Originally posted: 03/01/2007
Last updated: 03/09/2008

Select The Chuck Roast

You'll find a variety of chuck roasts at the supermarket, some boneless, some bone-in, with lots of different names.

For best results, follow these chuck roast selection tips from Alton Brown of "Good Eats":

• It should contain the word "blade" in the name, indicating that it came from the shoulder blade.
• It should be cross-cut, like a really big steak.
• It should have some piece of bone in it...in fact, the longer the bone, the better.

I used a USDA Choice, 7-bone chuck roast for this recipe, so called not because it contains seven bones, but because the piece of shoulder blade bone it contains looks like the number seven. This is an easy roast to find in most supermarkets, and any good butcher will know what you want if you ask for a "7-bone roast".

The roast shown in the picture weighed 5.45 pounds. Choose something in the 5-6 pound range for this recipe.

You'll also need a disposable foil pan. Make sure to buy one that measures 18" or less diagonally so it fits on the WSM cooking grate.

My grandfather seasoned his pot roasts very simply—with garlic salt and lots of black pepper. You can season your pot roast any way you like, but Stogie does something interesting by using pre-packaged seasoning mixes—brown gravy, ranch dressing, and Italian seasoning.

Now, I know this sounds like a weird combination, but if you look at the ingredients on each packet it starts to make sense:

• Brown Gravy: Starch, whey, salt, oils, beef flavor, onion powder, garlic powder, spices, etc.
• Ranch Dressing: Sugar, buttermilk, salt, MSG, garlic powder, onion powder, spices, etc.
• Italian Seasoning: Sugar, salt, garlic, onion, spices, bell pepper, carrots, parsley, etc.

The etcetera part of each packet includes things you can't pronounce and don't know the purpose of, and if you're OK with that, I think you'll like the results. If not, just season your roast with salt, pepper, and maybe some granulated garlic. 

Picture 1 shows the packets of seasoning I used in this recipe.

Pour the contents of each packet into a small bowl and mix together, as shown in Picture 2.

Divide the mixture in half. Apply 1/2 to both sides of the roast, as shown in Picture 3. Save the remaining 1/2 for future use.

Pour 1 cup of beef broth or water over the roast, as shown in Picture 4. No stirring is necessary.

Fire The WSM

Fire-up the cooker using the Minion Method. Fill the charcoal chamber 3/4 full with unlit Kingsford charcoal briquettes, then place 20-40 lit coals on top of the unlit ones.

Put the water pan in the cooker and fill it with cold tap water to help with temperature control.

Cook The Roast

Place 2-3 medium-sized chunks of dry smoke wood on the coals. Use a mild wood—I used three chunks of apple wood.

Assemble the cooker and place the foil pan on the top grate, as shown in Picture 1. Set the three bottom vents to 100% open. Open the top vent fully and leave it that way throughout the entire cook.

When the cooker reaches about 240°F, set the three bottom vents to 25% open so the cooker settles in at 240-260°F measured at the lid. Adjust the three bottom vents as necessary to maintain this temperature range throughout the cooking session.

Cook the roast uncovered for two hours, then cover with foil and cook for another 5-6 hours until fork tender. Add vegetables and a sprinkling of black pepper during the last 2 hours of cooking, as shown in Picture 2.

I added four medium-sized potatoes and three carrots that were peeled and cut into large pieces. I also added one yellow onion that I prepared by cutting off the stem end, leaving the root end intact, then cutting into quarters lengthwise and peeling off the outside skin.

Add hot water to the water pan once after three hours of cooking, then leave the pan alone during the remainder of the cooking session to help keep the WSM temperature up.

Here's how the cooker temperatures and vent settings went during my cook:

Rest Then Serve The Pot Roast

To check the tenderness of the meat, poke it with a fork in several spots and twist. The meat should yield easily to the fork. It will also pull away cleanly from the bone.

Remove the roast from the cooker. Leave covered with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Separate the fat from the liquid in the bottom of the pan and serve as a thin gravy with the meat.

Picture 1 shows the pot roast after a 10 minute rest. Picture 2 shows the pot roast served with potatoes and carrots. Picture 3 shows a close-up view of the meat—dark, tender, and succulent.

I noted in my cooking log that the pot roast looked dark, moist, and very tender. There was a small smoke ring in the meat and plenty of thin gravy in the bottom of the pan. The meat had a subtle smoky flavor, the potatoes were tender, and the carrots were done perfectly and not mushy. The onion was soft and held together at the root end.