I love pulled beef. It is a piece of chuck that is slow smoked until very tender and them pulled. I have learned to pull beef and mix it with some sauce and grilled onion to make great sandwiches. This is how I do it.
Rub a 1 kg (2.2 pound) blade, chuck, or cross rib roast with your favourite BBQ rub for beef. For this cook I used 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of Penzey’ BBQ 3001 Rub.
I put the roast in my Bradley P10 Smoker at 250 F (120 C) with a roasting pan on the rack underneath it. I smoked it to an internal temperature of 140 F (60 C) which took about 3 hours.
You could do this in a 250 F (120 C) oven but it won’t have the smoke flavour.
Put the roast in the pan and cover it with foil. Put it back in the smoker or a 250 F (140 C) oven (no more smoke flavour will be added due to the foil).
While the roast continues to cook. slice 1/2 of an onion into slivers lengthwise to add to the sauce later.
When the internal temperature of the beef is 195 F (90 C) insert a probe into the beef. If it goes in very easily, like pushing the probe into butter, the beef is done. If it has any resistance continue smoking to an internal temperature of 197 F (92 C) and probe again. Keep increasing the internal temperature 2 degrees at a time until probe tender. The last couple of degrees can take a long time. It took about 2 hours in foil for this cook.
Take the foil off the beef.
Pour the liquid off the pan into a clear container. Put the beef on a cutting board and tent with foil.
Put 25 ml (2 tablespoons) of the fat that floats to the top into a fry pan. Remove 50 ml (1/4 cup) of the juice from under the fat with a turkey baster. Mix it with 50 ml (1/4 cup) of your favourite barbecue sauce.
Heat the beef fat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until just starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the sauce/juice mixture and bring to a boil.
Uncover the beef and pull it into shreds with your fingers or two forks. Pull any large chunks of fat off and discard.
Mix the onion sauce mixture with the beef.
At this point, you can make your sandwich, or refrigerate/freeze the beef. It reheats well.
Stack the beef on a bun and add a slice of dill pickle.
The Verdict
I love this sandwich. It has a rich, smoky, spicy beef with the rich sweetness of barbecue sauce. The onions give it big flavour and complexity.
You can double or triple the recipe and freeze the meat/sauce mixture in single sandwich portions to make sandwiches whenever you want them.
The Old Fat Guy
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) blade, chuck, cross rib roast
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) barbecue rub
- 1/2 onion. sliced lengthwise
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) barbecue sauce
- sliced dill pickles
- buns
Instructions
- Rub a 1 kg (2.2 pound) blade, chuck, or cross rib roast with your favourite BBQ rub for beef. For this cook I used 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of Penzey' BBQ 3001 Rub.
- Put the roast in a 250 F (120 C) with a roasting pan on the rack underneath it. I smoked it to an internal temperature of 140 F (60 C) about 3 hours. You could do this in a 250 F (120 C) oven but it won't have the smoke flavour.
- Put the roast in the pan and cover it with foil. Put it back in the smoker or a 250 F (140 C) oven (no more smoke flavour will be added due to the foil).
- While the roast continues to cook. slice 1/2 of an onion into slivers lengthwise to add to the sauce later.
- When the internal temperature of the beef is 195 F (90 C) insert a probe into the beef. If it goes in very easily, like pushing the probe into butter, the beef is done. If it has any resistance continue smoking to an internal temperature of 197 F (92 C) and probe again. Keep increasing the internal temperature 2 degrees at a time until probe tender. The last couple of degrees can take a long time. It took about 2 hours in foil for this cook.
- Take the foil off the beef.
- Pour the liquid off the pan into a clear container. Put the beef on a cutting board and tent with foil.
- Put 25 ml (2 tablespoons) of the fat that floats to the top into a fry pan. Remove 50 ml (1/4 cup) of the juice from under the fat with a turkey baster. Mix it with 50 ml (1/4 cup) of your favourite barbecue sauce.
- Heat the beef fat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until just starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the sauce/juice mixture and bring to a boil.
- Uncover the beef and pull it into shreds with your fingers or two forks. Pull any large chunks of fat off and discard.
- Mix the onion sauce mixture with the beef.
- At this point, you can make your sandwich, or refrigerate/freeze the beef. It reheats well.
- Stack the beef on a bun and add a slice of dill pickle.