27 Christmas Roast Ideas For The Grill and Smoker

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If you are looking for Christmas Roast ideas to cook on the grill or smoker we have you covered. From the classic Beef Prime Rib Roast to an intimate Turkey Breast for a small crowd these recipes are our favorite roasts to make for any holiday dinner.

Slices of Prime Rib roast on a slate plate topped with horseradish butter.
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The Most Important Tools Needed for Holiday Roasts

No matter where you buy your roast from, make sure you don’t overcook it. Be sure you have a good instant read digital thermometer. Our favorite is the Thermoworks Thermapen One, which we have used for personal use and catering for over 10 years.

Taking the temperautre of a spatchcocked turkey with the Thermapen One on a pellet grill.

If you want something that tracks real-time temperature then be sure to invest in a good leave-in Bluetooth Thermometer, like the Smoke or Smoke X unit from Thermoworks. It has tremendous range, can measure 2 or 4 temperature zones and will make sure you never overcook your expensive holiday roast.

Beef Roast Recipes for Christmas

Arguably the king and queen of all the Christmas roast ideas, beef roasts tend to be the most popular. Explore some of the alternatives to classic prime rib, like smoked brisket or a large rack of succulent and slowly smoked beef ribs. And if you are looking for wine – check out our article on pairing wine with beef roasts.

For seasoning, mix and match flavors as well from a list of our best seasoning recipes including the classic SPG beef rub and our ultimate beef rub with herbs cooked on a grilled tomahawk steak (which is also a great option for two people).

1
Smoked Prime Rib with Herb Crust
Smoked Prime Rib Recipe
How to cook a prime rib on a smoker. Including recipe and video tutorial on smoking the perfect prime rib for any kind of smoker, including pellet smokers. Comes with wine pairing recommendations. 
Check out this recipe
2
Smoked Prime Rib Recipe with Horseradish Compound Butter
Slowly smoked and then seared with a high heat, this Prime Rib is tender, and juicy. Finish with a horseradish compound butter as an extra flavor element.
Check out this recipe
3
Grilled Prime Rib on a platter with herb compound butter
Grilled Prime Rib Recipe with Herb Compound Butter
The best and most flavorful Grilled Prime Rib recipe with herb seasoning and herb compound butter. Use two-zone grilling for the perfect roast.
Check out this recipe
4
Grilled Beef Tenderloin Recipe with Mustard Steak Sauce
This Beef Tenderloin Roast recipe is perfectly grilled over direct and indirect heat and finished with a rich and decadent mustard steak sauce.
Check out this recipe
5
Smoked Beef Tenderloin
Smoked Beef Tenderloin Recipe – Reverse Seared
Beef Tenderloin, smoked low and slow and then finished hot and fast over charcoal.
Check out this recipe
6
Smoked brisket sliced on butcher paper with pickled vegetables.
The Ultimate Smoked Brisket Recipe
Recipe for a whole packer Smoked Beef Brisket. The best steps for perfectly juicy and tender brisket.  
Check out this recipe
7
Smoked Beef Ribs on butcher paper
Easy Smoked Beef Ribs Recipe
How to smoke the most incredible beef ribs. Smoked Beef Plate Ribs are rich, tender, and melt in your mouth like butter. 
Check out this recipe
8
Top Sirloin Smoked Roast Beef on a platter with potatoes.
Smoked Roast Beef Recipe – with Herbed Seasoning
A sirloin roast seasoned with sage, rosemary, and thyme and slowly smoked to tender perfection, and then finished with our compound butter recipe.
Check out this recipe
9
Smoked Chuck Roast Pot Roast Stew in a large cast iron pot
Smoked Chuck Roast Stew with Red Wine Braise
A slowly smoked Chuck Roast finished in a red wine, beef stock, and vegetable braise. This Chuck Roast is tender and a perfect roast alternative.
Check out this recipe

Pork Roast Recipes

We live in the Pacific Northwest with some incredible pork producers. Pork is probably one of the more common roasts we have on our holiday menu. It’s affordable and tastes amazing.

We use our popular pork seasoning, which is a blend of sugar, spices, and salt for a balanced and delicious bite. And if you want to glaze – add that toward the end of the cooking process so it doesn’t burn. You can check out our array of BBQ sauces. One of our favorites for pork is our Pinot Noir BBQ sauce which we even bottled and ship anywhere in the US.

