More Pepper Stout Beef (AKA Bell Peppers with Beef)

Had to do it again. It seemed to be a perfect first choice for the new WSM (the 14.5) that arrived late last week and was assembled last night. I picked up a kind of chuck roast this morning along with the rest of the ingredients we did not already have.

Weather is a very pleasant fall day with temp as the fires are lit at 57°F and not expected to go much higher. Early clouds seem to have cleared and wind is light at about ... The 12 mph reported does not seem to match what I feel in the back yard.

Once again I'm using the Wolfe Pit recipe for Pepper Stout Beef. I found Boston Roast on sale and bought a 4.5 lb. one. It has a nice fat cap but not a lot of marbling. Hopefully it will work well for this recipe. I picked three Jalapeños from the garden which are reliably hot so I only used two. It's easy enough to add heat at the table if desired.

The ingredients collected.

Meat rubbed with Salt & Pepper

As noted, this will be the first cook on the 14.5 WSM. The newer Dutch oven (with the pan/lid) is a perfect fit inside the cooker as long as I don't try to fit it on the top grate. It is too tall for the lid. I plan to use the lid on the bottom grate during the first phase of the cook to catch the drippings from the beef. When the beef gores on the peppers, that will be in the Dutch oven, lid on and sitting on the bottom grate. I have some Royal Oak Briquettes that I am using for fuel with some chunks of hickory and oak for smoke flavor. I'd use mesquite as well if I had any. At about 10:30 I fired up some briquettes and left over lump in the mini-chimney and once it was starting to light, set it on the WSM. No water in the bowl for this cook - foil only. I want to see what kind of temperature I'll get with various combinations of bottom vent opening.

Detail of the bottom section of the cooker with heat shield, charcoal grate and charcoal ring.

Briquettes and wood chunks ready to light.

Charcoal chimney ready to dump on the unlit briquettes.

The 14 Weber Smokey Mountain in action.

Beef as it goes in the smoker when the smoker is ready.

Beef smoked to an IT of about 150 and ready to put in the Dutch oven with peppers and onions.

And in the Dutch oven before putting the lid on and continuing the cook.

time	temp	comment
10:30 AM		partially lit chimney on cooker.
10:40		Dumped fully lit chimney and closed up the cooker. Closed two bottom vents leaving one open.
11:00	???/???/245° (meat/grate/lid)	Fire looks settled - meat on!
12:31 PM	109°/291°/265°	Cruising along nicely.
1:38	138°/273°/235°
2:17	144°/270°/240°	Opened a second bottom vent.
2:32	144°/262°/245°	Stirred the coals a bit to knock off ash.
3:05	147°/286°/270°	Opened the third bottom vent and added miscellaneous smoking wood.
3:30	151°/273°/???
3:54	153°/351°/??	Tired of waiting - putting the beef in the DO now.
4:46	???/253°/255°	Moving the bef to a 350°F oven.
5:55	???/253°/???
7:32	???/190°/175°	Broke beef up into chunks. Almost done but left covered.
8:20		Beef is shreddable and liquid is reduced despite the Dutch oven having remained closed. And it's DELICIOUS!

(meat/grate/lid) => Maverick ET-732 and the cooker lid thermometer.

Results: The cooker was a little disappointing in that I could not complete the cook on it. Perhaps when it is seasoned a little better (better sealing) or with a different fuel. The recipe is a total success. I really like Pepper Stout Beef and I can see why it gets mentioned so much on the BBQ-Brethren site.

I still think about ways to tweak the recipe but haven't done so yet. Red peppers are more visible in the final result. I'm not sure why red onions are necessary.