Deck Dad BBQ - Favorite Beef Recipes

There are few cuts of meat more awe inspiring than a huge beef rib. After hours of smoking and building that gorgeous char, hold one of these puppies up and even the most put together person at the BBQ will connect to their inner caveman for a moment! 

These ribs are beef plate ribs. They come from the butcher usually cut to three or four bone sections. It is basically like a piece of brisket on a stick. Once the ribs are removed from the packaging, patted dry, and have come to room temp, it’s time to clean them up. I have hear arguments for and against the need to remove the membrane on the bone side, a step that is common on pork ribs. Some people advocate leaving it on and scoring it with a knife. I pulled mine off. As with all things BBQ, there is a lot of room for personal interpretation and experimenting which is one of the things I love. I also trimmed some extra fat, etc. 

For this smoke I used lump charcoal and hickory wood chunks. I got the smoker settled in at 250 degrees, and settled in for a 6-8 hour smoke. Looking to get the internal temp up to 205 before pulling them, wrapping them in butcher paper, a towel, and placing them in a cooler to rest for a couple hours prior to slicing. 

I seasoned the ribs generously with a 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup coarse black pepper, and an 1/8 of a cup of garlic powder. Then I sprinkled my Go To Rub on top to give it a little extra bite. Once coated and patted in I placed them bone side down on indirect heat using a deflector plate, then settled in for the smoke. 

Again, these ribs are a meal onto themselves and leave everyone as impressed with their presentation as they are full of their meat-full goodness. 

• 1-2 Racks of beef plate ribs (4.5 - 6 lbs bone in)
• 1/4 Cup kosher salt
• 1/4 Cup coarse black pepper 
• 1/8 Cup garlic powder
• 2-4 Teaspoons BBQ rub (My Go To Rub)  

Don’t get me wrong, I still usually make a traditional corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty’s Day but a few years ago we started smoking corned beef briskets and making Rueben sliders to go with it and I will never go without now! 

Most store bought corned beef briskets will come with spices and everything you need to cook down and make traditional recipes. We are going to toss the spice packet and get rid of some of the extra salt that comes from the brining process before we can smoke it. (Otherwise get ready for a salty surprise!) First, rinse the brisket under tap water and place it in a container or tin tray. Cover the brisket in water and put in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours. A lot of salt will absorb into the water and leave you with a much better tasting cut once smoked. 

Once ready to cook, take the brisket out of the water and pat dry with paper towels. If there is any extra fat cap or loose pieces hanging off the cut, carefully remove them with a sharp knife. Next cover the brisket with a dry rub liberally and pat the rub in.  Let the meat sit to take the edge off the temp from being in the fridge and absorb the rub while you prepare your smoker. 

This smoke will take between 6-8 hours depending on the size of the cut and the temp you are smoking at. So based on the type of smoker you use, place an appropriate amount of coals in a pile. Start some coals in a chimney and add to the smoker once hot and glowing.  

Place the brisket on the smoker grate with a probe meat thermometer if you have one, and adjust the dampers to settle in around 250 degrees. Once the internal temp of the meat reaches 165 degrees you will pull the brisket off the smoker and place in a tin pan with about 2 cups of liquid. (I like a beef broth and water) but you can use just water as well. Wrap in tin foil and put back on the smoker until the internal temp reaches 205 degrees. This will take a few more hours typically, but temp is the deciding factor here. 

Once the brisket reaches temp remove it from the smoker and let rest for 30-60 minutes. Slice and serve. (Or if you are like me, load it up on some rye bread with sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and swiss cheese grilled for a few minutes on each side to make an epic Reuben!)

• 1 3-4 lbs Corned Beef Brisket
• 4 Tablespoons pork dry rub

               - 4 Tablespoons Ground Black Pepper

               - 3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

               - 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

               - 1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander

               - 1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard Seed

               - 1 Tablespoon Paprika 

• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup water

My father-in-law is the first person I ever heard talk about reverse searing. We had received some delicious rib eyes from The Prime Butcher on Smallman Street for Christmas and he told us if we wanted to have the best Ribeye ever to try this method. After that night I was sold. Reverse searing is the process of cooking the steak at a lower temp longer and then firing it up to a high searing heat for a few seconds at the end of the cook. What this process does (in my opinion) is allows for a more consistent internal temp while retaining more of the cooking flavor rather than scorching the exterior of your meat. They say never live life in reverse, this may be the exception!

