Get ready to enjoy cozy, comforting pot roast with mouthwatering cookout flair! This easy BBQ Beef Pot Roast recipe slow cooks seasoned chuck roast to fall apart tender in a simple homemade BBQ sauce for juicy shredded BBQ beef you can eat on sandwiches or as a main dish.
This easy BBQ twist on traditional pot roast creates a tender, flavorful family meal that everyone will love. Tangy, saucy, with the right amount of caramelized goodness, not to mention super convenient in the slow cooker, this is going to become one of your family’s favorite recipes!
RELATED RECIPE: Smoky Sweet Coffee Rub (for beef & pork)
And did I mention that drool-worthy aroma while cooking? Yeah, everybody’s gonna come running!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Get that cookout feel with this BBQ shredded beef no matter the temps outside!
- There are so many ways to serve it!
- On a bun as a BBQ sandwich
- Wrapped in a tortilla
- Over rice or mashed potatoes
- Over a loaded green salad (to make a BBQ dinner salad)
- Stuffed in a loaded baked potato (This might be my favorite!)
Ingredients for this Slow Cooker BBQ Beef
- chuck roast
- tomato sauce
- ketchup
- vinegar
- brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
- beef broth
- minced garlic
- dried minced onion
- dijon mustard
- paprika, dried parsley, salt & pepper
- olive oil
How To Make Crock Pot BBQ Beef Pot Roast
Sear. Generously salt & pepper the roast and sear it on all sides in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
Sauce. In a large measuring cup, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, Dijon mustard, paprika, parsley and salt to create the BBQ-style sauce.
Slow Cook. Transfer roast and drippings from the skillet to the crock pot. Pour BBQ sauce over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Shred. When roast is fork tender, use two forks to shred the roast, toss in cooked, thickened BBQ sauce and serve.
The Best Beef Roast to Use for BBQ Pot Roast
To make the best shredded BBQ Beef Roast, use a chuck roast. Sometimes called a shoulder roast, or shoulder chuck roast, it is a less expensive cut of roast with enough marbling so that the roast becomes tender and quite tasty as it cooks slowly over several hours.
More Tips For Making Tasty BBQ Beef Roast
- Don’t skip the searing. I know it’s super easy to just dump everything into a crock pot and walk off, but this extra step PAYS OFF BIG in deep, rich flavor and color without taking a lot of extra time. Once you sear, you’ll never go back!
- Don’t drown the roast. The point is not to boil the meat, but to roast it. The sauce is just an ingredient to enhance flavor. As a result. the roast should not be swimming in liquid, but sitting in 2-2.5 inches of sauce.
- Make sure you cook it long enough. If the roast is tough when it’s time to shred it, it hasn’t cooked long enough to break down the connective tissue. Simply put the lid back on the crock pot and cook it for another hour or so.
What to Serve With Shredded BBQ Beef Roast
- Southern Macaroni Salad or Pepper Jack Mac n Cheese
- Sweet Potato Wedges
- Apple Coleslaw or Creamy Southern Coleslaw
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Hawaiian Baked Beans
- Creamy Dill Potato Salad
- Easy Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Making It Ahead of Time Or Freezing
This recipe is ideal for making ahead of time as the sauce, meat and all the flavors have lots of time to get cozy. Just cover and store in the fridge over night, then put it back in the crock pot the next day with ½ – 1 cup of beef broth and warm on high for 1 hour.
It also freezes well. Just cover leftovers tightly or put in a zip top freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and use the instructions above to heat.
More BBQ Recipes to Love!
- Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Shredded Chicken BBQ Sandwich (Crock Pot)
- Cherry Cola BBQ Pulled Pork
- BBQ Sheet Pan Nachos
- Whiskey Peach BBQ Meatballs
- BBQ Pulled Pork & Peach Pizza
If You Love Tasty Family Meals & Have Made This Recipe, Give It All The Stars & Leave A Fun Comment! Or Tag Me @SouthernDiscourse On Social Media To Be Featured. I Love Hearing From You!
Crock Pot BBQ Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound chuck roast
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- â…“ cup beef broth, if needed
- olive oil + salt & pepper for searing the roast before slow cooking
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and heat. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. Add to hot skillet and sear roast on all sides.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, Dijon mustard, paprika, parsley and salt to create the BBQ-style sauce.
- Transfer roast and any drippings from the skillet to the crock pot. Pour BBQ sauce over roast, using a spatula to get all of the sauce from the measuring cup. Cook roast on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. If more liquid is needed add beef broth. (Roast should not be covered with liquid, but sitting in 2-2.5 inches of sauce.)
- When roast is fork tender, use two forks to shred the roast. Toss the shredded roast in the cooked, thickened BBQ sauce and serve.
Notes
Hi. What a great recipe!! Perfect for these hot summer days so refreshing. Thanks for sharing.
Elaine from Texas
Hi, Elaine! I always adore hearing from you! Thank you so very much!
The sauce never thickened
HI, Crystal! It sounds like it needed to cook a little longer.
Love this roast cooked in oven, slices great.
Hi, Lisa! I love hearing this! I am so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you!
Made it today! It was so delicious
I served it on Hawaiian roll with cheddar cheese and pickle. It was so yummy
Hi, Paulina! Love this!! Thank you!! I’m so glad you made this recipe.