Bar-B-Que Beef Sandwiches

Roast a beef chuck until it falls apart, shred it with a fork, then let it swim in a homemade barbecue sauce in the slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours. The result is pull-apart tender beef soaked through with tangy, sweet, mustardy flavor piled high on buns.

The two-step method here is what makes these sandwiches better than just dumping raw meat in a crock pot. Roasting the chuck first with beef bouillon and water builds a concentrated cooking liquid. That reserved cup of juice goes into the sauce and gives it a beefy backbone that straight tomato sauce can’t deliver on its own.

Tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard make up the barbecue sauce base. It’s not a smoky sauce. It’s more sweet-and-tangy in the Carolina pulled pork tradition, with Worcestershire adding depth in the background. The long slow cooker time lets those flavors meld into the meat completely.

Kitchen Tips

• Shred the meat while it’s still hot from the oven. Cold beef is tougher to pull apart and you’ll end up with chunks instead of strands.
• Save exactly 1 cup of the roasting liquid and discard the rest. Too much liquid dilutes the sauce and makes soggy sandwiches.
• Toast the buns before assembling. A soft bun falls apart the second it hits that saucy beef. A toasted bun holds up and adds a nice crunch.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of liquid smoke to the sauce for a smokier profile without a grill.
• Pile on coleslaw and pickled jalapeños for a Southern-style loaded BBQ sandwich.
• Use the shredded beef over baked potatoes instead of buns for a lower-carb option.