Giant BBQ Beef Shank That Will Blow Your Mind!
Thor's Hammer With Cherry Smoke
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Introduction
Smoked Beef Shank (Thor's Hammer)
What's up BBQ fans! Today we're making Thor's hammer, also called a volcano beef shank, or just beef shank. It's a big old piece of meat, slow-cooked with a ton of smoke on the Komodo Kamado Big Bad 32. This was an unplanned video. I walked past the butcher counter, did a double take and backed up, because they had one sitting there. I knew I could cook it, make a video and enjoy the heck out of it.
The Prep
The shank came nicely cleaned up and tied with string.
Binder: I don't use a binder very often, but I wanted a heavy coat of seasoning on a piece this big, so I used a thick coat of W sauce.
Seasoned salt. It's finer, so it gets a little deeper into the meat.
Yoder beef rub, a heavy coating. It's delicious.
Rest it on a rack in the fridge for 20 hours. If I had the time, I'd go 2 days to let the seasoning really get in.
Wrap the exposed bone in foil so it doesn't burn. It also gives you a nice handle.
The Setup
Fuel: Komodo Kamado coffee wood lump. It adds a delicious flavor, especially on beef, and it lights really easily. I gave it a short burst with the GrillGun (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%).
Wood: 2 big chunks of cherry, fired up with the GrillGun so they'd start to flame.
A quarter basket with the fire on one side, and the half rack up top on the cold side, so there's no direct heat on the shank and I have full access to the fire.
Vents: bottom vent down to the third-largest hole; top open about 3½ to 4 turns. A little air keeps it smoldering, and a bigger exit up top lets all that heavy smoke flow through instead of jamming it full of white smoke.
Why cherry? It adds sweetness and gorgeous color. With a lot of pepper, you get that black Texas-style bark. With less pepper, like this rub, you get a reddish color.
The Cook
About 200°F grate temp for 3½ hours with heavy cherry smoke. That was about 240°F on the dome. Dome and grate usually differ by 20 to 50 degrees, depending on how hot you're cooking.
I added 2 more chunks of cherry about 45 minutes in, and 2 more plus fresh lump around the 3-hour mark. I gave the new lump about 15 seconds with the GrillGun so it wouldn't add off-flavors while it caught.
Then I bumped it to 275°F to start rendering the collagen. It crept up to about 290°F while I walked the dogs, and the bark got a little darker than I wanted. I should have wrapped it before I left.
Wrap and Finish
At about 6 hours, it was at 183°F internal.
Wrap it with melted beef tallow. It's super hot, even through cotton gloves under nitrile ones. Wrap away from yourself.
Cook to probe tender, 200°F to 204°F. I pushed mine to 207°F, about another 1½ hours.
Rest about an hour.
That's about 8 hours of cooking plus an hour of rest, a little longer than I expected. You can't rush barbecue. If I had started a day earlier, I'd have taken it to about 195°F and then held it in the oven overnight to really break down.
Pro tip: save the tallow-soaked butcher paper in a zip-top bag. It makes an amazing fire starter for an offset or fire pit.
Taste Test
The only thing holding the meat to the bone was the string. The bone marrow had run right down inside the meat. Peel off the thin membrane, and look at that red smoke ring from the cherry wood. That cherry smoke pops right through. There are lots of nice little nuggets of bark, and it's absolutely delicious.
Final Thoughts
Season it heavy a day ahead, smoke it low with cherry, then wrap in tallow and cook until it's probe tender. Next time, I'd wrap before walking away from a rising fire. The leftovers are going on a beef and cheddar sandwich tonight.
Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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