Fall-Apart Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe

Smoked chuck roast is a great alternative to brisket any day. With its quicker cook time, lower cost, and unbelievable flavor you can’t go wrong with tossing this hunk of meat onto the smoker.

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Why You Will Love This

If you’re looking for a deliciously smoked beef flavor, this just can’t be beaten. It is fall-apart tender, the smoke really comes through, and the meat itself is super moist.

If you haven’t tried this yet, this needs to be your next cook. No waiting 12-14 hours for smoked goodness. This smoked chuck roast is ready to go in around 6 hours.

Furthermore, if you’re looking for a substitute for a brisket, look no further. As previously stated, the cost is lower, the cooking time is lower, and you still get super moist, super delicious smoked beef.

You can toss it on in the morning so it’s ready for your afternoon barbeque or you can actually sleep in on the weekend if you’re eating in the late afternoon.

I can’t count the number of times I am rolling out of bed at 5 am or earlier to get the pork butt or some similar cut onto the smoker. I’m always happy to do that, but not gonna lie, this is easier.

All these steps work with any kind of smoker. You could even do this on a Weber charcoal grill. I do love the Masterbuilt smoker, though.

Serve this with some grilled baby potatoes and a fresh summer succotash, and you have yourself a backyard barbeque bonanza going on! If you’re a fan of baked beans, give these bbq baked beans a look. I love em!

Chuck Pot Roast Versus Chuck Tender

Sometimes you will come across a chuck tender in the grocery store. We have smoked this, and while very tender, it was drier than the chuck roast.

The chuck tender is very lean and as such, there isn’t much fat to render down to keep the meat moist.

The chuck tender was very flavorful and very tender. It did lend itself to being sliced versus being pulled apart.

I did make some mean sliced meat sandwiches with it. I also retained the jus from the cook to pour over the meat, thereby adding some needed moisture.

My recommendation for using a tender is to cook it to a medium rare and slice it up. Smoking is viable (and it’s good!) but I would choose a chuck roast over a chuck tender when it comes to smoking.

Ingredients Needed For The Smoked Beef Chuck Roast

Not that many ingredients for this cook. All that is needed is the chuck roast and your favorite rub.

We have prepared this more than once and with beef, I find that a texas style rub works best. Coarse salt and coarse black pepper are really all that is needed.

If you’re not quite sure what to go with, Montreal steak seasoning is a great go-to.

I love making my own rubs and have several for various kinds of meats. But for this, Montreal worked great without having to reinvent the wheel.

• 3 lbs Chuck Roast
• 2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce – for the rub binder, optional

Difficult, right? But why do one when you can do two? 🙂 Just plan on needing approximately 2 tablespoons of rub per chuck roast.

Preparing The Chuck Roast For Smoking

I prefer to use a binder when I apply the rub, this is optional. Put a little Worcestershire sauce over the chuck roast evenly, approximately 1 tablespoon.

Apply your preferred rub generously. Make sure to apply the rub to the sides of the roast as well. Allow it to rest for at least 1 hour before smoking.

You can apply this rub several hours in advance as well. This will just further infuse the roast with the rub. If you do this, remove the chuck roast from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan on smoking it.

Smoking A Chuck Roast (On A Masterbuilt)

I keep mentioning the Masterbuilt as this is my new favorite toy. The technique would work on any smoker; pellet smoker, offset smoker, kettle with indirect heat. Whichever is in your backyard will work just as well.

Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Use your favorite wood. For us, and this cook, we use a mixture of hickory and cherry. I prefer the aggressiveness of the hickory smoke and cherry adds great color.

Pecan, post oak, even mesquite are all excellent options as well. If you’re not sure, stick with hickory, pecan, or oak.

With the Masterbuilt 1050, I will put some charcoal in the hopper, add some chunks of hickory and cherry, then add some more charcoal.

I will also add additional wood chips into the ash bin. This produces a good deal of smoke, which is my preference.

When the smoker has hit 250, place the chuck roast(s) onto the grill and insert any meat thermometer probes that you may have, and close it up.

Smoke the chuck roast until the internal temperature reaches between 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 3 hours.

If you don’t have probes watching the temperature during the cook, use an instant-read thermometer to check every so often. They’re a Godsend!

Remove from the smoker. Place the meat onto a couple of large pieces of aluminum foil. Add a few tablespoons of butter and wrap the roasts tightly with aluminum foil.

Yes, you can use butcher paper in lieu of aluminum foil. If you decide to do this, you may experience a stall somewhere between 160-180 degrees, but it won’t be too long.

You can also give the roast a spritz or two of a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water if you’re so inclined. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don’t. To be honest, with this cut of beef, I can’t tell a difference.

Place the chuck roast(s) back onto the smoker and continue to cook until the internal temperature hits about 205, approximately 2 hours.

Remove the chuck roast(s) from the smoker and allow it to rest for at least an hour to ninety minutes.

Using your hands or some serving forks, break up the smoked chuck roast into the desired size of meat morsels and serve with your favorite sides.

Conclusion

All I can say is this is about as easy as it gets and will please you, your family, or all your house guests to no end. It is delicious!

The meat comes out super moist. The smokiness is amazing. The rub that I use is perfect for this cut of meat.

And it’s so tender! Everything just comes together perfectly.

Hands down, you will be so happy with the results when you try this. And I didn’t even mention the leftovers!

First thing: pulled beef sandwiches, complete with onion and pickles. Yes!!!

The next day I took some of those potatoes, diced them up, and made a delicious breakfast hash. Then later that night I shredded up the last of the meat and made a big ole plate of smoked chuck roast nachos!

So much fun to be had with a very affordable piece of beef. Give it a whirl!

Tips and Variations

• While I take a purist view to beef (salt and pepper), there is nothing wrong with hitting yours with your favorite rubs. Sweet and spicy work great together.
• As always, cook to temperature, not time. All sorts of things can change the time of your cook.
• Smoke with your favorite wood, or play around with different ones. This smoked chuck roast works great with all sorts of wood.

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