Smoked chuck roast is cheaper than prime rib, easier to get along with than brisket, and easier to come by in the grocery store.
A smoked chuck roast would be a great way to impress guests at your holiday party. Besides the fact that it’s a little different from ordinary holiday meats, beef chuck is cheaper than prime rib or beef tenderloin, easier to get along with than brisket, and is a lot easier to come by in the grocery store.
Follow our guide to take ordinary pot roast to a new level by smoking it like a brisket!
What is A Chuck Roast?
A chuck roast is a cut of beef from the cow’s shoulder. This cut of meat has superb marbling. However, chuck comes from the exercised shoulder area of the cow; it can be tough if not cooked properly. A chuck roast benefits from slow cooking to break down the tough connective tissue of the meat, making it fall apart tender and flavorful. It’s perfect for slow cooking, making it ideal for placing on your grill or smoker.
What You’ll Need To Smoke A Chuck Roast
Meat: Beef chuck roasts can range from 2-5 pounds. You should plan on feeding a half pound of meat per adult guest and a quarter pound per child. Of course, just in case, having an extra pound of meat is always a good idea.
Select a roast with a bright, white marbling of fat throughout the meat. Fat is the key to the meat’s tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.
Butcher’s Twine: A raw chuck roast is floppy, and the intramuscular fat and connective tissue are the only things holding the meat together. When you cook the roast, the fat, and tissues melt. We recommend tying the meat up with butcher’s twine to hold the meat together and make it easier to transfer the meat to the cutting board when it is done. You can find Butcher’s Twine on Amazon HERE.
Beef Rub: Use a beef rub to help you achieve a “flavorful bark” on the surface of the meat. Many use a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic. You can use your favorite brisket rub or make our recipe found HERE.
Grill or Smoker: David smoked chuck roasts on his Weber Kettle charcoal grill and his Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. You should follow the same principles and treat the chuck roast like a brisket, no matter what grill or smoker you use.
Charcoal: if using a charcoal grill, then you’ll need charcoal. We recommend using a charcoal chimney to get it hot.
Wood: use wood chunks or wood chips to smoke your roast. Chuck roast is like a brisket, and it takes on smoke well. We recommend Mesquite. Other options include post oak, pecan, hickory, or cherry wood.
Water Pan: we highly recommend placing a water pan underneath the meat to help stabilize and maintain your cooking temperature.
Meat Thermometer: Use a probe thermometer and/or an instant-read thermometer
Wrapping: You will need heavy-duty aluminum foil or butcher paper to wrap the meat once you get the desired bark. (Keep reading to find out what that is.)
How to Smoke A Chuck Roast
Here’s a basic overview of our smoked chuck roast recipe. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.
#1 Prepare the Chuck Roast for Smoking
You’ll want to tie up the meat before rubbing it so you don’t knock off the rub while trussing it.
Truss The Meat: Secure chuck roast with 1 to 2 pieces of twine tied around the circumference of the meat and 3 to 4 pieces going around the width at 1 to 1 ½ inch intervals, making a grid pattern with the twine.
Rub The Meat: Rub the beef rub onto the chuck roast on all sides.
If making homemade beef rub, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk to mix and remove clumps. – Learn more about rubs HERE!
#2 Prepare the Grill or Smoker
- If using wood chips, soak a few handfuls for about 30 minutes in water before placing them on the coals.
- Preheat the smoker or charcoal grill to 250 degrees F. Use only half as much charcoal as usual to maintain this low temperature. (A half chimney-full.)
- If using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect heat using a 3-zone split fire with a drip pan of water directly underneath the meat to help maintain and stabilize the temperature. A disposable pan is great for this grill setup.
#3 Smoking the Chuck Roast
When the coals are ready to cook, place the prepared chuck roast onto the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan filled with water, and insert temperature probes (if using).
Toss a few dry wood chunks or a handful of soaked wood chips onto the hot coals; cover and allow the beef to smoke. David uses dry wood chunks. The dry wood chunks provide a quick, intense smoke that increases the heat.
Bring the temperature up to 225-250 degrees F, using the grill or smoker vents, charcoal, and wood to regulate the temperature. You will need to add fresh coals and more wood almost every hour for at least the first 3-4 hours.
#4 Low and Slow Smoke
Check the smoker’s hourly temperature, staying as close to 225-250 degrees F as possible. Resist the temptation to open the lid unless you need to add more charcoal or wood to maintain temperature and smoke.
Wrapping the Smoked Chuck Roast
Smoke the chuck roast until a nice dark mahogany “bark” (outside crust) forms. At this point, the meat’s internal temperature is usually between 165-180 degrees F.
