Smoked Chuck Roast The Right Way
Are you tired of your typically oven-cooked chuck roast because you don’t know how to smoke it? Today you’re in luck. I’ve prepared a detailed recipe to guide you through the process. How long does it take to smoke a chuck roast? How to season it? What else do you need to do? Better than a brisket, smoked beef chuck roast has a great flavor and responds well to the smoking technique. The pit often features beef recipes, particularly in Texas-style cooking. However, this time, we will be looking at a chuck roast recipe. If you really want to splurge, break out that red wine, wood chips, garlic powder, and bbq sauce.
Chuck roast is sourced from parts of beef that contain bits of fat and collagen, which aids in achieving moist and tender results. Why I prefer chuck is because it is easier to come by in grocery stores and is cheaper as well.
The procedure is simple and perhaps the only hard part is the waiting. It might take up to 6 hours or more, depending on the size of chuck you want to prepare. It should be on the verge of falling to pieces by the time you finish. This recipe focuses more on getting the best flavor and this is the reason why the seasoning includes salt, garlic and pepper.
How to Prepare Chuck Roast for Smoking
Smoking a chuck can be done using any smoker of your choice. You can either use the electric smoker or go with the offset version. In my opinion, the offset smoker is the best choice to use for this procedure. The smoker keeps away direct heat from the cooking target, allowing you to monitor the fire and regulate the heat.
Why is this important? Sometimes there are flare-ups that cause unprecedented mishaps, which you will do best without. However, there are other smokers like the electric one, which allow easy customizations. They are also equally efficient in preparing a well smoked chuck roast
Helpful Information
- Preparation time: at least 10 minutes
- Cook time: between 4 and 6 hours; it depends on the size of the chuck roast
- Smoker temperature: between 250 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit
- Finish temperature: 190 degrees Fahrenheit
- Recommended wood: pecan or hickory
What You Will Need to Smoke Chuck Roast
After you have ensured everything related to smoking the chuck roast is in place, it is now time to get to the kitchen. In our procedure, we are smoking a 3-pound chuck and the following are what you need.
- 1 aluminum foil
- 1 meat injector
- 1 can of beef broth
- 1 can of beer (optional)
- A pan for holding
Ingredients :
- 1 teaspoon ground parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/8 cup black pepper
- 1/4 cup garlic
- 1/4 chili powder
- 1/4 onion powder
- Regular yellow mustard (optional)
Note: A mixture of these ingredients is enough to season up to 6 pounds of chuck.
Directions
1. Preparation of Chuck Roast
Unwrap the package containing the chuck roast and remove it. Submerge it in a pot of either cold or hot water and rinse. Give the meat a quick rub down and remove it from the pot. Dry it off and place on a board ready to apply the seasoning.
2. Apply the Chuck Roast Seasoning
Apply the yellow mustard on the surface of the chuck roast and rub it on all side. The point is to ensure that the seasoning sticks to the meat and not to give it a mustard taste. However, this step is optional and you can skip it
Combine the above ingredients and mix them well in a small bowl. Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of your beef chuck. You can use twine to secure the roll while you do this if it gets a little complicated. Once this is done, the chuck roast is ready to be roasted
Alternatively, you can apply the salt first over the surface of the meat and put it in a fridge for about 45 minutes or an hour. This will bring out the required moisture, that helps in breaking down the connective tissues. Rinse off the salt, dry and apply the seasoning.
3. Fire Up the Smoker
Light your smoker and wait until the grill is fully lit. I highly recommend a smoker with knobs for heat regulation. If you are using a charcoal grill, fill it with half chimney-full of charcoal. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to charcoal grill the best way.
Preheat the grill to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit with a drip pan of water placed directly under the chuck roast to make sure that the temperature is maintained. The best fuel to use is hickory, pecan or post oak. All three are strong for smoking. In this procedure, we will use pecan.
Remember, the cooker doesn’t matter as long as you can regulate and maintain the temperature at the optimum as indicated under the helpful information. The temperature is ideal for a fully cooked and flavored chuck roast.
I highly recommend that the meat is placed far from the fire box to avoid damages that are often caused by flare ups.
4. Smoking the Chuck Roast
Once the smoker achieves the optimum temperature, place the beef chuck onto the center of the hot grate and cover with the lid.
