Do you need an easy way to turn a humble chuck roast into a mouthwatering masterpiece? Our easy smoked chuck roast recipe is your ticket to tender, flavorful shredded beef that’ll have everyone asking for seconds whether you want tacos, nachos, or sandwiches.
We’ve perfected how to smoke a chuck roast on a pellet grill, transforming this affordable cut into fall-apart tender meat infused with an irresistible smoky flavor. And it couldn’t be easier. Our step-by-step guide walks you through the process, from seasoning to smoking, so that you get a mountain of tender shredded smokey beef waiting to be devoured.
Table of Contents
In this recipe:
🥩 The Cut: What is Smoked Chuck Roast
The chuck, shoulder area, is one of our favorite cuts from the cow. Known for it’s rich beefy flavor, there are so many great cuts of beef within this primal. And not all for roasting; some rare gems, like the teres major steak or Denver steak, have incredible flavor in filet form. But for this Traeger recipe, we’re using the chuck roast to maximize flavor and make the best pulled beef.
This Smoked Chuck Roast is a classic dinner favorite, full of smoky flavor and irresistible seasoning. It’s a great alternative for the novice smoker or those who want to save time from a more traditional smoked brisket but still get tons of meat!
A great way to give this cut of beef a ton of unique flavor is by pairing it with umami mushroom powder and taco spices for added depth. This recipe isn’t for a standard sliced chuck roast or an instant pot Mississippi pot roast; we’re taking it way past that for perfectly pulled beef.
What Is Smoked Chuck Roast?
Chuck roast is beef that comes from the upper shoulder area of the cow and the lower neck. These roasts are known to be somewhat fattier but richer in a deep beefy flavor than other cuts of beef. They can be a tougher cut if not cooked properly, making chuck roasts ideal for braising, like for classic Mexican birria, or slow and low smoking.
They are easy to find at your local grocery store in the meat department and usually come between 2 to 5 pounds. When picking one out, look for a good marbeling and even thickness edge to edge.
When this roast is smoked, it allows for the low and slow cook to break down connective tissue for incredibly tender bites and results in an even richer, beefier, smoky flavor.
For best results, season liberally and well before cooking so your smoked beef roast will absorb the spices and be even fuller of flavor and even better to serve!
Why we love Smoking Chuck Roast
- Chuck roast are one of the cheapest cuts you can buy and they feel the whole family or make for great meal prep!
- This cut is begging to be smoked! Chuck is a great cut to smoke. The low and slow method turns a tough cut into tender delicious bites.
- We use a pellet smoker for a great smoke ring and juicy meat with minimal effort.
- It’s the perfect recipe to pile on baked potatoes, in tacos, for sandwiches, quesadillas, and more!
Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe Ingredients
- Chuck roast
- Kosher salt
- Coarse black pepper
- Girl Carnivore Ooomami (or any umami mushroom powder)
- Taco spices – use your favorite blend here.
- Beer – we love a mild blond ale, but you could use beef broth or stock instead.
How To Smoke A Chuck Roast
- First thing, you’re going to want to prep the pellet grill so it can get ready while you’re taking next steps.
- Next step, pat your chuck roast dry with paper towels and then season it liberally on all sides of the meat, ensuring you don’t miss a spot. Tie the beef with butchers twine to help it hold together while cooking. Then let it sit at room temperature ideally 30 but at least a couple of minutes until the smoker is ready to roast.
3. Once it’s ready, place it directly on the grill and close the lid. Come back to check it in 1.5 to 2 hours, use an instant-read meat thermometer, and wait until the roast temperature is 165 degrees F.
4. Arrange a foil pan on the grill and transfer the chuck roast to the pan and pour in the beer. After, cover with foil and close. You’re going to want to smoke the beef for another 2.5 to 3 hours—until the roast temperature is 200 to 205F.
5. Carefully remove the pan and allow the beef to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes or until it’s at a cool temperature that’s safe to handle. The internal temperature of the meat will have risen to 210 F, which is when it’s ready to be shredded to bite-sized pieces with ease.
6. Once cooled, transfer the beef to a large bowl and shred the meat into smaller pieces. You can use 2 forks, your hands (wear gloves, the meat will still be hot) or our favorite meat claws to pull the beef. To moisten, you will add a small amount of braising liquid before serving.
7. Now that you’ve made the pulled beef chuck roast, you can use it for all kinds of recipes from nacho toppings, enchilada fillings, piled into sandwiches, and so much more!
Don’t have a Traeger grill or pellet smoker? No problem; check out the notes in the recipe card below to make this on a classic charcoal grill or gas grill!
