Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe
When you need an easy yet crowd-pleasing meal for your next backyard cook-out, everyone will love this tender, juicy smoked chuck roast! This chuck roast is covered with a simple, flavorful dry rub and then cooked low and slow on the trusty smoker until it turns into one seriously succulent piece of meat.
How to Make the Best Smoked Chuck Roast
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of a chuck roast slowly smoking over charcoal and wood smoke. This smoked chuck roast is the ultimate low-and-slow barbecue experience—perfect for feeding a crowd at your next backyard cookout. The simple dry rub creates a flavorful bark on the outside while the gentle heat of the smoker transforms this affordable cut of beef into pure tenderness.
What makes this recipe so special is its simplicity combined with impressive results. You don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated techniques—just a few pantry spices, time, and a reliable smoker. The magic happens when you wrap the roast in peach butcher paper (known as the Texas crutch) to push through the temperature stall and finish it to a perfect 195 degrees F internal temperature.
Once rested and sliced against the grain, each bite delivers incredible flavor and moisture. Serve it as-is to appreciate the seasoning, or slather it with your favorite BBQ sauce. This recipe serves six generously, but the leftovers are just as delicious for sandwiches the next day.
Smoked Chuck Roast
When you need an easy yet crowd-pleasing meal for your next backyard cook-out, everyone will love this tender, juicy smoked chuck roast! This chuck roast is covered with a simple, flavorful dry rub and then cooked low and slow on the trusty smoker until it turns into one seriously succulent piece of meat.
Ingredients
Dry Rub
Main
Instructions
Preparation
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the chuck roast.
- Let the chuck roast sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator and allow the meat to dry brine overnight.
- If dry brining, let the meat sit at room temperature as directed above before smoking.
Smoking
- Heat the smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Place the chuck roast directly on greased grill grates with a water pan. If desired, place a drip pan underneath the chuck roast.
- Insert a leave-in meat thermometer in the center of the meat. If there's a bone, make sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bone.
- Close the lid and smoke until the chuck roast reaches 160-165 degrees F, about three and a half to four hours. At this point, you'll notice the internal temperature will begin to stall.
Wrapping & Finishing
- Remove the chuck roast from the smoker.
- Place it on top of a sheet of peach butcher paper and wrap it like a present. With the folded side facing down, place the chuck roast back in the smoker and insert the leave-in meat thermometer again.
- Close the lid and smoke until the chuck roast reaches 195 degrees F.
Resting & Serving
- Remove the chuck roast from the smoker, leaving it in the butcher paper.
- Wrap the roast with a towel and place it in a cooler with no ice for one hour.
- After resting, slice the chuck roast against the grain.
- If desired, serve with your favorite BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a leave-in meat thermometer to ensure accurate temperature monitoring.
- The Texas crutch (wrapping in butcher paper) helps push through the temperature stall.
- Resting the meat is crucial for keeping it juicy and tender.