10
Smoked Ham Recipe
Smoked Ham is the perfect meal for any holiday, like Christmas or Easter dinner. This brown sugar glaze is absolutely incredible over the top of your smoked ham!
Check out this recipe
11
Double Smoked Ham Recipe with Cherry Bourbon Glaze
Recipe for double smoked ham with cherry and bourbon glaze. Slowly smoked and finished with an amazing cherry and bourbon sticky glaze.
Check out this recipe
12
Slices of Grilled Pork Loin on a platter with roasted potatoes
Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry, Caramelized Shallots, and Red Wine Glaze
A tender and delicious pork loin roasted on the grill and finished with a sweet and savory berry and wine glaze.
Check out this recipe
13
Grilled Rack of Pork with Apricot herb glaze
Grilled Rack of Pork with Apricot Herb Glaze
A bone-in pork loin roast served with a sweet and savory apricot herb glaze.
Check out this recipe
14
Grilled Pork Collar Recipe with Citrus Marinade
Grilled Pork Collar, or pork neck with an easy citrus marinade.
Check out this recipe
15
Grilled Porchetta Roast on a cutting board with slices cut showing the filling
Grilled Porchetta Recipe – Great Holiday Roast
A grilled Porchetta Roast perfect for a holiday meal or special occasion.
Check out this recipe

And for leftovers we rock our ham hash recipe but you can substitute with any pork.

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Turkey and Chicken Roasts

Turkey and chicken are incredible for Christmas and feed any size crowd. We opt for chicken when it’s a small group and the larger Turkey for a bigger crowd.

For seasoning try our savory and rich turkey seasoning or our chicken seasoning. For more sugar based seasoning you can use our ultimate dry rub.

Don’t forget to brine for more flavor and to help with crispy skin. And to speed up cooking make sure you check out our guide on how to spatchcock.

16
brining a whole turkey
Basic Turkey Brine Recipe
A basic turkey brine, or basic poultry brine, to enhance the flavor of turkey.
Check out this recipe
17
A Smoked Spatchcocked Turkey on a platter
Smoked Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe with Cajun Seasoning
An easy way to smoke turkey by spatchcocking, or removing the backbone, and seasoning with cajun spices.
Check out this recipe
18
Smoked Turkey Recipe with Bourbon Brine
Truly the Best Smoked Turkey recipe, packed with flavor, from a bourbon citrus brine, to an herbed butter, to a great turkey seasoning. Rated as the best turkey brines for smoking, this is the juiciest and most flavorful turkey ever.
Check out this recipe
19
Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey on a serving platter
Smoked Pellet Grill Turkey Recipe
Using this method and recipe you will get perfect juicy smoked turkey with crispy skin every single time. Follow the simple steps of Brine, Spatchcock, Season, Smoke, for the best smoked turkey.
Check out this recipe
20
Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
Brined and smoked turkey breast served with smoked turkey gravy.
Check out this recipe
21
Grilled Turkey Breast with Cajun Seasoning.
Cajun Grilled Turkey Breast Recipe
Grilled Cajun Turkey Breast with a savory and spicy finish. Add butter just under the skin for more flavor and moisture. A great Thanksgiving recipe for a small crowd or as alternative to a large turkey.
Check out this recipe
22
Whole Smoked Chicken on a sheet pan
Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe
Step by step guide for smoked whole chicken- including times, temps, dry rub recipes and pro tips.  
Check out this recipe
23
Smoke Roasted Pellet Grill Whole Chicken on a cutting board
Pellet Grill Whole Chicken Recipe
Add mild smoke flavor with this pellet grill whole chicken recipe. It starts with a savory poultry rub, and then aromatics stuffed into the cavity. Roast for 90 minutes in the grill for a juicy and flavorful chicken.
Check out this recipe

Lamb Roasts

Lamb is one of our favorite things to make because of its incredible rich flavor. From larger lamb roasts for a crowd to a rack of lamb for smaller groups, these are elegant recipes fit for a holiday dinner.

Pro Tip: Treat lamb like steak – cook it do your desired temperature (rare, medium-rare, medium).

24
A smoked leg of lamb on a platter with roasted potatoes
Smoked Leg of Lamb Recipe with Garlic, Wine, Butter Sauce
Bone-In Smoked Leg of Lamb with an herb rub and finished at high heat for a reverse sear, and topped with a rich garlic infused butter sauce.
Check out this recipe
25
Smoked Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe
An herbal and fragrant lamb seasoning slowly smoke roasted in a grill and cooked to medium rare.
Check out this recipe
26
Smoked Lamb Chops cooking on a grill
Smoked Lamb Chops Recipe
Smoked Lamb Chops cooked low on the smoker for flavor and then finished grilled hot and fast. Cut into an individual lollipop for an elegant appetizer or serve two for an entrée.
Check out this recipe
27
Grilled Lamb lollipops with Jalapeño chimichurri on a serving platter.
Grilled Rack of Lamb Recipe with Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce
Grilled Rack of Lamb using a simple two-zone grilling method for a tender and flavorful grilled lamb recipe topped with Jalapeño Chimichurri.
Check out this recipe

About Vindulge

Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.


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About Mary


I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!

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