Barbecued Beef

OK, it's not exactly traditional, but it is low and slow, thanks to the sous vide. And it's really, really tender!

2.5 lb. bottom round beef

Trim the fat from the beef. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dry rub (see below). Vacuum seal and cook at 150°F for 18 hours.

A surprisingly large amount of liquid comes out of the beef, which is why it looks a little dry above, but it's still super tender.

Remove the from vacuum bag, drain, top with barbecue sauce, and put under the broiler for 3 - 5 minutes until the barbecue sauce browns.

Served with corn and a whole wheat and oat dinner roll .

Dry Barbecue Rub

This recipe makes about 1 cup of an excellent dry rub for barbecue.

1.300 oz. granulated sugar (3 tbsp.) 0.380 oz. brown sugar (1 tbsp.) 0.600 oz. kosher salt (2 tbsp.) 0.350 oz. cumin (2 tbsp.) 0.558 oz. coarsely ground pepper (2 tbsp.) 0.446 oz. chili powder (2 tbsp.) 1.000 oz. paprika (4 tbsp.) 0.052 oz. cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp.)

Combine all of the ingredients well. Store in a covered container in a cool, dry place.

Update: When I made a new batch of dry rub I increased the chili powder and cayenne to make it a little spicier.

Barbecue Sauce

Update: There is a slightly updated version in my updated recipe for barbecue sauce .

Makes 2 cups of excellent, spicy and sweet barbecue sauce. I make it ahead, divide, and freeze it because it should only be kept in the refrigerator for a week.

15 oz. ketchup (1 1/2 c.) 4.0 oz. cider vinegar (1/2 c.) 0.64 oz. Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp.) 0.25 oz. dry mustard or ground mustard seed (2 tsp.) 0.10 oz. freshly ground black pepper (1 tsp.) 0.03 oz. cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp.) 0.03 oz. chili powder (1/4 tsp.) 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced small amount of medium onion, minced (2 tbsp.) 3.0 oz. water 2.6 oz. light brown sugar (3/8 of a cup)

Stir until combined in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat to simmer and simmer for 90 minutes.

The dry rub and barbecue sauce are scaled from the excellent River Run Cookbook by Jimmy and Maya Kennedy and Marialisa Calta, pp. 195 - 196.