As the beef roasts, ensure that the temperature stays at 250 degrees. Resist the urge and temptation to open the lid for about an hour and a half, or two hours. Open the cover and flip over the piece to give the bottom side a chance to get smoke and close it again. Continue smoking and keep adding chunks or charcoal, depending on the cooker you are using, whenever necessary. Also, ensure that the smoke is constant for maximum flavor.
5. Check for Doneness
Continue smoking the chuck roast until the outside crust is dark. This should be after another hour and a half and your chuck roast will be ready to pan. Use a probe thermometer, or an instant-read meat thermometer and stick it towards the center of the piece to take the reading. This is to taste for doneness. If you’re not sure how to use it, don’t worry, here’s a quick and easy tutorial!
If it reads between 140 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the meat is ready to be pulled off. Keep in mind that the internal temperature of the smoked chuck roast can increase further by 10 degrees Fahrenheit even after you have removed it from the smoker.
6. Add Beef Broth and Cover with Aluminum Foil
If the chuck roast is properly donned, it also means that it has achieved the desired flavor and no more smoke will be necessary. Remove the piece from the smoker and place it on a pan covered with aluminum foil.
I would recommend adding some beef broth or wine, or even dark beer. Add about 32oz of any liquid of your choice. Wrap the chuck roast in the foil and put it back in the smoker with the temperature between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the smoking, the surface of the beef chuck dries out. The aluminum foil will capture the moisture and allow the meat to absorb more juices.{Adding beef broth can be alternatively done before smoking the chuck roast. Using a meat injector, you can inject the beef broth throughout the piece of meat to add moisture and salt in it. Apply the seasoning and smoke.}
7. Cook Again
Cook the smoked chuck roast for about 2 to 3 hours more. Add fuel when necessary to make sure that the temperature is maintained. This is also a good way of ensuring that the internal temperature is raised. The final internal temperature of the smoked chuck roast should read between 195 and 200.
If it is more than that, there is no cause for alarm. The moisture in the wrapped piece will regulate the temperature and get infused in the piece of meat. As a result, the collagen and fat in the smoked beef will completely dissolve, allowing easy pulling when the piece is done.
8. Remove the Chuck Roast from the Smoker
At the optimum temperature, the smoked chuck roast will be soft and ready. Remove the pan from the cooker and let the steam escape for five minutes. Let it rest for at least an hour before slicing it up. Why let it rest for an hour when it is ready? If you cut through the smoked chuck roast immediately after removing it from the smoker, lots of juice from the piece will run like an open tap and in no time, your roast will dry out faster than you can eat.
Caution should be taken as the smoked chuck roast will still be very hot. Use hand gloves or hand savers to handle it.
9. Remove and Check if It is Well Done
One way of knowing if your chuck roast beef is properly done is by confirming if all the connective tissue and fat has broken down or melted away. Also, if the piece looks much like pulled pork, your chuck roast is ready and you can easily tear it using bare hands. However, if this isn’t an option for you, you can use a knife to slice it, or a pork puller.
Forks are also a good option for shredding the chuck roast. Removing the roast beef from the pan leaves behind a liquid, beef broth, which is equally seasoned like the meat itself. The broth serves as a nice moisture addition to your pulled meat. Spread a little over the smoked chuck and serve.
Unlike most smoked meats, for example, a brisket, which usually has a flat and a point, all the pieces from smoked chuck roast have the same texture and taste.
10. Serve the Chuck Roast Beef
Finally, after following everything in the procedure, your chuck roast beef is ready. You can eat the roast with vegetables or tear it into pieces and make a sandwich. Although a distinctive smoke ring may not be conspicuous on the meat pieces, it is a guarantee that the smoke flavor has been infused throughout the whole chuck roast.
The infused smoky flavor is enough to compliment your sandwich and if you are a fan of barbecue sauce, pick your type and apply to the smoke chuck roast. Doing this doesn’t mean you are hiding a flavor that you don’t like. The goal is to have the meat the way you like.
Building a Sandwich with a Smoked Chuck Roast
I do not know what type your favorite sandwich is, but in my case, I prefer to build my sandwich from chopped onion rolls. With this type of sandwich, you can serve with Cole slaw, onion rings, and an Italian vinaigrette. The sandwich can be taken with a glass of cold tea or a slightly chilled porter; even better, a room temperature sangria will augur well with the recipe.
