Traeger Smoked Chuck Roast Recipe

This Traeger smoked chuck roast with dry rub recipe turns out great. With a killer sauce covering the top too it stays moist and becomes fork tender in your electric or pellet grill.

How to Smoke Chuck Roast

If you have made any other sort of pulled pork Traeger recipe this is similar to that one. Most thicker pieces of protein follow the same techniques. You will want to lay it right on top of the grate for an hour or so to get started, then move it into a tray or pan with some sauce.

Yes you can keep it plain but it won’t be as tender, or have nearly as much flavor. We have shared a bunch of dry rub recipes on our site because we love them so much. Many of them can be used on a variety of meats and most have a sweet and savory mixture to them. Now let’s get to the rundown of what you’ll need;

Traeger Chuck Roast

This was a 3 pound piece of meat, that is relatively typical as far as this cut goes. It is best to take it out of the fridge for a bit to reach closer to room temperature ideally. You do want a decent amount of fat on the piece that you choose because that will add flavor and ensure that it stays nice and tender.

• Chuck Roast Dry Rub
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Beef Chuck Roast Smoked

Then you’re going to make a sauce that will provide a whopper of flavor to your meat and add moisture to it as well as it smokes.

• An onion diced finely
• I love chopping up some of our air fryer roasted garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• Ketchup
• 1 c chili sauce
• Apple cider vinegar
• Brown sugar for some sweetness
• Beef stock, beef broth or water
• Dijon mustard

A little bit of hot sauce or Sriracha is nice, not to make this cut of meat not spicy, but add a bit of a kick. Of course you can amp it up if you want more of a chipotle roast type of flavor too. We do that sometimes with our chuck roast burnt ends (that are even faster to cook).

Traeger Chuck Roast

Years ago I was given an electric smoke box of sorts. That was the beginning to our adventure with this type of cooking. It was actually a good introduction to things as it was small, inexpensive and easy to use.

Using that we made all sorts of great meals. Years later we upgraded to a Green Mountain, it really doesn’t matter the brand.

I will say that the one below is the most popular, but most expensive as well. I’d suggest if you are new to this whole thing I would do the same thing. See if you really love it to begin with, or if it is too much work for your lifestyle you haven’t invested quite as much. If it’s for you we have a bunch of other easy smoker recipes to try.

To get your meats absolutely perfect we have this printable meat smoking chart to refer to so each and every time it will be fork tender.

How Long to Smoke Chuck Roast

I’ll say that smoking meats is a game changer though, there is nothing else quite like it.

Combine garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Rub on all side of your roast or Chuck Steaks don’t take quite as long. Prepare smoker by placing 2-3 long sheets of aluminum foil along the bottom of the smoker element, underneath the rack, for easy cleanup.

• Fill smoker container with hardwood BBQ pellets. Set smoker to smoke. Once it starts smoking, set temperature to 250 degrees F.
• Mix together dry seasonings and coat the outside, then place the pot roast directly on the rack. Close the smoker lid. Smoke for 1.5 hours.
• Check the pellets periodically and make sure the smoker is still full and smoking. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining remaining ingredients in 4 cup liquid measuring cup: diced onion, garlic, ginger, ketchup, chili sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, water/broth, mustard, and hot pepper sauce. Stir to combine and set aside.
• After 1.5 hours, place the roast inside an aluminum foil pan. Pour sauce over chuck roast. Cover aluminum pan with a piece of foil.

Smoke for 4 hours at 250°, or until the roast pulls apart easily with 2 forks and internal temperature of the meat is at least 165 F. You want low long to get it to shred nicely like our slow cooker chuck roast does. Allow to rest, covered, for 30 minutes before slicing cuts of beef to keep it moist. If you try to pull apart and it is tough, it needs longer.

Smoked Roast

What is so great about cooking proteins this way?? Yes it takes a long time but low and slow is usually worth the wait. If you slow cook foods, or have in the past, you know this is very true. Yes the seasonings make it phenomenal but you could do the same thing in a fraction of time with our air fryer chuck roast.

What makes it so different is the longer time frame at a lower heat really breaks down the connective tissue so it almost melts in your mouth. The flavor of the pellets or wood chips does seep inside for a smoky flavor on top of what you already added too. You will see for yourself with the first bite friends. 😉

How do you know if smoked meats are done? They should pull apart easily with just two forks without yanking at all. Even if you are planning to slice it instead of shredded beef it should pull away easily without much effort at all.

How do you reheat a chuck roast without drying it out

First off you are going to want to store it properly. If you have freezer bags those are better than just wrapping it up in butcher paper. Reason being is there will be sauce that you want to keep on the outside.

Wait until it fully cools before packaging it up and store in the fridge overnight. It will last up to 4 days but 24 hours later is ideal to enjoy again. Keep some of that sauce, or make a new batch. If you have quite a bit left over you might want to cut the sauce recipe in half and make a new batch.

It can be used to reheat your meat and still keep it moist. Smother the top and either microwave or warm in a small pan the next day. It’s great served as sliders this way.

Now jump to check out the printable smoked chuck roast recipe below and get started. A few of our favorite side dishes with this would be a batch of Hawaiian coleslaw served on the side, veggies, or rolls cut in half with this served inside.