In this recipe I am using a delmonico steak cut because that is a favorite of my family and is always available at our local grocery store so this is an easy meal for us any day of the week 

Start by firing up your grill. I usually try to achieve a medium heat on my Weber Summit (around 300 degrees). This feels strange at first after years of “kissing the flame” passing my steaks over a scorching grill, but trust me it will work just fine!

Next after letting your steaks acclimate to the temp outside of the fridge for a bit, rub them down a bit with some cooking oil and apply whatever steak seasoning you prefer. For me it's just kosher salt and coarse ground pepper.

Next place the steaks on the grill. The cut and thickness of your steak is going to directly determine how long you are going to keep your steak on the lower heat. With delmonico’s they are usually a thinner cut than some other types of steak so they will take less time than a thick Ribeye or tomahawk. In general, you will split your cook time flipping the steak half way through at the lower temp. You will want to take your steak off about 10 degrees before your target temp (125 for rare, 135 for medium rare, 145 for medium, 155 for medium well, and 160 plus for well done). 

With delmonico's I grilled them for 5-10 minutes per side on the medium heat (again thickness drives this so pull out your meat thermometer!) Then remove them temporarily. Now it’s time to turn up the heat. Get your grill up to searing temp (around 450 - 500 degrees) and get them back on the grill over direct heat. You really will only need about 30 seconds per side to sear and give your steak a nice char on the outside. 

When I flip the steak to sear the other side, I usually put a tablespoon of butter and sprinkle some rosemary sprigs on top to give the steak a flavor you can’t beat! As always let the meat rest for a bit after you take it off prior to serving. 

• Delmonico Steak
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Coarse Ground Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon Rosemary dry (or 1 Tablespoon Fresh)

A few years back I read a lot about smash burgers being an even juicier alternative to the normal backyard grill burger so I decided to give it a try. Smash burgers require a flat top type griddle surface and ground meat with a higher fat content then normal. Of course you need something heavy and flat to quickly push down on the meat to get that signature smashed contact with the cooking surface (to maximize surface area cooking quickly)

As I said, you will need a higher fat content ground meat ( I usually go for an 85% lean). The extra fat will burn off against the flat griddle when the burger is smashed but will keep the meat from burning when it is in a more direct contact. Form the beef into 3-4 oz meatballs. Next get your griddle turned on to medium high heat. I use a Pitboss 22” gas flat top grill but any griddle surface will work. I like to sauté some yellow onions in cooking oil till they cook down prior to making the burgers to put on top. 

Place the meatball directly on the griddle and immediately press down hard with a heavy/flat object. There are a lot of smash burger ”smashers” on the market. It helps to place a piece of wax paper between the smasher and the burger to help avoid the raw side of the meatball form sticking to the smasher surface when its removed. 

Press down the flattened burger and hold for 30 seconds then lift off and let the burger continue to cook for another minute. Then flip the burger and if using cheese immediately place the cheese on the cooked side once flipped. Since the burger is pressed so thin by the time the cheese is melted the burger should be ready to come off (about a minute total). 

If you are making doubles repeat this step with the other burger. I like to toast the buns while I am waiting for the cheese to melt. I use mayo as a grease on the buns because it holds up well with the hot griddle and will basically burn off so if you have some non-mayo fans just don’t tell them cause they won’t taste it anyway just the golden seared bun. 

Build your burger with whatever toppings you like such as burger sauce, pickles, shredded lettuce, and thinly sliced tomatoes and you will have a delicious juicy burger that will make you feel like you just sat down at an old 50’s burger joint!