Remove the meat and wrap it tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or pink butcher paper. Then return the wrapped meat to the pit. Reinsert the temperature probe to help monitor the temperature. At this point, you do not need to add any more wood to the coals.
Wrapping the meat will stop the chuck roast from taking on any more smoke flavor, and it also allows you to stoke up the heat to finish the cook. It also helps with tenderness.
#5 Testing For Doneness
Once the meat is wrapped and placed over indirect heat, you can crank up the grill’s heat to about 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cook.
- Cook the chuck roast until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. Cook time can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the weight of the meat and the amount of heat put under it.
- Monitor the temp with a probe thermometer and use an instant-read thermometer, such as a ThermapenOne, to help double-check for doneness.
- It is important to remember that the meat’s internal temperature can increase by 5-10 degrees even after removing it from the grill.
#6 Holding and Resting
Remove the roast from the offset smoker. Leave the beef wrapped tightly in foil or butcher paper, wrap it in a clean towel, and place it inside a cooler to rest for at least 1 hour.
Holding helps tenderize by allowing some carryover cooking which helps melt tough connective tissue. The foil captures the natural au jus for use in a sauce, and holding allows the surface parts that have dried out during cooking to absorb some of the juice.
#7 Slicing the Smoked Chuck Roast
Remove the foil-wrapped chuck roast from the smoker. Carefully unwrap the layers of foil and transfer the meat to a cutting board, tent with foil for about 15 minutes to cool to less than 150 degrees F.
- Don’t slice until the last possible minute. The smoked chuck roast dries out quickly once it is cut.
- When you are ready, start by cutting off and discarding the twine.
- With a sharp chef’s knife, slice the chuck roast thinly against the grain, about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick. For best results, slice only what you are serving, leaving the remaining meat whole.
#8 Serving the Smoked Chuck Roast
Perfectly cooked meat should be moist and juicy. You can serve it sliced on a plate or as a sandwich. If you wish, drizzle some sauce (cheese or BBQ sauce) and serve slices of flat fanned out like a deck of cards surrounded by chunks of burnt ends.
We made sandwiches with the slices for this smoked chuck roast and topped them with a homemade Beer Horseradish Cheddar Cheese Sauce.
Recipe Tips
- If you have time, wrap the roast in plastic wrap and let it cure in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight. Smoking the roast immediately is ok, but sitting in the fridge for several hours allows the rub to penetrate the meat.
- Knowing the temp in your grill is crucial, so if your grill doesn’t have a temperature gauge, purchase a digital BBQ thermometer. David uses a Thermoworks Smoke™ probe thermometer. It has two channels, one for the meat and one for the smoker, with remote control. David is in love with it. The remote control saves him a lot of worrying about the smoker’s temperature. The alarm sounds each time it falls below the ideal smoking temperature. If you are a serious pit master, we highly recommend it.
- Store leftover smoked chuck in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
What to Serve With Smoked Chuck Roast
Serve any of your favorite side dishes with this entre. Here are some of our favorites:
- Potato Salad
- Coleslaw
- Grilled Brussels Sprouts
- Quick Collard Greens
- Grilled Potato Wedges
- All Types of Salads
We hope you will use this step-by-step guide to smoke a beef chuck roast to enjoy with your family and friends. You’ll love this recipe and especially the cost savings!
Get smokin’!
Smoked Chuck Roast
Useful Equipment:
- Mesquite Wood Chunks Post oak, pecan, hickory, or cherry wood are also great for smoking beef.
Ingredients
What You’ll Need
- 5 pound beef chuck roast (3 to 5 pound)
Beef Rub – Use your favorite or make the following.
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less if you do not like spicy food)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
#1 Prep the Chuck Roast for Smoking
- Secure chuck roast with 1 to 2 pieces of twine tied around the circumference of the meat and 3 to 4 pieces going around the width at 1 to 1 ½ inch intervals, making a grid pattern with the twine.
- Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl; stir with a whisk to mix and remove any clumps. Rub the spice rub onto the chuck roast on all sides. (see notes)
#2 Prep the Smoker
- If using wood chips, soak a few handfuls for about 30 minutes in water before placing them on the coals.
- Preheat the smoker or charcoal grill to 250 degrees F. Use only half as much charcoal as usual to maintain this low temperature. (A half chimney-full.)
- If using a charcoal grill, set it up for indirect heat with a drip pan (A disposable pan works great!) of water directly underneath the meat to help maintain and stabilize the temperature.
#3 Smoking the Chuck Roast
- When the coals are ready to cook, place the prepared chuck roast onto the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan filled with water, and insert temperature probes (if using). Toss a few dry wood chunks or a handful of soaked wood chips onto the hot coals; cover and allow the beef to smoke.
