Smoked Chuck Roast

A simple way to prepare beef, this perfectly smoked chuck roast is covered in a simple garlic and herb butter rub that forms the most flavorful bark. The perfect meal for any occasion any time of the year!

Growing up, we ate southern style pot roast and roasted green beans at least once a week. You just can't beat a good Sunday pot roast and I have carried on this tradition with my own family. Chuck roast pairs really well with new potatoes, carrots, and buttermilk cornbread. Traditionally, pot roast is typically made in the crockpot or in the oven. And, now I'm starting to see a lot of Instant Pot chuck roast recipes.

But have you ever made smoked chuck roast? It's now my "go-to" method.

📖 Why This Recipe Works

• Smoking it low and slow breaks down connective tissues which makes this a super tender piece of beef.
• Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then covered in a garlic herb compound butter, you're left with a flavor so delicious you'll want to have smoked beef chuck roast every chance you can get!
• The subtle smoked flavor pairs amazingly well with so many side dishes. And, smoking a chuck roast is easy to do and low maintenance!
• This cut of meat is relatively inexpensive compared to brisket and prime rib, easier to smoke, and will result in an amazingly tender and juicy piece of beef. Just take a look at that crust!

What is Chuck Roast?

It comes from the forequarter, which is the shoulder area of the cow. Chuck is typically a tougher cut of meat due to the amount of exercise this muscle gets, but it's extremely flavorful. It's well marbled which helps make the beef tender, flavorful, and juicy. There are both primal and subprimal cuts of beef, but today we are going to solely focus on the chuck.

Why Is It Called Pot Roast?

You may also hear chuck roast referred to as "pot roast".  A pot roast isn't a specific cut of meat. People use this term when browned meat is cooked with vegetables in a covered pot. It also refers to a method of preparing chuck roast by searing it over high heat and then slowly braising it with stock, broth, or wine until it's tender.

Picking a Chuck Roast

I'm a big advocate and I highly recommend buying chuck roast at a reputable local butcher shop because the quality of meat tends to be fresher and of a higher quality. However, I've had really good luck purchasing chuck at Costco and Sam's Club. I rarely ever buy it at my local grocery store anymore due to it almost always being tough.

As far as size, I like to plan for 6 ounces of boneless meat per person. But I love leftovers so a 3-5 pound chuck roast works well for my household. As far as color goes, the beef roast should be a deep red color. If you see a roast that is brown/grayish in color, that means it's not fresh and has been sitting on the shelf for awhile. A good cut should be dry to the touch and have a subtle sweet smell.

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need For This Recipe

When smoking a chuck roast, I start off by applying coarse salt and black pepper. This really helps add to the flavor and helps build the crust during the smoking process. Both Kosher or Himalayan salt works great for this recipe. For the pepper, I use a coarse black pepper.  From there, I lather the beef in my garlic herb compound butter.

🫙 Rubs For Beef Roasts

My go to dry rub is called House Seasoning. It consists of kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder. I make a large batch and store it in a glass container so it's ready and available for when I make different roast recipes.

Preparing the Smoker

You can smoke a chuck roast on any type of smoker, just make sure the smoker has preheated to 225°F before adding the meat. Oak, hickory, or pecan wood works really well when smoking a roast. You'll also need to determine if you need to use a water pan or not. Some smokers come with a water pan and some don't. If you are using an offset or a vertical smoker, I recommend using a water pan. If you are using a pellet smoker, there is no need for adding a water pan.

📋 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

While the smoker is heating, cover the meat with 3 tablespoons of the garlic herb compound butter. Expert Tip: the butter will not spread evenly and that is ok because the clumps of butter helps form the outer crust while smoking. You can use your hands to spread the butter. Using a basting brush also helps for a more even spread.

Once the butter has been applied, generously apply 2 tablespoons of the House Seasoning onto all sides of the meat.

Place the beef directly on the smoker rack. Close the smoker lid and let it smoke low and slow.

About 2 hours into the smoke, insert a digital thermometer into the side of the meat until it reaches the center. Close the lid and continue to let the meat smoke.

Smoke the beef until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Remove it from the smoker and double wrap it in aluminum foil. Expert Tip: This process is called holding. This method helps melt the connective tissues resulting in the meat absorbing some of the liquid, which produces more tender and juicy beef.

Place the wrapped meat back on the smoker and close the lid. When the internal meat probe reaches 190°F, remove the the wrapped meat from the smoker. When you remove the aluminum foil, it should have a succulent crust and appear incredibly juicy.

Place the smoked beef chuck roast on a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Pour the leftover juice from the aluminum foil over the slices of beef.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• You can intensify the flavor of this recipe by seasoning the roast and then covering it in saran wrap and placing it in the refrigerator to marinate 24 hours before smoking. From there, you'll need to bring the uncovered roast to room temperature for a couple hour before smoking.
• If you opt to bind the chuck in twine, secure the meat with 1 to 2 pieces of twine tied around its circumference. Then, take 4 pieces of twine and go around the width of the beef at a 2 inch interval.
• To add to the moisture of the meat, take an empty spray bottle and fill it with 1 cup of beef stock. Spray 3-4 squirts onto the roast every hour until you wrap it for the holding process.
• Oak, hickory, or pecan wood works really well when smoking a roast.
• It's important to regulate the internal temperature in your smoker so keep the temperature range between 225°F and 250°F. When smoking a chuck roast it should be done on low temperature and cooked slowly, about 7-9 hours for a 3-5 pound roast. Slowly smoking it allows the fat to slowly render while the low heat breaks down the connective tissues. If cooked too quickly on the smoker, it will be tough and chewy.
• I enjoy a well done smoked chuck roast but you'll see some recipes range anywhere from a doneness of 160°F for medium to 190°F to 200°F for well done.
• During the resting period, the internal temperature of the meat can increase by 10 degrees which is why I remove it when it hits 190°F so that the final doneness after the rest is around 200°F.
• Always slice the meat against the grain so that you cut through the fibers. This helps make the meat more tender.

🍽️ More Chuck Roast Recipes

Earlier I mentioned my Southern Style Pot Roast and it a crowd pleaser, but so is my Pot Roast with Balsamic and Dijon. The Dijon mustard mixed with balsamic vinegar and thyme takes this recipe to restaurant quality level! Get ready to wow your family with this recipe!