• 3-4 oz ground meat rolled into ball shapes
• 1 Large yellow onion sliced
• 1 head iceberg lettuce shredded
• 1 Large tomato thinly sliced
• Mayo
• Brioche burger buns 
• Sliced deli cheese 

My wife has always made the pulled beef in our house. It is one of our family’s favorites. She has a great Chicago style recipe that she makes in the crock pot with peppers and cheese. I thought it was high time we expanded our household pallet and try some pulled/chopped beef sandwiches BBQ style. So here is my take…

For this one I started with chuck roast and I decided to go with a Cajun flavor profile. Lather the roast with olive oil and generously sprinkle Cajun seasoning over all sides of the meat, then pat in. (You can find my take on Cajun seasoning here.)

As always, let your meat acclimate to the temp outside the fridge. While that is happening get your smoker fired up. For this smoke I shot for 250. I used hickory wood chips to go along with the bolder flavors of the Cajun seasoning. 

Once your smoker is holding at a steady temp, place your beef on with a meat thermometer probe if you have one. I let the beef smoke for about 2-2 1/2 hours until the internal temp was around 155 degrees. Then I put the meat in a tinfoil pan that I had layered sliced onions in the bottom of with about 10 oz of beef broth pre-warmed. Cover with tin foil and back into the smoker it goes. 

The beef stayed on the smoker for another hour and 1/2 until it reached an internal temp of 210, Then I removed and let it rest for 30 minutes. While it rested, I put together a creamy horseradish sauce by combining 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 a tablespoon of fresh horseradish, and 1/2 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. 

After the beed rests pull and chop as necessary to break it up into bite sized pieces  then pour about a cup of the juices over the beef. Serve on a roll with the onions from the pan and the horseradish sauce and you are in for a flavorful sandwich!

• 1 Chuck roast
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 Medium onion sliced
• 10 oz beef broth
• Creamy horseradish sauce

There is a common theme in cooking, good ingredients = good food. So I went all out on these. While I can appreciate a well executed steak-uum cheese steak in a pinch, for this recipe I went to our local butcher and bought ribeye steaks and asked him to cut them as thick as possible (greater than 1 inch for sure). Then I went to slicing. Of course we had all of the cheese options you could want from Cheese Wiz to provolone. 

Put your ribeye steaks in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before attempting to slice. This is going to greatly help when trying to slice the meat as thin as possible with a good sharp knife. Slice the ribeyes into thin strips then season generously with kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Next chop the add ins, I used green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos. 

Out at the flat top griddle, I got the griddle up to medium high heat and poured some olive oil on the griddle followed by the peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sauteed them until softened. We set up a made to order kind of cheese steak bar, so we pulled the veggies off and added them back on as needed. 

Once you have your prefered veggies on the griddle (enough for an individual sandwich), add on the seasoned steak. Let that cook with the veggies and continue to chop and mix with your veggies until you have reached the desired cooking temp on the steak. Then if using sliced cheese, lay a couple of slices on top of the steak and veggies and let melt followed by the bun on top so when you scoop everything up with your spatula the cheese is between the bread and the meat. If you are using Cheese Wiz, put that on the outside of the bun before scooping. 

All that is left from there is to dive in! 

• Ribeye Steaks (cut 1" or thicker)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Coarse black pepper
• Diced onion, peppers, and mushrooms as desired
• Sliced cheese or cheese sauce

There are recipes that are great to just throw together and get some great flavor on the fly, and there are recipes that you know are going to take a little effort but boy are they worth it! This is one of them. Making the sauce homemade, smoking the beef then braising it for hours, you are going to reap the rewards of the effort put forth on this one.

I started with a chuck roast and some spare ribs. For this recipe I smoked the meat before braising it which meant a little more effort to pull it then searing it and putting it right in the barria sauce, but what adding the smoke flavor to the meat did was well worth a little more elbow grease!

Start by patting your meat dry with a paper towel. Then cut the chuck roast into 4 inch sections. I coated the roast and spare ribs thoroughly with a combination of salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and garlic powder. I let the meat sit and absorb the salt for a bit while I got the smoker going with some hickory wood chunks set up for indirect heat at 250-275 degrees. Then I put the meat on and let it smoke to an internal temp of 165 degrees (about an hour and 1/2 - 2 hours with the meat cut into smaller pieces) the spare ribs took a bit longer. 

