OVERVIEW
A Thor’s hammer is as spectacular as the name suggests. It’s essentially a bone-in shin of beef that’s been French trimmed to leave an exposed length of bone at the end, like the handle of a big meaty hammer. It’s not something you’ll find in a supermarket meat section but is well worth a trip to a good butcher’s shop. The meat is incredibly flavoursome but requires hours of slow cooking to render the collagen in the connective tissues into gelatine. The result? Deliciously tender and juicy meat and – thanks to that bone – a real showpiece for the table.
MAKE THE BEEF RUB
In a dry pan, toast the juniper berries, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds then grind with a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
Mix all the ingredients for the rub and store in a sealed container. You’ll have a lot more than you need for this recipe, but you won’t regret having plenty left over.
A day ahead, coat the Thor’s hammer generously with the rub – you’ll need about 50g. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Soak three Apple Premium Woodchunks – they can sit in water for anything from an hour to overnight.
Load and light your EGG. The target temperature in 150°C.
When the EGG is up to temperature, add the pre-soaked woodchunks to the coals, then install the ConvEGGtor in a legs-up position with a Round Drip Pan sitting on top to collect any meat juices. Top with the Stainless Steel Grid.
SMOKE THE BEEF
Place the beef on the grid and close the Dome. Installing the ConvEGGtor should have brought the heat down to around 110°C – maintain this temperature while the Thor’s hammer smokes for about 4 hours.
Bring the temperature up to 150°C. Cook the beef for another 2 hours or so until it reaches an internal temperature of 75°C.
MAKE THE GLAZE
Meanwhile, make the glaze by heating the barbecue sauce, veal stock and butter, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted. Set aside.
Lay two large pieces of Pink Butcher Paper, each about 1m long, crosswise on top of each other. Remove the beef from the EGG and place it right in the middle of the cross. Coat the meat generously with the sauce, then fold the paper into a package.
SLOW-ROAST THE HAMMER
Place the package on the grid and cook for around 4 hours until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 92°C.
Carefully unfold the butcher paper and remove the beef hammer. Pour any gravy left on the paper into a dish and use it to baste the beef hammer.
Serve to the table on a sturdy board.
