Smoked Chuck Roast Tacos
Get ready to up your taco game with these smoked chuck roast tacos! Season a beef chuck roast with classic Mexican ingredients, smoke it on the pellet grill or smoker, then braise for a tender roast with incredible flavor. Shred the beef and assemble your new favorite smoked tacos!
Often referred to as the “poor man’s brisket”, beef chuck roast remains an under-appreciated cut of meat across the culinary landscape. But don’t let this humble façade fool you into thinking it’s not worth adding to your regular menu.
Like pork shoulder, chuck roast is economical, able to feed a crowd and is extremely versatile as it can be prepared many ways for a variety of dishes. Smoking low and slow for awesome shredded beef bbq sandwiches, simmering in a slow cooker for Mississippi Pot Roast, or even grinding fresh chuck for the ultimate smash burgers, the possibilities are endless.
The beefy, rich flavor produced from a smoked chuck roast is a natural fit for Mexican food, especially tacos. And the recipe for these Smoked Chuck Roast Tacos is a game changer. The tender, zesty, shredded chuck combined with fresh toppings tucked in a crispy, crunchy shell—it’s a literal fiesta for your tastebuds! And dare I say, this is one of our favorite Mexican dishes to make on the pellet grill or smoker.
Before we get to the recipe, let’s look at why chuck roast is so downright delicious.
Why Chuck Roast Works Best For Shredded Beef Tacos
Chuck roast comes from the shoulder area of the cow, which is a well-exercised muscle. This results in more connective tissue and tougher meat compared to more tender cuts like tenderloin or ribeye.
Obviously, many people prefer cuts that are naturally tender and may shy away from chuck roast because of its potential toughness. Oddly enough, the toughness makes chuck roast so special. When the fat and connective tissue breaks down through the slow cooking process, a magical transformation takes place, turning the once tough chuck into some of the most succulent, flavorful, and yes tender beef you’ll ever taste.
That’s why the rich flavor, versatility and economic value make chuck roast a bit of a hidden gem—especially for those willing to invest a little time and effort smoking low n’ slow outdoors, or gently braising in a Dutch oven.
More of a visual learner? Watch me make this smoked chuck roast tacos recipe on our YouTube channel here:
How to Make Smoked Beef Tacos With Chuck Roast
Ready to make some tacos? Here’s what you need to do for the best tacos with smoked pulled beef: *You can find the recipe card to print out at the end of this post.
Season
Since we’re sticking to a more traditional “gringo” style taco, the seasoning needs to reflect classic ingredients. The first step is to add a slathering of Tajin on all sides of the chuck roast, which adds a bit of lime flavor and also acts as a binder for the seasoning. Go heavy on both sides.
What comes next is a two-part seasoning process. First, sprinkle the chuck roast with our Texas style rub. And for an additional pop of flavor, combine 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of coriander, 1 tablespoon of cumin and 1 tablespoon of paprika in a small bowl. Mix well and add a heavy coating of the spice rub to both sides of the chuck roast.
Smoke
While the chuck roast absorbs the seasoning, prepare your smoker for a low n’ slow indirect cook, aiming to keep the temperature of the pit between 250-300 degrees F. Once the smoker reaches the proper temp, add a few small chunks of wood to the coals and place your seasoned chuck roast on the indirect side. Smoke on low heat for about 3 hours.
You can also place a few jalapeños on the smoker for 2-3 hours until they are soft and smoky.
Braise
While the chuck roast finishes up smoking, get ingredients ready for the next step: braising. You’ll need half of thinly sliced onion, 4 to 5 cloves of garlic that have been roughly chopped, 1 packet of taco seasoning, beef broth, and jalapeños in juice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, add half a box of beef broth, juice from the jalapeños, packet of taco seasoning, garlic, and thinly sliced onions. Add the smoked chuck roast and spoon some of the braising liquid on top. Place lid back on Dutch oven and place in the oven for a couple of hours. You’ll know when it’s done because the roast will be super tender and you’ll be able to shred the beef easily.
Assemble
When the chuck roast is done braising, remove from Dutch oven and let sit for a few minutes on a cutting board before pulling apart and shredding.
Gather simple toppings like hot sauce, sour cream, lettuce, hand grated shredded cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and lettuce. Slice up the smoked jalapeños.
On a heated griddle, throw down some peanut oil and a few store-bought (preferably corn) tortillas. Let the tortillas heat up for a minute or two before adding shredded beef to one side of the tortilla (similar to the process for beef birria tacos). Fold the tortilla over to create a taco and keep flipping and adding oil as necessary until taco is browned and crispy.
