A Step-by-Step Guide to Make Smoked Chuck Roast

A comforting scent for me, is walking into my mother-in-law’s house and her chuck roast is well into its third hour of braising. The onion, garlic, and pepper draw me into the kitchen, and keeps me there. She has moved around the country several times, but even if she isn’t cooking that roast, the faded scent still lingers as if it was just prepared yesterday. And regardless of which state, or the time of year it is, that smell triggers memories of good times around the dinner table.

I wanted to recreate that scenario, but to copy her system of cooking, just seemed like I was stealing. Plus my forte is the outdoor grill, and smoker. My new goal was to make this recipe mine, by putting a new twist on it. After several tries, I think I managed to find how to make smoked chuck roast.

*Note: If you are in a hurry, use the upper table of contents to quickly navigate to the end-summary recipe card for the most important key points of the recipe.

What is a Chuck Roast?

If you don't know exactly what a chuck is, then look more at the picture below to create an idea from what part of the cow it comes.

The chuck is taken from the upper forefront area of the cow, which is section 1 part of the image down below.

Cow Meat Cuts Diagram

There are three chuck types; the bone chuck steaks, boneless chuck steak and chuck roasts. An average sized chuck roast is probably about 2-3 pounds.

This cut usually looks like a thick steak.

It appears a bit more porous than an average steak, and it is often a cheaper cut of meat. This lends to some great experiment time with your smoker. More often than not, a chuck roast is braised or broiled in the oven or crockpot but that doesn’t mean that you can’t easily learn how to smoke it.

How to Choose the Best Cut for Smoking

When you decide to smoke this steak cut, the first thing of course is to get the meat. When we first started trying different recipes, we used the smaller standard sized chuck roasts. This turned out great. The out of pocket cost was great, and it helped us establish a better relationship with our neighbors, who as it turns out, love smoked chuck roasts as much as we do.

As I narrowed down my selection, and started getting a bit more ambitious, I approached my butcher. I told him that wanted something larger than the usual 3 pounder they were offering in the meat case. I told him that I'm getting ready to smoke it and wanted to feed a lot of people. He came out after a few minutes and presented us with a 7 pound piece of meat to smoke. He also opened our eyes to a new name as well, he told us that some people refer to the larger cut as the 7 bone roast.

Along with a standard roast, the 7 bone roast is a little tougher than the more expensive cuts of meat. It’s called the 7 bone roast, because the shoulder bone that it is connected to, is shaped like a ‘7’. However, whichever piece you decide on, either one will taste amazing when smoked properly.

How to Smoke a Beef Chuck Roast

Before you begin with the smoking process, first you have to actually prepare it for smoking.

You can smoke your chuck roast on the smoker of your choice.

We have an electronic smoker and an offset smoker at our home but for this recipe, we are going to use the off-set model today. 

The off-set model keeps the direct heat away from the intended cooking target. 

Offset Smoker

Image Credits: BBQ Brethren

This will help you monitor the fire, and regulate as much as you can while avoiding potential mishaps from any flare-ups that might occur.

Required Ingredients and Supplies

After you have considered all the things related to smoking, now it is time to organize all the required ingredients and supplies for making this beef chuck roast recipe.

Required Ingredients & Supplies

  • 3 Pound Chuck Roast
  • 1/2 Cup of Kosher Salt (Separated From All Other Ingredients)
  • A large pot filled with enough water to submerge your meat
  • Cutting Board
  • Pan to Hold the Finished Cooked Product
  • Hickory Wood (1 ½ Pieces per Hour. We are planning a 4-5 hour cook, so 10 pieces is plenty)

Rub Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. Coarse Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. Paprika
  • 2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 2 Tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
  • Quick Tip: When smoking anything, the wood you want to use should be seasoned. This means that it has been harvested and set aside to dry out. Smoking any meat or vegetable with fresh moist wood will usually result in an off taste. You can buy pre-seasoned wood or season it on yur own, depending on your preference.

How to Prepare Beef Chuck Roast for Smoking

If you are wondering about trimming your meat, then don't worry as the chuck roast doesn’t require mush additional trimming aside from what the butcher has already done. The fat is evenly dispersed, and will only require a flip during the cooking process to adequately ensure the flavor profile is right.

Next, you want to prepare the meat for smoking by giving it a quick cleaning and then seasoning it.

Seasoning & Dry Rubbing the Beef Roast

Start by first submerging it in the pot of water and giving it a quick rub down.

