Whole clod won't fit on WSM


 
Brad Olson

Brad Olson

TVWBB Platinum Member
Over the weekend I spotted 2 shoulder clods at the grocery store; one was 20-1/2 lbs and the other was almost 23 lbs. In looking at them I was pretty sure that they wouldn't fit on my 18" Weber Smokey Mountain cooker, so I'm wondering if there's any reason not to cut down a clod for smoking (aside from the loss of Man Points I'd earn for cooking it whole).

Is there a natural separation point in a clod like there is in a whole brisket?
 
I saw a youtube video recently where a large brisket was smoked on the 18.5 WSM. The top cooking grate was put in at an angle and the bottom end of it rested just a few inches in from the edge on the bottom grate. The brisket then sat at the same angle on the tipped grate and it looked like it worked very well. Basically the angled grate allowed the brisket to extend up into the lid space. I plan on doing the same thing with the next large brisket I do. Maybe it could work for you too with the large clod?
 
I've had shoulder clod at Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas. It's pretty good, but I think I prefer brisket. Cooking a whole one would be a pretty daunting task, but it would certainly be pretty damn cool.
 
I got a 22+ pound chuck roll into my 18.5" WSM. I used butcher's string to truss it into a more compact and even thickness to fit and to even out the cooking time. The 18" was one full smoker. If you can get the lid closed, it will shrink as it cooks.

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Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't pull the trigger this time but clod's definitely on my to-do list as long as I can find enough people to take some leftovers, which hopefully wouldn't be too difficult.;)

David, how long did that 22-pounder take to cook and what was the final temp?

Dustin, did you see the episode of Barbecue With Franklin where Aaron talks with Rick Schmitz of Kreuz Market? He talks about how Kreuz now sells much more brisket than clod while in the past clod was the more popular cut.
 
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You guys are killin’ me! That looks like a splendid way to beef feed a ton of people! Since my brother has retired from the smoking world (I have no idea why) I am less “restricted” by size! He gave me his 22 and some extra rib racks so, a big feed will have to happen sometime soon! I’m thinking New Year’s Day brisket! Maybe ribs as a side? Pulled pork for dessert!
 
I started the 22 pounder in the WSM at 8AM, and was going to pull it around 170* to foil and finish in the WSM, but it did not hit 170* until 11:30pm that night. I decided that since I was going to foil it anyway there was no point in burning more charcoal as heat is heat on a foiled meat packet. I ended up popping it in the home oven set for 225*. I closely watched the thermostat band for a bit and the element would click on at 218* and then off with a slight overshoot to 234* (and took about 30 minutes to coast back down to 218* which started the process all over again). This 218 to 234 band was more than acceptable for a 225* target temp. About 5AM it hit an internal temp of 205* on the maverick, so I double foiled it and popped it into a cooler to serve at 11am. It was still too hot to handle when we served it. Some was sliced, but most was pulled. It was for an office gathering.

If you have a Sam's Club nearby, they stock the chuck roll in that size. I've never seen them out, but if you ask, they always have them in cryovac bags in the back room. They break them down into other cuts and grinds in the butcher section. I have never seen the whole clod at Sam's, but my local Restaurant Depot has them, but on that day they were sold out when I went to pick one up. My experience is you end up needing to trim a whole clod more than the chuck roll so it's not an apples to apples price comparison between the per pound prices (RD clods are less expensive but more waste). I had not tried to smoke a whole clod before and usually bought them to break down into cuts and grinds (which you can do with the chuck roll as well).

Also if 22 pounds is too much meat for your need, there is no reason you can't break it down into two portions, smoking one and using the other later or for sausage, stew, etc.....
 
Hmm...
Sounds like a good candidate for an overnight smoke with an oven finish from breakfast until after lunch. I like the idea!
 
Brad Olson said:
Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't pull the trigger this time but clod's definitely on my to-do list as long as I can find enough people to take some leftovers, which hopefully wouldn't be too difficult.;)

David, how long did that 22-pounder take to cook and what was the final temp?

Dustin, did you see the episode of Barbecue With Franklin where Aaron talks with Rick Schmitz of Kreuz Market? He talks about how Kreuz now sells much more brisket than clod while in the past clod was the more popular cut.
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I did see that. I like the clod for that reason. Brisket being the cornerstone of Texas BBQ is a relatively modern thing that I believe got popularized in the 60's. I order it if I'm at Lockhart Smokehouse, and if I ever manage to make the pilgrimage to Lockhart, Texas I'm going to have it there!
 
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