While the meat was on the smoker I got to making the sauce. I quartered roma tomatoes and white onion and added them to a dutch oven with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 8 cloves of garlic. Let that simmer until the tomatoes and onions start to soften stirring occasionally, then add in 4 cups of beef broth. At this point I stirred in the spices (1 Tablespoon coriander, 2 teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, and oregano, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and coarse black pepper each). I read somewhere to add in a cinnamon stick if you like that flavor, just remember to take it out before adding your meat so it doesn't get lost. 

While that continued to simmer, I rehydrated 8 chili peppers (Ancho and Guajillo) by placing them in a bowl with hot water. Then I removed the stems and most of the seeds before also adding them to the dutch oven. After letting this simmer for a bit, I poured the whole mixture into a hot food safe blender and pulsed it until it had turned to liquid, then returned the whole yummy mix back into the dutch oven. (Remove a bit at this point to keep separate for a dipping sauce and to coat your shells with)

Then in went the meat and a splash of OJ and apple cider vinegar. The longer you let all this braise the better (at least 2-3 hours). When ready use forks to pull apart the meat as needed and continue to let it simmer while you make your shells. 

I used corn tortilla shells and put them in a hot cast iron skillet with about a 1/2 inch of avocado oil in it. Flip as needed and as a friend taught me, once they start to crisp bend them in half with tongs to create that classic taco shape. Then serve some of that amazing birria meat in the shell garnished with some mexican cheese, pickled onions, and creme fraiche and you will be eating these until you run out!

• 3-4 lbs Chuck Roast
• 3 Short Ribs
• Olive oil
• Dry Rub (a combination of salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and garlic powder)
• 3-4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Large White Onion
• 8 Cloves of Garlic
• 4 Cups Beef Broth
• 8 Chili Peppers (Ancho and Guajillo)
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 2 teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, and oregano 
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and coarse black pepper each
• 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• Avocado Oil
• Corn Tortilla Shells
• Shredded Cheese 
• Pickled Onions
• Creme Fraiche 

Let's face it, tomahawk steaks have a lot of stage presence! There's just something about a thick juicy steak hanging off of a bone that makes you feel like you are one step away from a dinner with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. These steaks are perfect for reverse searing as they are such a thick cut. In this recipe I am adding in the extra flavor of starting the reverse sear on a smoker and finishing searing them on a hot charcoal grill.   

Like all steak recipes, it starts with the meat. I let the steaks acclimate to the outside temp then we drilled 1/8 inch holes in the bones using a wood bit to allow me to fit meat hooks in to hold them on my barrel smoker. (Yep, steaks on a bone and power tools, awesome right!) I wrapped the meat portion of the tomahawk with press and seal prior to doing the drilling, just to make sure debris didn't get onto the meat. 

Next I drizzled olive oil on all sides of the steaks, then rubbed a combination of Kosher salt, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and rosemary on all sides of the meat. For the smoke I had my barrel set up on my Weber Smokey Mountain with the hanger accessory going at 275 degrees with Hickory chunks for smoke. With the remote meat thermometer probe in I let them smoke for about 60 minutes.  I removed the steaks when they hit 120 and wrapped them in butcher paper and let them rest in a cooler. 

At this point I got a hot fire going in my Big Green Egg with no heat deflector plate, just hot coals and the temp jumped up to 600 degrees. I removed the steaks from the butcher paper and carefully with a fireproof grill mit, placed them on the hot grill to sear. 30 seconds to a minute per side. Once removed they probed at 130-135 as I was shooting for medium rare. As with all smoking and grilling, temperature is your guide. 

I let them rest for about 10 minutes then sliced them off the bones and they were ready to enjoy!

• 1 3-4 lbs Tomahawk cut steak
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Steak Rub

Meatloaf is one of those classics that we all remember our mom’s and grandmothers making. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of love for the classic dish with some mashed potatoes, etc. This meatloaf is not that. This meatloaf is packed with BBQ flavor and big ingredients that will make this a permanent part of your BBQ rotation.

For the smoke, get your pit fired up to 325-350 degrees. I used hickory chunk wood chips to smoke to get that classic BBQ flavor on the meat. 

