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Wow, this Maryland-style pit beef is incredible. So very flavorful. Incredibly flavorful. Easily the best tasting (smoked) roast beef I’ve ever had. A good amount of the meat disappeared while I was slicing it, that’s for sure. I have no problem admitting it either.
This beef is so incredibly tender. I used a top round, which isn’t a cheap cut, but you could substitute a bottom round if you have to. I don’t think the price difference warrants it. If you want even more tender meat and great flavor, a top sirloin can also be substituted but you’re going to pay for it. I found the top round was just perfect. And I’d make it this exact same way again. And again.
Rare Is Best
If you ‘fear’ rare beef, do not. If you overcook this pit beef you will not have a happy day. Keep it rare and enjoy the wonderful juices and flavors. It won’t be as tender if you take it too far. It will the beef of nightmares, and not the beef of dreams. So go rare and be happy!
Slice It Thin
Although I have a meat slicer, I ended up slicing this Maryland-style pit beef roast with my chef’s knife. It’s a Wusthof, and it has a lot of use on it. When I first started to learn to cook a chef friend told me to take care of my knives. Pick at least one go-to knife that feels right. It’ll be your friend for life. And he was right.
Although I sharpen my knives by hand, I recently purchased a Chef’s Choice 1520 sharpener that is absolutely amazing. My knives are incredibly sharp now. The sharpener is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. It only takes minutes to use, and it supports both 20 degree (European) and 15 degree (Asian) knives, which is a really nice feature to have.
- Pecan wood chunks
- Provides a rich & Sweet flavor
Also try my grilled rib roast with gravy.
Maryland-Style Pit Beef
Ingredients
For the pit beef
- 3-4 pound top round you can also use top sirloin or a cheaper cut such as bottom round
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
For the sandwiches
- 10 buns
- 1 sweet onion sliced thin
- Our Sriracha horseradish sauce
Instructions
For the pit beef
- Place the beef on a large sheet of aluminum foil.
- Combine the remaining ingredients and rub on all sides of the meat. Depending on the size of the roast you might need all of the seasoning.
- Wrap up in foil and seal tightly.
- Refrigerate overnight.
On the smoker
- Fire up a smoker for cooking 225 – 250 F. Use hickory chunks or fruit wood.
- Place beef on smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 F. For my 3 pound round, this took about 4 hours, but you should start checking yours after 3 hours depending on the size, shape, temperature conditions.
- Remove meat from smoker and wrap in foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.
On the grill
- Fire up a grill for direct and indirect cooking.
- Place beef on grill over direct heat and sear on all sides.
- Move to indirect heat and cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 F.
- Remove meat from grill and wrap in foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.
For the sandwiches
- Toast buns, if desired
- Slather buns with the sauce.
- Add plenty of onion then mound up the thinly-sliced beef.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
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