Expert: BBQ Woman - 5/1/2010

Question
how do you cook a top round roast in a smoker

Answer
Hi,
Top round roast tends to be better cooked using methods other than smoking. You can smoke it and hopefully the cut you select has some marbling of fat in it. Top round tends to be real lean cuts of beef which during the smoking process will dry it out. You have to use methods to attempt to keep it moist. The best cut of roast to smoke is the brisket. You trim the brisket so that it has only 1/4 inch of fat so the smoke will permeate it. Marinate or dry rub your brisket the night before using your favorite rub or marinade recipe or any of the commercially prepared rubs and marinades on the market. I purchased an apple smoke dry rub at the market the other day and used it to smoke some meat and it had a nice flavor. Use the flavors you and your family will like.

I like to use a large zip lock bag to store my meat in when its being marinated. Its easy to turn the meat around occasionally with a plastic bag and its one less dish for me to wash.

Make sure to soak your chips ahead of time. I usually like to use hickory with beef.

Take the brisket out an hour before cooking to let it set while you prepare your smoker.

Place it on the smoker fat side up. This helps keep the beef moist.

You want to figure out how big your brisket is. Usually it takes 1 hour to 1 hour fifteen minutes per pound.  You can wet mop your roast every hour (I would do this especially if you are cooking your top round roast). Some people put a dish of water in the smoker as well to attempt to keep it moist.

Internal temperature should read 180.

Always slice the brisket against the grain. I always like to serve it with a few different bottles of bbq sauce and buns for people to make sandwiches with.

I hope this helps you feel free to ask me a follow up question.

Regards,
Misty