A few months ago I was watching an episode of Man v Food and Adam went to a pit BBQ place in Baltimore that served pit beef.  Their specialty was a top round roast grilled over natural charcoal.  Needless to say, it looked delicious and I have been obsessed with trying to create my own version of pit beef ever since. I thought it would be easy, I got a Big Green Egg that uses lump charcoal, just throw the meat on and ,boom, beefy deliciousness will ensue.  It’s never that easy, besides if it was that easy what fun would that be??

Back in September I made my first attempt to cook a top round roast with mixed results, Not So Top Round.  I was happy with the taste and it looked good, it was just a bit over cooked.  I wanted it to be closer medium-rare to medium, the only way beef should be cooked.  Well on Sunday I made my second attempt at conquering the top round roast, it was better but still not exactly what I’m shooting for.  But I am persistent I will keep trying and eating my mistakes along the way.

Purchased a nice top round roast from Wally World, about 3lbs. Made a marinade of beef broth, garlic, pepper and some dried mustard powder, then injected the marinade into the roast, placed the roast and the remaining marinade in a zip lock bag and set in the fridge for 3 hours.  No additional rubs or seasoning to the outside of the roast, just wanted to keep it simple and taste the basic flavors of the meat and smoke from the grill.

Last time I seared the roast on each side before slow cooking, I skipped the searing this time and just put it on the egg.  Cooking temperature 300-320 degrees for 90 minutes over indirect heat, about 30 minutes per pound, internal temperature 130 degrees.  I didn’t get to crazy with the charcoal, just used regular Kingsford Royal Oak Lump Charcoal, which added a nice mild smokey flavor to the roast. 
 
Although this roast did taste a lot better and was cooked right, it does need a good sear to lock in those juices and also adds a nice grilled look to the meat.  I may have sliced it a little too soon, but I like to take a roll and sop up all that juice, just one of the perks of being the cook.

To finish of this meal Cheryl whipped up some mashed potatoes, some snow peas and a nice crusty bolillo roll from a local Mexican bakery.  I tried to make a gravy with the drippings but the drippings were a little burnt and it made the gravy too bitter, but this roast was so moist and juicy it really didn’t need any gravy.

Overall I was very pleased with this roast and it made for another fantastic Sunday dinner.  I’ve got a few improvements to make for the next roast but I’m on the right track.  If anyone else has tried to smoke a roast please share and tips and pointers you might have.  Grill on my friends.

NEWSFLASH!!  The UPS guy just pulled up with my package from Omaha Steaks.  Merry Meatmas to me!!