...and now, the results

Hi everyone!

Last night, as you know, I proceeded to smoke (for the first time) on my new Brinkmann Smoker. I marinated a 2-pound bottom round beef roast for several hours (refrigerated). Afterward, I discarded the marinate, rubbed the roast with my Rub Mix, and allowed it to sit at room temperature until the smoker warmed up (about 30 minutes).

I used charcoal as my main source of heat (about 3 or 4 pounds, I guess; the smoker will hold up to 10 pounds). When the coals were all covered with grey ash, I threw on a few lumps of pre-soaked mesquite. I allowed the wood lumps to begin smoldering, while attaching and filling the water pan; then I put the cooking grill in place.

After a quick spray of non-stick on the grill, I placed the roast onto the grill (probe thermometer in place), put the cover on, and did my best to forget about it for a couple of hours. With the exception of a couple of "peeks" to check the fire or the water level, I just left the roast to smoke slowly.

It took longer than I'd planned--close to four hours! But the thermometer temperature finally read about 145-150 degrees. I knew I'd want to pull the roast out of the smoker, and let it rest for a little while (15-20 minutes) before cutting into it.

The roast came out delicious...a nice, reddish smoke ring, about a quarter-inch wide, was present throughout the roast. The meat is exceptionally tender and flavorful, but the flavor of the marinate doesn't overpower the flavor of the meat; rather, it enhances it. If I could change one thing, I'd remove the roast from the smoker when the internal temperature reached 140 degrees. The meat continues to cook even after it's removed from the heat source, and I would have preferred the roast to be rare to medium-rare (what I ended up with was medium to medium-well....not objectionable, by any means). But this is merely the first of many smoke-cooking ventures!

More to come! (and by the way...that's my car!)