The Best Pot Roasts Are Smoked. Here's Why
When you're in the mood for comfort food, nothing beats a savory pot roast and root vegetables cooked together in a medley of delicious juices. If you've never considered smoking your meat before using it in a pot roast, now is the time. Smoking and slow-roasting are two of the best ways to tenderize and pack maximum flavor into beef. Combining the two? Absolutely incredible.
Smoking utilizes indirect heat and a long cook time to break down the proteins and soften the muscle tissue. Most importantly, it imparts that distinct, smoky flavor and, sometimes, even a striking ring of pink thanks to a chemical reaction between the smoke and the myoglobin protein in meat. Using smoked chuck roast in a pot roast means that smoked-woody flavor gets deep into the meat, the surrounding veggies, and the pan juices, which, in turn, means the gravy, too. The result is the most tender and flavorful pot roast to ever grace your dining room table. You can even double up on the smoky flavor by using smoked vegetables.
How to prepare a smoked pot roast
A perfectly smoked chuck roast starts with a good seasoning. You can keep it simple here if you'd like, since the smoking process adds a lot of flavor by itself. Salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder will create a base for any herbs or spices you add later, and leave room for the addition of bold flavors like you would use for a harissa pot roast recipe or a dish showcasing herbs and fig. Usually when smoking a chuck roast, you'll want it to reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees Fahrenheit, which can take hours. But, since you'll be slow-roasting your chuck as well, you really only need to smoke it long enough to soak up all that good flavor. Next, place the smoked meat in your roasting dish or slow cooker, surround with your favorite root vegetables, garlic, herbs, and braising liquid, and begin that magical low-and-slow cooking process.
If you've gone through the trouble of smoking your pot roast, you have to go the extra step of making homemade gravy with the juices. Once your roast is fully cooked, drain the drippings and whisk in either a roux or a cornstarch slurry until the mixture thickens. Serve the smoked roast with the tender vegetables it was cooked alongside, or make some garlicky mashed potatoes and smother it all in that rich, smoky gravy for the coziest meal.