Beef

Smoked & Braised Pulled Chuck Roast

A 3.66–4 lb chuck eye roast with a mustard binder, coarse pepper and The Gospel, smoked at 225°F with tallow until the bark sets, then braised in broth at 275°F until it pulls apart.

Prep
15 minutes, plus overnight
Cook
7–9 hours
Total
About 10–12 hours with rest, plus overnight
Yield
6–8 servings
Method
Smoke, then braise
Wood
Your choice

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Coat the roast with mustard, then season with coarse black pepper and a generous coat of The Gospel. Refrigerate overnight.
  2. Set your smoker to 225°F. Pour the broth into an aluminum pan and set it on the rack below the roast to catch the drippings.
  3. Smoke for about 5–6 hours, brushing with tallow every couple of hours, until the bark is fully set.
  4. Move the roast into the pan of broth and drippings, add a little more tallow on top and wrap tightly with foil. Skip the rack in the pan so it gets a full braise.
  5. Raise the smoker to 250–275°F and cook for another 2–3 hours, until probe tender, about 205–210°F.
  6. Keep it wrapped and rest for at least 1–2 hours at about 150°F. Three hours is even better.
  7. Pull the meat apart right in the pan so it soaks up the juices. Serve.

Pitmaster Notes

  • Keep the tallow in the smoker so it stays warm and doesn't cool the meat when you brush it.
  • I tried it once with a rack in the pan and regretted it. Let the roast sit right in the broth.
  • Probe tender matters more than any exact temperature. If the probe meets resistance, give it more time.
  • Save extra pan juice for reheating leftovers so they don't dry out.

Times and temps are my starting points. Every cooker and every cut runs a little different, so cook to temperature and feel, not the clock.