Smoked Rump Roast

I have been wanting a smoker for quite some time so in 2013, I borrowed a friend's small electric True North smoker for The Great Smoker Experiment Part 1 and Part 2.  I prepared a batch of sliced beef for jerky.  Half was prepared in my traditional method using my dehydrator and the other half prepared in the smoker.  I liked the results so set out to find a suitable smoker. While another friend is getting excellent results with a variety of smoked meats especially summer sausage using the True North smoker, I decided I did not want an electric smoker.  The price of electricity in Ontario is the highest in Canada and threatening to go higher plus electricity is not the most efficient way to cook anything to begin with.

When we were at Sam's Club in January of 2014, I spotted a Dyna-Glo smoker that I thought would work nicely.  We went back in lat February and they no longer had it so I went online to Walmart.ca and found the same smoker with free shipping to my door!  The smoker arrived then sat in the box on the lower level while we spent the month of May in Florida and Aruba.  Finally, back home and settled, my husband put the smoker together for me.

This propane gas smoker has a 15,000 BTU burner, heavy duty enameled steel wood chip box, heavy duty steel water bowl, 4 adjustable smoking racks and electronic ignition.  The temperature can easily be adjusted.  There is a thermometer making it easy to keep an eye on the smoking temperature. 

The smoker was assembled on our old deck.  Two days after I seasoned and experimented with this smoker for the first time, my husband moved it to the garage where it sat during the tear down of the existing deck and construction of the new deck.  The main portion of the new deck is 20' x 30, the attached lower pool deck is still being worked on as are portions of the main deck.  It has been a huge project!

Smoking adds a lovely element to foods.  The flavour is very much dependent on the kind of wood chips used.  There is a wide range of smoking chips available wherever grilling accessories are sold.  I used sugar maple chips for the rump roast experiment.

I rubbed a 3.6 lb rump roast in garlic pepper.  It was an easy prep, simply making sure the roast was well covered.  As I get better at smoking, I will be experimenting with rubs but first things first.  My goal with this roast was putting the smoker through its paces and getting an edible result.  Don't laugh!  Sometimes, a goal of edible is all it takes to get a bit creative in the kitchen.

I seasoned the smoker then it was ready for its maiden run.  Smoking differs from other methods of cooking in that you really do need to keep an eye on it.  There's no running to the store or leaving the smoker unattended for any length of time.  It is important that the water bowl does not run dry.   If it does, the meat will be dried out instead of moist and tender.  It is also important to keep the smoker at the proper temperature.  Too high of a temperature will result in dry, over cooked meat while too low of a temperature will allow pathogens to multiply that can result in food borne illness. 

Once the smoking begins, the smoking chamber is left closed tightly.  The lower chamber houses the burner and water bowl.  It can be opened briefly to add water if necessary.  While it is called a water bowl, you can actually use other liquids like stock to impart more flavour to the food being smoked.

Larger chunks of meats are smoked according to weight.  I smoked this rump roast at 225°F for 5 hours 24 min (1.5 hr/lb).  I did run the water bowl dry briefly but caught it before any excessive drying occurred.  I simply added more water and noted it in my kitchen journal as a lesson learned.

The resulting smoked roast had developed a lovely, hard crust with a nice smokey aroma.  I thought the crust was a bit dark but checking online saw that it was fine.  I wanted nice slices for lunch meat.  Once the smoked rump roast was cooled, it was ready for slicing.  Cooled meats always slice nicer than warm meats. 

I bought a Hometrends Food Slicer on sale at Walmart while waiting for the smoker to arrive.  I have also wanted a food slicer for homemade lunch meats for quite some time.  This food slicer is premium coated steel and die cast aluminum housing featuring a heavy-duty 130 watt motor, adjustable and removable 7.5” (19 cm) hardened blade, adjustable thickness control knob, removable carriage system for easy cleaning and suction feet for stable, non-slip operation.

I adjusted the thickness to quite thin then placed the smoked rump roast on the food slicer bed.  The slicer made quick work of slicing the meat into thin slice of uniform thickness perfect for lunch meat.  My only complaint is the sliced meat falls onto the counter at the back of the slicer so it is necessary for the counter to be squeaky clean before using the slicer then cleaned again after but other than that, I'm pleased with the results.

