I have been buying New York Strip roasts in the 6-8 pound range at Costco and figuring out the best way of preparing them. I finally have a technique down that is incredibly simple and is a GREAT way to feed steak to a crowd.
Slow cooking a 6-8 pound roast in a smoker is so much easier than trying to cook a dozen steaks over a hot grill.
Here is the easy to follow process that I use to smoke a New York Strip Roast.
Prepare the New York Strip Roast For the Smoker
The two steps for prepping the roast are trimming and seasoning.
Trim the New York Roast
We are going to start by trimming the roast to remove the fat cap and silverskin.
There are a lot of folks who are going to tell you that “fat is flavor” and you should keep the fat cap on. I disagree.
Under the fat cap is a layer of silverskin. That silverskin will not get tender during cooking but will prevent smoke and seasoning from reaching the meat. I say go ahead and expose the entire surface of the roast so you can get more flavor in there.
Here is a Before and After shot of this roast. Trimming the roast has multiple benefits:
- More surface exposure for seasoning
- My smoker will stay cleaner
- My guests won’t be chewing on bites of fat and silverskin
Season the Roast
After the roast has been trimmed it is time to season it with a dry rub.
Montreal Steak Seasoning is my “go to” steak seasoning just because it is pretty good and readily available at the grocery store. In reality there are a ton of beef rubs that would work equally well on this cut. You could go with something as simple as salt and pepper or something as complex as these world championship winning brisket rubs.
Apply a liberal coating of the rub to the meat but don’t cover everything up because you want the smoke to be able to reach the meat. You do not need to use a binder to get the rub to adhere but if you wanted to use one then I would suggest a thin coating of Worcestershire sauce.
Smoke the Roast at 225F
Set your pellet grill to 225F and let it preheat for 15-20 minutes.
The roast is only in the smoker for a couple of hours so I went with Hickory which has a stronger flavor profile than you get with something like Apple. For more information about smoke woods and beef check out Best Wood For Smoking Brisket.
Put the seasoned roast on the smoker, close the lid and let it cook for two hours.
After two hours the roast will have taken on a reddish color from the smoke but won’t look too appealing but that’s okay!
At the two hour mark baste the roast with some barbecue sauce, I prefer Head Country Hot and Spicy. I like Head Country because it has the right color profile and is bold enough to stand up to the beef. Don’t be messing around with Mustard Sauce, Sweet Kraft BBQ Sauce, Alabama White Sauce or Carolina Vinegar Sauce.
Here is a shot of the roast Before and After the sauce was applied and allowed to set for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Much better!
After two and a half hours start checking the internal temperature of the roast.
The roast is Medium Rare when it reaches an internal temperature of 135F. If you prefer your beef Medium Well then take it to an internal temperature of 145F.
Allow the roast to rest for 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Go ahead and give this technique a try…You will be glad that you did!
Smoked New York Roast is Better Than Brisket
I love brisket as much as the next guy but this is a much better way of feeding beef to a crowd.
While the roast costs almost twice as much on a per pound basis than a brisket that difference becomes negligible when you come down to the final cost per serving. You lose about half the weight of the brisket during trimming and cooking but only a fraction of the roast goes to waste.
The roast takes a fraction of the time to cook compared to a brisket and, assuming that you are using a digital thermometer to measure internal temperatures, is almost impossible to screw up.

Smoked New York Strip Roast
Ingredients
- 1 New York Strip Roast 6-8 pounds
- 5 tbs Montreal Steak Seasoning (or beef rub of choice)
- 1/2 cup Head Country Hot and Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Instructions
- Trim the fat cap and underlying silverskin from the roast.
- Season the roast liberally with the Montreal Steak Seasoning
- Set your smoker (or oven) to 225F.
- Smoke the roast for two hours using hickory.
- Brush the roast with barbecue sauce.
- Cook for another 30 minutes until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 135F.
- Let the roast rest for 15-30 minutes then slice thinly and enjoy!
Notes