There was always a week in spring/summer where we’d head up to Papa’s and stay for awhile. Inevitably, “barbecue beef” was always on the menu. Never really knew what it was (ok, beef.. I got it).. or do I even remember if it was good or not.. but it was always presented. Now, I was going to try to re-create something I had vague memories of.. with my own twist.
Typing this up quick so you have something on Friday.. before I leave out of town. I’ll add the recipe later on, but I can at least walk you through it.
The Prep Table
Now, what I do remember is it wasn’t smoked – so we’re already off to a great start. I was basically going to smoke and braise the meat, but needed something a little more. I don’t think I’ve ever smoked a whole onion before, so we’re going to do that. Because I can.
I love the progression pictures.. that onion pulled some serious pellet smoke. I was only going to use a little of it, but it looks pretty tasty. This was the first step. Was going to throw this in for the braise, but also use it to top my sandwich as well.
Once the veggies were good, I was going to get the chuck roast on there. Smoke it til it’s pretty, then throw it in the pan with some bouillon juice (patenting that term). This is a simple recipe, so no fancy techniques today.
The Process
Told you it was simple. Didn’t even throw any Meaty Bits Beef Rub on there. We went straight salt and pepper. But a nice coat on there and let it ride.
I know the mouth is watering looking at that picture above. And it’s only going to get better. Mind your business with that drip pan crud. We’re coming off a busy winter, and as I type this – she has already been scraped and clean. Embarrassing amount of pellet dust at the bottom, probably the worst that I can recall. Don’t do that. Be better than me.
So I put a small pond of beef flavored water in the bottom, put the roast in with the garlic, onion, and jalapeno and we’re going to wrap it tight and get it up to temp. Once it’s good, we’re going to shred the beef and build ourselves a sandwich.
Yes, I absolutely jarred up that meat juice. In the prep picture, I did have a jar of my BBQ sauce in there, because I didn’t know how I was going to top it. I’m fairly certain that BBQ sauce was used in my childhood, but again, vague memories. And because of that, I can do what I like.
The Result
I love shredding up a beef and seeing the pink color. Eat as you go, because “it’s never as good the second day” (inside joke, but accurate). I ended up NOT using the BBQ sauce after all. I dipped the shredded beef back into the pan and used that goodness as my sauce. This was absolutely the right move.
I don’t know if Papa would approve of this version of the barbecue beef, but I’m told he would absolutely enjoy the rice pudding I made (I’m an old soul). This one was a good sandwich, and the smoked jalapeno/onion really added another smoky punch to it that was enjoyable. The butter pats were needed to add the fat. I would absolutely use a different cut of meat in the next go around, but this was in the freezer, and it was time to go.