus Reserve chuck roasts, so I'm likely to stock up on them. 

[Loquitur]

What cut are you guys referring to as a pot roast? Just asking because my experience is that a pot roast is a braised chuck. And its mighty tasty!!! 

[tony b]

I'd have to look it up in Lobel's book to be precise, Susan, but the label on the package just said "Pot Roast." I picked up another one at the market today (on sale). They also had the Angus Reserve bottom chuck roasts for $3.99/lb. Bought 3 of them!!

[Loquitur]

Never saw a roast marked pot roast around here. Interesting how things differ in parts of the country. I can get porchetta roasts in some supermarkets and my farmer's market which, for them, is a rolled and seasoned pork roast with an elastic net around it. But its nothing like that porchetta roast you want to make with the belly wrapped around the loin. Can't wait for pictures of that one!!! Very impressed that one of the reviewers said it was the Bon Appetit Recipe of the Year!! 

                                                                                                                                                                Susan

[tony b]

Fingers crossed that the belly will be at the market today. Went by yesterday and they didn't come in with their order. 

 

Update: We have BELLY!! Woo-Hoo!! 13# of porky goodness. Now I just need to go buy the roast to go inside and find the time to put this bad boy together!

 

Susan, here's a shot of the lable off of the "pot roast." As you can see, that's how they labelled it.

 

 

Lobel's Meat Bible says this - " Pot Roast is a dish, not a cut of meat. Any relatively large cut of beef does well when pot roasted, or to use an old-fashioned term, when it is "potted." We don't recommend using this method to cook the more tender roasts, such as rib roasts, sirloin roasts, or whole fillets. Instead, use tougher cuts that are improved by braising. In order of preference, we like the following cuts for pot roast: chuck, whole flat iron, brisket, bottom round, and eye of round."

[Loquitur]

   A 13 lb belly - YIKES!!!!! That must have something to do with it being good to live where the pigs are!! I bought the biggest belly I could find for my recent cook and it was 3 lbs. Please take pics of the process when you are assembling this beauty  inc ase any of us venture there. The good thing is that it seems you could do a lot of it ahead of time so you only have to do the actual cooking on the day you want to serve it.

 

I take it that chuck pot roast was different from the chuck roast you did on the KK in the first post of this thread?  

[tony b]

Yes, they seem to be different cuts, as the first one was a bit more marbled. They cooked differently, too. The first one pulled easily, the "pot roast" didn't and I ended up slicing it, even though it was cooked to 200F and let rest for 30 minutes in foil. Both were seriously tasty though!

 

Will try and remember to take "in process" pics. This is a whole belly; hence 13#. I'm hoping that the porchetta only uses a portion of it, so I can make some bacon with the remainder. Eager to tackle both, as I've never done either one before.

[Loquitur]

This was my first attempt at bacon and all I can say about it is that it is outrageous - maybe one of the best things I've ever done!! .What surprised me so much is how professional it came out. Nobody would ever think it was homemade. Then again I did use the pink salt which contributes to the familiar taste and texture of commercial bacon. Only this is soooo much better - like a super premium artisan brand that you might pay $30/lb for. And the very best way to eat it, in my opinion, is on its own. I scratched the bacon jam idea as soon as I tasted a quick, pan fried slice wanting to save it for weekend breakfasts but I had already cut a pound of lardons for fresh pasta carbonara. It was very good but next time its all going for breakfast slices, which I like to bake, pure and simple so it can shine without competing flavors. You are gong to LOVE it!!! This was my recipe which I chose because it called for a 3 lb belly so I didn't have to do any arithmetic:

 

3 lb belly

40 g Kosher salt (3 T Morton or 5 T Diamond)

1 t pink salt

40 g brown sugar (3T) 

1 T black pepper

 

Cure in zip lock bag in frig for 7 days turning once every day. Then rinse, dry and place, uncovered, on a rack in frig for two days to form pellicle. Smoke, skin side down, at 200 deg until IT 150 deg - about 2 hrs.(Mine smoked more at 225 to 230 which came out fine). Rest on counter for 10 min and then remove skin.Chill before slicing.