Alternatively, you can make a sandwich that goes with the smoked chuck roast using pulled beef, caramelized onions, onion buns with and horseradish mayo. On top of a serving of pulled beef, pile chopped onions and top with the horseradish mayo and the caramelized onions.
With the two types of sandwiches, you can have your friends going crazy over them. Meanwhile, you can sit on that pouch at the back of your house and enjoy the best smoked chuck roast you’ve ever made. To end your day well after munching the sandwich, have a little scoop of ice cream and few slices of apple crumb pie.
Note
You don’t have to force yourself to eat the whole smoked chuck roast in one sitting. Leftovers reheat well in an oven. All that is required is to set a medium power and cover it with a plate or a microwave’s dish for only a couple of minutes. This will bring back the taste, the moistness and tenderness of the roast as before.
Conclusion
There you have it! A detailed step by step guide on how to prepare a smoked chuck roast. You don’t have to be a backyard smoking expert to master the recipe. Following the step by step is fun, relaxing and can be pulled off while having a good time with your friends or family members. Even so, I hope you enjoyed this recipe and that you have now learnt how to make a real smoked chuck roast.
I even have a video for you that you can watch in preparation:
Please refer this article to a friend who is faced with the same challenge and who needs a simple and comprehensive guidance on how to smoke chuck roast using either of the sharing buttons below. He or she will have a reason to thank you.
Smoked Chuck Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1
tbsp Ground parsley - 1
tbsp Ground oregano - 1/2
Cup
Salt - 1/8
Cup Black pepper - 1/4
Cup Garlic - 1/4
Chili powder - 1/4
Onion powder - Regular yellow mustard (optional)
Instructions
- Unwrap the package containing the chuck roast and remove it.
- Submerge it in a pot of either cold or hot water and rinse.
- Give the meat a quick rub down and remove it from the pot.
- Dry it off and place on a board ready to apply the seasoning.
- Apply the yellow mustard on the surface of the chuck roast and rub it on all side.
- The point is to ensure that the seasoning sticks to the meat and not to give it a mustard taste.
- Combine the above ingredients and mix them well in a small bowl.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of your beef chuck.
- You can use twine to secure the roll while you do this if it gets a little complicated.
- Once this is done, the chuck roast is ready to be roasted
- Alternatively, you can apply the salt first over the surface of the meat and put it in a fridge for about 45 minutes or an hour.
- This will bring out the required moisture, that helps in breaking down the connective tissues.
- Rinse off the salt, dry and apply the seasoning.
- Light your smoker and wait until the grill is fully lit.
- If you are using a charcoal grill, fill it with half chimney-full of charcoal.
- Preheat the grill to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit with a drip pan of water placed directly under the chuck roast to make sure that the temperature is maintained.
- Once the smoker achieves the optimum temperature, place the beef chuck onto the center of the hot grate and cover with the lid.
- As the beef roasts, ensure that the temperature stays at 250 degrees.
- Continue smoking and keep adding chunks or charcoal, depending on the cooker you are using, whenever necessary.
- Continue smoking the chuck roast until the outside crust is dark.
- This should be after another hour and a half and your chuck roast will be ready to pan.
- Use a probe thermometer, or an instant-read meat thermometer and stick it towards the center of the piece to take the reading.
- If it reads between 140 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the meat is ready to be pulled off.
- If the chuck roast is properly donned, it also means that it has achieved the desired flavor and no more smoke will be necessary.
- Remove the piece from the smoker and place it on a pan covered with aluminum foil.
- Wrap the chuck roast in the foil and put it back in the smoker with the temperature between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The aluminum foil will capture the moisture and allow the meat to absorb more juices.
- Cook the smoked chuck roast for about 2 to 3 hours more.
- Add fuel when necessary to make sure that the temperature is maintained.
- This is also a good way of ensuring that the internal temperature is raised.
- The final internal temperature of the smoked chuck roast should read between 195 and 200.
- The moisture in the wrapped piece will regulate the temperature and get infused in the piece of meat.
- At the optimum temperature, the smoked chuck roast will be soft and ready.
- Remove the pan from the cooker and let the steam escape for five minutes.
- Let it rest for at least an hour before slicing it up.
- One way of knowing if your chuck roast beef is properly done is by confirming if all the connective tissue and fat has broken down or melted away.
- Removing the roast beef from the pan leaves behind a liquid, beef broth, which is equally seasoned like the meat itself.
- Finally, after following everything in the procedure, your chuck roast beef is ready.
Nutrition
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