Smoked Beef Chuck Roast (Pellet Smoker Recipe)
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Smoked Beef Chuck Roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Coat it in a simple dry rub and use your favorite wood pellets to infuse it with flavor. Smoking a chuck roast has never been easier! The smoking process is perfect for this cut of beef.
Table of Contents
Smoked Beef Chuck Roast
As the weather gets warmer, it’s the perfect time to fire up the pellet grill. And if you love juicy, tender meat, then you’ll love this smoked chuck roast recipe!
You can use it for several nights’ worth of dinners or impress your guests at a weekend get-together.
The low heat is a great way to give a slow-cooked effect, keeping the beef from drying out while still getting a nice crust on the outside.
You’ll be enjoying that smoky flavor in no time at all!
Plan out your favorite side dishes to pair with smoked beef chuck roast, and get ready to enjoy a feast at summer parties, BBQs, and family dinners.
We also have a smoked roast beef recipe with a sweet BBQ crust.
Want to use a crockpot instead? I’ve got a great roundup of recipes that feature a variety of flavors and uses for whatever you are in the mood for!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Boneless Chuck Roast – A favorite around here for making a delicious meal on a budget! Look for plenty of marbling throughout the beef for the best flavor.
When you smoke chuck roast, all that fat and connective tissue breaks down and melts right into the muscle, creating the most tender bites of meat. - Garlic & Onion Powder – A dynamic duo for any savory dish! You can use granulated garlic in a pinch, but you’ll need twice the amount — it’s a lot coarser, so the flavor isn’t as intense.
- Cayenne Pepper – For some heat. Adjust the amount to your liking or substitute smoked paprika for similar heat without it seeming “spicy.”
- Salt & Pepper – Kosher salt is a staple in my kitchen as it’s got a coarse grain and excellent flavor. Use freshly ground black pepper if possible for the best flavor there too!
Tips and Tricks to Smoke Chuck Roast
- Allow plenty of time.
While this smoked chuck roast recipe is very simple to make, it’s still an all-day process.
The meat needs to marinate for at least two hours, cook for about four, and then rest another hour before it’s ready.
Plan for a timeframe of 6-8 hours minimum to create, cook, and rest.
- Choose the right temperature.
After extensive research and testing, we found that 250°F was perfect.
A lower temperature took much too long to cook, resulting in a dry roast even with plenty of basting.
On the other hand, higher temps resulted in bites that were tough and hard to chew.
- Let it rest!
I’m sure you will be anxious to eat after all of those hours, but this is one of the most important steps when making chuck roast on a pellet grill!
Place the beef on a cutting board and don’t touch it for at least an hour. Slice just before serving, and cut against the grain for best results.
- Save the drippings.
The hidden gem of smoked beef chuck roast! Transfer drippings to a bowl and spoon them over the beef slices before serving.
Prep Ahead
- Marinate roast for at least 2 hours
- Preheat smoker
Serving Suggestions
Pair smoked beef chuck roast with any of your favorite cookout side dishes. For a lighter meal, try a simple green salad or some roasted vegetables.
Create a larger feast with potato salad, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, and my copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls!
If you end up with leftovers, use them for sandwiches and top with cheese sauce or a tangy spread.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
- Smoker – Wood pellet varieties allow extra flavor to be infused into whatever you’re smoking.
- Your favorite flavor wood chips – I love this blend and use it for just about everything.
- Meat Thermometer – A digital version will be easiest to read, and be sure it’s the kind that can stay inside the smoker the entire time. Nothing worse than a melted thermometer!
- Long Tongs or Barbecue Gloves for flipping chuck roast on the pellet grill
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil – This is thicker and sturdier than regular foil, meaning it won’t tear as easily.
- BBQ Tray – Use this for both marinating the roast and transferring it back inside once it is done.
Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe FAQ
It will take about 4 ½ hours total at 450°F to smoke chuck roast using a pellet grill. There will be variations depending on the smoker model and size of the roast, so use the internal temp as your guide.
Remove smoked beef roast once the thermometer reads 200°F in the very center, then let it rest for an hour.
Most recipes also require additional time to dry marinate the meat — as much as overnight. It’s a labor of love, but well worth the wait!
Yes, but right at the end — I usually do so for the last hour of cooking.
This ensures that all of the juices stay inside the smoked beef roast as it finishes, keeping the meat nice and moist.
You don’t need a ton of foil layers either. A double wrap of heavy-duty foil is fine.
Prep your BBQ or Big Green Egg for indirect cooking and heat to 250°F, then follow the recipe as directed.
Use mesquite chips instead of pellets, and be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes before starting.
Storing and Reheating Smoked Beef Roast
Leftover smoked beef will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Add it to an airtight container with some of the drippings to keep it moist.
It’s best to reheat chuck roast in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
You can also add slices to a skillet on the stove with a splash of water or some drippings. Place a lid over the meat and cook on low until warmed through.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Smoker Recipes
Smoked Beef Chuck Roast (Pellet Smoker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 5 pounds chuck roast, boneless
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Pat the roast dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the rub (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper). Whisk together.
- Coat the roast evenly with the rub. (It’s a rub, so rub it the meat 😄)
- Cover the roast with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight. You can smoke it immediately but allowing the rub to meld with the roast for a few hours will give you a tastier result.
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F. Choose your favorite wood, I am using my favorite blend of oak, maple and hickory on my pellet smoker.
- Place the chuck roast in the smoker, insert temperature probes. Close the lid and cook until the bark is fully developed (around 3-3 1/2 hours), and the temperature reaches 165°F. Flip the roast (using long tongs or barbecue gloves) about every hour.
- Wrap the roast tightly in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Place the roast back on the smoker for about one more hour, until internal temperature is 200°F.
- Remove the roast from the smoker. Keep in mind the roast will continue to cook once it is removed from the smoker, which can increase the temperature on your roast as much as 10°.
- Remove the probe and place the roast on a cutting board and let it rest for at least an hour.
- Pour the drippings from the aluminum foil into a bowl for serving with the meat.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published April 2021, updated and republished July 2025
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Did you use the pan for water or as a drip tray ?
This chuck roast was awesome. I love how tender the meat was and how nice of a crust it made. It truly looked and tasted professional!
I don’t have a grill or smoker. You mentioned doing it in a crockpot. How do you do it. Oh and recipe please. Thank You 😊
I understand leaving meat rest for an hour so that it absorbs the juices, but I normally wrap the meat in foil, then wrap a towel around the foiled meat as it rest. Won’t the meat be cold when you serve it if you let it rest with out wrapping it?
Where I live it’s an apartment complex and we can’t have our own grills. What I’m asking is there anyway I could cook the roast that would taste almost like it’s been smoked?
liquid smoke will work for that.
I can’t believe how tender and juicy this turned out. A new favorite!
Hi Serenity!
We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn