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Pulled Smoked Chuck Roast

February 12, 2022 by Lyuba Leave a Comment

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Pulled beef has never tasted better than smoked slowly for several hours. This smoked beef chuck recipe is so easy and low maintenance but comes out incredibly juicy, tender, and full of flavor.

top view of pulling smoked beef chuck in a skillet

Smoked Chuck Roast

They call beef chuck “the poor man’s brisket,” which is fully because brisket itself was never an expensive cut until recently. It’s only in recent years when brisket gained so much popularity, it’s price shot up incredibly.

The best way to smoke beef chuck roast is similar to the way you would do it in the oven. You just need to give it time to soak up all the wonderful smoked flavor first.

This pulled beef comes out so incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful, it will be very popular with the whole family. Make sure to save some for using in nachos, tacos, sandwiches, and so many other dishes. Oh, why not make extra and save the leftovers!

What is Beef Chuck?

Chuck is a large cut of beef that comes from the upper shoulder and lower neck area, as well as some rib area. It averages around 4 lbs. but can range a couple lbs. more or less. This cut is very lean and has a lot of connective tissue and muscle that gets exercised a lot. It’s a tough cut but very flavorful and perfect for braising. 

This cut is also inexpensive because it’s so tough and has lots of marbling and connective tissue. It’s definitely not a cut that you want to cook quickly but it’s perfect for slow cooking (like smoking low and slow) and again, very flavorful.

Beef chuck is also very good at soaking in flavors that it’s cooked in, that’s why this cut is one of the best ones to smoke. It will soak up all those beautiful smoke flavors in just a few hours. 

How to Smoke Beef Chuck

The short answer is low and slow with lots of flavor! Now, let’s get to the longer answer and step by step instructions.

beef chuck on a cutting board with seasoning in a bowl next to it

Ingredients:

Beef chuck – try to get a good quality cut, like a “prime” cut. It will have nice and even marbling and high quality meat. If you have to, go with “choice” as your second option but don’t use “select.” Look for nice even coloring and good marbling throughout the meat.

Beef Seasoning – I usually use my beef rub for most of my smoked beef recipes, this is not an exception. It’s a simple combination of coarse salt, black pepper, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and brown sugar.

Onion – use yellow onion or sweet onion. Both are good for slow cooking and adding a nice, slightly sweet, onion flavor.

Apple juice – just a little apple juice to create a nice sweet and acidic balance in the meat juices.

Beef stock – try to use stock vs broth because stock has a deeper, richer flavor.

onions in a skillet, apple juice, and beef stock next to it

Smoking Directions:

  • seasoned beef chuck on a baking sheet with thermometer
  • beef chuck on top of sliced onions and liquids in a skillet
  • Smoked beef chuck in juices in a skillet
  • pulling apart smoked beef chuck in a skillet

Prepare the Beef:

If you plan to smoke beef right away, make sure to give it about 45 minutes out of the refrigerator to warm up. If you want to give it time to marinate in the seasoning overnight, you don’t need to warm it up first.

Place beef chuck in a shallow rimmed baking pan and liberally sprinkle beef rub all over it. Pat it in and turn over to season the other side. Make sure that the whole beef chuck is seasoned well, on all sides.

At this point, you can wrap it tight in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight or it can go right on the smoker.

Before placing it on the smoker, make sure to insert a leave-in thermometer probe through the side and towards the center of the beef.

Smoking Beef Chuck:

Prepare your smoker according to your smoker’s needs and don’t forget to add the wood! Preheat the smoker to 225° and place the seasoned beef chuck onto the smoker.

Close the lid and let it smoke for about 3 hours (when internal temperature will reach around 165°). Maintain the smoker temperature about 225°-240°.

Spread sliced onion in the bottom of the skillet and pour in the mixture of beef stock, apple juice, and beef rub seasoning.

Take the chuck off the smoker and place it on top of the onions. Cover the whole skillet with aluminum foil, nice and air-tight. (Make sure not to take out the thermometer probe.)

