Not because it better in any way than other beef of brisket but because of the size and ease of prep.
I can get a four pound chuck any time I want for a reasonable price that smokes in less than half the time that a brisket does with very good taste.
I'm always asked why my four pound Chuck's are so small or why they've been cut and trimmed.
Much like trimming some of the "hard" fat from between the point and flat on a brisket, I do the same on my larger chuck roast.
The primary reason I split my larger (4+lb) chuck roasts is
chuck roast usually have two or more "lobes" and between those lobes you'll find a strip of that hard suite type fat...With a sharp boning knife
I simply separate the lobes along that strip of fat and remove it...
Doing this also allows me to remove some of that tough silvery connective tissue before cooking...
The second reason is having smaller pieces gives me more surface area for the rub and smoke penetration...
Thirdly...the smaller pieces shorten the cook time even more.
It certainly isn't necessary but if you like smoking chuck roasts and don't do this, give it a try; it only takes a couple minutes, you don't lose any edible meat and get a little more surface for your rub.
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