This tender, juicy BBQ beef recipe cooks low and slow in a Dutch oven. Serve the flavorful shredded meat on sandwich rolls or with your favorite sides, and finish it off with a sweet and savory sauce!
BBQ Beef: Dutch Oven Style for the Best Flavor
There’s just something about the smell of barbecue beef simmering low and slow that makes a house feel like home. Whether you’re feeding a crowd or prepping an easy weeknight dinner, this Dutch oven BBQ beef recipe delivers rich, smoky flavor with minimal effort. Using an affordable chuck roast and a handful of pantry staples, you can transform a tough cut of meat into the most tender, juicy shredded beef. It’s perfect for sandwiches, sliders, or even served over mashed potatoes. Comfort food at its finest; no smoker required!
This beef is loaded with layers of flavor, since it’s coated in an easy dry rub first, braised in beer, and then tossed with barbecue sauce at the end. The key to tender, fall-apart barbecue is time. The low-and-slow cooking process allows the tough fibers and collagen (connective tissue) to break down, while the fat keeps the beef moist and juicy. Dutch ovens are made from cast iron, so they retain and evenly distribute the heat. Plus, the tight-fitting lid traps the moisture inside the pot — resulting in the juiciest braised beef that you will ever taste. Just be patient and let the Dutch oven do its job for a few hours!
Just made this and it’s delicious. I used a bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ sauce instead of the optional sauce recipe, fine eating. Very easy and very good.
– Elizabeth
Ingredients Notes and Tips for Success
- Well-marbled chuck roast is ideal for slow braising. Trim the excess fat if desired. You can also use a beef brisket or round roast here.
- The BBQ rub is a combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. So much flavor!
- I like a lager or a pilsner for braising the beef.
- Use your favorite store-bought brand of bbq sauce, or try the homemade barbecue sauce included in the recipe below. Or, try apple butter BBQ sauce. You can’t go wrong either way!
- Tip: For the best flavor, cook the beef low and slow until it’s fall-apart tender. This makes it easy to shred and soak up all that delicious sauce.
How to Make BBQ Beef
- Dredge the meat in seasoned flour. This helps the beef caramelize and brown, while the flour also thickens the liquid in the pot.
- Sear the meat on both sides, just to give it a bit of color. Be careful not to let the sugars burn too much. This is an extra step, but it’s worth the effort. The caramelized surface gives the beef extra flavor, while the browned bits and drippings in the pot add even more flavor to the barbecue sauce.
- Add beer to the pot, then cover with the lid.
- Bake in a 275°F oven for a total of about 3 hours. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven during the final 45 minutes or so. This will allow some of the liquid to evaporate from the pot, condensing the flavor in the drippings, and creating a nice base for the barbecue sauce. For tender, juicy barbecue, it’s important to cook the beef long enough to break down the tough connective tissue and fibers. If your meat is still tough after about 3 hours, cook it for a little bit longer.
- Remove the beef from the Dutch oven and let the meat rest while you prepare the sauce.
- Add ketchup, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce to the pot with the drippings.
- Simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Shred the beef with two forks.
- Toss the shredded meat with about half of the sauce, reserving the remaining sauce for serving. Spoon the meat onto hamburger buns for the best bbq beef sandwiches, if you like.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your shredded BBQ beef with classic sides like Southern macaroni salad, easy potato salad, fried apples, baked potato wedges, creamy baked mac and cheese, cornbread with cake mix, pickles, or potato chips. It’s great on sandwich buns or soft rolls with coleslaw, on sliders for parties or potlucks, and over baked potatoes or mashed potatoes. Then, add a grape salad or a pear crisp for something sweet!
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
BBQ Beef
Ingredients
- 1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 12 ounces beer (such as lager or pilsner)
Optional Homemade BBQ Sauce (or Use Store-Bought BBQ Sauce if Preferred)
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional, for serving: sandwich buns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F. Mix the flour with brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin on a sheet of waxed paper or in a shallow dish. Pat the roast dry; dredge it in the flour mixture on all sides.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Brown the meat to give it nice color, but don’t let the sugars burn (about 3 minutes per side).
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the beer. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the lid and continue baking for another 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the meat is fall-apart tender. Remove beef from Dutch oven and let it rest while you prepare the optional barbecue sauce. If you don't want to make the sauce, you can shred the meat with two forks and toss with your favorite store-bought bbq sauce.
