Smoked Peppered Beef Rounds Recipe
For this Smoked Peppered Beef Rounds recipe, I have used Powdered Dextrose with excellent results. We use Powdered Dextrose to process semi-dry cured and dry-cured sausages. It’s a sweetener with only 70% as sweet as regular sugar, a nutrient for lactic acid organisms that help in fermentation, giving the tangy flavor. Dextrose is heavier than meat and forces itself into the cells of the meat. Use 2-5 Tb. powdered dextrose per 10 lbs. of meat. 1 Lb. 8 oz. powdered dextrose will process approximately 200 lbs. of meat.
Ingredients
Ingredients for 10 lbs
2 ½ Gallons ice water
1 Cup cure #1
1 Lb salt
2 Cups powdered dextrose
Preparation
Use pieces of top or bottom rounds, about 4-5″ thick.
Pump the meat with brine, 10% of the weight of the meat.
Then generously rub the meat with cracked black pepper
Lay it down in an aging container very tightly, with a weighted wooden cover to press the meat down.
Add just enough brine to cover the meat and let it age for 7 days at 38-40ºF (3-4ºC)
Remove the meat and place it into a stockinette. You can also lay it flat if a smokehouse screen is available.
The smokehouse should be preheated to 130ºF (54.4ºC) with dampers wide open until the surface of the meat is dry.
Then raise the temperature to 155ºF (68.3ºC) with the damper ¼ open. Smoke at this temperature for 4 hours.
Shut the smoke and raise the temperature to 210ºF (98.9ºC), until the internal temperature of the meat is 165ºF (73.8ºC).
Place the meat in a cooler for 24 hours before slicing.