What are the best cuts of meat for slow-smoked BBQ?
What to look for in slow-cooked BBQ meat cuts
A slow-cooked BBQ is one of the easiest ways to achieve meat with rich, smoky flavours, and tender texture. Whether you’re a novice on the grill or a seasoned pitmaster, selecting the right cuts of meat is crucial for achieving these mouth-watering results. Large BBQ meat cuts are both perfect for the application of low heat, slow cooking through smoking, as well as events where you are catering to a crowd. This guide features our picks for the best cuts of meat for your next slow-smoked BBQ feast.
Slow cooking on low heat is perfect for BBQs as it allows the meat to cook without much input. It also gets delicious results when applied to a wide range of meats and meat cuts. Indeed, there are very few limitations when it comes to what can and can’t be slow-cooked. Even so, it’s often best to choose a larger cut for slow cooking as it helps prevent the meat from drying out during the process. Classic steak cuts, such as a tomahawk steak or skirt steak, are not well suited to slow cooking techniques.
Our top picks for slow cooking on the BBQ
Brisket
The quintessential smoking meat, beef brisket is a large cut that comes from the chest of the cow. While the meat starts out tough, long cooking on low heat transforms this cut into a mouth watering centrepiece. Our packer brisket comes trimmed and ready for slow cooking. Smoking brisket can be especially effective at developing delicious flavours over the course of a full day.
See our beef brisket recipe for the perfect option to feed a large crowd.
Pork shoulder
Pork shoulder, or Boston Butt, is a large pork joint that features a high percentage of connective tissue. Putting this cut in to smoke for a long time is an effective cooking method for breaking down the tough meat in Boston Butt. Choose this BBQ meat to make pulled pork, which is a perfect ‘help yourself’ dish or meat to use for sandwiches. The natural sweetness of the meat is the perfect complement to the smoke imparted by the cooking process.
Beef ribs
Being more substantial than pork ribs, beef ribs contain a good amount of fat. This helps keep the meat moist and succulent during lengthy cooking processes. Smoked BBQ beef ribs often just fall off the bone, giving guests a truly special eating experience.
See our beef rib recipe for a guide to cooking this cut on a BBQ, with scope to utilise smoking for added flavour.
Shin of beef
The beef hammer is a bone-in cut that offers deep and rich flavours. This beef cut is perfect for slow smoking, as the low temperature allows the connective tissues of the meat to break down over a long cooking process. It’s often so soft that the meat simply falls off the bone when serving, which can bring an element of excitement to any BBQ event.
Spatchcock whole chicken
Unlike a regular whole chicken, a spatchcock whole chicken is designed to cook more quickly and evenly. This means it is well suited to slow smoking on the BBQ. Our spatchcock chickens come ready for the BBQ, with minimal preparations needed. Using rubs and marinades is a great strategy to keep the leaner parts of the chicken moist during smoking.
An online butchers for all your BBQ needs
At the Village Butchers, you’ll find a massive range of different BBQ meats that are brilliant for smoking. This lets you order what you need ahead of time, getting you prepared for an all-day cooking process that spreads wonderful smells throughout your home. We also stock a variety of meat that’s perfect for grilling on direct heat, such as steak cuts. Get in touch if you have any questions for our team.