Slow Roasted Pulled Beef (Printable)
Juicy slow-roasted beef with flavorful BBQ sauce piled on soft buns for a hearty meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef
01 - 3.3 lbs beef chuck roast
02 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt
03 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
05 - 2 teaspoons garlic powder
06 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Cooking Liquid
08 - 1 cup beef broth
09 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
10 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
→ BBQ Sauce
11 - 1 cup ketchup
12 - 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
13 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
14 - 1 tablespoon molasses
15 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
16 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
17 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
18 - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
19 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
→ Sandwich Assembly
21 - 6 soft sandwich buns or brioche rolls
22 - 1 red onion, thinly sliced
23 - 6 lettuce leaves
24 - 6 dill pickle slices
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 300°F.
02 - Pat beef chuck roast dry. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub mixture all over the beef.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear beef on all sides until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
04 - Add beef broth, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Cover tightly with lid or foil.
05 - Transfer to oven and roast for 4 to 4.5 hours, until beef is fork-tender and shreds easily.
06 - In a saucepan, combine ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.
07 - Transfer cooked beef to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Skim excess fat from cooking liquid. Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid to the shredded beef for moisture and flavor. Mix in about half the BBQ sauce, reserving the rest for serving.
08 - Pile pulled beef onto buns. Top with extra BBQ sauce, red onion, lettuce, and pickles as desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The beef becomes impossibly tender after hours of slow cooking, practically shredding itself
- Homemade BBQ sauce beats anything from a bottle and comes together in minutes
- Feeds a crowd with minimal hands-on time, leaving you free to actually enjoy your guests
02 -
- Resist the urge to check the beef too often—every time you open the oven, you lose heat and extend the cooking time
- Let the beef rest for about 15 minutes before shredding, or it will not hold onto the juices as well
- The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, so do not over-reduce it in the pan
03 -
- A fat separator makes skimming the cooking liquid much easier and less messy
- If the beef seems dry after shredding, mix in more of the reserved cooking liquid rather than adding more sauce