Handcrafted Smoked Chuck Roast

Tender, juicy rich chunks of delicious chuck roast with that fantastic, distinctive smoked flavor is a real treat!

Pulled smoked chuck roast is great for sandwiches, tacos, toppings for French fries, or a good old-fashioned hot roast beef sandwich over mashed potatoes. This easy smoked beef chuck roast may have just stolen my heart from my previous favorite, Oven Baked Chuck Roast recipe.

Chuck roast cuts are typically a tougher cut of meat and choosing the proper cooking process will really bring so much flavor out of the large cut of meat. Oftentimes, slow cooking it in a Crockpot is what’s suggested but in my opinion, smoking it in your smoker at a low temperature for a longer period of time is a great alternative that really enhances the flavor and will provide tender meat to enjoy!

Why You’ll Love This Smoked Chuck Roast

• Tender and juicy
• Delicious smoky flavor
• Easier and less expensive than other cuts of beef, such as brisket.
• Simple ingredients
• Versatile with many serving variations
• Great for leftovers

Ingredients

Here are some of the ingredients you need for this fantastic pot roast recipe. I’m trying to highlight some important things you need to know about the main ingredients here. 

Spices: You need fresh ground black pepper, kosher salt and oregano. You can never go wrong adding in other spices like garlic powder.

Chuck Roast: I used a 3 lb boneless chuck roast. If making this recipe for a crowd, you can increase your meat quantity and adjust seasonings, onion and broth as necessary.

Beef Broth: You can use store bought or homemade broth.

Onion: I used a white onion, but you can swap that out for other onion varieties and add a little onion powder if necessary.

The exact measurements and detailed ingredients are in the recipe card.

How to Make Amazing Smoked Chuck Roast

1. Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Add 1 cup beef broth to a spritzer and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper and oregano. Using your hands, rub the spice rub mixture into the beef roast, making sure to cover all sides of the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the beef roast around the circumference in 1-½ inch rows and crisscross the twine over the top and bottom.
3. Place the chuck roast on the smoker and maintain a smoker temperature between 225°F and 275°F. Smoke, spritzing the roast every hour with the broth, about 3 hours or until the roast’s internal temperature reaches between 150 and 160°F and a nice bark has formed on the surface of the meat.
4. Meanwhile, slice the onion into medium-thick slices. Do not separate the rings. Arrange the onions in the bottom of a disposable aluminum roasting pan and pour the remaining broth into the pan.
5. Add the roast to the pan and seal tightly with a heavy duty sheet of aluminum foil or a few layers of foil. Insert an instant read thermometer into the roast through the foil. Continue smoking for 5 hours or until the internal temperature of the beef is about 200°F and there is no resistance when a fork is inserted into the roast and is twisted.
6. Vent open the foil covered pan and release the steam. Reseal the pan and let the roast stand 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Place roast on a carving board and shred it using two forks or your hands. Discard any tough connective tissue. Slice only what you plan on serving.
8. Pile shredded beef on top of buns and drizzle with a little juice. Serve with a bowl of au jus for dipping. Top with your choice of toppings.

Top Tips

• Use a dual probe meat thermometer with a probe to ensure that your chuck roast’s internal temperature reaches 150-160F for medium cooked roast and 190-200F for a well done roast.
• Preheat the smoker for the best results.
• Rub the dry rub seasonings well into all crevices and all over all sides of the meat to ensure you get that great flavor all throughout.
• Wrap the roast tightly with butcher twine.
• Spritz the smoking chuck roast every hour with broth to prevent drying out.
• It’s a good idea to seal the piece of meat tightly in foil during the last half of smoking to really lock in those flavors and keep the meat nice and moist.
• Don’t skip the resting period, the extra time is well worth it. Rest the smoked beef chuck roast on a cutting board or foil pan to retain the juices and let flavors set in.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some easy ideas to serve with your chuck roast: BBQ sauce, horseradish cream sauce, au jus, raw or sautéed onions, charro beans, pickles, pickled peppers, green beans, and coleslaw.

Substitutions and Variations

See some of our substitution and variation suggestions for this smoked chuck roast recipe are in the ingredients section above.

Storage

Any leftover roast can be wrapped in aluminum foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also choose to freeze your roast. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container if it will fit. Label and freeze for up to 2-3 months.

A great way to reheat the beef roast is in foil in a 275°F oven for about 1 hour or until heated all the way through.