After you have washed it, pull it out, dry it off completely and apply the 1/2 cup of kosher salt, and set it aside on a plate in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The salt application will bring out the juices, and it will help to break down the connective tissues, making this tough piece of meat a bit tenderer.

After 45 minutes-1 hour have passed, rinse off the salt in a pot of water and dry it again using paper towels.

Next, you want to mix all the rub ingredients together and apply evenly on the meat surface.

Rub Ingredients Smoked Chuck Roast

Image Credits: Date Night Doins

Set the roast aside on a plate and put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, even though it is recommended to let it season for around 3-4 hours.

Preparing Your Smoker and Fire

After leaving the roast on the refrigerator, you are getting ready to start smoking.

Start preparing your smoker by starting the fire. It is recommended to start the fire with charcoal. Once the coals have started to turn gray, then add a couple of pieces of wood.

For smoking wood, we are suggesting hickory because it is a strong wood to smoke with, and will complement the flavor of the roast nicely. A stronger wood such as mesquite burns fast and hot, and light fruit woods won’t have as much of a flavor impact on this cut of beef. Pecan or post oak are also good woods to use for this recipe.

The recommended temperature to cook beef chuck roast is 225°F - 250°F. Once your smoker temperature is there, and your cooking space is adequately filled with smoke, deliver your roast cut to begin smoking.

Ideally you have a thermometer located on the smoker that is close to the cooking surface. This lets you know exactly what temperature your meat is cooking consistently at.

You also want the meat as far away from the fire box as possible to avoid any damage that a flare up could cause. Watch and regulate the temperature in the fire pit with the damper and the chimney cover.

Smoking Your Chuck Roast

After the temperature in your smoker has reached the recommended level, put your chuck roast.

Let it smoke for about 2-3 hours and you have to be careful to constantly check the smoker temperature to stay at the desired level.

Note: Watch the temperature frequently and avoid opening the cooking surface area as much as possible.

After 2-3 more hours, check the temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer. Stick it towards the middle of the meat. The recommended internal temperature is at 190°F.

Once you arrive at this, your roast is ready to pull off. Remove it from the smoker and wrap in aluminum foil, or place in a covered pan to rest for about 30 minutes.

Meat Temperature

Image Credits: TVWBB

How Long to Smoke Chuck Roast?

Before deciding how long you should smoke chuck roast, you first have to make sure that the cooking temperature on your smoke is at 225-250°F during all the cooking session.

You should check the temperature of the smoker every hour, in order to continuously maintain the recommended temperature. For best results, you should pick a meat thermometer, which will tell you exactly the temperature.

So, how long to smoke chuck roast? You should smoke chuck roast at 225-250°F for around 4-5 hours in total, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 190°F.

190°F is probably the perfect temperature to remove the roast from heat. You should aim for no less than 160°F for medium doneness and up to 190-200°F for well-done. Anything higher than that will overcook your chuck roast, resulting in dry and chewy meat.

Have in mind that the internal temperature will increase by 10 degrees and the roast will continue to cook even after you remove it from the smoker.

So, if the temperature is 180-185°F when you remove it from the smoker, it will rise to the optimal 190-200°F once the meat rests for a little bit.

Why you Should Let the Smoked Chuck Roast Rest?

We suggest letting the meat rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. This allows the juices in the meat to stop circulating.

If you cut into your smoked beef chuck roast without letting the meat rest the juices will spill out like water through a broken dam. Within minutes your whole roast will dry out.

If you’ve left your meat in the pan, take a fork and start to break it up. With all the fat melted away, and the connective tissue broken down, this meat will just break apart. It will look very much like pulled pork. The juices that are left will keep the roast moist. Unlike other smoked meats, like brisket that has a flat and a point, all the meat from this cut of beef will be similar in taste and texture.

How to Properly Slice Smoked Chuck Roast

After you have removed the meat from the smoker and let it rest for a while, you should begin slicing it.

Start by putting it on a cutting board and allow the roast to cool off for a bit, until its internal temperature drops to 150°F. This can take from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

DON'T slice the meat until the last minute before serving. This cut actually dries out very quickly once it is cut, so only slice when you are ready to serve.

Use a sharp chief's knife to slice the roast thinly, around 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices. For the best results, only slice enough for what you want to serve. Don't slice the roast completely if you don't plan to serve it all.

Serving the Cooked Roast

You can decide to eat your perfectly smoked roast with a fork and grilled vegetables, but, I suggest breaking it down and making sandwiches with the meat.