The true test of a successful smoking is the pinkish smoke ring.  I actually had a smoke ring!  The next test of course is the taste.  I was pleasantly surprised at the flavour.  My husband declared the slice smoked roast delicious as he pile his ciabatta bun!  I packaged the rest of the slices into Ziploc bags then popped them into the freezer.  The packages were for lunch meat while camping with the kids and grandkids the following week.

The smoke rump roast slices were a hit while camping.  I'm looking forward to doing a lot more experimenting with smoking.  Smoking a roast for lunch meat is a definite keeper!  I'll experiment with rubs but really the garlic pepper gave good results.  I will be careful to not let the water bowl run dry next time but other than that I am very pleased with the results. 

The Great Smoker Experiment (Part 2)

When I am testing a new method I like to use a tried and true food we like for the comparison.  So it was with my great smoker experiment.  Beef jerky is a family favourite that I have been making since my kids were knee high to a grasshopper.  Homemade beef jerky is a healthier version to mass produced beef jerky.  It is very easy to make requiring minimal equipment and a few simple ingredients.  I normally make beef jerky using a dehydrator and the dehydrator setting on the oven when I had the Jenn-Aire range.

Although beef jerky can be made using ground beef, I don't.  There is a higher risk of contamination using ground beef because of the increased surface area.  Beef jerky is not cooked but rather dried to 160°F/71°C which is a high enough temperature to kill off bacteria and remove moisture to preserve the meat.  I use a lean cut of beef sliced into thin strips either by the butcher shop or myself to make traditional beef jerky. 

A marinade is optional but is usually used to add extra flavour to the beef jerky.   There are numerous marinade recipes ranging from very simple to complex or a commercially made barbeque sauce can be used.  I marinated the hand cut beef strips in Sweet Baby Ray's barbeque sauce overnight.

The main purpose for this cooking experiment was to see what if any differences there were in the finished product by changing the drying method.  For a valid comparison, it was important to use beef strips that had been treated identically up to the actual dehydration process.  That would mean any differences in flavour or texture would be due to the drying method used.   I would be using my Nesco American Harvest dehydrator and the True North smoker for this cooking experiment.

The next morning I divided the beef slices into two portions.  I placed the first portion of the strips on the prepared dehydrator trays and set the temperature to 160°F/71°C.  In all honesty, I love my dehydrator and have even expanded it BUT if I were doing larger scale dehydrating, I would consider buying a dehydrator with rectangle or square racks as they are a bit more versatile.  At any rate the Nesco dehydrator works well for my needs.

I loaded the second portion of the beef strips directly onto the smoker racks.  The need for a drip tray quickly became apparent but that is the case with drying beef jerky regardless of the drying method.  I loaded up the wood chip pan with mesquite wood chips then set on the burner and plugged the unit in.  Once the smoking began, I removed the door to take a picture then replaced it.  The door was removed again to refill the wood chip pan a couple of times, then finally for the removal of the finished beef jerky.  Of note, when the smoker door is opened you will be greeted with a large puff of smoke meaning your clothes, hair and anything in the general vicinity of the smoker will smell like smoke!

This was a rather interesting cooking experiment.  Clearly there are pros and cons to using both methods.  A smoker can only be used outdoors whereas a dehydrator can be used both indoors and outdoors.  Both need to be sheltered from the elements when in use outdoors.

The results:   The drying time was considerably shorter for the beef jerky dried in the dehydrator, with the jerky drying in a little over half the time of that in the smoker.  In terms of colour and texture, the beef jerky dried in the dehydrator was almost identical to that dried in the smoker.  The beef jerky dried in the dehydrator may have been just a little darker.  So, either way the colour and texture is pretty much the same.  The big difference was the flavour!  The beef jerky dried in the dehydrator had a lovely flavour with just a hint of smokiness from the Sweet Baby Ray's.  By hint, it really was barely noticeable, yet a flavour element none the less.  The beef jerky dried in the smoker was heavy on the smoky flavour, over powering the Sweet Baby Ray's that became more of a flavour note.  Two weeks later, test strips of retained their colour, texture and flavours nicely.

