Tag: beef
Smoked Pit Beef Tacos
Smoked Pit Beef Tacos
What’s better than tacos? Not much. The meat used in these particular tacos comes from a brined, then smoked chuck roast. This beef can be used in numerous recipes for fillings, sandwiches, nachos, etc.
Ingredients
- smoked chuck roast
- corn or flour tortillas
- cilantro/onion/green onion mix
- smoked tomatillo salsa
Instructions
- Shred the smoked chuck roast.
- Top the tortillas with the beef, cilantro/onion/green onion mix, and the tomatillo salsa.
Smoked Pit Beef
Smoked beef sandwiches!? Fuck yeah, smoked beef sandwiches. They are extremely easy to make as long as you have time and patience. This is better than any smoked beef you can get from a restaurant or smokehouse for a fraction of the price. I’ve seen smoked beef go for as much as $25-$30 per lb, when the chuck roast I purchased was only $3.99lb.Once brined, the chuck will take 2 hours per lb to smoke in order for the meat to shred; exactly like a pork shoulder. To achieve this, use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. You will want the temp to get to 205-210 degrees. Once finished, let the chuck rest for at least 20 minutes. The beef is great on a sandwich or even used as taco meat.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- black pepper
- paprika
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 6 shallots sliced
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Wood Chips
- mesquite wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Place the chuck in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine the chuck for 1 day.
- Pat the chuck dry. Season all sides with black pepper and paprika. Let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the chuck in the smoker.
- The chuck will take about 2 hours per lb. Monitor the temp with a probe thermometer. In order for the beef to shred, you will need to reach an internal temp of 205-210 degrees.
- Once finished smoking, pull from the smoker and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice or shred the beef.
Smoked Tomatillo Salsa
I really like tomatillo salsa and wanted to see what it tastes like with the ingredients smoked. The answer: even better! The ingredients take no more than 2 hours to smoke in your smoker. It’s ready to use as soon as you purée the ingredients in a food processor. The salsa will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 green onions
- 1 head garlic
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wood Chips
- mesquite wood chips
Instructions
- Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños, and green onions on your smokers rack.
- Place in a preheated 250 degree smoker for 2 hours.
- Let the ingredients cool.
- Add the smoked ingredients along with the cilantro, vinegar, and salt to a food processor.
- Purée until smooth.
Beef Pho
Beef Pho
Pho is the national dish of Vietnam. It can be traced back to the early 1900’s; culturally influenced by the French’s introduction of beef, which is the main flavor component. Today, there seems to be a never ending plethora of Vietnamese restaurants with pho being the specialty.Pho stock is made by roasting beef bones and whole onions, then simmering in a large stock pot of water with star anise, ginger, cinnamon stick, sugar, and salt. Some recipes for the stock will include a small stewing hen as part of the boil. The stock is simmered for at least 4 hours, with some recipes taking 24 hours. Then the stock is strained and ready to serve.Beef is the main protein in pho. The beef is always raw, sliced paper thin, and is cooked when boiling stock is ladled over. Many cuts of beef can be used including flank, eye of round, brisket, and ribeye. Vietnamese love texture, so there are varieties of pho that include tripe and tendons. Other than beef, pho contains rice noodles, bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, green onions, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and is served with lime wedges; just to name a few ingredients.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Pho Stock
- 5 lbs beef bones femur and neck
- 2 large onions cut in half
- 10 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 large ginger split in half
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 6 quarts water
Beef Pho
- 14 oz rice stick noodles prepared according to package directions
- 1 lb beef ribeye sliced paper thin
- Asian style beef meatballs sliced
- 2 cups bean sprouts blanched for 30 seconds
- Thai basil
- cilantro
- green onions chopped
- lime wedges
- hoisin sauce
- fish sauce
- sriracha
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the beef bones and halved onions on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 45 minutes. Set aside.
- Dry toast the star anise in a small skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Place the star anise, cinnamon stick, and halved ginger in a large pot of water; about 6 quarts. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the roasted beef bones, onions, sugar, and salt.
- Simmer over medium heat for at least 4 hours.
- Strain the pho stock. Return to the pot and bring to a boil.
Pho Assembly
- Assemble the basil, cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and hoisin sauce on a plate.
- Place 1 portion of rice noodles in the bottom of a large soup bowl. Place the sliced ribeye and meatballs on top of the noodles.
- Ladle the boiling stock over the beef and noodles.
Lebanese-Style Strip Steak
Lebanese-Style Strip Steak
The Lebanese marinade for the steak is very similar to what is used for shawarma. The steak requires only an hour of marinating and less than 10 minutes to cook. Ribeye, top sirloin, filet mignon, and flank steak are all suitable choices to use if you don’t want a strip steak. If you prefer to grill the steaks, they will require the same cooking time of 4 minutes a side for medium rare. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz strip loin steak 1 1/4” thick
- 1/4 small onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp sumac
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Marinate the steak for 1 hour.
- Heat up cooking oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Place the strip steak in the skillet.
- Cook the steak for 4 minutes a side. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before serving.
