Smoked Beef Roast

This smoked beef roast is a smokey, intensely beefy roast that takes minimal effort for the ultimate Sunday dinner. It's so easy that you'll have plenty of time to prepare your side dishes for the perfect family meal. Not to mention, this roast is completely budget-friendly.

Serve with fantastic potato side dishes like fondant potatoes or Parmesan roasted mashed potatoes. I love sauteed asparagus or garlic green beans for my vegetable side dish, but a simple Caesar salad or wedge salad is just as tasty.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍖 Best Cut Of Beef
• 🪵 Best Wood For Smoking Beef
• 🔪 How To Smoke A Beef Roast
• 🌡️ Internal Temperatures For Beef
• 💭 Tips & Notes
• 🥡 Storing & Reheating
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🥩 🍖 🔥 Best Smoked Beef Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews

This easy-to-make smoked beef roast is an ideal way to take a very cost-effective cut of beef like the eye of round, top round, or bottom round roasts and add amazing flavor. My smoked roast beef is a family favorite dinner for good reason.

I frequently use these beef round cuts as they are low-fat, undervalued, but extremely flavorful. The rich, beefy flavor is incredibly tasty when smoked.

🥘 Ingredients

In addition to your roast, all you'll need is an assortment of seasonings. It really is as easy as it sounds.

• Beef Roast - A 4-pound eye of round, or use another lean beef cut suitable for roasting like Bottom Round or Top Round.
• Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or Worcestershire sauce.
• Seasonings - 1 tablespoon of sea salt and paprika as well as 1 teaspoon of black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

🍖 Best Cut Of Beef

I'm using an Eye of Round. It’s lean, flavorful, juicy, and tender when cooked low and slow. Plus, the leftovers are absolutely perfect for slicing thin and piling high on some smoked roast beef sandwiches or French dip sandwiches.

You can also use the Top Round or Bottom Round as well. These cuts are all part of the beef round, which is described below.

Hindquarter Cut (Beef Rump & Leg)

Generally speaking, this primal cut from the cow is a well-exercised muscle that yields superb results when cooked with care. Because the cuts from the 'Beef Round' are lean with minimal marbling, they will quickly become tough and chewy if over-cooked.

Always watch the roasts carefully, whether they are roasted, braised, or smoked, with a close eye on your beef toward the end of the cooking cycle.

The Beef Round Includes:

1. Top Round - the top round is also known as the 'inside round' and is the top portion of the beef round. It is the most tender of the three beef round portions.
2. Eye of Round - also called an eye round roast, this cut is commonly cut into steaks and used as cube steak. The eye of round is rich in flavor with a good texture when served medium rare!
3. Bottom Round - the bottom round is usually cut into two portions, the bottom round roast and rump roast. The bottom round is a tougher cut and is typically used as corned beef. The tip of the bottom round is the rump roast and is commonly served as roast beef.

All of the beef round cuts do well when cooked with plenty of moisture. While I would normally baste these roasts, I try to keep my smoker closed from start to finish.

🪵 Best Wood For Smoking Beef

Oak and hickory are two of the best wood chips to use when smoking meats, along with mesquite, which has a strong and distinct smoked flavor. Maple, pecan, and walnut also impart a mild flavor that is good when paired with beef, as well as the fruit tree flavors from apple and cherry woods.

1. Mesquite – is an oily wood that adds a distinctive flavor to your smoked beef and other meats.
2. Hickory – adds a strong smoked flavor to your smoked meats and is one of the most popular woods used in smoking.
3. Apple Wood – adds a great, mild smoked flavor with a touch of sweetness.
4. Oak – a great smoked flavor that is not overpowering. Oak chips can be used on their own for longer cook times without needing to be combined with any other wood varieties.
5. Pecan – a wood that is wonderful when used in combination with other woods for smoking. I like to mix pecan chips with a type of fruitwood for the best flavor and to keep the pecan from adding a pungent flavor.
6. Cherry – adds a mahogany-like dark coloring to your smoked beef bark. This is a great wood to use in combination with hickory, oak, or pecan.  A very versatile wood for smoking any meat!
7. Maple - even though I like to use maple with poultry and sometimes pork, it is a great secondary flavor to combine with stronger woods. The mild maple flavor is slightly sweet and pairs well with hickory.

All of these are wonderful woods to use when smoking beef cuts! You can also get creative and combine wood chips to customize your smoked meat flavors.

🔪 How To Smoke A Beef Roast

Smoking your beef roast is incredibly simple and totally hands-off! All you need is a small bowl, your smoker, a knife, a meat thermometer, and a cutting board.

