My smoked oyster blade with a salt, pepper and mustard bark, wrapped in butcher's paper with beef tallow. Ready in 5 hours, cheaper than brisket, just as good.
Category
Lunch
Servings
8-10
Cook time
5 hours
This is one of the most underrated cuts in the smoking game, the oyster blade. Most people focus on smoking brisket which takes all day but the oyster blade only takes half the time and the results are just as good. Also, it’s usually a cheaper cut of meat as well. You still need to marinate it overnight so start the prep the day before you want to cook it.
It’s a forgiving cut as well so I think it’s a great cut to start with if you’ve just gone and got yourself a new smoker. It has a really nice connective tissue right down the middle which breaks down during the smoking process and makes the meat super juicy.
The prep
The oyster blade has a great shape already so you only need to do a little bit of trimming and shaping. It will have a bit of silver skiing on the bottom so you just need to take this off. Use a boning knife if you have one. Just poke it under the silver skin and point the sharp part of the knife up slightly then run it under to pull the silverskin off. Then for the shaping, you want it to be as aerodynamic as possible to allow the smoke to move around it properly. Watch the video below for a demonstration.
Then we'll apply the marinade and refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to marinate.
Ingredient Notes
Oyster blade: Oyster blade comes from the shoulder of the animal. It’s a hard-working muscle with good marbling and a defined seam of connective tissue running through the centre. It’s widely available from butchers and supermarkets.
Beef tallow: Beef tallow is rendered beef fat. It’s added when wrapping the meat to baste it through the final stage of the cook and keep the bark from drying out. You can buy it from butchers or render it yourself from beef fat trimmings. Unsalted butter works as a substitute if you can’t find tallow, though the flavour won’t be quite as rich.
Butcher’s paper: Use unlined, unwaxed pink butcher’s paper. It’s porous enough to let some moisture escape, which means the bark stays firm rather than going soft the way it does inside foil. Don’t substitute wax paper or baking paper as both will trap steam. Butcher’s paper is available from barbecue supply stores and many butchers.
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Boning knife
- Small bowl
- Wire rack
- Baking tray
- Smoker
- Meat probe or instant-read thermometer
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 2kg oyster blade
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- ¼ cup beef tallow
- butcher’s paper
Directions
Trim the silver skin from the bottom of the oyster blade, and trim any square edges to rounded.
- Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub ⅔ of the mustard all over the bottom and sides of the oyster blade, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper to completely coat.
- Place beef bottom side down on a rack over a tray, then rub the top with the remaining mustard and salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to marinate.
- Preheat a smoker to 135°C (275°F). Place beef in with the thickest side of beef towards the heat source. Smoke for 4 hours, without opening the smoker lid for the first 2 hours, then begin checking temperature every 30 minutes.
- Once the internal temperature reaches 75°C (170°F) (approximately 4 hours), transfer the beef to a large piece of butcher’s paper.
- Add some beef tallow then wrap up in the paper to enclose, like a present.
- Tuck the ends in tightly and under beef, then return to the smoker.
- Continue smoking for 1 hour, or until when pushing a probe into beef it feels like pushing into soft butter and internal temperature reaches 98°C (210°F).
Rest beef, still wrapped for 1 hour, or overnight in a 50°C (122°F) oven.
- Slice beef into pencil thickness slices and serve with watermelon salad, charred green beans, and potato salad.
Recipe video
Recipe notes
Chef Tips
Remove the silver skin before seasoning
The silver skin is a tough membrane on the underside of the oyster blade. It doesn’t break down during cooking and blocks smoke penetration on that side. To remove it, use a boning knife. Slide the tip under the silver skin and angle the blade slightly upward, then run the knife along in long strokes, keeping the blade close to the membrane. Once it’s off, round any square corners by trimming them gently. A more aerodynamic shape lets the smoke move around the meat evenly.
Storage
Store leftover sliced beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, slice into portions, wrap tightly in butcher’s paper or cling wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat covered in a low oven at 120°C with a splash of beef stock to keep it moist. Avoid microwaving as it dries the meat out quickly.
FAQs
What cut is oyster blade and why use it instead of brisket? Oyster blade comes from the shoulder, with good marbling and connective tissue that breaks down beautifully when cooked low and slow. It’s cheaper and cooks faster than brisket, but still gives that juicy, smoky payoff.
Can I use a different cut of beef? You could, but oyster blade is ideal for this method. Chuck or brisket would work, but may need adjustments to cooking time.
