April 3, 2025

Homemade barbecue pulled beef is an easy dinner with just the addition of your best soft rolls and some homemade cabbage slaw for topping sandwiches. For the healthier route, serve crunchy sliced veggies. But don’t mind me, I opt for crispy potato chips on my plate.

A proper meal is balsamic barbecue pulled beef with sides like creamy herbed mashed potatoes and  a simple green vegetable. Whichever scenario serves as your dream meal, know that this recipe makes plenty for both sandwiches and plated meal.

Start with three to four pounds of chuck roast. I discovered the superiority of Angus beef from my local Aldi’s. Well marbleized meat means a more tender and flavorful braise. Aromatics employed here are balsamic vinegar, tomato, onion, garlic  and brown sugar. Omit the sweetness (or use lower glycemic index coconut sugar) and receive pretty much the same flavor .

Another trick to tender meat : low and slow. After searing to get a tasty char on the meat and using the skillet to make the tomato onion base, braise at 325 degrees for 3.5 to 4 hours. Trick number two: no matter how tight  the lid on your dutch oven, place a piece of foil tightly over the pot before closing the lid.

I start checking at the 3 hour mark, using a fork to test meat fibers for ease of pulling apart. Add a little water at this point if the roast looks dry. Before  braising, I like to keep the liquid level about halfway up the side of the roast. Too much defeats the purpose of braising, which is slow cooking with minimal liquid. You can always add a little more toward the end and even more once the roast comes out of the oven.

Although that cooking pot is doubly sealed, your kitchen will still smell divine.

Balsamic Barbecue Beef

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company

makes 5-8 servings

ingredients

3-4.5 pound well marbleized beef chuck roast, at room temp and patted dry
1.5 tablespoons oil – extra virgin olive or canola
kosher salt
fine black pepper
1 cup finely diced sweet onion
6 garlic cloves, zested on microplane zester
1 can 14.5 ounce petit diced tomatoes
¼ cup worcestershire sauce
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup balsamic vinegar

directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Heat large skillet over medium high heat, then add oil, waiting another minute to add beef; stainless steel saute pans become more non-stick if allowed to heat up well.
3. Season meat with kosher salt and black pepper and add to hot oiled skillet; brown on each side for 2-3 minutes and place beef in heavy dutch oven.
4. In same skillet, stir onion, adding another pinch of salt and a little oil if needed, until starting to become tender, several minutes.
5. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 10-15 seconds.
6. Tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar go into the skillet and once all combined pour over beef.
7. Liquid should come about halfway up the roast (keep in mind onions will exude liquid during cooking ), so you can add a little water to meet that goal.
8. Stretch piece of heavy duty foil across top of pan to seal well, then add lid and place pot in oven.
9. Check roast at 3 hours with fork to see if meat fibers separate easily, and return to oven if not completely tender and roast another 30-90 minutes, checking with fork each half hour.
10. You can add a little more water  at the first check point or after completely done.
11. Time to tenderness will depend on quality of roast and size.
12. Once tender, use forks to pull beef apart, discarding any extra pieces of fat.
13. Serve immediately on sandwiches or as a plated meal with sides.
14. If reheating, may need to add a little water or broth.