One 4-pound roast is enough for about 8 servings, but you can easily replicate this recipe with whatever size roast you have.

Season the Beef Roast

Combine the seasoning in a small bowl. Mix 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of both sea salt and paprika and 1 teaspoon (5 grams) each of black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder until the rub is well blended.

I have three favorite methods for seasoning my roasts:

1. If I'm thinking far enough ahead and want an amazing crust, I season by applying the dry rub for beef roast directly onto the roast. Leave the meat uncovered and refrigerate it overnight. *This is like a quick dry brine and works fabulously with other meats like pork, lamb, and goat. Allow the meat to come to room temperature for at least an hour before smoking.
2. Apply 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of olive oil, or your preferred cooking oil, then apply the seasoning blend and distribute the rub evenly by massaging it into the beef cut. Leave your roast out to warm to room temperature for at least an hour before smoking.
3. Apply 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of Worcestershire sauce and apply the seasoning in the same way as noted above when using olive oil.

Smoke the Beef Roast

1. Preheat. Once you've selected your desired wood chips or pellets, load the hopper or chip basket and preheat your pellet grill, Traeger, or electric smoker to 225ºF (107ºC).
2. Place. Place the seasoned 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) beef roast directly onto your smoker grill racks. If there is a fat side of your beef cut, roast the beef with the fat facing upward. This allows the fats to break down and keep the roast moist and flavorful, rather than all of the wonderful fatty flavor dripping away directly.
3. Add probe. If you have a meat probe available to you, insert the meat probe directly into the thickest portion of the beef roast. Keep the probe away from fatty portions or the bone. *A meat probe is ideal, as you can keep your smoker closed throughout the smoking process. This keeps the temperature consistent, which is ideal for evenly cooking or smoking any meat.
4. Smoke. Smoke your roast at 225ºF (107ºC). Allow the beef roast to smoke for approximately 30 minutes per pound, or 2 hours in the case of this 4-pound eye of round roast.
5. Remove. Remove the smoked roast beef when the internal temperature reaches your desired level of doneness, as noted in the section below. I usually remove my beef roasts between 125ºF - 135ºF (52ºC - 57ºC) for a beautifully medium-rare roast.
6. Rest. Cover your cooked roast loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil in a 'tented' style. Allow the smoked beef to rest for 30 minutes before slicing it against the grain to serve.

🌡️ Internal Temperatures For Beef

The level of doneness is based on the internal temperature of the roast as read by a digital meat thermometer. With these leaner cuts of beef (eye of round - pictured here, top round, and bottom round) I use the internal temperatures given below for the levels of doneness.

Most importantly, these beef cuts should not be overcooked. Your smoked eye of round (or top round or bottom round) is best served between rare to medium-rare, in my opinion.

I recommend medium done at most! Otherwise, the lean cuts tend to dry out rapidly and become tough once cooked beyond medium-rare to medium.

120-125ºF	49-52ºC	Rare
125-135ºF	52-57ºC	Medium Rare
135-140ºF	57-60ºC	Medium

💭 Tips & Notes

• Don't forget to use your pan juices to make a sensational au jus or beef au jus.
• A meat probe is ideal for monitoring the temperature, as you can keep your smoker closed throughout the smoking process. This keeps the temperature consistent, which is ideal for evenly cooking or smoking any meat.
• When serving, slice the roast against the grain. This breaks up the muscle fibers further, making your smoked beef roast portions even more tender.
• Oak and Hickory are my top two picks for wood, especially when combined with cherry wood!.
• You can add a pan of water to your smoker to enhance the moistness of your smoking beef roast.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

Once cooled completely, place leftover roast into a sealed container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Reheat your roast by lacing it (either sliced or whole) into a baking dish that is tightly covered with a lid or foil. Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 20-30 minutes.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🥩 🍖 🔥 Best Smoked Beef Recipes

• Smoked Chuck Roast - Classic pot roast that is covered in a dry rub and then smoked.
• Traeger Smoked Brisket - Brisket is coated in mustard and dry rub and then cooked low and slow.
• Smoked Tomahawk Steak - A hearty steak that is sure to wow your friends and family.
• Smoked Beef Back Ribs - Ribs are smoked in a dry rub and then brushed with BBQ sauce.
• Smoked Short Ribs - These fall-off-the-bone ribs are incredibly tender and flavorful.
• Smoked Meatloaf - Fire up your smoker for this tasty twist on traditional meatloaf.

📖 Recipe Card