For the Optional Barbecue Sauce
- To the pan drippings in the Dutch oven, whisk in the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Shred the beef using two forks. Toss the shredded meat with about half of the barbecue sauce. Serve on buns, if desired, with extra sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Prep and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: The beef can be cooked a day in advance. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for 2-4 hours.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Freeze the shredded BBQ beef in its sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
- Reheating: Warm gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of broth or BBQ sauce if needed to loosen.
Recipe Variations
- Don’t want to cook with beer? You can braise the meat in an equal amount of beef broth, Coca Cola, apple cider, or root beer instead.
- Use a pork butt or pork shoulder instead of the beef roast.
- Spicy beef barbecue: Add some cayenne to the dry rub or serve the beef with crushed red pepper flakes, sliced jalapeños, or hot sauce.
- More Smoke Flavor: Add a drop or two of liquid smoke to intensify that BBQ flavor.
- Slow cooker method: Rub the beef with the seasoning blend, transfer to a slow cooker, add the beer, cover, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours (or until the meat is fall-apart tender). Remove the beef from the slow cooker, shred with two forks, and then toss with your favorite barbecue sauce.
It was easy to make, but the results were incredible! Tender, flavorful barbecue…
– Kathryn B.
More BBQ Recipes to Try
Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Oven BBQ Chicken Thighs
30 minutes mins
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
12 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Originally published in July, 2021, this post was updated in August, 2025.
How much mustard do you recommend in the sauce?
Hi, Linda! I’m so sorry about that typo! I just added the 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard to the ingredient list. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Just made this and it’s delicious. I used a bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ sauce instead of the optional sauce recipe, fine eating. Very easy and very good.
Thank you, Elizabeth! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Looks like a great recipe! But I don’t own an oven. Is this doable on stove top, and if so how would you modify the recipe?
Hi, Kevin! Yes, you can definitely cook the meat on the stovetop. Follow the directions through step 3, then reduce the heat on the stovetop to low, add the beer, cover the pot and cook gently over low heat for about 2 hours. At that point, remove the lid and check the meat. If it’s fall-apart tender, then it’s done. You might want to simmer it uncovered for 10-15 more minutes to reduce the sauce and thicken it slightly. It might need to continue cooking a little bit longer. Hope that helps!
We are throwing a party for our kids University graduation and I make these and served them as sliders.
So much for empty nesters. No one wants to leave until I make more.
Great recipe and results!
Thanks
Chef Dad
I’m only feeding two people, if I used a 1.5 lbs of chuck roast would I need to adjust the time it takes to cook? If so by how much?
Hi Baylee,
Yes, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. A general rule of thumb is to allow 15-20 minutes per pound at a temperature of 275 °F. Of course, every oven is different. So, be sure to keep an eye on your roast. You’ll know it’s done when it reaches an internal temperature of 195 °F!
Very good recipe! I intended to prepare this in my dutch oven, but poor time management led me to bail on the oven and use my pressure cooker instead. I made sure to get a very good sear on the meat, then pressure cooked for 80 minutes. After a 15-minute natural pressure release, the beef was good and tender. I did have to simmer my sauce a little longer since I didn’t have the option of cracking the lid to allow the juices to evaporate and concentrate. However, absolutely delicious results! Great sauce and rub. Will repeat using a pork shoulder and go the dutch oven route…
I’m so glad that it worked well for you, Valerie. Thanks for the tips for the pressure cooker!
It was easy to make, but the results were incredible! Tender, flavorful barbecue. I cooked it a bit longer in the oven and simmered the sauce on the stove 40 or so minutes (I had used a little extra beef broth and prefer a thick sauce). We had enough extra sauce to use in another recipe a few days later. This recipe is being saved!
Thank you so much, Kathryn! We’re glad you enjoyed it!
We are throwing a party for our kids University graduation and I make these and served them as sliders.
So much for empty nesters. No one wants to leave until I make more.
Great recipe and results!
Thanks
Chef Dad
We’re so glad they were a hit! Thank you for trying out the recipe and taking the time to leave a review.
Excellent! I made this exactly as written, although had 2 larger roasts so I let it bake for almost 6 hours. Then transferred meat to stand mixer and used that to shred it. Was perfection for sandwiches!
We’re so glad it turned out well for you! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.