Mark Combs
TVWBB Member
This weekend I smoked a beef clod for the 1st time. It was a test run for an event I am doing next weekend where I am cooking for 150+. Already planning on doing 6-8 pork shoulders, but wanted to do beef as well. Contemplated brisket, but given the price point of the clod, thought I would give it a shot. At $1 less per pound than brisket, a little more economical.
The rub was a slight variation of the midnight cook rub on this site:
1/4 cup blk pepper
1/4 cup table salt
1/4 cup paprika
2 TB garlic powder
2 TB onion powder
2 TB sriracha seasoning
2 tsp ground mustard
Started with a 22.67 lb clod from restaurant depot. Loaded the 22 WSM with Kingsford blue. Used pecan, oak, and mesquite for the wood (trying to empty some bags that were lying around). Trimmed some of the larger pockets of fat, probably 3-6 lbs removed. Rubbed the meat, let it sit for about an 1-2 hrs while getting everything else ready. Based on what I had read, I was anticipating about a 20 hr cook. No ATC, and did not crutch at all. Reloaded the smoker with water and briquettes about midnight, and that carried thru the night.
Had everything loaded and cooking around 430pm Friday. Had planned on a noon finish, ended up being about 830 am. I downloaded the graph from my Thermoworks Smoke. The spike around midnight is the reload of another bag of charcoal. I may also have to invest in an ATC, but can't make up my mind on which one I want.
Hopefully the pics will work.
The temp was a hair under 185, and it was foiled, wrapped in towels and placed in a cooler for about 3 hours. Took it over to a friend's house who was cooking a breakfast for some of his son's buddies from high school who are home from college.
It was not as fatty as a brisket, yet still pretty moist. Think it maybe could have been a little juicier, had I pulled it from the cooker a little sooner, but I really did not anticipate it being "done" in 16 hours. The problem with these long cooks is you start drinking earlier, and unfortunately (at least not last night), I didn't stop any sooner than normal- in fact went much later than I probably should have. Damn near drank a beer for each pound of meat I think.
I sliced up a little up, but then decided to shred the rest. Pulled apart fairly easily. For a large group, this will do the trick- not sure how it compares to a nck off chuck roll- but still about $1 cheaper per pound. Will have to give one of those a try at some point in the near future.
Will try another couple clods next weekend, and welcome any thoughts or tips from others as there is not as much info out there on this cut (compared to brisket and others), which is a real shame as I thought the flavor was really good.
The rub was a slight variation of the midnight cook rub on this site:
1/4 cup blk pepper
1/4 cup table salt
1/4 cup paprika
2 TB garlic powder
2 TB onion powder
2 TB sriracha seasoning
2 tsp ground mustard
Started with a 22.67 lb clod from restaurant depot. Loaded the 22 WSM with Kingsford blue. Used pecan, oak, and mesquite for the wood (trying to empty some bags that were lying around). Trimmed some of the larger pockets of fat, probably 3-6 lbs removed. Rubbed the meat, let it sit for about an 1-2 hrs while getting everything else ready. Based on what I had read, I was anticipating about a 20 hr cook. No ATC, and did not crutch at all. Reloaded the smoker with water and briquettes about midnight, and that carried thru the night.
Had everything loaded and cooking around 430pm Friday. Had planned on a noon finish, ended up being about 830 am. I downloaded the graph from my Thermoworks Smoke. The spike around midnight is the reload of another bag of charcoal. I may also have to invest in an ATC, but can't make up my mind on which one I want.

Hopefully the pics will work.








The temp was a hair under 185, and it was foiled, wrapped in towels and placed in a cooler for about 3 hours. Took it over to a friend's house who was cooking a breakfast for some of his son's buddies from high school who are home from college.
It was not as fatty as a brisket, yet still pretty moist. Think it maybe could have been a little juicier, had I pulled it from the cooker a little sooner, but I really did not anticipate it being "done" in 16 hours. The problem with these long cooks is you start drinking earlier, and unfortunately (at least not last night), I didn't stop any sooner than normal- in fact went much later than I probably should have. Damn near drank a beer for each pound of meat I think.
I sliced up a little up, but then decided to shred the rest. Pulled apart fairly easily. For a large group, this will do the trick- not sure how it compares to a nck off chuck roll- but still about $1 cheaper per pound. Will have to give one of those a try at some point in the near future.
Will try another couple clods next weekend, and welcome any thoughts or tips from others as there is not as much info out there on this cut (compared to brisket and others), which is a real shame as I thought the flavor was really good.
Last edited: