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Braised BBQ Beef Sandwich

Braised BBQ Beef Sandwich

My mother grew up in a house where there was constant entertaining. My nana was somewhat of a social bee and even I remember how every night was a party night when as a child I came to visit during the summer. Mom and dad were reminiscing the other day about one of their favorite recipes of my grandmother's, her pulled beef, braised in BBQ sauce. Mom remembers Nana once feeding 80 people this dish at her small adobe house in Tucson. It's terribly easy to make, you can easily double, triple, quadruple the recipe, making it perfect for serving large groups of people in an informal gathering. And it's absolutely delicious.

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Braised BBQ Beef Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

  • One 3-pound chuck roast, rinsed and dried
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (preferably plum tomatoes)
  • 1 18-ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (or 2 1/4 cups of your favorite homemade barbecue sauce)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 sandwich or hamburger buns

Method

1 In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, roughly chopping them in the pot. Add the barbecue sauce, increase heat to medium high and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chuck roast. Bring to a low simmer, cover and slow cook until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours.

bbq-beef-sandwich-1.jpg bbq-beef-sandwich-2.jpg

2 Remove the meat from the pot. Use a fork and knife to separate the roast into small pieces. Set aside.

3 Increase the heat on the pot to medium/medium-high, uncover, and reduce the liquid until thick. Stir often to prevent burning.

4 Return the meat to the liquid in the pan. Warm both thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on buns. Makes approximately 12 sandwiches.

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32 Comments

This looks like a perfect candidate for my slow cooker, which I'm trying to use more now that the hot weather is here. A great party recipe, served with some cole slaw, for July 4 picnics!

Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) on June 14, 2008 12:51 PM

It sounds wonderful!
I've never done this with beef before.
I'll have to try it.
But honestly,how do you stand the 3 hour wait while the aroma wafts through the house?

Posted by: Sharon on June 14, 2008 1:28 PM

This does sound like a culinary dream. I can imagine the lovely tenderness of the meat after the 3 hours in the oven. A little while back I made a beef ragout, which simmered in the oven for so long - it was spectacular. The recipe is on my blog and I think you just might like that too. Thank your nana for this one!

Posted by: Meeta on June 14, 2008 2:08 PM

I'm a huge fan of pulled pork sandwiches, but I've never had beef ones. How about using a brisket for this one?

Posted by: Nick on June 14, 2008 4:44 PM

Favorite barbecue sauce?

What do you recommend? I like many different styles, but the dark sauce in the snapshot looks absolutely delicious.

Posted by: Le Mec on June 14, 2008 7:30 PM

I'm going to fix a batch of this goodness tomorrow! I imagine it freezes well.

Your nana was a beautiful and stylish lady!

Posted by: Laura Stokes-Gray on June 14, 2008 10:23 PM

Wow, I think we would all be hard pressed to find something else that looks or sounds so delicious! Really, this looks unbelievable, my mouth is watering.

Posted by: Madeline on June 14, 2008 11:00 PM

That looks delish.

Posted by: peabody on June 15, 2008 12:34 AM

Yum ... I love BBQ and this recipe appears to look easy to make and taste great. I may try it in the crockpot, not sure. Either way stove top or crockpot it's nice to not have to turn on the oven. I'm making my grocery list now.

Posted by: Linda on June 15, 2008 6:15 PM

I made this, with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, as a Father's Day treat. (Dad gets to do what he wants, right?) Also made some coleslaw. Served it outdoors with frosted mugs of Spaten Oktoberfest. Righteous! My wife, son, and mother-in-law all loved it as much as I did, and we had a boatload left to freeze. Muchas gracias, nana!

Posted by: Dave on June 15, 2008 7:33 PM

I used to make this a lot, usually with smaller cuts of meat (there's only 1 to cook for) in the crockpot. It works well. You may have to crank up the heat and uncover the pot for a while to allow the sauce to thicken at the end of cooking. The only time I've had problems was with one brand of BBQ sauce that contained a lot of sugar. During the sauce reduction at higher heat, the sugary sauce carmelized and burnt. I normally use KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce.

Posted by: mikeinkansascity on June 16, 2008 11:54 AM

This looks so good. Was looking for some recipes to sell as a fund raiser at work to raise money for my brother with autism, and this looks so good. I think it will sell well. Thanks

Posted by: Amanda on June 16, 2008 12:02 PM

Or in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes... Just started using one and WOW! Flavors are intense.

Posted by: matt on June 16, 2008 12:36 PM

Your BBQ beef recipe from your grandmother reminded me of a similar one from my maternal grandmother. When she moved from Texas to Arizona early in this century, she ran a sandwich shop in a small Arizona town. Her BBQ beef sandwiches were famous for miles around. The recipe was given to me by my mother and since has since become a favorite with many other family members. It can be cooked on the stovetop, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. Serves 8, but easily expanded for a large group. Can also be made with pork.

2 1/2 to 3 lb. roast beef - sirloin tip, rump, or any lean cut
2 tbsp. cooking oil
4 or 5 cloves garlic, cut in slivers
6 chile pequenos or 1 dry red chile pepper (remove the dry red pepper after about 3 hrs.) – amount of c hile can be varied to suit. Chile flakes could probably be substituted.
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste
2 large onions, sliced
2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

Make slits on meat surfaces with a knife and insert garlic slivers. Salt and pepper and sear thoroughly in heated oil in a heavy pan with cover. Add other ingredients, cover and simmer several hours or until very tender. Slice or shred meat and return to sauce. Traditionally served on toasted buns as sandwiches with dill pickle, sliced onion and cole slaw on the side.

Alternately makes a great southwestern dinner sliced and served with the sauce, and sides of black beans with Mexican condiments, corn bread and green salad. Or it is a great party appetizer served on dinner size rolls.

Thanks Lou, for sharing your family recipe with us. Looks great! ~Elise

Posted by: Lou Grubaugh on June 16, 2008 1:18 PM

I tried this yesterday and I was very pleased with the result. I added more bbq sauce probably 27 oz, about a bottle and a half, because I thought the sauce had too much of a tomato taste with only the 18 oz of bbq sauce. My husband suggested a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes the next time to give the sauce a little spice.

Posted by: Claudia on June 16, 2008 7:12 PM

Hi Elise: I love it when you talk about Tucson because that's where I live and have lived for many, many years. This recipe reminds me of the standard recipe for shredded meat that is served at all Mexican celebrations but made without barbeque sauce. A lot of these celebrations are held in a park and almost always includes shredded beef, a big pot of pinto beans, a big pot of Spanish rice, either potato or macaroni salad, flour tortillas and lots of cerveza!

When my daughter was little, she asked me one time when we were getting ready for a birthday celebration if we were going to have "party meat" and that name has stuck all these years! So, how about giving all your fans a recipe for "party meat"!! Keep up the good work!

Posted by: Diane Villegas on June 16, 2008 7:25 PM

I made this for dinner tonight. My husband loved it! Thanks, Elise!

Posted by: Pieg!rl on June 16, 2008 9:28 PM

I made this yesterday and let it simmer on my back burner for 6 hours (Wolf Range with super low simmer)--it was so good and easy!!--next time I think I will use a spicier bbq sauce that has no fructose corn syrup in it--does anyone have a suggestion?

Posted by: chrisp on June 17, 2008 10:34 AM

Hi Elise,

Slow cooking does make any cut of meat tender!
Did you use a vingar or tomato based BBQ in your recipe?

Hi Linda, I think most BBQ sauces have both tomato and vinegar in them, ours did; the first ingredient was tomatoes. ~Elise


Posted by: Linda on June 17, 2008 10:39 AM

I made this today using a slow cooker. First I cooked the onions, tomatoes, and BBQ sauce in a pan before transferring the mixture to my crockpot. Set it on low for 6 hours and high for the last 2.

I used Speed Queen BBQ sauce which is a local favorite, but to be frank the sauce didn't strike me as anything more than ketchup, hot sauce, and vinegar. I added cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, and a splash of port wine to deepen and sweeten the flavors.

The meat itself came out delicious, but the sauce was very watery, even after I tried to reduce it. Next time I'll use a different sauce...

A really good BBQ sauce I've had before that contains no high fructose corn syrup is Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce. The only reason I didn't use it this time is it isn't sold in any local stores near me.

Posted by: Elle on June 17, 2008 4:14 PM

This was a perfect Sunday dish for the slow cooker that left us with a few days of leftovers. Cooked on high for about 3.5 hours then for another 30 minutes after shredding and it came out perfect. We ate this over some potato buns with coleslaw on the side. The only thing that I would change next time would be a bit more spice to help balance out the sweetness of the sauce. I can't wait to make this again.

Posted by: Chris on June 17, 2008 8:52 PM

Yum....this does sound delicious. I agree with Lydia, this would be a great idea for the slow cooker. Thanks!

Posted by: Brooke (Mean Green Lunchbox) on June 18, 2008 7:24 AM

I made this with chicken thighs - so pulled chicken - and leftover marinara sauce instead of the canned tomatoes. It turned out great! I did spike up the heat a bit with Tabasco since the barbecue sauce on hand was more sweet than hot. As always, Elise, another easy recipe for home cooks. Thank you for keeping it real!

Posted by: HomeCook on June 20, 2008 7:07 AM

I was browsing your index page and my husband was looking over my shoulder. He saw the photos and he absolutely insists that I have to replicate your sandwich. LOL

Posted by: Connie on June 22, 2008 4:56 AM

This sounds so yummy! I am going to give this a try this weekend.

A very good BBQ sauce WITHOUT high fructose corn syrup is the new "Original Bull’s-Eye" - it is delicious! I hope other BBQ sauce makers follow suit. :)

Posted by: Andrew on June 24, 2008 8:45 AM

OMG! This is soooo good! My Boyfriend and Myself both LOVED it. I made it using a BBQ sauce recipe I got from another site. And added about a TBSP minced garlic. I will absolutely be making this again. It is very easy to make too.

Posted by: cindy on June 24, 2008 4:49 PM

Hi Elise! This looks great...

One question, though. When you add the tomatoes, are you supposed to add the tomato juices as well? I wasn't sure, but I went ahead and added the juice. i am now waiting anxiously to see if it turns out right... I am starting to think I wasn't supposed to add it.

Well Corynne, I asked my dad about it, because he and mom were the ones who made it, and he can't remember. I suspect that he pulled the tomatoes out of the can, shred them with his fingers on the way in, and maybe added some of the liquid that was in the can. As far as he's concerned it doesn't make that big of a difference because you reduce the heck out of the sauce anyway. ~Elise

Posted by: corynne escalante on June 26, 2008 3:22 PM

Sorry Elise, but this one is just OK. The tomatoes added just too much liquid and diluted the flavor of the BBQ sauce. I'm not saying it was bad, just lacked much flavor... the kind of flavor I expect from BBQ'd beef. And yes, I did reduce the simmering liquid after the braise until thick.

I did brown the roast on all sides before I added it to my dutch oven for braising. Old habits never die.

If I were to do this again, I would not add the BBQ sauce with the tomatoes and dump most of the liquid after the beef is removed. Pull the meat, add the BBQ sauce, and just a little of the simmering sauce to thin slightly. This also cuts down a bit on the fat as well.

Posted by: Karl on June 26, 2008 4:02 PM

This dish was amazing and so delicious. Very flavorful. Thank you!

Posted by: Debbi on June 26, 2008 9:16 PM

I threw a "walk down memory lane" 4th of July BBQ party last night and included this recipe along with my grandmother's BBQ chicken and some baby back ribs. Because I had so many meat options, I served small rolls along side instead of buns so people could make mini sandwiches - BBQ beef sliders if you will.

This recipe was great because I could do so much of the work ahead of time and I like how easy it is to double or triple for a big crowd.

I think the BBQ sauce you choose is critical. I selected one bottled by my local market that had a smoky flavor and it was just right.

Posted by: Natanya on July 5, 2008 9:50 AM

I am trying to make this dish and don't know where I have gone wrong? I started it at 2:30 today put it on the stove on low simmer it didn't seem to be cooking at all so about 3 hours in I put it in the oven at 225 and it has now been in the oven for about 2 hours and it is still very tough? Did I over cook it or is it just not done yet?

Sounds like you have one tough piece of meat. Happens sometimes. You probably just need to cook it longer. Make sure that you have a tight fitting lid so that it doesn't dry out. If the lid isn't tight fitting, you can put a large piece of foil over the pot and then the lid on top of that. If the roast is at all drying out, you have the temp too high and the lid not tight enough. Back to the meat. Leaner roasts will be tougher, so that might be the issue here. We always look for cuts that have lots of fat marbling, it will help the roast cook up more tender. In older times people used to thread lard through lean roasts if there wasn't enough fat. BTW, I cooked some chopped up moose meat the other day and it took 12 hours to get it to finally not be tough and chewy, the meat was so tough and lean. ~Elise

Posted by: Sarah Whitney on October 12, 2009 4:55 PM

I made this in my crockpot yesterday and it was amazing. We're planning on having it for every meal until it's gone. Tonorrow I'm going to try it over grits. Thanks for the great recipe!

Posted by: Amber on October 21, 2009 12:19 PM

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