Smoked chuck roast is something you absolutely have to try. I love this stuff way more than brisket. The amount of collagen and intramuscular fat on a chuck roast makes it perfect for slow cooking and it soaks up the smoke flavor like crazy! It is also the perfect size to cook on a Weber Jumbo Joe.
This is a three pound chuck roast that I ended up painting with a light coating of yellow mustard and rubbed with the following:
- 4 Tbls kosher salt
- 3 Tbls turbinado sugar
- 1 Tbls black pepper
- 1 Tbls chili powder
- 1 Tbls granulated garlic
I set up the Jumbo Joe with an 8 inch aluminum pan on the left side of the charcoal grate and a pile of unlit Kingsford on the right side of the grate. I placed a drip pan on the far side of the charcoal grate and banked a pile of Kingsford on the near side. I lit ten briquettes in a chimney and placed them on top of the charcoal along with some hickory chunks. I placed the chuck roast over the aluminum pan, set both vents to 50% open and closed the lid with the air vent over the beef.
I let the Jumbo run undisturbed for two hours then measured the dome temperature (262F) and opened the Jumbo to see how things looked. Everything looked spot on so I closed the lid and left it alone for another hour.
After three hours I stirred the coals and added ten unlit briquettes. The chuck was looking better.
One hour later (4 hours into the cook) the chuck was placed in an 8 inch aluminum pan with about a quarter cup of beef broth. I sealed the pan with some heavy duty aluminum foil, placed it back on the grill grate, closed the lid and walked away for three hours.
After seven hours of cooking the dome temperature of the Jumbo was 273F. This was a seven hour cook and I only had to add a few briquettes at the three hour mark. The chuck had cooked four hours in smoke and three hours braising in the pan. It was perfectly cooked and, if I do say so myself, absolutely fantastic. The internal temperature of the roast will be around 195-205F. The real way to know it is done is when you can easily slide a fork into it and twist it around. The beef will be fall apart tender.
To make a proper meal one should reserve the pan juices for gravy to serve over roasted carrots, onions and potatoes. I skipped this part and just devoured the beef.
Be sure to check out some other Weber Jumbo Joe Upgrades!