Smoked Chuck Roast
This post may contain affiliate links.
Make extra juicy, tender Smoked Chuck Roast with this simple recipe! An overnight brine tenderizes the beef, while my famous steak seasoning gives it the best flavor. This Texas-style chuck roast is finished using the Texas crutch method, just like my families brisket recipe.
Table of contents
When it comes to smoking beef, brisket is probably the most popular cut of beef to toss on a smoker. It’s a classic, and one that my family has been making for generations. But I also like smoking smaller cuts of beef, like tri tip or chuck roast, when I’m hosting a smaller gathering, or simply cooking dinner for me and my husband.
Beef chuck roasts come from the shoulder area of the cow, whereas the brisket comes from the animal’s breast. Both cuts are perfect for cooking low and slow, and full of rich, beefy flavor. The nice thing about smoking a chuck roast over a brisket is that it generally weighs between 3-5 pounds. This means that it will cook much quicker than a full brisket, which generally weighs between 10-15 pounds.
When testing out this recipe for smoked chuck roast over the last year, I kept finding that the meat would dry out more easily, because it doesn’t have as much fat as other cuts of meat. The solution? Butter! That’s right, before wrapping up the chuck roast for the last hour on the smoker, I topped the chuck roast with butter.
The butter melts over the chuck roast and adds a rich, juicy flavor to the chuck roast, creating the best smoked chuck roast ever! If you’ve been thinking about trying out a chuck roast on your smoker, this is your sign to do it!
Brine and season the chuck roast
- Brine the chuck roast. In a medium pot on the stove, bring 16 ounces of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add kosher salt and sugar. Stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved in the water. Set aside, and add 3-4 cups of ice cubes to the pot of water. This will help cool down the brine quickly, so that you can pour it over the chuck roast. Place the chuck roast in a large container, like the 6 quart storage container shown above. Pour the brine over the roast, and add additional cold water, if needed, until the roast is fully covered. Place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours, or overnight.
- Season the chuck roast. After brining the roast, remove it from the liquid and pat it dry. Rub the entire chuck roast with olive oil, then sprinkle steak seasoning evenly on all sides of the roast. For this recipe, I used my homemade steak seasoning, which is a delicious combination of minced onions and garlic, salt, black pepper and paprika. You can also purchase Montreal steak seasoning on the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Smoke the chuck roast
- Preheat a smoker to 250°F. Place the seasoned chuck roast directly on the grill grates of a smoker. Smoke the chuck roast for approximately 45 minutes per pound of meat, until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Top with butter. Remove the chuck roast from the smoker and place it on a large piece of aluminum foil, or butcher paper. Top the roast with small pats of butter, then wrap the foil up and over the roast. Use another piece of large foil, or butcher paper, to double wrap the chuck roast, then place it back on the smoker. Smoke for an additional hour, or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 195-200°F.
- Rest the roast. Remove the chuck roast from the smoker, once it reaches the desired internal temperature. Let it rest in the foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Slice, or shred, the roast. If you want to serve the chuck roast in slices, use a sharp knife to slice the chuck roast against the grain. This will result in tender slices of beef. You can also shred the beef to use it on sandwiches, or in tacos.
Recipe tips
- Remember to smoke to temperature, not time! If you don’t have a meat probe, or wireless meat thermometer, like the MEATER, to watch the temperature of the chuck roast without opening the lid of the smoker, I recommend starting to check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant-read meat thermometer after 45 minutes per pound of meat. For a 4 pound chuck roast, this would be at 3 hours. Depending on the size of the chuck roast, it could take anywhere from 2-4 hours to reach 160°F in the thickest part of the roast. Continue checking the internal temp every 15-20 minutes, until it reaches 160°F before wrapping it. After wrapping the roast, check the temperature after 45 minutes, then again every 15 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 195-200°F.
- The ideal smoking temperature for a chuck roast is 250°F. Low and slow is the name of the game! If you smoke the chuck roast at a higher temperature, it will cook quicker, and won’t be as tender, or have as much smoke flavor.
- I recommend using hickory pellets, or wood, to smoke the chuck roast. You could also use mesquite or pecan wood chips or pellets.
- Always let the meat rest. After removing the chuck roast from the smoker, allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably one hour. This will guarantee that all the juices stay in your meat and don’t leak out.