- Bring the temperature up to 225-250 degrees F, using the grill or smoker vents, charcoal, and wood to regulate the temperature. You will need to add fresh coals and more wood almost every hour for at least the first 3-4 hours.
#4 Low and Slow
- Check the smoker’s hourly temperature, staying as close to 225-250 degrees F as possible. Resist the temptation to open the lid unless you need to add more charcoal or wood to maintain temperature and smoke.
Wrapping the Smoked Chuck Roast
- Smoke the chuck roast until a nice dark mahogany “bark” (outside crust) forms. At this point, the internal temperature of the meat is usually somewhere around 165-180 degrees F.
- Remove the meat and wrap it tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or pink butcher paper. Then return the wrapped meat to the pit. Reinsert the temperature probe to help monitor the temperature. You do not need to add any more wood to the coals, and you can stoke up the grill or smoker to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cook.
#5 Testing For Doneness
- Cook the chuck roast until the internal temperature reaches 200-205 degrees F. The cook time can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. Monitor the temp with a probe thermometer and use an instant-read thermometer to help double-check for doneness.It is important to remember that the meat’s internal temperature can increase by 5-10 degrees even after removing it from the grill.
#6 Holding & Resting
- Remove the roast from the offset smoker. Leave the beef wrapped tightly in foil or butcher paper, wrap it in a clean towel, and place it inside a cooler to rest for at least 1 hour.
#7 Slicing the Chuck Roast
- Remove the foil-wrapped chuck roast from the smoker. Carefully unwrap the layers of foil and transfer the meat to a cutting board, tent with foil for about 15 minutes to cool to less than 150 degrees F.
- Don’t slice until the last possible minute. The chuck roast dries out quickly once it is cut. When you are ready, start by cutting off and discarding the twine. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice the chuck roast thinly, against the grain, about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick. For best results, slice only what you are serving.
#8 Serving the Chuck Roast
- Perfectly cooked meat should be moist and juicy. You can serve it sliced on a plate or as a sandwich. If you wish, drizzle some sauce (cheese or BBQ sauce) and serve slices of flat fanned out like a deck of cards surrounded by chunks of burnt ends.
Notes
- If you have time, wrap the roast in plastic wrap and let it cure in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight. Smoking the roast immediately is ok, but sitting in the fridge for several hours allows the rub to penetrate the meat.
- Always focus on the internal temp of the meat vs. the time. Cook time can vary, especially the size of the roast.
- Knowing the temp in your grill is crucial, so if your grill doesn’t have a temperature gauge, purchase a digital BBQ thermometer. David uses a Thermoworks Smoke™ probe thermometer. It has two channels, one for the meat and one for the smoker, with remote control. David is in love with it. The remote control saves him a lot of worrying about the smoker’s temperature. The alarm sounds each time it falls below the ideal smoking temperature. If you are a serious pit master, we highly recommend it.
- Store leftover smoked chuck in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Bob in Chicago says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I am a novice smoker and looking for some new recipes. Do you cook for the 6-8 hrs and than hold for an additional hour? Or, Should I cook for 5-6 hours check the temp and than hold for 1 hr. Any feedback or detail on the timing/cooking would be greatly appreciated. I also use the Weber Smokey mountain.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Bob! You’ve got the right equipment and the right thinking about the time. Yes, smoke 5-6 hours check the temp and then hold for an hour. You can let the heat die down during the hold if needed. That’s mainly to help redistribute the juices of the meat. Best of luck!
Kevinator says
Hi, I will be trying this out for Christmas Eve. When the roast reaches the correct temp while smoking, can you wrap it in foil and a towel and put in in a cooler, like what I’ve read for pork shoulder? I will be smoking this and then going to our Christmas eve service and eating afterward. So I’m wondering if I can smoke it and then leave it wrapped up in a cooler while we are gone?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi! Yes, that should be the best way to keep it warm and cozy while you are gone. Merry Christmas!
Saif says
Now this looks really delicious. By any chance, can it work on oven?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi! Yes, it is perfectly fine to roast this in the oven. However, it will not have the smoked flavor that the wood and charcoal can give it.
Jay Kelley says
Question: So cook until 190 then remove, put in foil and put back in smoker for one hr?.. Won’t that possible make the internal temp 210? Which is too hot? You said even when we take it out it will go up another 10 degrees. So it stays in smoker for 1 hour PASSED 190 then take it out and it cooks another 10 degrees.
Sorry.. I am confused!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Jay! Sorry for the confusion. At 190 degrees F, when the roast is wrapped in foil, the smoker is opened and there is a lot of heat loss. The heat from the smoker should be about to die out. The smoker is cooling down with the meat. You could also use a cooler, which is what a lot of the pitmasters do. I hope this helps answer your question. Please let us know if you have any more. Thanks!
