3lb Beef Shoulder Roast

Mickholt · Aug 4, 2026

Probably should have asked before I started, but what internal temperature should I be shooting for on this beef shoulder roast? I've seen 145 to 150 and then 200 in a couple of different places. I'm cooking it at 225 so that I can use the added smoke feature of the Traeger 650.
All help is appreciated.

RayClem · Aug 5, 2026

Remember that the shoulder of a cow is responsible for supporting a lot of weight. It is a hard working muscle. While the shoulder roast comes from the chuck primal of the cow, it is somewhat leaner than a typical chuck roast. Thus, to prevent it from being tough, it needs to be cooked to an higher temperature than a roast from a more tender part of the cow. At temperatures above 160F, the collagen begins to break down into gelatin, but this process proceeds more quickly at temps above 180F.

You might want to consider doing a long, slow cook at 225-250F just as you might cook a brisket. It might take more than 12 hours.

Mickholt · Aug 5, 2026

RayClem said:
Remember that the shoulder of a cow is responsible for supporting a lot of weight. It is a hard working muscle. While the shoulder roast comes from the chuck primal of the cow, it is somewhat leaner than a typical chuck roast. Thus, to prevent it from being tough, it needs to be cooked to an higher temperature than a roast from a more tender part of the cow. At temperatures above 160F, the collagen begins to break down into gelatin, but this process proceeds more quickly at temps above 180F.

You might want to consider doing a long, slow cook at 225-250F just as you might cook a brisket. It might take more than 12 hours.

Thanks...that all makes 100% sense. I think I had it on for about 5.5 hours once I took it off...and despite it not really having much smoke flavor, a good pink ring just not the flavor..., it turned out pretty tender...wife and boy both liked it...
Thanks again