first attempt at pulled beef....

Clay's Pulled Beef by Clay Roberts


Beef makes a great BBQ sandwich but it tends to dry out during the cook. This three stage method using a Dutch oven helps to keep the beef tender, moist and flavorful. Here's my recipe for the egg.

- Two or three choice chuck roasts
- 10 strips of good bacon
- Tomato based BBQ sauce or your favorite sauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
- 2/3 cup water
- Cow Lick Steak Rub and peanut oil



Set the beef out on the table and rub with peanut oil and then spice, (Dizzy Pig Cow Lick). Fire up the egg and stabilize at 250 degrees dome. Be prepared for an 8 hour cook. Set up is indirect, platesetter feet up, grid on platesetter, drip pan and v rack on grid. At this time leave the grid off.



Stage one; Set beef on v rack in pan with a little water or beer in pan. Lay bacon on top of beef. Lift platesetter enough to throw a handful of hickory chips on burning lump. Place grid in egg and set in the pan with beef. Cook for about 5 hours and when beef is 160 internal remove from egg.



Stage two; In a No.12 Dutch oven, oil inside with peanut oil, remove bacon from beef and lay across bottom of Dutch oven. Carefully lift beef off of rack and place in Dutch oven. Pour the maple syrup and water over beef. Making sure the meat probe is inserted in the meat, put the lid on and return to the egg and set on top of platesetter after removing grid. Be careful not to have the dome temp over 250. Cook for about 2 hours or until beef is 215 internal and remove from egg.

Stage three; Set the beef out on a tray to rest while you drain the beef juice from the Dutch oven into a container. Place the container in the freezer to chill so that you can skim off the fat later. Trim any fat you find on the beef and start pulling with a fork. Remove gristle and fat as you pull. Return pulled beef to Dutch oven and add the sauce to your liking. Taste test. Now skim fat from saved juice and return juice to the beef. Taste test. Ok, lets go back to the egg. Lift platesetter and throw a good handful of hickory chips on burning lump and return Dutch oven to smoke with the cast iron lid off. Cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Maintain a dome temp no higher than 250.

Stir and serve on soft hamburger buns with pickles on the side. Let's eat!

Author's note: If you don't have a Dutch oven you can use a double layer of heavy alumimum foil. Keep the egg steady at 250, smoke with more hickory if you like and enjoy one of lifes best sandwiches. Special thanks to all the good cooks on the forum that helped me make this BBQ.

Have fun. Clay Q


Hope this helps!!

I realized you were pretty far into it but there's a few tips you could incorporate into it.
I don't have a doubt yours will be fantastic!!

Yep and it is hard to beat Nature Well.

Mike

I would use the little green feet if you have them. Clay uses a CI kettle with little legs on it.

Legs up with plate setter works good when using Dutch oven so there is enough room in the dome.
I'm gonna recommend that you can take the dome temp to 300° in the second stage if the meat stalls during the plateau. Ya want to get'er done. 212° is fall apart tender. :woohoo:

You will hit a plateau that you'll think will never end. I would do as Clay suggested and bump to 300 when you go to the DO. -RP

Looks like you got a good start and lots of good info all ready. Never done pulled beef and look forward to the results later! :woohoo:

We pull ours at 200; let it sit wrapped in a cooler for an hour or so; pull; mix with favorite BBQ sauce (not too much; just to keep it moist); serve with buns, slaw, hot sauce and more BBQ sauce for those who want it.

I agree completely with using Clay Q's recipe. It's excellent, though I've started to experiment with savory sauces as opposed to the maple syrup, too, with mixed results. Regardless, following his recipe will get you a very good result. I've got a pulled beef cook scheduled for this week myself.