Smoked Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded beef tacos topped with cabbage, guacamole and more

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2 from 2 votes

The best shredded beef tacos using a smoke chuck roast that is shredded and paired with taco fixings.

Prep Time1

Cook Time9

Total Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chuck roast, easy tacos, shredded beef tacos

Servings:

Calories: 423kcal

Ingredients

3 pound Chuck Roast trimmed
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Spice Rub

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Taco Fixings

Corn Tortillas
Cabbage
Guacamole
Salsa or Pico de Gallo
Sour Cream

Instructions

Prep Chuck Roast: Bring your roast up to room temperature by allowing it to sit on the counter for an hour before cooking it, trim fat if there is an excess, most will render during cook, but if it more than 1/4 inch thick, trim it to help it cook faster.
Season Chuck Roast: In a small bowl mix together spice rub ingredients, then using a brush, brush olive oil over the surface of the chuck roast, and evenly coat with the spice rub.
Prepare Pellet Smoker: Set your smoker temp to 250 degrees F. And turn it on. Leave lid open when igniting. Once smoke is coming out of the smoker, close the lid, and allow to preheat for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Cook Chuck Roast: Place chuck roast directly on the grates, and insert a probe or thermometer into the thickest part so you can monitor the cook progress. Depending on the size of the chuck roast, it will take about 7-9 hours to fully cook. This time will vary based on outdoor temperature, consistency of heat with your smoker, humidity, the fat content of the chuck you purchased, as well as whether or not is is bone-in or boneless. So keep an eye on it, and use a thermometer. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature between 197 degrees F and 203 degrees F. If you pull it off sooner it will not be nearly as tender.
Rest the Roast: Once your chuck roast reaches temp, double check it with an instant read thermometer, like the Thermapen One, and then remove from the grill. Let it rest in a foil pan, tented with foil for 20-30 minutes to allow juices to redistribute, and the meat to become fully tender.
Prepare Other Ingredients: While your roast rests, it is time to prep the other ingredients for your tacos. Char your tortillas, mix up your crema, guac, salsa, etc, and any of the other toppings you want for your chuck roast tacos.
Shred the Chuck: Once you have rested the meat, it is time to shred. If you bought a bone in roast, remove the bone and use forks, or shredding claws to shred the meat. It should be tender and easy to shred.
Assemble Tacos: Assemble with some of the shredded chuck roast, and whatever toppings you like best. Enjoy!

Notes

Bring Meat to Room Temp: because a chuck roast is a large piece of meat, you want to give it a chance to come to room temp so the internal and external temps are the same. This will help it have a more even cook, and produce better results. To achieve this, set your chuck roast on the counter for about an hour before your cook.

Evenly Distribute Rub Mixture: Because you have the plan to shred the meat at the end of the cook, you want to make sure all of the exterior has seasoning so each shredded piece has seasoning on it. The olive oil will act as a glue to hold your spice rub in place. So just evenly distribute it.

Pre-heat Smoker: Just like you would an oven, you want to preheat your smoker for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the temperature to regulate, and produce better, more even, cooking results because the grill will be hot when you put the roast in.

Use Thermometer: The only way to get the most tender and juicy chuck roast tacos is to use a meat thermometer. I used a meat probe the MEATER, to monitor during the cook and get a good idea of when it was close. And I used the Thermapen One, an instant read thermometer, to allows me to measure the doneness and temp of the various parts of the roast, so I do not overcook any of it. This means perfect results every time and is my #1 cooking tip. Get a good kitchen instant read thermometer (Thermoworks brand is the best), to insure perfect results.

Patience: These tacos are insanely delicious. And when cooked right, the meat is juicy and tender and basically melts in your mouth. Which is awesome since the chuck roast is a cheaper cut of meat. But the only way to achieve this is time and heat. So plan for 7-9 hours, possibly more (or less) depending on the roast and the smoker.

Rest Your Beef: The rest period is the hardest part because you want to dig in, but it is crucial to good results. Allow your beef roast to rest once it is removed from the heat before shredding it for tacos. The larger the roast, the longer the rest, so plan on about 30 minutes rest time to allow the juices to redistribute, and give you the best results possible.

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