What to serve with Smoked Beef Chuck Roast
You may be wondering what to serve with a smoked chuck roast. Here are a few ideas to help you round out your meal:
- Smoked baked potatoes
- Smoked Potato salad
- smoked brussels sprouts
- Dutch oven macaroni and cheese
- Roasted green beans or broccoli
Smoked Beef Chuck Roast Storage
Store leftover smoked chuck roast in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator. If stored properly, your leftover chuck roast for up to three to four days.
Reheating/Leftovers
Preheat the oven to 250F and place the pulled beef on a rimmed baking sheet, or aluminum pan, with a splash of beer or beef stock and cover with foil. Set the pan on the wire rack and cook until the meat is heated through again, about 20 to 25 minutes, tossing a few times as needed. Time may vary depending if you have a large cut of meat.
Alternatively, microwave individual portions in 30 second bursts, stirring as needed, until heated through.
FAQs for Smoking a Chuck Roast
When prepped for 225 to 250 degrees F, you are going to want to smoke the chuck toast for 2.5 to 3 hours. Once the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200 to 205 degrees F, you will be ready to remove the pan from the grill and allow it to sit for a resting period of at least 20 minutes.
Alternatively, you can shorten the cooking time by only cooking to 150 – 160 degrees F, which will allow you to slice the roast, but we find it has better flavor and is more tender taking it to 205 to make pulled beef, unlike a round roast, which we think makes an amazing char-grilled roast beef, or top round roast, which loves to be oven roasted.
For this recipe, since we essentially braising the beef for the second half of the cooking time, keeping it moist isn’t e problem.
However, if you were to skip the pan and braising liquid, you’d want to opt to go for a wrapped chuck roast in butcher paper or foil to lock in moisture.
No, definitely not. Unlike burgers or steak, this roast is going to cook low and slow over indirect heat. There’s no flipping needed.
MORE DELICIOUS BEEF ROAST RECIPES
Smoked Beef Chuck Roast
Ingredients
- 5 lbs chuck roast
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Girl carnivore Ooomami umami mushroom powder
- 1 tbsp Taco spices
- 8 oz beer
Instructions
Prep the smoker
- Prep the pellet smoker for 225 – 250 degrees F.
Prep the cuck roast
- Pat your chuck roast dry with paper towels.5 lbs chuck roast
- Season the chuck roast liberally with salt on all sides.1 tbsp Salt
- Using butchers twine, tie the beef around the edges to help it not fall apart while on the grill.
- Mix the remaining spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle over all sides, being sure to get the edges, of the chuck roast.1 tsp Pepper, 1 tbsp Girl carnivore Ooomami, 1 tbsp Taco spices
- Allow the roast to sit at room temperature until the smoker is ready to go.
Smoke the chuck roast
- Place the roast directly on the grill grates and close the lid.
- Smoke the roast 1 ½ to 2 hours until the chuck roasts temps at 165F with an instant-read thermometer.
Wrap the roast
- Arrange a foil pan on the grill and transfer the chuck roast to the pan.
- Pour in the beer.8 oz beer
- Cover the foil pan with foil and close the lid.
- Smoke the beef for another 2 ½ to 3 hours until the roast reaches 200 to 205 degrees F.
- Carefully remove the pan from the grill.
Rest
- Allow the beef to rest, in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes to cool to a temp that is safe to handle.
Shred
- When the roast is safe to handle, transfer the beef to a large bowl.
- Shred the meat with two forks, or gloved hands, removing any large chunks of undesirable fat.
- Add ¼ to ½ cup of the braising liquid to moisten the pulled chuck roast, and discard the rest.
Serve
- Serve the pulled chuck roast as desired. It’s great for shredded beef tacos, sandwiches, enchilada or empanada fillings, Shepherd’s pie, and more.
Notes
Add wood chunks to the coals and when the smoke is burning clean, arrange the chuck roast on the cooler side of the grill and follow the recipe as above.
We recommend oak or hickory wood for this recipe. For a gas grill: Create a 2 zone cooking area by preheating one burner and getting a steady even temperature of 225 to 250 degrees F.
Add a smoker box or foil packet filled with wood chips to impart smoke flavor to the grill and after 5 to 10 minutes, add the chuck roast to the cooler side of the grill. Follow the above directions to finish the recipe. Beef broth or beef stock works as a substitute for the beer in this recipe. Mix up the flavor profile and use Italian seasoning instead of taco seasonings. The sky’s the limit. This recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Nutrition
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