Y ou love the intense beefy flavor of prime rib. You admire the carnivorous
■ awesomeness of smoked whole beef tenderloin. But you don’t want to
break the bank on a roast. I hear your pain. Matthew Keeler has the answer:
a smoked top round. Keeler runs a barbecue joint in the heart of Virginia
pork country. But ask him—the third-generation pit master of King’s
Famous Barbecue in Petersburg—to name his favorite meat, and he’ll point
to a basketball-size Angus top round that he smokes as dark and shiny as
Appalachian coal. Make that ten beef rounds every morning, some medium-
rare, some medium, and a few well done. “We don’t go in for a lot of spices,”
says Keeler, who seasons the beef solely with salt and pepper. “And we don’t
like our meats overly smoked.” That’s why he prefers the mild smoke of white
oak to the more pungent hickory used at most Virginia barbecue joints.YIELD: Serves 12
METHOD: Hot-smoking
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
(plus 10 minutes to make
the sauce)
SMOKING TIME: 4 to 6 hours
FUEL: White oak—enough for
7 hours of smoking (see chart
on page 6)
GEAR: Remote or instant-read
thermometer; a wire rack
SHOP: You'll want a top round
weighing around 6 pounds.
Alternatively, you could use
a top sirloin. Try to buy one
covered with a generous
sheath of fat.ingredients
3 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter,
melted (optional)
Three Hots Horseradish Sauce
(page 78). for serving1 beef top round (about 6 pounds; buy
one that has plenty of fat on it)
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and cracked
black peppercorns
12 hamburger buns (optional)WHAT ELSE: Cooking times
depend on how done you like
your beef;!- About 4 hours for rare
(120° to 125°F on an instant-
read thermometer)
rimmed baking sheet. Loosely tent
with aluminum foil (do not bunch the
foil around the meat) and let rest for
15 minutes.- Set up your smoker following the
manufacturer’s instructions and
preheat to 225° to 250°F. Add the
wood as specified by the manufacturer.
a- About 516 hours for medium-
rare (130° to 135°F on an
instant-read thermometer)
- If using buns, brush the cut sides
with melted butter and lightly toast
on a grill or griddle. - Very generously season the meat on
all sides with salt and pepper. Place
it in your smoker directly on the rack,
fat side up. Smoke until crusty and
darkly browned on the outside and
cooked to taste (see “What Else”).
- About 6 hours for medium
(145°F on an instant-read
thermometer)
- Trim off and discard any big lumps
of fat from the top round; leave a little
in place for flavor. Thinly slice or chop
the beef and serve it on the buns, if
using. Try to include some crusty end
slices and pink center slices. Slather
with the horseradish sauce and serve. - When the beef is close to the
desired temperature (remember—
it will continue cooking out of the
smoker), transfer it to a wire rack over
BEEF | 65