Place the skillet with the beef back onto the smoker, raise the temperature to 250°, and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 203°-205°. (It could take 3-5 more hours, depending on the size and the beef itself.)

Take the beef off the smoker and let it sit on the counter and rest for about 20-30 minutes. Take the foil off and use meat claws to shred the beef.

TIP: You can save the juices if you have extra and use it to make sauce!

pulled beef chuck in a skillet with claws

Frequently Asked Questions:

What wood is good for smoking beef?

When smoking beef, you can go for stronger, richer woods because this meat can take it. While you can still use the lighter and milder woods, I like to go for hickory, or Jack Daniels blend. You can also use mesquite, just remember that it is a very strong wood.

What is a good internal temperature for pulled beef?

Whether it’s beef chuck or beef brisket you want to pull, try your best to get it to 203°-205° internal temperature. While the beef is nice and tender at 195°, it’s only good for slicing. In order to pull it, you need to get it to around 203°-205°.

At what temperature to smoke beef?

To smoke beef chuck roast, start at the magic 225° while it soaks in all the beautiful wood flavors. Then, raise the temperature to 250° to finish smoking the beef wrapped, in the skillet.

pulled smoked beef chuck in a skillet

Some More Recipes You’ll Enjoy:

Smoked Pork Shoulder (pulled pork)

Smoked Beed Short Ribs

Our Favorite BBQ Sauce

PIN THIS PULLED BEEF RECIPE FOR LATER

top view of pulling smoked beef chuck in a skillet

Smoked Pulled Beef Chuck

This smoked beef chuck recipe is so easy and low maintenance but comes out incredibly juicy, tender, and full of flavor.
Print Recipe
CourseMain Course
CuisineAmerican
Keywordbeef,
Prep Time15 minutes minutes
Cook Time8 hours hours
Resting time:1 hour hour
Total Time9 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings8
Calories380kcal

Ingredients

  • 3.5-4 lbs beef chuck
  • 1/4-1/3 cup beef rub
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 1 tbsp beef rub
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Note, you can season the beef and then cover and refrigerate it overnight or you can cook it right after seasoning.
  • If you want to season and cook it right away, make sure to let it warm up on the counter for 30-45 minutes first, before seasoning.

Prepare the beef:

  • Place beef chuck in a shallow rimmed baking pan and liberally sprinkle beef rub all over it. Pat it in and turn over to season the other side. Make sure that the whole beef chuck is seasoned well, on all sides.
  • Before placing it on the smoker, make sure to insert a leave-in thermometer probe through the side and towards the center of the beef.

Smoking Beef Chuck:

  • Prepare your smoker according to your smoker’s needs and don’t forget to add the wood! Preheat the smoker to 225° and place seasoned beef chuck onto the smoker.
  • Close the lid and let it smoke for about 3 hours (when internal temperature will reach around 165°). Maintain the smoker temperature about 225° but no higher than 240° during this smoke.
  • Spread sliced onion in the bottom of the skillet (make sure the skillet is large enough) and pour in the mixture of beef stock, apple juice, and a tablespoon of beef rub seasoning.
  • Take the chuck off the smoker and place it on top of the onions. Cover the whole skillet with aluminum foil, nice and air-tight. (Make sure not to take out the thermometer probe.)
  • Place the skillet with the beef back onto the smoker, raise the temperature to 250°, and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 203°-205°. (It could take 3-5 more hours, depending on the size and the beef itself.)

Rest and Pull:

  • Take the beef off the smoker and let it sit on the counter and rest, still covered, for about 20-30 minutes.
  • Take the foil off and use meat claws to shred the beef.
  • Tip: if you have a lot of excess juices, you can pour some out and use it in sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 5mg
collage of two images of pulled beef in a skillet and title
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Let's get grilling!

Welcome, everyone! I’m Lyuba Brooke, come in, grab a beer, and head to the backyard. Here, I love to grill, barbecue, and share everything I make. You will find a ton of recipes for grilling, smoking, and the sauces to dip it in.

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