Over the years we have discussed shoulder clods and rolls.
They are great for chopped/pulled/sliced beef.
Often used by Texas caterers,instead of brisket.
Danny Gaulden has tested many products and techniques over the years and been gracious enough to share the results.
He has also had a Cookshack to work with.
Danny Gaulden
BBQ List
Shoulder Clod
8/6/01
Boys & Girls,
Here's the report on the #114 clod shoulder clod:
Raw weight: 20.3 lbs.
After Cooked Wt: 11.5 lbs. (57% yield, 43% shrinkage).
Actual yield for Serving Table after cooked and trimmed of fat...9.6 lbs. (47%).
Cooking temperatures: 225-250 degrees with a couple of short term spikes to 265.
Cooking Time: 14 hours, 15 min.
Internal temperature when pulled from pit: 180 degrees.
The clod was very tender and moist. I used my Forschner roast beef knive to slice it. A sharp knife is a must to slice this cut of beef when cooked to the tender stage. The connective tissue that connects the two large muscle groups were very tender and not offensive.
This cut of beef reminds me of a bottom round and chuck roast combination, for it has a few stringy sections as well as a lot of solid packed, non stringy sections. It taste more like a roast, even though it was smoked for a long time and under constant smoke most of the time. However, it had a wonderful rich beefy flavor.
The down side to me is that it is so thick that good smoke penetration way down deep is not possible. Cutting it in half would probably contribute greatly to the smoke flavor, and I don't think any ill effects would occur from doing this.
Make sure you have a good pair of heat resistant gloves when removing this large cut of meat from your smoker, or a very large spatula to slip under it. A pizza peel would work great.
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