10.2.3 Chopped beef
[I have dentures and eating meat is difficult for me. Any suggestions?]
Danny Gaulden--
The marinated smoked brisket we sell in my store is called "chopped beef".
It's a big seller. We sell about 40 to 50 pounds of it a day. I love it. What's neat about
it is this: not only do all age groups like it, a lot of folks with dentures really like
it. It's very flavorful, smoky, bold, and easy to eat. It definitely tastes like and is
'Real Pit BBQ', it's also marinated. So if one has dentures, I think a good chopped beef
sandwich is their cup of tea. However the sauce that you use for a marinade is critical.
It shouldn't be too strong, too thick, or over-powering. And for sure, not induced with
liquid smoke. The sauce should compliment the smoked meat, and help bring out the natural
flavor of it. Sauce should be composed of cider vinegar, mustard, oil, sugar, spices, and
a little tomato product--not too heavy on the tomato. It should have a tangy, semi-sweet
taste. (Sorry, I can't give you my secret recipe). The meat should be marinated while it's
warm, and overnight for best flavor, but works OK if it's just marinated for a couple of
hours. The meat should be chopped or pulled into very small pieces before it is marinated.
Chop all of the meat--outside and inside. You must include the outside bark for a great
flavor. Got this recipe from a real ol' time pit-master that still runs his own Q joint in
Louisiana after 40 years. I grew up eating his barbecue. Hope this post and recipe gives
you something to have fun with, and most of all, enjoy preparing and eating barbecue!
William Ackerman--
I made some really great chopped beef sandwiches. I smoked a brisket by roughly
following Belly's marinade advice (cut a slit in the Cryovac package, poured in
Willingham's marinade, Balsamic vinegar, and Dr. Pepper, covered slit with duct tape. Let
it marinade for 24 hours. Dried and rubbed with Willingham W'HAM rub.)
I smoked the brisket for 9 hours (1 hour per pound) at 225-250F using oak, cherry, and
hickory. Cooked fat side up for first 5 hours, fat side down for the next 4 hours. Every
so often I sprayed with Garlic Mist (oil with garlic in an aerosol can - great stuff!).
The internal temperature when I removed the brisket was 165F.
I wrapped the meat in foil and placed it in a dry ice chest for 4 hours. Internal
temperature when removed the brisket from chest was 146F. While still warm, I cut the meat
into little pieces and marinated it over night in a sauce.
Ackerman's Chopped Beef Sandwich Marinating Sauce
Amount |
Measure |
Ingredient |
Preparation Method |
1/4 |
cup |
Cattleman's Original (no smoke |
|
1/2 |
cup |
cider vinegar |
|
1/4 |
cup |
French's mustard |
|
1 1/2 |
cups |
raw sugar (turbinado) |
|
2 |
tablespoons |
garlic oil |
|
1 |
pinch |
each salt |
|
1 |
pinch |
black pepper |
freshly ground |
The sauce is tangy and semi-sweet.
I heat up the chopped brisket in a double boiler and serve it on lightly toasted onion
rolls.
|
