Can I Freeze Smoked Chuck Roast?

quote:

---

I have to smoke a lot of meat for a family gathering so I need to start days in advance. Can I smoke a few chuck roasts and freeze them for five days, thaw, and reheat them on the day of the gathering? Will that destroy the quality of the meat/cook? Thanks for your reply

---

It should be fine. Just leave them whole and don't slice them. Use a vacuum sealer if you have one. When reheating, let thaw out for a day first, then pop them in the oven at 200 for an hour or more to bring them up to temp.

yes we do brisket all the time and add to chili or just heat and eat. you will be fine

You'll be fine doing that. I've done it with Pork shoulder plenty of times. If I'm taking the time to smoke one, I've got room for two. I will end up quartering the second one and freezing individually. Leave it wrapped in foil and put it in a low oven for a couple of hours to thaw out and warm up then pull it.

I am doing 40+ pounds of pork butts and four chickens as the primary meats. I wanted to add some beef as a bonus. I chose the chuck roasts over brisket because they cook quicker than brisket and fit on my smallish smoker better. I have done brisket before but it is a real struggle with grate space. Also, I simply don't have the time to cook the pork, which takes up to 16 hours, and the brisket which took 18 hours last time. So, the 6-8 hour chuck roast seemed like a good compromise. Plus, I like experimenting with something new. Thoughts?

EDIT - I have an 18" Weber Smokkey Mountain Cooker. I will eventually buy a large stick burner but that is a next-year thing. Anyhow, brisket and ribs are a pain on the Weber. The Smokey Mountain Cooker doesn't take up much space, though, and does a fine job on pork butts and chickens. YMMV

Good idea. The smoke-braise sound like a winner. Thanks.

Reheating may cause meat to dry out and get a little tougher. My suggestion would be to make burnt ends out of the roast. I do this with left over beef all the time and the result are great. to me anyway.