The bottom line:  I was quite impressed with the smoker results.  I will definitely be experimenting with more smoked meats and am one step closer to buying a smoker.  The dehydrator gave consistent results in a shorter period of time with less fussing.  There was more fussing to the beef jerky dried in the smoker but I was new to the process and there was no temperature control or wood chip indicator on the basic smoker I borrowed so those were factors.  The smoke gives great flavour that can't be duplicated by the dehydrator.  If using a smoker, I think the marinade can be kept simple.  It is an easy way to get great flavour without any of the calories of barbeque sauce too. 

The Great Smoker Experiment (Part 1)

I have been wanting a smoker for eons!  Like many homemade foods, smoking is an economical way of enjoying smoked meats, fish and poultry while controlling what ingredients are added.  Smoking is not limited to meats either!  It means you can avoid all the artificial flavourings, colourants and preservatives of commercially prepared smoked foods.  You can experiment with different woods for adding natural smoke flavour to your smoked foods.  A good friend of ours recently lent me his smoker to experiment with.

Smokers range from homemade to rather fancy commercially made versions.  The cost can range from free to hundreds of dollars.  His smoker is an entry level, commercially made electric smoker with a retail value of about $120.  It is Canadian made.  There is no thermostat or temperature control.

An electric smoker takes a bit of work out of smoking in that you don't have to constantly monitor the smoker.  It will continue smoking as long as the tray of wood chips is filled.  Once the wood chips stop smoking, you can refill then repeat as often as desired. 

A wood smoker is a  rather simple set up consisting of an inner smoking chamber, a heat source hot enough to cause the wood chips to smoke, a pan for the wood chips and one or more racks.   The interior  chamber of the smoker allows the smoke to permeate the food.

There are plans online to make a small homemade smoker using two clay pots as well as turning an old refrigerator into a smoker.  The easiest way to try is smoking before investing in a smoker is using a smoking box on the outdoor grill.  This smoker had three removable wire racks, a removable drip tray, and the wood chip pan.  The wood chip pan sits directly over the burner when in use.

True North has their own series of wood chips called smokin' wood bits that are considerably finer cut, more like saw dust.  They recommend against using larger pieces of wood chips because the wood may not produce the smoke properly.  There was a bag with the smoker but because I was borrowing it, I decided to use my own wood chips.  They were larger than the True North brand but I reasoned using less of them in a refill would give suitable results.

I used Earth's Finest 100% natural mesquite smoking chips for this experiment.  These chips can be used either wet or dry as can most smoking chips.  The Truth North wood bits are used dry.

The filled wood chip pan sits directly over the burner on the bottom of the smoker.  The instructions said to place the smoker on a non-flammable surface.  We placed the smoker on four large paving bricks to raise it off the surface of the wood deck.  This also allowed for a bit of air circulation under the smoker.

This particular model of smoker has a detachable power supply and the cord is short enough to need an extension cord.  The burner can easily be removed to adjust or replace.  This is a nice feature in the event the burner needs replacing.

The drip pan sits over the filled wood chip pan.  It is designed to catch any drippings from the food being smoked.  I covered it with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.  A food tray fits over the drip pan and there are shelves for two more trays.   Once I had the drip pan ready it was time to season the smoker.

I plugged in the smoker then put the door in place.   Within a couple of minutes puffs of smoke were escaping from the smoker which is not air tight but the majority of the smoke does stay in the smoker.  However, enough smoke escapes that you would not want the smoker sitting where the smoke can easily go into your house.  Following the instructions, once the smoker stopped releasing smoke, I filled the pan again then once again for a total of three fills.

At this point the smoker was seasoned and ready to use.  I filled the wood chip pan again then put the food on to smoke.  Check tomorrow's post for the results of the great smoker experiment...

Grilled Round Steak

We just picked up our beef on the hoof purchase for 2013 but I still had a few packages left from last year's beef purchase.  A couple of those packages were round steaks.  Some cuts of beef are better for grilling than others, however even those cuts that give less than ideal results can be grilled if you modify how you do the grilling.  So it is with round steak.  A round steak is from the round primal cut of beef.  It is comprised of  the eye (of) round, bottom round, and top round still connected.  The bone may or may not be included.  A round roast is lean but moderately tough due to the lack of fat and marbling.  This makes round steak dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling.  Slow moist-heat methods including braising, to tenderize the meat and maintain moisture are commonly used to cook round steak.  Round steak can also be sliced thin, then dried or smoked at low temperature to make jerky.

