Smoked Thor’s hammer beef
- Prep10 min
- Cook8 hr 17 min
- Serves6–8
- DifficultyEasy
- TemperatureUp to about 110°C (230°F) before the wrap, about 130°C (266°F) after, indirect with the deflector in.
You don’t often see a Thor’s hammer, so when there was one at Booker, I bought it. It’s beef shank, the shin left on the bone, and it’s a really eye-catching cut: pretty big, and you don’t really see anything like it. I’d never cooked one or even been served one, so it was something different and a bit of a challenge. I stood it bone-up on a Monolith TWO 55 and cooked it low and slow with oak for just over eight hours. When I probed it at 96°C (205°F) it felt like butter, and at the end the meat came away from the bone on its own.
Ingredients
- A Thor's hammer (beef shank, the shin on the bone), about 3.1kg
- About 50g za'atar
- About 25g black pepper
- About 20g salt
- About 10g garlic salt
- A stock pot and about 100ml of water, for the wrap
Equipment
- A barbecue that can hold about 110–130°C (230–266°F) indirect, with the lid down, for eight hours or more, and with room for the shank standing bone-up. I cooked on a Monolith TWO 55 with the deflector in, the half-moon drip trays on and the grid at its lowest position. Any kamado with a deflector should do the same job, as long as there's room for the shank standing up.
- Lump charcoal, a firelighter and some oak. I used Fuel Express lump and oak from my parents.
- A leave-in thermometer. I used my ThermoPro TP20, and an instant-read for spot checks.
- Foil, a tea towel and a switched-off oven, for the rest.
Method
- Rub it all over.
- Light the barbecue and set it up for indirect cooking.
- Stand it bone-up.
- Leave it alone.
- Wrap it at about 62°C (144°F).
- Cook it until it's probe tender.
- Rest it in the foil.
- Pull the meat off the bone.
Key takeaways
- A leave-in thermometer is really useful. I had my ThermoPro TP20 in it, with the alarm set for 96°C (205°F).
- Check it fits standing up. Bone-up, the shank was so tall that I had to drop the Monolith’s grid to its lowest position.
- I wrapped it at about 62°C (144°F). It already felt really tender, and it went into foil with a stock pot and about 100ml of water.
- Give it a longer rest than I did. Mine had 20 minutes to half an hour in the foil, because the kids came back and we wanted to eat.
- One Thor’s hammer goes a long way. Mine was 3.1kg, and I’d say it would feed six to eight people.
Smoked Thor’s hammer: the cook in full
Mine was a 3.1kg Thor’s hammer of Irish beef. For the rub I used quite a lot of za’atar, about 50g, partly because I had it: I’d bought a load from a Middle Eastern supermarket and wanted to see how it was. It went on with black pepper, salt and a bit of garlic salt. I couldn’t taste a lot of the za’atar, though, and next time I think a simple SPG of salt, pepper and garlic would be better.
I cooked it on the Monolith, set up for indirect cooking. I lit it with one firelighter, mostly old lump from the last cook with some fresh Fuel Express on top, minion method, and put the deflector in with the half-moon drip trays and some oak. A Thor’s hammer is really tall if you stand it bone-up, so I moved the grid down to the bottom. It went on at about nine in the morning.
I’ve cooked enough on kamado-style barbecues to be really comfortable controlling the temperature and setting one up for low and slow. Once the temperature’s stable and the thermometer’s in, it’s really just about patience and letting everything do its thing. The dome sat a little under 110°C (230°F) for the first part of the cook.
About five hours in, my instant-read said 62°C (144°F) inside, and it already felt really tender. I wrapped it in foil with a stock pot and about 100ml of water and put it back on, with a probe from my ThermoPro TP20 in it and the alarm set for 96°C (205°F). The dome went up to about 130°C (266°F). Just under two hours later it was at 91°C (196°F). When I probed it at 96°C (205°F) it really did feel like butter, and I pulled it at 98°C (208°F), probing in the biggest bit of meat, just over eight hours after it went on.
It rested in the foil in a switched-off oven with a tea towel on top, for maybe 20 minutes to half an hour, which isn’t quite as long as I’d have wanted. The kids came back and we wanted to eat. When I opened it up, the meat came away from the bone on its own, and it was still really moist.
Thor’s hammer cooking time
My 3.1kg Thor’s hammer was on the barbecue for just over eight hours, then rested for 20 minutes to half an hour. This is how it went:
| Time on the barbecue | Inside the meat | What I did |
|---|---|---|
| About 5 hours | 62°C (144°F) | Wrapped it in foil with a stock pot and about 100ml of water |
| About 7 hours | 91°C (196°F) | Left it |
| Just over 8 hours | 98°C (208°F) | Took it off to rest |
| After 20–30 minutes’ rest | Not measured | Pulled it off the bone |
Buying Thor’s hammer beef in the UK
Booker is a wholesaler for caterers, shops and other businesses. If you can’t buy there, butchers sell beef shin on the bone online as a Thor’s hammer. Grid Iron Meat lists a native-breed one of about 4–4.5kg for £68.
What I learned
If you’re cooking your first one, a leave-in thermometer is really, really useful, and you need patience and time. You really can’t rush this.
Next time I’d rest it a bit longer, and I’d probably get slightly better-quality meat. I was a little worried about the quality of the Booker shank before I cooked it, but I knew it was going to be a really long, low-and-slow cook, and that does cut through meat quality to some extent. It was absolutely delicious.
What to serve it with
I had it with mashed potato, peas, kale, gravy and some jus. Bitter greens like cavolo nero, kale or spinach go well with it. It was just for the family.
Variations
I’ve only cooked this Thor’s hammer recipe on the Monolith, and I haven’t tried one on a kettle or in an oven.
Related
- Monolith TWO 55 review — the kamado I cooked this on.
- ThermoPro TP20 review — the leave-in thermometer I used.
- Smoked brisket — another long cook, also wrapped in foil.
- Beef short ribs on a kamado — more beef on the bone, low and slow.
- The best UK online butcher for BBQ — UK online butchers for BBQ beef.
- Reverse sear côte de boeuf on the BBQ — another cut I bought at Booker, reverse seared on the Monolith.
FAQ
What is a Thor’s hammer in beef?
It’s beef shank: the shin, left whole on the bone. Mine was 3.1kg of Irish beef, and stood bone-up it was so tall I had to drop the grid on my kamado to its lowest position.
Can you smoke a Thor’s hammer?
Yes. I smoked mine indirect with oak on a kamado for just over eight hours, wrapped it in foil at about 62°C (144°F) and took it off at 98°C (208°F).
How long does a Thor’s hammer take to cook?
Mine took just over eight hours on the barbecue, at up to about 110°C (230°F) before the wrap and about 130°C (266°F) after, then a 20 to 30-minute rest. I’d give it a longer rest next time.
Is Thor’s hammer a good cut of meat?
It really is a showstopper dish, and mine was absolutely delicious: still really moist, and the meat came away from the bone on its own.
How much does a Thor’s hammer cost?
Online, Grid Iron Meat lists a 4–4.5kg native-breed one for £68.
Disclosure and provenance
I bought the beef at trade price. The Monolith TWO 55 is on loan from Que Fresco, the UK distributor. None of the links here are affiliate links, so nothing here earns a commission.
Sourced from the 3 November 2026 cook log — a 3.1kg Thor’s hammer smoked indirect on a Monolith TWO 55.