This easy Smoked Chuck Roast recipe is the perfect alternative to a more expensive and complex beef brisket recipe! It’s ultra juicy, tender, and full of great flavor! Bonus, we’re smoking it on the Traeger to make it just about the easiest meal prep recipe you can make!
🥩 The Cut: what is a 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.
Once pulled apart, this beef chuck roast will make for a great filling for so many other recipes, like tacos or enchiladas, loaded pulled beef sandwiches and more! This is a meal prep must-make, and the whole family is going to love this recipe because it’s easy, smoky, and has so much flavor.
Why we love this recipe!
- 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!
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!
Smoked Chuck Roast 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 Make the Easiest Smoked 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
