Smokin' hot - the greatest smoked beef

What is smoking ? 

Long before the invention of fridges, smoking preserved the shelf life of beef using two techniques:

• Cold smoking uses wood-infused smoke from low heat (around 12–22°C) to flavour and preserve beef rather than cook it.
• Hot smoking cooks beef over wood chips, infusing it with exceptional smoky flavour so it’s immediately ready to eat. 

 

Best beef cuts for smoking

Slow smoking

Slow-cooking beef on the barbecue is the sure-fire way to please a crowd. It also suits budget-friendly, well-marbled cuts with muscle. The long, slow heat and smoke melts the fat and tenderises the meat around the bone, creating pull-apart finger food that’s delicious in a bun. 

Cuts that are ideal for slow, slow smoking include:

• Brisket
• Shoulder
• Short ribs
• Chuck
• Tri-tip
• Standing rib roast

Fast smoking

Fast, hot smoking introduces a moreish zestiness into cuts that don’t require long cooking times including:

• T-bone
• Sirloin
• Meatballs (smoke for 10–15 minutes, then pan-fry for an incredible taste sensation)

 

Smoking equipment  

• Smoker – use your wok, the oven, the stovetop or the barbecue. Dedicated smoking artisans use purpose-built smokers, available from BBQ, outdoor and electrical stores.
• Smoking accessories – barbecue mitts, long tongs for stoking the wood and a meat thermometer.
• Smoking chips – hardware, barbecue speciality stores and some supermarkets sell gourmet culinary wood-chip ranges, specially formulated to suit a variety of beef cuts. Check out our quick guide to the different flavour characteristics below.

 

Quick guide to smoking wood chips

Wood chip type	Smoky flavour characteristics
Acacia	Not as strong as mesquite. Burns hot, so use smaller amounts.
Almond	Sweet, nutty taste.
Apple	Adds a light, fruity and sweet taste.
Ash	Light, distinctive and slightly sweet. Burns fast, so ideal for quick flavour infusions.
Cherry	Sweet, mild and slightly fruity.
Hickory	Strong and smoky. Good for quick smoking, or low and slow for an intense flavour hit.
Lemon	Medium flavour with a subtle hint of fruit.
Lilac	Mild, sweet, smoky flavour.
Mesquite	Sweet, light and especially good with ribs. Burns hot and fast so good for quick smoking.
Oak	Heavy smoke taste that’s not overpowering.
Pecan	Lighter and more subtle than hickory, with a delicate flavour.

Chef's Tip 

Get the most out of your wood chips

• Try different combinations with different beef cuts.
• Pine, cedar or green woods are not suitable for smoking.
• If you’re a beginner, use a small amount of wood to test the flavour and gradually increase to taste.
• Soak wood chips in water 30 minutes before you cook. For maximum effect soak for up to 24 hours, so chips smoulder rather than burn.

 

Smoking time and temperature guide

 

Popular cuts	Smoking temperature	Smoking cooking time (may vary)	Final smoked temperature
Smoked brisket (sliced)	104°C	1.5 hours/500 g	79°C
Smoked brisket (pulled)	107°C	1.5 hours/500 g	90°C
Smoked beef ribs	107°C	3–4 hours	74°C
Smoked baby back ribs	107°C	5 hours	Tear-apart tender
Smoked spare ribs	107°C	6 hours	Tear-apart tender
Smoked meatballs (5 cm)	107°C	1 hour	74°C

 

Preparing your meat for smoking

Dry rubs, marinades and spices

Smoky beef is simply delicious, but if you want to enhance the flavour use a dry rub or marinade – or why not try beer basting?

• Rubs transform your beef cut with your own flavour combinations! For smoking, create a Cajun, Indian, Mexican or Korean blend of spices. Find out more about rubs here. 
• Marinades – select one with sweeter ingredients as it can help create a delicious crispy or caramelised coating. Find out more about marinades here. 
• Fresh herbs – these bring out the flavour of all smoked cuts, especially parsley butter!

 

Chef's Tip

• Meat can appear pinker when it’s smoked using rubs and marinades. Use a meat thermometer to check its doneness rather than relying on a visual check.
• Smoked veggies taste amazing too! Cut wedges of potatoes, pumpkins, carrots or sweet potatoes, season and generously glaze in olive oil. Smoke according to taste and finish in the oven or on the barbie.

 

Six easy ways to smoke beef

Indoors or out, it's easy to smoke beef at home. Take it from us, those mouth-watering aromas while cooking will have them queuing up – and they’ll savour that beautiful smoky flavour and pull-apart tenderness.