During our camping days we often brought cherry wood with us to use for cooking on the campfire.  Cherry wood gives a beautiful deep ruby red embers and tantalizing sweet smoke.  Smoking chips are available in a variety of woods including hickory, sugar maple, cherry and mesquite.   Although wood smoking chips can be used with any meat, fish or poultry, some wood flavours are more suitable than others for certain meats, fish or poultry.  Wood smoking chips can even be used to add extra flavour to grilled vegetables, breads and pizza!

Wood smoking chips can be found in the grilling aisle of most box stores, specifically Canadian Tire and Home Hardware here in our corner of beautiful Ontario, Canada.  They are not expensive at about $7 for 220 cubic inch bag and the bags often go on sale near the end of the summer when there is less demand for them.   I look for all natural 100% organic, pesticide free wood smoking chips.   You can also use wood chips from woodlots and orchards providing it is pesticide free.  Quite often the wood will be free or very low cost from either source.

Round steaks are quite large.  The bone in round steak I grilled (pictured) was about three quarters of an inch thick.  I decided to experiment by grilling the steak low and slow over charcoal enhanced with wood smoking chips to medium rare.  I reasoned this would give flavourful results without drying the meat.  I soaked a good handful of sugar maple wood smoking chips in water for about 30 minutes.  According to the bag, sugar maple is perfect for pork and poultry but I thought it would work well for the beef as well.  Once the coals were hot, I put about a third of the prepared wood chips on the coals then put the steak on the grill when the chips began smoking.  I let the steak grill slowly, adding a few more pieces of charcoal and wood chips as required to keep a low, slow heat. 

Once the steak was cooked to medium rare, I removed it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Resting ensures the meat stays moist, tender and juicy.  I was very pleased with the end result!  It was a nice flaourful steak that wasn't dried out.  The smoky element was delightful and what a difference it made in the flavour of the steak.  The key to this was the low, slow grilling.  After resting, I cut the steak into thin slices then divided into meal sized portions and vacuum sealed for freezing.  These cooked steak strips will be used for salads and wraps. 

I am quite impressed that the steak did not become dry and tough during the cooking process.  Overall, I would rate this experiment a 9 out of 10.  One portion of the steak was cooked a bit more than I would have liked but other than that, I have no complaints.  The real beauty of using the smoking chips is the flavour they add to the foods.  While the results are good using the wood chips on the outdoor grill, I want to do more smoking that requires a smoker.  I'm borrowing a smoker from one of our friends this week to see if I really want to buy one.  I have one round steak left that I will be smoking for beef jerky so will report back on the results.  I am very much encouraged by the results so far.

Smoking - A New Culinary Adventure for 2011

Smoked Turkey Drumsticks

(St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida)

December 20, 2010

I've spent a bit of time since our winter vacation going through all 1,780 pictures I took while away.  A large number were of course of foods we enjoyed while away.  It didn't take long for a general them to emerge either.  It would appear we focused on BBQ - long, slow, wood smoked BBQ.  It wasn't planned, it just happened that way.  We enjoyed some of the best Q!

BBQ seemed to be available just about everywhere we went.  What was interesting is take-out BBQ was available at venues like Busch Gardens and St. Pete Times Forum.  Pictured are the smoked turkey drumsticks at Boneyard BBQ Company in the St. Pete Times Forum.  They were priced at $8.50 the same price as their BBQ pulled pork sandwiches.  Oh my, did they ever look gorgeous!  We didn't have any because we had eaten at The Luxury Box just across from the Forum.

I have been wanting a smoker for quite some time but after this vacation, I now know I need a smoker!  So I've been doing a bit of research.  I found plans on how to convert an old refrigerator into a smoker similar to what Michael Smith uses.  I found smokers that attach to grills, smokers that stand alone, an electric pressure smoker and several plans for building my own.  I even found a way to smoke meat on the stovetop that I might try just to see how it works.  Smokers tend to be fueled by wood, gas (natural or propane), electricity.  What I want is a wood smoker that uses only wood.  It is supposed to be the best way to smoke meats and fish.  The Ontario Government has annouced that our hydro bills will increase 7.9% annually over the next 5 years so an electric smoker is out of the question.  I'm not sure what style I want yet as to whether movable or stationary.  I'm getting a lot of good ideas from Smoking Meat so I will have a good knowledge base when I get or build my