Remove tacos from the griddle, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips:
- Be patient – Low and slow is the way to go. Let the smoker do its job, infusing the chuck roast with smoky goodness before giving it a gentle braise in the oven.
- Don’t skimp on seasoning – Chuck roast is a big hunk of meat and can handle more seasoning than you think. Don’t hold back when seasoning the outside of the meat.
- Create the crisp – While this recipe is a bona fide flavor bomb, take the time to crisp up the tortillas. The crunchy taco shells compliment the smoky, rich beef in the best way possible.
- Smoke the canned jalapenos – You only need the juice from the canned jalapenos for this recipe, but you can still use the whole jalapenos. Add them to the grill grates while the chuck roast is smoking, then slice and serve as toppings for the tacos.
- Substitute store-bought taco shells if you wish – You can substitute crispy taco shells or flour tortillas for soft tacos to save a few steps. However, if you’ve never tried this method of using corn tortillas and frying them yourself, you should try it once! You may never go back to boxed taco shells again!
What to serve with Smoked Chuck Roast Tacos
The shredded beef for these chuck roast tacos is so delicious that we recommend keeping the taco toppings classic.
For an awesome taco night feast, serve your smoked beef roast tacos with diced white onion, shredded oaxaca cheese, diced tomatoes, and fresh guacamole. For side dishes, try a Mexican Street Corn Salad or Mexican Black Beans.
And if you’re doing a full-on fiesta, then you can make this awesome smoked street corn dip as an appetizer!
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Smoked Chuck Roast Tacos
Ingredients
- 3-3½ lb chuck roast
- 3 tablespoons Tajin hot sauce *Enough to use as a binder on all sides of the chuck roast.
- 4 tablespoons Texas Rub recipe
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- corn tortillas
- high heat cooking oil *Enough to fry the corn tortillas/tacos.
- shredded lettuce, fresh grated cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream *Or your favorite taco toppings for serving.
Braising Liquid:
- ½ medium onion thinly sliced
- 4-5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning *We used the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix.
- 12 ounce can pickled jalapenos (just use the juice) *Canned not jarred – We used the LaCostena brand.
- 16 ounce beef broth
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast. Rub a thin even layer of Tajin hot sauce on all sides of the chuck roast to act as a binder. Sprinkle all sides of the chuck roast with the Texas rub. Then, mix chili powder, coriander, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle the roast with the chili powder mixture.
- Prepare the grill. While the chuck roast is resting, preheat a grill or smoker to about 250-275℉ with your choice of wood.
- Smoke the chuck roast. Place the chuck roast on the indirect heat side of the grill. Smoke for about 3 hours, flipping the roast about halfway through the smoking time.
- Braise the chuck roast. Preheat oven to 350℉. In a dutch oven, add the ingredients for the braising liquid – beef broth, juice from the can of pickled jalapeños, taco seasoning, garlic, and sliced onion. Stir to combine. Add the smoked chuck roast to the liquid, and spoon some of the liquid over the roast. Cover and bake at 350℉ for about 2-2.5 hours, or until the roast is tender and can be shredded easily.
- Shred the beef roast. Remove the smoked chuck roast from the braising liquid and allow to cool slightly on a cutting board. Transfer the leftover braising liquid to a bowl (add a few tablespoons of water or beef stock to thin it out if needed – you should have about 1-1½ cups of liquid left). Pull and shred the beef. Then pour the reserved braising liquid over the shredded beef, and mix to combine.
- Assemble the shredded beef tacos. Add a few tablespoons of high heat cooking oil to a griddle or skillet. Place a few corn tortillas in the oiled area, and let the tortillas heat up for a minute or two before adding shredded beef to one side of the tortilla. Fold tortilla over to create a taco and keep flipping and adding oil to the cooking surface as necessary until taco is browned and crispy.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. When tortillas are golden brown, remove the tacos from the griddle. Add your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don’t skimp on seasoning – Chuck roast is a big hunk of meat and can handle more seasoning than you think. Don’t hold back when seasoning the outside of the meat.
- Smoke the canned jalapenos – You only need the juice from the canned jalapenos for this recipe, but you can still use the whole jalapenos. Add them to the grill grates while the chuck roast is smoking, then slice and serve as toppings for the tacos.
- Substitute store-bought taco shells if you wish – You can substitute crispy taco shells or flour tortillas for soft tacos. I personally prefer using corn tortillas and frying them myself.
