There was a sale on Sirloin Tip Roasts at the supermarket. It is not exactly the tenderest cut of beef but if slow cooked to no more than medium, is quite tasty. By the way, here is an example of survival. I like my beef cooked to medium rare. She Who Must Be Obeyed likes medium. A smart husband cooks to medium to survive.
Although the beef was on sale, it has been a little chilly here in the Canadian Rockies.
However, a real Canadian man doesn’t let Arctic temperatures and snow stop him from a great meal. It didn’t stop me either.
I started by putting the roast in the fridge, uncovered, overnight, to dry the surface of the beef. A dry surface takes smoke better. Then, I gave it a generous sprinkle of Cabela’s Open Season Whiskey Steak Seasoning and put it back in the fridge for a couple of hours.
I turned my Bradley smoker as high as it would go but the highest temperature it would reach in this cold was about 230 F. I smoked it over pecan smoke. After about 2 hours the internal temperature was 125 F.
Cooking this slow does not brown the meat and I like a little browning on my beef. Many people think that you have to sear your beef to keep it moist. This has been proven wrong many times. However, I do find that some searing or browning does improve eye appeal and flavour. So, I cooked the beef most of the way in the smoker (to 125 F internal temperature) and then put it on my Weber Barbecue with the front and back grill on high and the middle grill
turned off. I put the beef over the middle grill (not over direct heat). After about 15 minutes, the internal temperature was 143 F.
I covered it with foil, brought it inside and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then it was time to slice into a great piece of smoked beef.
I served it with crispy skin grilled new potatoes and mixed vegetables.
The Verdict
This is a great way to take a moderately tough piece of beef and make it a real treat. The pecan smoke gives a nice smoke flavour but doesn’t overpower the beef. The Cabela’s Open Season Whiskey Steak Seasonings give a nice sweet/garlic flavour. I was in cow heaven.
The Old Fat Guy