smoking a bottom flat

leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

Ok, so I'm a rookie from Pennsylvania, but I Looove my BBQ. Just thought I'd throw this out there to anyone interested.
A good friend has a substantial pit beef operation and I asked him onetime which cut of meat he uses. He told me "bottom flat". I had never heard of this but thought I'd give it a try. At under $3/lb. I couldn't go too far wrong. Got a 14 pounder at the local butcher shop and cut it in half. Then I got online to look for help. Nothin' but bad vibes there..."too lean for a smoker"..."dries out"..."no flavor"..."tough as nails"...and on and on. I thought.."uh,oh"! Then I got to thinkin', any piece of meat is worth a good shot at BBQ, so I trudged on. Here's what I did:
There was NO Fat, so didn't have to trim it.
Injected a whole can of beef broth throughout the roast.
rubbed it first with some good olive oil, then with my "secret dry rub".
Brought the smoker up to 220 degrees with some applewood chunks.
Set the roast in a pan with 1/2" of water and chopped garlic.
Smoked it for 2 hours @ 220 and flipped it over once.
Took it off @ 140 degrees internal and let it rest for 45 minutes. It was nice and pink throughout.
Sliced it real thin.
My wife and I ate almost the whole thing that same day! We couldn't stop pickin' at it. Now, I do one every now and then and make a meal out of it, then use it all week for packed lunch sammiches.

In my opinion....cheap...quick...very tasty...tender.

BUGSnBBQ · Posted: Mon Oct 22 12 2:47 am Post subject:

I've never heard of a bottom flat, but then again I don't know chit Embarassed

. Sounds really good, though. Let's see some pics!
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leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

Yeah.....well.....I guess I was so proud of myself I never thought to take some pics. Will post some up of the next one fer sure...sorry. Rolling Eyes

1buckie · Posted: Mon Oct 22 12 8:49 am Post subject:

leebob ~~~>

No foul on the pics...Just helps kindeeegartners like me visualize what's going on..... Very Happy

Not really sure what a bottom flat is...if it's like Baltimore pit beef, or brisket, or ?
In that case pics help....

Good description, tho !!!

Thin Sliced Roasted Beef is always a winner, in my book !!!
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sprayboss · Posted: Mon Oct 22 12 9:20 am Post subject:

That is interesting. I believe bottom flat is part of the round. I smoked an eye of round a while back and it turned out real good. I think the secret is to pull them at the proper temp. If you go to far you gotta cook it another 12 hours to get it back to tender.

leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

Sprayboss...you're exactly right! I never wudda guessed that thing would make 140 after just 2 hours @220. It's about the leanest cut of meat I've ever seen.Only had one little narrow line of gristle, but that was easy to cut out after slicing. You gotta cut it cross grain, like a brisket. I'll take some pics of the next one....mite be soon...I'm gettin' hungry for that again!

leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

Ok...here goes.....did my third bottom flat today. These things just keep comin' out good! Wife had to take it away from me 'cause I wudda ate the whole thing! Laughing

I still cant get pics to load..I know I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid. It'll be all gone by tomorrow, anyway.

roxy · Posted: Mon Nov 05 12 4:59 am Post subject:

I think what you are talking about is an "outside or bottom round flat" which comes off the hind leg of the cow.

It is a decent hunk of meat and like you said it is very lean. I have cooked a couple hundred of those things as we used them for sliced roast beef sandwiches at the resto I used to work at..

I think chuck roast or whole beef blade roast is the best for slicing thin for sammiches.. Nice amount of fat and I think the meat itself is more tender and tastier.

I agree that the temp of 140 is perfect as the meat is still reddy pink and juicy.

I smoke off over 200 lbs of chuck a week at the resto I work at now and recomend you give it a try some time..
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MacEggs · Posted: Mon Nov 05 12 5:17 am Post subject:

What Roxy said ^^^^.
Been there once or twice .... no, it's been more than that. Confused

Don't have a t-shirt .... I don't think they're offered yet.

I have never heard of a bottom flat, either.

But like sprayboss, I have smoked a few eye of rounds, too.
Cook pretty fast. I take 'em off at about 135°.
Sliced hot about a ¼ to ½ inch thick.
When it's cold, gotta slice it paper thin. Very Happy

And, yeah, we do need some pics, eh?!! Laughing

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leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

Rosy....I'm gonna give chuck a try.....what's your thoughts?...140 ish?..smoke at 220 or higher? Couple, 3 hours?....and guys & gals, I'm sorry bout the pics....when I try to use Photobucket, it says I am missing something that I have no clue how to get.

roxy · Posted: Mon Nov 05 12 6:12 am Post subject:

leebob · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 14

That was s'posed to be Roxy...the old fingers aint what they used to be(meaning for typing)...I'll take ur advice on the chuck. Just wonderin' why the bottom flat cooks to 140 in 2-2 1/2 hrs. and the chuck would take that much longer? BTW, this forum makes me so dam hungry, every time I get up from the chair, I go eat sumthin'!

daddywoofdawg · Posted: Mon Nov 05 12 1:01 pm Post subject:

I was wondering what a bottom round flat was so I looked it up.
Hello the bottom round flat is a muscle from the hip also know as outside round , pieced together with the inside round ( top )and eye of round ( middle ) the 3 muscles make up the hip ... it is fairly lean , great for jerky , stews , tenderized steak ( cube ) or slow roasted with moisture added .... this piece does not compare to a brisket and will have much less natural flavour due to lack of internal fat and marbling that the brisket has .
Source:SmokingMeatForums.com
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