Lee says
I made this recipe twice. It turned out delicious every time. It’s definitely as good as brisket. I smoked the roast for 6 hours, wrapped it in foil, and finished in the oven double wrapped in foil. Stopped cooking at 200 degrees internal temp.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much for the kind review, Lee. You’ve made our day! 🙂
Wes says
I tried this for the first time today; 3# roast. Turned out well, I smoked it 2 hours then 2 more wrapped in foil. We let it rest about 3 hours before we ate; next time we’ll finish it closer to dinner time . I’ll back off the rub a bit if I’m not cooking a full 5# roast.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Wes! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Jake says
I tried this recipe last weekend and loved it. I’ve been smoking ribs, brisket, chicken, pork butt primarily for the last 5 years but never tried chuck in the smoker until now. Made some delicious sandwiches the next day for lunch. Thank you!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Jake! Thank you for the awesome review. We love hearing from our readers! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Scott says
Slice it with the grain? Aren’t you supposed to slice against the grain?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Scott! Thanks for pointing out this unfinished statement about cutting. The grain of a chuck roast tends to run all over the place, so what we were trying to say is slicing it down the middle is just fine. If the roast is smoked properly and all the collagen breaks down, it won’t matter how you slice it! Thanks again for commenting. Hope you’ll try this roast!
KArim says
I loved this recipe. I followed the step by step guide and got great results using best electric smoker
The Mountain Kitchen says
Awesome! Thank you for the great review!
Gary Means says
Going to try this one soon!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Gary! Would love to hear back from you to see how things turn out. Have fun and enjoy the smoked chuck!
Mark T says
I’m going to go to 180 internal temp and see what happens. I also put miso soup inside the foil to see if that helps or hurts the flavor. I’m doing this on my egg so I’m hoping for a really nice smoke ring.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Sounds great, Mark. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the chuck roast!
Jeff says
You had me until I read to cut “with” the grain. I’m hoping that was a typo. 🙂
Great article!
The Mountain Kitchen says
You know Jeff, you are the second to point out that typo. I’ve fixed it. Definitely, a mistake when writing this post. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will try this recipe despite my error.
Cira says
Do you wrap it in foil amd leave it in the smoker for an hour after it gets to the 190 temp?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Yes, wrap and leave it on the smoker. You can also bump up the heat at this point if you want to get it done a little faster. The foil will help it stay juicy and protect it from the higher heat. Let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
Jackma Elen says
I have loved your Smoke Chuk Recipe and it looks very juicy and mouth-watering. I will definitely try this recipe on this coming weekend to enjoy this delicious Smoke Chuk Roast.
Many Thanks!
The Mountain Kitchen says
So glad you like this recipe. Enjoy!
Kevinator says
I’ve made this chuck roast a number of times now with different rubs and every time it’s great! We do it for special occasions. It’s great and everyone always wants more! Thanks for sharing
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi! We love sharing our recipes with others. So glad you like this recipe. It’s one of our favorites too. Thank you for the awesome review!
Scott says
Trying this right now with a smoked garlic, onion, rosemary rub on a 4.5lb chuck right now on my GMG with apple pellets.
My wife has never had roast before so I’m hoping this will get her in the smoker bandwagon like me so I can play with more meats! Wish me luck!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Scott! We hope your smoke chuck roast turned out great!
andi everding says
Rockin awesome!
chad brewer says
Smoked my first Chuck Roast this weekend. Wow, I’m not sure Ill do a Brisket again. The price point as well as the flavor were phenomenal. I used my master built gravity fed smoker, and I cooked until an internal temp of 175 degrees. I rested for 30 minutes as the roast was only 3lbs. Perfect pink ring due to the nature of using real wood and charcoal, and amazing bark. We made a riff on horseradish cream with, prepared horseradish, ranch dressing, and a mustard base bbq sauce. The sliders were awesome, I just gotta wait on my pickles to pickle and some slaw to send this sandwich to overdrive. Thanks for the recipe and info!
The Mountain Kitchen says
No doubt, chuck roast is a great cut of meat. Thanks for the great review, Chad!
Tom Wipf says
Wrapping @ 160°like pork shoulder or brisket worked great for me.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Awesome, Tom!
Karen says
Hoping to try this for the first time today. The butcher shop only had roasts that were 2.0 and 2.5 lbs. I bought both roasts and would like to cook both. Any suggestions on how to be successful with this recipe on such smaller cut of chuck roast?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Karen, just use the same principles for time and temperature while keeping in mind that it will likely cook a lot quicker. Keep a check on the internal meat temperature, and you’ll do fine! Enjoy the chuck!