Poor Mans Brisket

What is the poor mans brisket?

Chuck Roast is often referred to as the poor mans brisket.

What is a Chuck Roast?

Chuck Roast comes from the front upper shoulder area of the cow. It’s a large primal cut known for its rich beefy flavor.

Brisket is a cut that is located under the Chuck. It has a much higher fat content. This is easy to spot because Briskets have a huge fat cap that one should trim.

Both the Chuck Roast and Brisket cuts are best cooked low and slow. So smoking is ideal for both cuts of beef.

Why is Chuck Roast considered the poor man’s brisket?

As you know smoking brisket is not easy or cheap. Smoking Chuck Roast is a great replacement due to reasons such as cost, ease, and cooking time.

The price per pound for Chuck Roast and Brisket is around the same. The difference in cost comes from Chuck Roasts’ smaller cut sizes. It’s also easier to find in stores than brisket is.

Chuck Roast is similar in structure to a Brisket. So you will need to smoke this cut of beef low and slow like a brisket.

Also, there is not a huge fat cap on Chuck Roasts like there is on briskets. This means there is no need to trim the fat off before smoking, unlike a brisket.

Since Chuck Roasts are also smaller in size they should also cook much faster. It takes around 6-8 hours to smoke a Chuck Roast like a brisket.

So Chuck Roast is called the “poor mans brisket” because it’s cheaper, easier, and quicker to prepare.

How to Prep a Chuck Roast for Smoking

The following is how I prepare the poor mans brisket. There are many ways to do it but this way I found really easy that almost anyone can do it. Try my Brisket Rub Recipe for a dry rub for an excellent and easy way to season your Chuck. If you prefer to buy something then try Kosmos or something similar.

List of items needed

1. Chuck Roast
2. Dry Rub
3. Yellow Mustard
4. Foil pans
5. Aluminum Foil
6. Cutting Board
7. Smoker
8. BBQ Tongs
9. Meat Thermometer
10. Food-safe spray bottle
11. Beef Broth
12. Thick Towels
13. Cooler or Ice Chest
14. Brisket Slicing Knife

Prepping the Poor Man’s Brisket

1. Place the Chuck Roast on your cutting board. Cover the entire surface with yellow mustard.
2. Next, sprinkle your dry rub over the entire surface of the meat. Try to sprinkle at least 12 inches above the Chuck Roast to evenly season.
3. After that place the Chuck into the foil pan and cover with foil. Put into the refrigerator and leave overnight.

How to Smoke a Chuck Roast

The following are the steps I perform when smoking the “Poor Man’s Brisket”.

1. Take the Chuck Roast out of the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature.
2. To be safe I get my smoker over 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes. This is to kill off any old bacteria left from previous cooks.
3. Once I have a steady temperature of around 220 degrees Fahrenheit I put the Chuck on the grill.
4. I put a meat thermometer in the Chuck Roast so I can monitor internal temperature. Try to put it in a dense spot on the roast since you may get hotter readings from areas with a lot of fat.
5. Don’t disturb the Chuck Roast for 2-3 hours. What this means is don’t open the lid to the smoker if you can help it. Of course, if you suspect something wrong open the lid up.
6. After 2-3 hours the meat should be forming a nice crust.
7. Once the crust is formed check about every hour to see if the meat is drying out. If it appears to be drying out spritz with a food-safe sprayer. I use one of the following: Beef Broth, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Beer.
8. Once the internal temperature reaches around 160 degrees Fahrenheit I usually wrap the meat.

Read on for my method of wrapping the poor mans brisket.

How to Wrap a Chuck Roast

When the Chuck Roasts internal temperature reaches around 160 degrees Fahrenheit I put them in foil pans. I then pour beef broth into the foil pan so there is enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan. I would suggest not submerging the Chuck Roast in liquid. So put just enough to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Once the beef broth has been added to the foil pan cover it with aluminum foil. Then place back into the smoker. Expect another 2-3 hours of cooking time.

When to Remove Chuck Roast from Smoker

When the poor man’s brisket reaches an internal temperature reaches around 200 degrees Fahrenheit I start probing the Chuck Roast.

What I mean by probing is I use the meat thermometer to poke the meat. I slide the meat thermometer in and out of the roast. What you are looking for with this method is the tenderness of the meat. Once you can slide the meat thermometer in and out like butter it’s ready to remove from the smoker.

Resting the Chuck Roast

Once the Chuck Roast is removed from the smoker it’s time to let it rest for at least an hour.

Resting allows for the meat to reabsorb moisture. Thus giving you juicer meat. Nobody wants dry meat and you have worked too hard for this result.

This is how I rest my smoked Chuck Roasts. Immediately after removing from smoker, I wrap the foil pans in old bath towels to keep the heat in. Once wrapped in towels I then put them into an ice chest until it’s time to eat.

I have kept the poor mans brisket in the ice chest for 4-5 hours and they were still piping hot when I removed them. So within reason, you can keep them in the ice chest for quite a while. Just make sure you have them in there for at least 1 hour.

Slicing

Pitmasters recommend not slicing the meat until you are ready to eat. This is because once you start slicing the meat starts to dry out.

When slicing it’s best to slice against the grain of the meat. Cutting against the grain cuts through the fibers of the meat and makes them shorter. Shorter fibers make the meat more tender and easier to chew. If you have had chewy meat then it was most likely not sliced correctly.

The Bottom Line

Is Chuck Roast better than Brisket? In my opinion, the answer to this is no. A properly smoked brisket is hard to beat. With all that moisture from the rendered fat combined with the smokiness, it’s a treat to eat. The taste and texture of Chuck Roast come closer than any other meat to a brisket.

This is one of the reasons why Chuck Roast is called the poor man’s brisket. So if you are looking for a cheaper, easier, and less time-consuming alternative to brisket then you have found it. Now it’s time for you to smoke your own “Poor Man’s Brisket”.