Bull Whole top beef loin??

[DD owner]

I've been elected to smoke the meat for our family Christmas next Sunday. My father handed me a "Whole beef top loin" today and asked if I'd smoke it for our dinner next week. Its 12 lbs and looks like a trimmed ready to smoke brisket kind of. Any recommendations would be appriciated. Should I cook as I would a brisket?

 

[Jim6820]

The top loin is where NY or “strip” steaks are cut, so I think I would cook it as a beef roast rather than as a brisket. It will be nearly the same as prime rib, but a little leaner.

If I were doing it, I’d probably do about 45 minutes at 180-200F to get some smoke, then bump the temp up to 300-325F to finish. Since I like my roast beef medium rare, I’d pull it at an internal temperature of 127F and let it rest (wrapped in foil and a towel, and in an insulated container) for 30+ minutes. The internal temp will rise 5-7 degrees, giving a nice medium rare roast. YMMV

I’ll be interested in what others suggest. Good luck.

 

[Pacman]

I'm with @Jim6820 on this. Treat it like a roast, but give it an early dose of smoke. I would probably do a "brisket style" rub that will give you a little bit of bark while cooking to medium rare.

I did a small beef round roast similarly and it was pretty good.

 

[Jim6820]

Well, @DD owner, any follow-up on the beef top loin cook? How did it go? We always like to know the result of things like this.

 

[DD owner]

Thanks for asking @Jim6820! The cook will be this coming up Sunday. Im going to take your advice and go low for the first 45 then 325 until 127. Ill probably just season with my own SPG and hope for the best. What you guess for time with a twelve lb? Again, thank you for your advice/opinions!

 

[Jim6820]

@DD owner, I have never cooked a beef top loin, so don’t have any hands-on experience. I have cooked 10-12# prime rib roasts, however, and suspect the per pound cook time should be about the same. I’d figure on 15-20 minutes per pound. That would be 3-4 hours for a 12# roast at 325F (with the 45-minute 180-200F smoke time). Anyone else on the forum want to jump in here with cook time advice?

The good news is that you can rest a cooked roast in an insulated container for up to 4 hours or so without any negative effects. In fact, you should plan on resting the roast for at least 30 minutes after pulling it from the grill; an hour would probably be better. Just wrap the roast in foil, then in a big towel and put it in a cooler or other insulated container. It will stay hot for several hours and the juices will redistribute back into the meat, though there will be some residual in the foil, so use care when unwrapping to carve.

If I was cooking your roast, I’d plan on starting it at least 5 hours ahead of the planned serving time. That would allow for a proper rest time and give you some flexibility if the cook runs a bit longer than expected.

The key to a successful cook is watching the thermometer, not the clock and pulling the roast when it reaches the desired internal temperature. And, if you find that the roast is running long on the cook time, it is OK to bump the temperature up to 375-400F to speed things up. Just remember to finish the cook at least 30 minutes ahead of carving.

Now, you should remember that my advice here is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good luck. Do let us know how it goes.

 

[Zonian Pyg]

Thanks for asking @Jim6820! The cook will be this coming up Sunday. Im going to take your advice and go low for the first 45 then 325 until 127. Ill probably just season with my own SPG and hope for the best. What you guess for time with a twelve lb? Again, thank you for your advice/opinions!

I would go with what Jim suggested. Only thing I do differently is a longer low smoke time since I always cook my meat straight from the fridge to the grill. Get marvelous smoke and always a nice ring.

 

[DD owner]

@DD owner, I have never cooked a beef top loin, so don’t have any hands-on experience. I have cooked 10-12# prime rib roasts, however, and suspect the per pound cook time should be about the same. I’d figure on 15-20 minutes per pound. That would be 3-4 hours for a 12# roast at 325F (with the 45-minute 180-200F smoke time). Anyone else on the forum want to jump in here with cook time advice?

The good news is that you can rest a cooked roast in an insulated container for up to 4 hours or so without any negative effects. In fact, you should plan on resting the roast for at least 30 minutes after pulling it from the grill; an hour would probably be better. Just wrap the roast in foil, then in a big towel and put it in a cooler or other insulated container. It will stay hot for several hours and the juices will redistribute back into the meat, though there will be some residual in the foil, so use care when unwrapping to carve.

If I was cooking your roast, I’d plan on starting it at least 5 hours ahead of the planned serving time. That would allow for a proper rest time and give you some flexibility if the cook runs a bit longer than expected.

The key to a successful cook is watching the thermometer, not the clock and pulling the roast when it reaches the desired internal temperature. And, if you find that the roast is running long on the cook time, it is OK to bump the temperature up to 375-400F to speed things up. Just remember to finish the cook at least 30 minutes ahead of carving.

Now, you should remember that my advice here is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good luck. Do let us know how it goes.

Jim,
The beef loin turned out good! I smoked on low for about 1.25 hrs and then 325 for about two more and hit internal of 127. Wrapped and in the cooler for about 4 hours until lunch time. Everyone said they loved it. Im not sure Id buy that exact cut of meat again but everyone enjoyed. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Jim6820]

Jim,
The beef loin turned out good! I smoked on low for about 1.25 hrs and then 325 for about two more and hit internal of 127. Wrapped and in the cooler for about 4 hours until lunch time. Everyone said they loved it. Im not sure Id buy that exact cut of meat again but everyone enjoyed. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for updating this thread. Certainly glad to hear that your cook went well and that the family enjoyed the result. Well done, @DD owner.

 

[DD owner]

Thanks for updating this thread. Certainly glad to hear that your cook went well and that the family enjoyed the result. Well done, @DD owner.

Hey @Jim6820, dont mean to bug you but I value your advice. I just bought an 8.5 lb ribeye roast(choice-prime was sold out). Would you treat it the same way??

 

[Jim6820]

Hey @Jim6820, dont mean to bug you but I value your advice. I just bought an 8.5 lb ribeye roast(choice-prime was sold out). Would you treat it the same way??

I would. Maybe add a bit more smoke time up front as you did with the beef loin. I’m guessing the cook time will run closer to 20 minutes per pound since that cut will probably be a little thicker than the loin. As always, watch the thermometer, not the clock. And, again, that roast can easily rest 3-4 hours properly wrapped and in an insulated container.

Good luck…and, be careful who you take advice from.