Smoked Chuck Roast - Poor Man's Brisket

 Whether you are on a budget, or just testing your mettle of your pitmaster abilities, smoked chuck roast is a cheap and delicious way to feed your family, plan for a party, or just put your smoking skills to the test. Check out the video below or read on for the full recipe!

Like a brisket, the chuck roast of a cow is a large primal cut that comes from the shoulder region - which generally gives a robust flavor. The tough nature of this cut is best suited for slow cooking - which makes it an ideal candidate for smoking just like a brisket. Unlike a brisket, this cut often requires little to no prep work, and the price per pound is typically much cheaper than that of a typical brisket.

Prep:

Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Red Stick Spice - Sweet Pecan Rub
Cajun Ninja - PI-YAHHHHH! or your favorite cajun seasoning
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar - for basting
1 Tbps Brown Sugar - for basting
Wood Chips or Chunks for your smoker - O prefer a blend of apple and pecan

While I like to cook with local ingredients and spices, please feel free to substitute the Red Stick Spice and Cajun Ninja products with your own local favorites!

Pat your roast dry and generously apply olive oil to the surface. Season your roast to taste with salt, pepper, and a liberal layer of the Sweet Pecan rub and Cajun seasoning.

Set your smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and allow your wood to start smoking for 20-30 minutes. It's important to let this initial smoke clear out before adding your meat to avoid any bitterness associated with fresh smoke.

Mix the brown sugar and apple cider vinegar together and set aside for basting.

You should plan to cook your roast for about 2 hours per pound, checking the temperature regularly. Wireless meat probes help this process tremendously, but if you have a glass-front smoker you could always go with good-ole analog probes as long as you can see them.

About every 90 minutes plan to quickly open your smoker and apply a liberal basting of the apple cider vinegar/brown sugar mixture.

Once your roast has hit an internal temperature of 150-F, it's time to think about wrapping it for the rest of the cooker. Wrapping your roast in aluminum foil has two benefits, the first being a faster overall cook time, the second is it helps to preserve the delicious smoky bark you've created without causing the meat to burn and get tough.

Start by making a boat of aluminum foil, folding the sides up to catch any drippings, and lightly coat the bottom of this foil-boat with your basting solution. Place the roast into the boat, and with another sheet of foil, cover the top, then crimp the two pieces of foil together on all sides. Insert your meat probe and put back into the smoker. We're looking for temperatures in the low 200's. At this point you should not need to baste your roast any further. In most cases, this tends to happen around the mid-way point in the cook time if you're sticking with a 250 degree setting.

Once you've hit temperatures of 200-210, go ahead and pull your roast and open the top portion of your foil wrapping. Allow it to rest on your counter for at least 30 minutes prior to cutting or shredding. You want the moisture to redistribute itself throughout the meat. You should notice that most of the internal fat and ligaments have melted into a jelly-like consistence that can be easily removed if desired.

I like to slice my roast against the grain, place it on tosted buns, and served with my favorite BBQ sauce and pepper jack cheese - though you can also use it in dishes like enchiladas, queso, or tamales!