Smoked Shredded Beef

Smoked shredded beef, or pulled beef as some call it, is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, and sandwiches. I like to smoke chuck roasts to make shredded or pulled beef. It’s like beef brisket but smaller, less expensive, and faster to make. If you are looking to slice your beef instead of shredding it, try my recipe for smoked chuck roast for slicing. Be sure to make extra because this is a crucial ingredient for many different meals, like my smoked chili recipe, or smoked beef enchiladas.

Why Chuck Roast for Shredded Beef?

The chuck roast is directly above the beef brisket on the cow. This cut of meat is known for being tough, but it has a great beefy flavor. It practically falls apart in your hands after 4-6 hours on the smoker. It’s the perfect cut to make shredded beef.

Ingredients for Shredded Beef Recipe

• 3-4 lb chuck roast
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard for the binder
• 6 tbsp Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Rub
• 1/4 cup beef broth (for spritzing the beef)
• 1 Sliced Onion
• 4 cups beef broth

How to Make Shredded Beef

I like to make my shredded beef on a pellet grill or smoker. You must cook this meat low and slow for 4-6 hours to get that fall-apart shredded texture. I used my Green Mountain pellet grill with Bear Mountain BBQ Pellets on this cook.

Instructions

• Preheat the smoker to 225ºF
• Add yellow mustard binder and the Salt, Pepper, & Garlic rub to the chuck roast.
• Place on the smoker until the internal temperature hits 165ºF spritzing every hour with beef broth.
• Add the meat to a covered roasting pan with a sliced onion and beef broth.
• Smoke the meat covered until the internal temperature reaches 206ºF.
• Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes
• Shred the meat with a fork or meat claws

How to Prepare Chuck Roast for Shredded Beef

Shredded beef can be used in dozens of different dishes. I’ll go over the seasonings that I typically use for my shredded beef, but remember that you can use whatever seasonings you want based on how you will use the shredded meat. You cannot go wrong with a simple salt, pepper, and garlic rub with beef.

Start by adding your favorite binder to your chuck roast. I used yellow mustard, but you could substitute Sriracha, Worcestershire, or even A1 sauce. Then add the salt, pepper and garlic rub and pat it into the meat. Let it rest for a bit, and add it to the smoker.

How to make Shredded Beef on the Smoker

It’s a simple 2 step process to make shredded beef on the smoker.

• Step 1: Smoke the chuck roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF.
• Step 2: Add the meat to a roasting pan with the sliced onions and beef broth, cover and place it back on the smoker until the internal temperature hits 206ºF. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You can let it rest longer if you keep the temp at 140ºF.

Here is what the chuck roast looks like after it has hit 206ºF and is rested and ready to be pulled or shredded.

How to Shred Beef

At this point, your beef is going to be so tender that it will practically fall apart. I use a fork in the photo below to shred the beef, but you can use meat claws if you have them.

How To Serve Shredded Beef

I have been known to dive right into a pile of shredded beef, but my favorite ways of using shredded or pulled beef are for BBQ beef sandwiches, tacos, or enchiladas. It’s even great to put into your homemade chili recipe, especially if you want to add a little smokey flavor. Give this easy shredded beef recipe a try, and let me know how it turned out for you in the comments.