I was cruising the interwebs one day and came upon a post in a Facebook Group dedicated to fans of the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker where someone made what they called an “Italian Pit Roast”. I complimented them, and politely asked for the recipe. Dead silence, then crickets chirping, and no recipe. Then came my motivation to figure it out for myself, and this recipe. I did this on my Weber Smokey Mountain 22″. This has great flavor – smokiness, a little spice, and everything nice.
I used Soo’s Donut Method for the long, slow 10-hour cook.
Smoked Chuck Italian "Pit Roast"
This takes Italian Pot Roast to a whole new level, and gives you something a little different to make with your smoker. I used a Weber Smokey Mountain 22". This has great flavor - smokiness, a little spice, and everything nice.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor Charcoal / Wood Fired Smoker (I used a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.)
- Charcoal (I used Kingsford Original Briquettes.)
- Smoke Wood (I used oak and apple.)
Ingredients
Chuck Roast Seasoning & Rub
- 3 lbs Beef Chuck Roast (Boneless, tied with butcher's twine.)
- Kosher Salt
- 1 0.6 oz jar Italian Seasoning Blend (Store-bought. I used Spice Island Organic.)
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 pinch MSG (Optional for you, but not for me)
- ¼ cup Water (Suggest filtered or bottled for best flavor.)
Sauce
- 1 28 oz. can San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes seeded and chopped
- ½ cup red wine (I used a Nebbiolo - dry Italian wine)
- 1 large onion medium diced
- 6 cloves garlic sliced thin
- salt to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Garnish
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast with Kosher salt the night before. Keep on a rack on a tray in the refrigerator.
- Start smoker the day of around 4am for 225°F.
- Make rub / paste of store-bought Italian seasoning blend (I used Spice Island Organic), sugar, MSG, and water to make a paste.
- Add rub / paste to chuck and put on 225° smoker directly on the grates.
- Allow the chuck roast to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Add everything else, (except basil), to pot and bring to a simmer for 5 mins - do just before the roast reaches 160° with time for it to cool a little.
- Pour pot contents into roasting pan, move roast to pan onto the smoker, cover with foil.
- Continue cooking until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 205°F.
- Add 1-2 cups of water to sauce in the pan as it reduces a lot and becomes quite thick and salty. (I added 2 cups.)
- Chop up meat into sauce and put over pasta of choice. (I used Bucatini.)
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve.
