When putting into consideration as to what kind of best beef to smoke, it often would occur into your mind as to what kind requires the less amount of time, the kind of beef that will end up to be the most delicious and worth the wait, and many other factors.
The aspect that is most apparent when smoking beef is the amount of time it takes to do so. It can range from five to six hours to as much as ten to fourteen hours. Depending on the size, density, amount and volume of the steak.
As for the taste, it will not be put into consideration. As the flavour and taste will be subjective and is prone to preference.
In this regard, we are going to judge what beef is best to smoke. In terms of how long it takes to do so.
We will also discuss the steps that you need to take notes on when you are going to smoke these beef cuts.
Type of Beef Cuts
Chuck Roast
Compared to most parts of the steer, this beef shoulder cut is smaller and therefore cooks faster. It takes about five to six hours to cook via smoking. With an optimal temperature of about two hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature that you are going to want to reach inside the meat is two hundred five degrees Fahrenheit.
Chuck roasts can be done in a variety of ways. One of which is pulling the meat the same you would do with pulled pork. The temperatures that you are going to want to reach in this approach. Would be one hundred eighty degrees Fahrenheit internally and two hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit in terms of cooking temperature.
Either way, smoking your beef shoulder cut requires less time and is quite flavourful. Despite the lack of abundance in proportion to meat as compared to the other parts.
Flank Steak
Basically the underbelly of the steer. This would not be your first choice when smoking a particular part nor beef cut, but hear us out!
Despite being a stubborn cut. Needing to be marinated beforehand for it to be tenderized. It is otherwise a cheap and affordable option compared to the other more costly beef cuts.
Flank steak can stand toe to toe against seasonings with overwhelming flavours such as pepper, lime juice and garlic. Therefore it has a strong flavour to boot.
Flank steaks take about three hours to smoke, more if your flank steaks are denser than usual. The optimal temperature to have it smoked is around two hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. With the optimal internal temperatures within the meat reaching about one hundred forty-five degrees Fahrenheit.
Wonder how to cook beef roast? Read it here.
Beef Ribs or Beef Short Ribs
These are one of the simplest beef cuts to smoke. Well-marbled in terms of the succeeding bones that are arranged and situated between the meat, not to mention this cut containing a lot of fat so as to keep the beef cut juicy and moist despite it being smoked, you can rest assure that this particular beef cut would be a good choice.
Whole beef ribs are humongous and are therefore preferred to be cut prior to being smoked, unless you have a gargantuan smoker that is of equivalent or of greater size that is more than sufficient and spacious enough to room such a large cut without needing to be chopped into size.
On the contrary, if you have but a measly and humble smoker, chances are you would have to ask the butcher to cut it into shorter size, hence the name “short ribs”.
Even so, the deliciousness is not lost on either whole ribs or short ribs, as by having only salt and pepper as seasonings, you will still end up with a rack full of delicious smoked beef in your hands once it is done.
Beef Ribs or Beef Short Ribs take about five to six hours to smoke, with an optimal smoking temperature of about two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit, and with an optimal internal temperature within the meat reaching to about one hundred thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit.
Beef Brisket
Ah, of course! How could you even be able to define “smoked beef” without including Beef Brisket? Holding the crown as to be the kind of cut that is most difficult to execute, owing to it being a tough cut in and of itself, not to mention needing more intricate and careful hands to properly smoke.
It is also worth noting that when smoking beef, prime brisket is the best choice, although if you are well aware, this cut is expensive. Choice brisket is a good alternative, not to mention a worthy contender in terms of overall deliciousness. It is also a good alternative in terms of cost as it is more affordable compared to prime brisket.
When smoking beef brisket, it is a good idea never to cut or reduce any of the fat, as this keeps the meat insulated while it is being smoked, and is therefore a good medium to insulate the heat by keeping all the delicious oils in whilst providing a more flavourful by-product down towards the meat while it is being smoked.
The amount of time that beef brisket takes to smoke is around ten to fourteen hours. The optimal smoking temperature of beef brisket is around two hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit and its optimal internal temperature in the middle of the meat is around two hundred five degrees Fahrenheit.
In conclusion
The best beef to smoke in terms of time constraints would be chuck roasts. Not only are they easy to smoke, they also take the least amount of time to do so. Chuck roasts in most cases need not to be marinated and can be seasoned with all kinds of seasonings and spices. They’re affordable, too!
But if you were to make a pick in terms of flavour, go for Beef Brisket. They take the longest when being smoked but the wait will be worth it.
Read my other post on how to defrost meat fast!
