BBQ Shredded Beef

Now that my blog has hit the one year mark, I have been thinking about going back and re-doing a few of my older recipes.  I love creating new recipes, but sometimes it’s nice to make something familiar. So, in the coming months, you may see a few re-makes of some of my favorite recipes. I rarely follow recipes exactly (that goes for my own recipes, too)… So, I won’t be posting the exact same recipes over again.  Instead, I’ll be going back through some of my favorites and adding a new twist.

The first recipe I chose to re-visit was my Shredded Beef Tacos. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really think there was a problem with my original recipe.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s one of my favorites, and I have made it quite a few times since I posted it! It’s pretty quick to prepare in the morning, and slow cooking the beef all day long yields tender, juicy meat that just melts in your mouth. Oh, and did I mention how awesome it smells all day as it cooks? Yeah, that’s not bad either.

This week, I decided to make shredded beef again, but I wasn’t in a spicy taco mood.  Instead, I decided to go make a barbeque version. After searing the beef, I used the drippings to create a thick and flavorful barbeque sauce in the pan.  The BBQ shredded beef is delicious on its own (we had it for dinner with baked yams and steamed broccoli), but it would also be great in sandwiches with some cole slaw on top.  Even though I’m usually just cooking for my hubby and I, I usually make a large batch so we have lots of leftovers for quick dishes later in the week – the possibilities are endless!  Stay tuned, you may just see a few leftover recipes in the days to come…

BBQ Shredded Beef

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 pound beef roast (chuck roast, top round, or sirloin tip roast are what I typically use)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dark molasses
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 1-2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  If desired, trim the beef roast of any excess fat. (Trimming the fat is a matter of preference. Leaving the fat on will add some flavor, but I prefer to trim mine to reduce the amount of fat in the dish.)  Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Sear the beef in the preheated skillet, cooking for a few minutes on each side, so that each surface caramelizes for extra flavor and texture.  Resist the urge to flip the beef a lot.  Once the beef has been seared on each side, transfer the roast to the slow cooker.

Reduce the heat on the pan to medium, and add the garlic and onions.  Saute for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions soften and are translucent.  Add the vinegar to the pan to deglaze, scrapping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer the vinegar until it has reduced to approximately half of the volume that was added.

Add the tomato paste, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and mustard to the pan, and stir to combine until a thick sauce forms.  Add the brown sugar, adjusting the amount to your taste.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce down over the seared beef in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours. After the beef has cooked, remove from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir to coat with the BBQ sauce.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes before serving.

27 comments

  1. I love that you browned this first – I always do the same. Best tip my mom ever gave me!

  2. jenn says:

    That’s a good tip on searing the meat first. I think my next attempt would be to make a pulled beef via slow-cooker. I’m going to try and utilize the thing as much as I can this year.

  3. Bob says:

    Uhm, yeah. That looks good. Really, really good.

  4. Oh yeah having ur kinda delicious recipes,i would pull em out from the archives too-u have a very wonderful blog with amazing pics n i love ’em all….
    cheers and frolicking rocking day

  5. Oh YUM! This is my kind of recipe. I do something almost similar with Chicken and so would love to try this out.

  6. Joy says:

    This looks delicious :) I loooove anything bbq (being from texas i guess it is expected), the meat looks so tender and that sauce looks thick and decadent– when I eat red meat next month this is what I want to make, yum! Thanks for sharing ^_^

  7. Thanks for posting this recipe – we are SO making this in the next couple of weeks, I can tell you!

  8. Sasha says:

    sounds and looks delicious. I’ll have to give it a try – found you via foodbuzz. best from my kitchen in brooklyn

  9. Mags says:

    I always do my roasts in the crock pot since I’ve never found any easier, tastier way to make them. Love the addition of the BBQ sauce though. Sounds delicious!

  10. Divina says:

    This is wonderful. Sometimes I do the same recipe with a twist as well and it’s never the same. I guess there are times that I don’t like measuring ingredients. While it’s cold over there, it’s getting warmer and warmer over here. :)

  11. I like this recipe! Your sweet potatoe looks sooo good!

  12. What a perfect recipe for a roast! This bbq beef looks amazing! My hubby would be so happy with this, thanks Jen!

  13. Oh, Jenn…you’re killing me here. The yogurt I have planned for lunch is just NOT going to cut it anymore!!! This looks beyond delicious!

  14. This looks so good Jen, I’m salivating at my screen…. YUMMY!!!! :-)

    -Natasha

  15. Emily says:

    Delicious. This looks absolutely delicious.

  16. Looks so DAMN good – Cannot wait to make this next time the peoples come over to play!!

  17. Erica says:

    That looks delicious! I love shredded beef…We have a dish in Colombia called ropa vieja or carne desmechada and it is incredible.

  18. Amedy says:

    Yummy I love this recipe so delicious

  19. This looks delicious. I have a bunch of venison roasts in the freezer that would we wonderful cooked this way. I love that you don’t use prepared BBQ as many people do. I’m always game to make things myself from scratch instead of buying a lesser quality product at the store. Can’t wait to try this, looks delicious. I think Mr Chiots will LOVE it.

  20. Shredded BBQ is an all time favorite of mine. I usually make it with leftover pot roast but after seeing this post realize I need to make it more often…yum!

  21. Fuji Mama says:

    LOVE shredded beef! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the leftovers!

  22. Saij says:

    Oh … Thank You ….. This is exactly what I’m lookin for to soften the blow of the outcome of the football game today…… Go Jets Jets Jets Jets !!!!!

  23. Dennis says:

    AWESOME!! Made this on Saturday and still enjoying the leftovers. Perfect for someone who doesn’t munch on the pig! thanks for posting this awesome recipe!!

    Tip: i substituted Ketchup and Honey for the Tomato Puree and Molasses; just based on what i had on hand. came out geat!! i’ll try the offical recipe next time.

  24. Casey says:

    Thanks Jen! My husband loves this stuff and I’m making it now. And thank you Dennis for the substitute ideas as I don’t have molasses or tomato paste in the pantry. Can’t wait to see how it comes out!

  25. sweet sasy molasy says:

    I made this recipe and my whole family loved it thanks for posting this!

  26. Jill Hillson says:

    I’ve made this three times in the past few months. It’s now my favorite recipe for a chuck roast. However, since I never can get it started early enough in the day to crock pot it for 7 hours, I bake it in a Dutch oven at 275-300 for about 3.5 hours, then take it out, shred it put it back in the oven for a final 30 minutes. It is always so melt-in-your mouth tender, tastes delicious, and I love the homemade bbq sauce — the first one I’ve made that doesn’t include ketchup as an ingredient. Great recipe, thank you.

Comments are closed.

[ Back To Top ]