Name: Instant Pot BBQ Beef Roast
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 5 pound beef chuck roast (cut into 3 to 6 large pieces); 1 tablespoon dried minced onions; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1.5 teaspoons sea salt; 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1.5 cups low sodium beef broth; 1 cup bbq sauce (divided)

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Instant Pot BBQ Beef Roast is fork tender, juicy and delicious. Make the best shredded barbecue beef sandwiches with this easy recipe!

instant pot shredded bbq beef sandwich on a plate with steak fries

You can make the easiest and best bbq beef sandwiches from a chuck roast in your pressure cooker in just over an hour. This Instant Pot recipe is perfect for an easy family dinner or for feeding a crowd. And, the leftovers are even better!

One of my favorite easy dinner recipes is pulled BBQ chicken in the Instant Pot. So when I got a good deal on a chuck roast, I decided to the same thing with beef.

The kids aren’t huge fans of pot roasts. So pulled beef is perfect when you have a beef roast but you don’t want to make an actual pot roast in the Instant Pot with potatoes and carrots.

Best Cut of Beef for Shredding

A boneless beef chuck roast is the best for shredded or pulled beef. After only 1 hour of pressure cooking, you can literally pull the meat apart with a fork.

I use the same method for making Italian Beef Sandwiches, French Dip Sandwiches and Mexican Shredded Beef in the Instant Pot.

How to Cook BBQ Shredded Beef in the Instant Pot

First, cut the meat into large pieces. This helps ensure that it cooks evenly. Then, make a dry rub for extra flavor, and rub it over the meat.

I use my favorite BBQ dry rub here, but you can use your favorite spice mix or make your own. I know some will say you should sear the meat first, but you really don’t need to.

Then, pour beef broth into the pressure cooker, and place the meat inside. Finally, pour some of your favorite BBQ sauce on top of the meat.

barbecue sauce over chuck roast chunks in pressure cooker

Pressure cook the beef for 60 minutes. When the time’s up, allow a 15 to 20 minute natural release.

You can also do a full natural release if you want, but 15 minutes works well. There is a lot of liquid after cooking, so I recommend pulling out the meat for shredding and draining the liquid.

You can spoon the liquid into a bowl and save it for later if you want. I like to add some back to the meat for extra flavor.

beef chuck roast in cooking liquid in pressure cooker

After you shred the meat, add it back to the Instant Pot with some of the cooking liquid. You can add more BBQ sauce here and stir it together.

You can also hit the Sauté button to reduce the liquid and warm up the beef. If you’re not going to eat right away, you can use the Keep Warm setting until you’re ready to eat.

We like to pile the barbecue shredded beef high on brioche buns or dinner rolls. You can top the meat with your favorite coleslaw or cheese slices or enjoy the beef just as it is.

Instant Pot potato salad and Instant Pot Corn on the Cob or Foil Grilled Corn on the Cob are easy side dishes that go so well with pulled beef sandwiches. Homemade Fries or your favorite frozen fries are good, too!

As completely delicious as the beef is right after cooking, it’s even better the next day! Seriously, the flavor deepens, and it just tastes amazing!