Pulled Roast

Image Credits: Smoking-Meat

You may not see the distinctive smoke ring around your finished product, but be assured that the smoky flavor has infused its goodness throughout the entire cut of meat.

The flavor from the rub and the meats juices should be enough to compliment the sandwich.

If you have a favorite barbecue sauce then apply a little to accentuate the meat. Some people might say if you’re using sauce then you are trying to hide a flavor you don’t like, but you should eat this the way you want.

Build your sandwich with sliced onion rolls. Serve the sandwiches with onion rings, Cole slaw and an Italian vinaigrette potato salad. A room temperature sangria, a slightly chilled porter, or a cold glass of sweet tea will go nicely with this recipe.

Then sit out on the back porch while your friends talk about the delicious meal you prepared. A small slice apple crumb pie and a scoop of ice cream will finish the night completely.

Final Thoughts

If you followed the steps carefully, smoking this cut of beef can be really fun, relaxing and enjoying a good time with your loved ones.

I hope you enjoyed this article and actually learned how to properly make smoked chuck roast at home.

Please suggest this article to a friend if he needs some guidance by using the sharing button down below.

Thank You and Enjoy!

Smoked Beef Chuck Roast Recipe

Prep Time:

3-4 Hours (Inc. Brining)

Cook Time:

4-5 Hours

Preferred Wood:

Hickory

Ingredients

  • 3 Pound Chuck Roast
  • 1/2 Cup of Kosher Salt
  • Pot, large enough to submerge the meat
  • Cutting Board
  • Hickory Wood (1 1/2 Pieces/hour. Around 10 pieces in total)

Rub Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. Coarse Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. Paprika
  • 2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 2 Tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder

Step-by-Step Directions

#1 - Preparing the Roast

  • Submerge the roast in a pot full of water and give it a quick rub down.
  • Remove if from the water and pat it dry using paper towels.
  • Apply the 1/2 Kosher salt on the meat surface and put it on the refrigerator for around 45 minutes or 1 hour.
  • After 1 hour of tenderizing the meat, remove it from the refrigerator and put it again in a pot of water, giving it a quick wash to remove the leftover salt from the surface.
  • Next, mix all the rub ingredients together and start spreading the mixture evenly on the meat surface.
  • Let the dry rub-covered roast season in the refrigerator for 1 hour. If you have time, leave it for up to 3 hours for the best results.

#2 - Preparing the Smoker

  • Start your smoker using charcoal and once they turn grey, add the wood.
  • We are going to use Hickory wood since it is a strong wood and will complement the flavor of the roast nicely. Pecan and Post Oak are also a good option for this smoked chuck roast recipe.
  • Let the smoker pre-heat at 225-250°F. This is the recommended cooking temperature you want to maintain during the cooking session.

#3 - Smoking the Chuck Roast

  • Put the roast on the smoker and let it cook for about 2-3 hours.
  • Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature of the meat. You want to aim for a 190°F internal temperature. 
  • It will take around 5-6 hours of smoking at 225-250°F for the beef chuck roast to reach the target temperature. 
  • After it has reached the target temperature, remove it from the smoker, cover the pan using aluminum foil and let it rest for around 30 minutes.

#4 - Slicing & Serving

  • After 30 minutes of resting, take a sharp chef's knife and prepare for slicing.
  • Take a cutting board and put the smoked chuck roast there.
  • For the best results, you should wait for the meat to cool off a bit, at around 150°F. This can take from 20-60 minutes.
  • Don't slice the meat until the last minute of serving. It will dry out quickly if you slice it hours before serving.
  • After you are ready, you should aim for 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick slices for the best results. Slice what you are planning to serve and the remaining part you may use it for a different recipe.

About Kendrick

Kendrick is an outdoor cooking enthusiast, living in Kansas. He loves to share his passion about outdoor cooking with everyone on various Social Media platforms (Read More)

3 thoughts on “A Step-by-Step Guide to Make Smoked Chuck Roast”

  1. ‘The recommended internal temperature of 160°F is perfect goal.

    Once you arrive at this, your roast is ready to pull off. Remove it from the smoker and wrap in aluminum foil, or place in a covered pan to rest.’

    Uh, at that temp the meat will be tough and impossible to pull. It needs to get up to 195+ for a most of the fat to melt and the beef to be pullable.

    Reply
    • Hello Paul,
      Actually, I have written the recommended internal temperature wrong. Thanks for letting me know. I quickly fixed it.

      Cheers, Kendrick.

      Reply

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