 

Things to know before you start:

• Remove beef from fridge an hour before cooking. It’s best to start the cooking process when meat is at room temperature.
• Use a meat thermometer to check the beef's temperature while cooking.
• Always cover a cooked joint and let it rest for 10–20 minutes before serving.
• Slow-cooked joints such as brisket may require higher temperatures for some recipes.

 

How to smoke using a wok

Location:

• Indoor cooktop (must have a good extractor fan)
• Outdoor barbecue hotplate

What you need:

• Wood chips
• Heavy duty aluminium foil
• Wok
• Metal rack (cake cooling rack is fine)
• Chosen cut of beef 

How to do it :

• Press foil into base of wok, allowing it to hang over the side by 10 cm (large enough on all sides to come up over the metal rack set on top). 
• Add wood chips to wok and set barbecue hotplate or stovetop burner to medium-high, allowing wok to heat up until wood starts releasing smoke (around 5 minutes).
• Using oven mitts, place metal rack onto wok. A round rack can be inserted into the wok if it’s 8 cm above the wok base. 
• Place beef cut on top of the rack in the centre, leaving space between each piece. 
• Using oven mitts, place a second large piece of foil over the top of the meat, lift edges of the bottom sheet and pinch the two pieces of foil tightly together. Enclose the entire rack in a foil ‘tent’, leaving as much space for air circulation as possible.
• Infuse beef for at least 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave for a further 20 minutes as smoke dissipates. Remove beef and finish off on the barbecue or in the oven, cooked to your liking.

 

Find smoking recipes

 

How to smoke in an oven

Location:

• Indoor oven

What you need:          

• Wood chips
• Foil oven tray (available from most supermarkets)
• Heavy duty aluminium foil
• Metal rack (cake cooling rack is fine)
• Selected cut of beef 

How to do it:

• Place moistened wood chips into aluminium tray. Cover with foil and pierce holes so smoke can escape.
• Place metal rack over the smoker box.
• Set beef on top of rack and create an airtight ‘tent’ using foil. It should surround the aluminium tray and meat.
• Cook to the required level of doneness, then rest beef. 
• When ready, carefully unwrap the foil, taking care with the hot steam. You can complete your delicious smoky meat on the barbecue according to taste, or serve straight from the oven.

 

Find smoking recipes

 

How to smoke on a stovetop

Location:                        

• Indoors

What you need:          

• Wood chips
• Large cooking pot
• Metal steamer insert
• Heavy duty aluminium foil
• Selected cut of beef 

How to do it:

• Line cooking pot base with foil and cover with a sprinkle of wood chips.
• Add another foil layer over chips and place steamer insert on top.
• Place beef on top of the steamer, allowing space for smoke to circulate.
• Arrange foil generously around the edges of the lid to stop smoke escaping.
• Heat on high for 5 minutes or until it starts smoking.
• Lower heat to medium-low and smoke meat to the required degree of doneness. Turn off heat and leave beef resting in the smoker for 10 minutes.
• Remove foil and serve immediately, or finish cooking the aroma-infused meat on the barbecue to taste.

 

Find smoking recipes

 

How to smoke on a gas grill barbecue

Location:                        

• Outdoor gas grill barbecue

What you need:          

• Aluminium tray
• Wood chips
• Heavy duty aluminium foil
• Chosen cut of beef 

How to do it:

If you don’t have a store-bought smoker box (available from barbecue shops), create your own by placing drained wood chips in an aluminium tray.

• Cover with foil and pierce holes so smoke can escape.
• Place smoking box inside the hood of the barbecue.
• Clean and lightly oil barbecue grill and fire it up.
• Smoke meat, checking it now and then, adding more chips if necessary.
• Cook meat to preferred degree of doneness, using a meat thermometer to check. 
• Keep barbecue hood closed as much as possible to maintain even temperature.
• Wrap meat loosely in foil and rest 10 minutes before serving.

 

Find smoking recipes 

 

How to smoke on a kettle barbecue

Location:

• Outdoor kettle barbecue

What you need:          

• Wood chips
• Chosen cut of beef 

How to do it:

• Clean and lightly oil barbecue grill.
• Fire up barbecue with charcoal or briquettes, and add smoke by topping with plenty of wet wood chips and chunks.
• Smoke meat, checking it now and then, adding more chips if necessary.
• Cook meat to preferred degree of doneness, using a meat thermometer to check. 
• Keep kettle hood closed as much as possible to maintain even temperature.
• Wrap meat loosely in foil and rest 10 minutes before serving.

 

Find smoking recipes 

 

How to use a purpose-built smoker

Purpose-built outdoor smokers – available online and from barbecue stores – usually come with cooking racks, a water bowl and a thermostat for temperature control. Most include instructions for getting started, based on individual smoker designs.