If you’re looking for your next cooking masterpiece that leaves your guests wanting more, learn how to smoke roast beef. We promise it’s worth every single second that you spend preparing your smoker and waiting for the finished product.
Smoking roast beef takes more time than, say, slicing your roast into steaks and pan-frying them. But you probably won’t find a roast beef meal you like better. If you’re ready to try it for yourself, continue reading this guide for a recipe and all the tips you need for success.
Table of Contents
Best Cut Of Beef For Smoked Beef Roast
As you might have guessed already, smoked beef roast isn’t just one kind of beef. You can choose one of several cuts of beef to create a delicious smoked beef roast, although each cut brings something a little different to the table. For instance, some cuts are much more friendly for your budget than others, while some have a lot bolder flavor than milder cuts.
Not sure where to start? Consider a tried-and-true beef brisket. Beef brisket is the golden standard for smoking, which is why you’ll see it as one of the more common options on smokehouse menus. It gets super tender when cooking despite being one of the tougher, highly exercised cuts to start with. Plus, it has loads of flavor on its own, so smoking it only enhances those natural tastes.
If you are sticking to a budget, try chuck roast. It’s also on the tougher end of the scale as far as beef goes, but it tenderizes well with the slow-cooking method of smoking. Despite it being a more affordable option than other cuts, chuck roast still comes packed with a lot of flavor that works well with the smoker.
We also love a rib roast on the smoker. Known for its tenderness, rib roast doesn’t necessarily need to get more tender during the cooking process and, therefore, takes a bit less time to smoke. Still, it absorbs the smoker’s flavors well, adding even more taste to this fan favorite.
Preparing the Roast & Smoker
About one hour before you’re ready to start smoking your beef roast, remove the roast from the fridge. Season your roast as desired, either with a simple sprinkling of salt and pepper, a blend of seasonings, or a dry rub mix. Leave it at room temperature while you prepare the smoker.
To get your smoker ready, add whatever you’ll use to start its fire. Usually, this is charcoal or wood chips. We suggest using wood chips to get the ultimate smokey flavor that you’d expect from a smoked beef roast. More on that in a moment. Start the smoker about 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook, allowing it to preheat to 225 degrees.
Then, sear your beef roast in a large pan with a drizzle of oil on all sides. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Then, transfer the roast to the smoker.
Best Wood For Smoking Roast Beef
We mentioned that we prefer and suggest using wood to smoke roast beef. Wood chips not only allow you to maintain a low-burning fire needed for smoking, but they also send some of their flavors into the meat. For example, cherry wood chips, when burned down, integrate their sweet, fruity flavors into the meat, which works well with beef, pork, and chicken.
A top pick for smoked roast beef is hickory, the flavor you’re used to tasting in barbecue sauce. It’s bold and has a strong smoky flavor, which really brings out the natural tastes in smoked roast beef. Mesquite and oak are also popular choices. Each has a unique flavor profile but intense flavor.
If you want more muted flavors, try maple. It has a tell-tale flavor reminiscent of a Saturday morning pancake breakfast but doesn’t overpower the meat. It also adds a little sweetness to balance out the strong flavors of roast beef and the smoker.
Tips and Tricks For the Best Roast Beef
We’ve done a lot of beef smoking throughout our years in the steak industry, and we’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way. You can learn the easy way by following these tips:
- Understand That Timing Varies: Smoking times can vary significantly based on your smoker and the size of the roast. This recipe is based on a 3-4 pound roast, which usually takes closer to 3 hours to cook in a smoker. However, tougher cuts like a chuck roast or larger 4-6 pound roasts might take closer to 5 hours to cook. The good news is that roasts can typically smoke for up to 8 hours without cooking to the point of becoming mushy, so you don’t have to get it perfect.
- Don’t Cook Too Long: Yes, there is such a thing as smoking roast beef for too long. Usually, after about eight hours in the smoker, roast beef can become so tender that it teeters the line into mushy territory, which doesn’t lend well to the textured bite you expect from a roast. For best results, stick to the 4-6 hour range, maximum, unless you’re doing a large 5-6 pound roast, which could do okay with a 6-8 hour time limit.
- Wrap It Up: Once your roast reaches about 160 degrees, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil for the rest of the cooking process. This keeps the roast from drying out by locking in heat and moisture as it continues cooking and tenderizing.
Seasoning a Smoked Beef Roast
Season your smoked beef roast with salt and pepper or go bolder with your own seasoning blend or a dry rub made for beef. Here are a few ideas:
- Chicago Steak Seasoning: Our steak seasoning blend includes several spices that complement the natural flavors of beef. Although often used on steaks, Chicago Steak Seasoning works beautifully with smoked roasts, too.
- Simple Garlic Seasoning: Blend together salt, pepper, and garlic powder or minced onion to sprinkle onto your roast before smoking it. This simple 3-ingredient blend enhances the roast’s flavor without being spicy or overtly bold.
- Barbecue Sauce: Some cooks stick to their favorite barbecue sauce to flavor their smoked beef roast. If going this route, you can brush on a thin layer of barbecue sauce before adding the roast to the smoker, but you’ll need to add more a couple of hours in. After adding the second layer of sauce, wrap the beef roast in foil.
- Easy Dry Rub: Combine equal parts smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, and thyme. Then, mix in 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. Finally, blend in as much red pepper flakes as your taste buds can handle. Once blended, rub the dry rub on all sides of the beef roast before smoking.
Smoked Roast Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound beef roast
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Seasoning blend or dry rub
- Wood chips for smoking
Instructions
- Remove the roast from the refrigerator. Brush olive oil on all sides. Season it with your seasoning blend or dry rub, making sure to cover the entire roast.
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
- Sear the roast on all sides in a pan with a drizzle of oil.
- Add the roast to the smoker, close the lid, and cook for 3-5 hours. For the last 1-2 hours, wrap the roast tightly in foil. When done, the roast should reach about 180 degrees and be fork-tender.
- Rest the roast for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Conclusion: How to Smoke Roast Beef
There you have it: everything you need to know to smoke roast beef in your own backyard. When you’re ready to find more beef recipes or learn other cooking techniques for steak, roasts, ribs, and more, visit Chicago Steak Company’s Steak University for guides and inspiration.
Smoked Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs beef roast
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- seasoning blend or dry rub
- wood chips for smoking
Instructions
- Remove the roast from the refrigerator. Brush olive oil on all sides. Season it with your seasoning blend or dry rub, making sure to cover the entire roast.
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
- Sear the roast on all sides in a pan with a drizzle of oil.
- Add the roast to the smoker, close the lid, and cook for 3-5 hours. For the last 1-2 hours, wrap the roast tightly in foil. When done, the roast should reach about 180 degrees and be fork-tender.
- Rest the roast for 10-15 minutes before serving.