Description
Looking for a brisket alternative? We’re smoking a custom-cut beef shoulder low and slow on the Napoleon Apollo smoker to find out whether this overlooked cut can deliver juicy meat, incredible bark and big BBQ flavor.
Together with my butcher, I prepared a beef shoulder cut that you won’t usually find at the meat counter. It contains several hardworking muscles and plenty of intramuscular fat—but can it compete with brisket or smoked chuck?
In this video, I take you through the butcher’s cut, the Minion method for setting up a charcoal smoker, seasoning with PitmasterX Texas BBQ seasoning, and wrapping the beef once the bark has developed.
We cook at 120–140°C / 248–284°F, wrap at around 70°C / 158°F internal temperature, and take the beef off the smoker at 92°C / 198°F before resting and slicing. After almost eight hours of cooking, it’s time for the taste test.
Could this become your next favorite cut for low and slow BBQ? Watch the result, show your butcher how it’s prepared, and tell us what you would name it!
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CHAPTERS
00:00 A new brisket alternative?
00:36 How the butcher prepares this beef shoulder cut
01:42 Why this cut could cost less than brisket
02:30 Napoleon Apollo smoker setup & Minion method
03:09 Preparing the beef with a soy sauce binder
04:03 PitmasterX Texas BBQ seasoning
04:32 Getting the beef onto the smoker
04:57 Checking the bark & wrapping at 70°C / 158°F
05:56 Almost eight hours: finishing at 92°C / 198°F
06:59 Unwrapping & slicing the smoked beef
08:02 Taste test: can it compete with brisket?
08:59 How to ask your butcher for this cut
09:22 Final thoughts & help us name this cut
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