- When planning for how much smoked beef chuck roast to serve per person, I recommend about a half pound per person, if this is the only meat you’re serving, and the main entree at the meal.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover smoked chuck roast in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 6 days. The leftover chuck roast can be eaten cold, or reheated.
To reheat the chuck roast, I like to drop the slices in boiling beef broth for 30 seconds. This heats up the roast, without overcooking it, and keeps it juicy and tender! The slices can be eaten by themselves, or used to make a delicious beef sandwich.
What to serve with it
This smoked chuck roast is delicious on it’s own, or dipped in this White BBQ Sauce, or Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce. Serve it with any of these side dish recipes for a bbq, dinner or party.
- Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad – always a fan favorite!
- Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Smoked Mac and Cheese – toss it on the smoker right next to the chuck roast!
- Blue Cheese Salad – basically a chopped wedge salad.
- Green Beans with Bacon and Blue Cheese
- BBQ Baked Beans – my Dad’s famous recipe!
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Rosemary Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Crock Pot Creamed Corn – a Bond family favorite!
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Coleslaw
- Sauteed Mushrooms – such a great pairing with beef!
Tools you’ll need
- Smoker – this is the Traeger Pro Series Pellet Smoker I have at home and used for this recipe.
- Wood or Pellets – I recommend Traeger Hickory Pellets for this recipe.
- Thermometer – on the Traeger, I use the probes that come with the smoker. If you do not have a smoker with a meat probe, I recommend this wireless meat thermometer.
- Electric knife – one of my favorite kitchen tools, this electric knife makes slicing meat effortless!
More recipes for the smoker
I’ve been cooking meats on a smoker since I could walk. Growing up in Oklahoma, I was always eager to help my Dad and Grandpa outside on the smoker. Try these tested and perfected smoker recipes, with some new creations and recipes passed down from my families archives!
Smoked Chuck Roast
Ingredients
- 16 ounces water
- 3 ounces kosher salt
- ½ ounce granulated sugar
- 4 pound chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons steak seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 2 tablespoons butter, sliced into small pieces
Instructions
Brine
- In a medium pot on the stove, bring 16 ounces of water to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add the kosher salt and sugar.
- Stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar and salt are dissolved into the water.
- Set aside and add 3-4 cups of ice cubes to the pot of water. This will help cool down the brine quickly, so that you can pour it over the chuck roast.
- Once the brine water is at room temperature, or below, pour it over the chuck roast in a large bowl, or plastic tub.
- Add additional cold water, if needed, to cover the chuck roast.
- Place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours, or overnight.
Smoke
- Preheat the smoker to 250°F.
- Fill the smoker with hickory, mesquite, or pecan pellets.
- Place a water pan in the smoker filled with water. This will help keep the chuck roast moist throughout the cooking process.
- Remove the chuck roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Rub the chuck roast on all sides with olive oil, then generously sprinkle the steak seasoning over the chuck roast, making sure to cover all sides of the roast.
- Place the chuck roast in the smoker on the grill grates.
- Cook for 45 minutes per pound of meat, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Remove the chuck roast from the smoker, place it on a large sheet of foil, then add the pieces of butter on top of the chuck roast. Wrap the roast up in the foil, then double wrap it in another piece of foil.
- Place it back on the smoker for another hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 195-200°F.
- Remove the chuck roast from the smoker and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or shredding, and serving.
Notes
- Remember to smoke to temperature, not time! If you don’t have a meat probe, or wireless meat thermometer, like the MEATER, to watch the temperature of the chuck roast without opening the lid of the smoker, I recommend starting to check the internal temperature of the meat with an instant-read meat thermometer after 45 minutes per pound of meat. For a 4 pound chuck roast, this would be at 3 hours.
- Always let the meat rest. After removing the chuck roast from the smoker, allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably one hour. This will guarantee that all the juices stay in your meat and don’t leak out.
- When planning for how much smoked beef chuck roast to serve per person, I recommend about a half pound per person, if this is the only meat you’re serving, and the main entree at the meal.
- Store leftover smoked chuck roast in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 6 days. The leftover chuck roast can be eaten cold, or reheated
- To reheat the chuck roast, I like to drop the slices in boiling beef broth for 30 seconds. This heats up the roast, without overcooking it, and keeps it juicy and tender! The slices can be eaten by themselves, or used to make a delicious beef sandwich.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