Start with a pound of ground beef and a pound of loose pork sausage in a mixing bowl. Add to the bowl diced onions, diced green pepper (use diced jalapeño for a spicy version), your favorite BBQ sauce, Dijon mustard, BBQ rub, panko bread crumbs, shredded cheddar cheese, and two eggs. 

Time to get your hands dirty! Dig in and mix all the ingredients thoroughly until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture to a greased loaf pan to form then calling back to your sandcastle building days of your youth, flip that puppy over onto a grill safe pan to head to your smoker. Throw on a few strips of thick cut bacon on top.

Once on the smoker throw in a meat probe and take the same BBQ sauce you used in the mix and brush a thin layer on the loaf every 30-40 minutes while cooking to create a nice glaze. Once you hit 165 degrees internal on the meatloaf, carefully remove from the smoker and cover with loose tin foil to rest for 5-10 minutes. 

I like to go the sandwich route with these, so I made up some garlic butter toast to serve them on. It’s that easy, big BBQ flavor from ground meat!

• 1 lbs ground beef
• 1 lbs ground pork
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green pepper (or jalapeño for spicy version)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp BBQ rub 
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs

I‘ll be honest, I had never really thought about cooking strip steak as a roast before until one day I was at our local butcher and saw that they had whole NY Strip roasts on sale. I know most people would have them cut that down to individual steaks but I thought why not try smoking it and searing it as a whole roast like you would a prime rib? The result was some of the most tender and flavorful NY Strip I have ever had!

Getting this cut from my local butcher, (84 Packing), meant that they trimmed the roast pretty well ahead of time, so there was minimal prep and trimming needed for the actual roast. I patted the roast dry with paper towels then applied an even coating of my beef rub over the roast. 

I used my Weber Smoky Mountain drum smoker at 275 - 300 degrees with hickory wood chunks to smoke the roast. This takes a couple of hours depending on cook temp and size of the cut. This was a 9 lbs roast, so it took its time! With a meat probe, I watched the temp until it reached an internal temp of 120 degrees then I pulled the roast and let it rest for about 20 minutes. I was shooting for a medium-rare finish, so I pulled it at 120 knowing it would carry over and keep cooking while resting, and then finish cooking during the searing process to get to that 135 degree final temp. If you prefer more well done beef use a beef cooking temp guide and pull the meat about 10-15 degrees less than your desired final temp.

While the roast was resting, I went to my ceramic grill (Big Green Egg), and got a direct grill fire going to 450 - 500 degrees. Carefully using a fireproof grill mitt, I moved the roast over to the grill and seared the roast on all sides for about 30 seconds to a minute per side. 

Once done, let rest for 5 - 10 minutes and then slice into 1/2 inch slices. These make great slices for sandwiches as well!

• 1 7-9 lbs NY Strip roast trimmed
• 4 Tbsp’s Beef dry rub

This one fills you up any time of year, but for me the savory comforting flavors of slow roasted beef in broth and red wine and the perfect bite of those roasted potatoes is a perfect comfort food as the temp outside starts cooling down!

Start by seasoning a 3-5 lbs chuck roast that has been patted dry and trimmed if necessary with an all purpose beef rub. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions and carrots in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Once softened, remove the veggies and set aside. 

Add another Tablespoon of olive oil if needed and sear the chuck roast on all sides until a brown crust develops all the way around. Remove the roast and add back in the sautéed veggies along with the baby gold potatoes. Place the roast back in and add in the red wine, beef broth, rosemary, and thyme. Bring the whole pot to a boil then remove from the heat. 

Place the covered Dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours based on the size of the roast and until the roast reaches an internal temp of 145 degrees or until the roast is fork tender. Remove everything and arrange in a large bowl. Add another 4 Tablespoons of red wine to the pot and 4 Tablespoons of beef broth then scrape the remaining scraps from the roast into the liquid. Add two teaspoons of corn starch and whisk until it turns into a sauce. Pour the sauce over the bowl and serve with a crusty loaf of bread!

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3-5 lbs Chuck Roast
• 1 Tablespoon beef rub
• 1 small yellow onion sliced 
• 2 large carrots cut into 1“ chunks
• 1 bag baby gold potatoes 
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons dry rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dry thyme
• 2 teaspoons corn starch