Easy 2-Ingredient Pulled Beef is a terrific way to repurpose your leftover brisket, chuck roast, or pot roast. It’s a budget-friendly one-bowl recipe that doesn’t even require any actual cooking.
Pulled beef is a terrific, budget-friendly way to use your leftover brisket, roast, or other leftover stringy meat. Just shred the meat, mix, and heat on the stove. That’s it!
Then, put it in a roll or bun with your favorite toppings, and voila!
An amazing savory sandwich for lunch, dinner, or picnics!
Take to work or school or have it for a quick, filling dinner after a busy day.
And beef has nutritional benefits!
Some useful cooking terms:
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor-related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance-related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
Seasoning and flavoring:
While this recipe doesn’t call for seasonings, you can swap out the sauce for whatever spices you like to make this dish.
I like to keep a variety of spices and seasonings in my cupboard at all times so I can have them to make a variety of dishes, spur-of-the-moment:
- salt (my recipes use regular table salt)
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder (I prefer granulated)
- onion powder
- sweet paprika and/or sweet pepper flakes (paprika is ground dried red pepper, pepper flakes are crushed dried red pepper)
- hot paprika, hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper (moderately spicy dried ground chili pepper) for those occasional spicy dishes
- ground turmeric
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves (for pumpkin flavors)
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consommé powder / beef bouillon powder (regular or vegetarian)
- onion soup mix
- onion flakes (substitute for fresh onion—3 tablespoons for 1 medium onion).
- various herbs
- additional spices to adapt taste to preference
I also like to keep other items, and one of the ingredients for this recipe is right there, so if I had leftover meat, I wouldn’t even need to go shopping or borrow from a neighbor!
- oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
- coconut cream as a dairy-free cream substitute
- flavorless milk substitute as a dairy-free milk alternative
- cornstarch as a thickening agent
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs (you can make these with your blender or food processor) for coating
- condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce
- tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes—diced or crushed/pasta sauce
- soy sauce (makes a great flavoring for savory foods)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Easy 2-Ingredient Pulled Beef
What is 2-ingredient pulled beef?
It is a quick, budget-friendly recipe designed to easily transform leftover brisket, chuck roast, or pot roast into flavorful sandwich meat without any actual cooking.
How do you make pulled beef with leftovers?
Simply shred your leftover roast or brisket, mix it with the two core ingredients, and heat on the stove until warm.
What kind of meat can I use for pulled beef?
You can use leftover brisket, chuck roast, pot roast, or any other tender, stringy leftover beef roast.
How should I serve pulled beef?
It is traditionally served piled high in a roll, bun, or sandwich with your favorite toppings for an amazing lunch or dinner.
Is this pulled-beef recipe good for simple meal prep?
Yes, it is great for simple meal prep because you can make a batch ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and easily scoop out portions to reheat throughout the week.
Does this pulled-beef recipe make a filling meal?
Yes. It makes a quick and filling meal for work lunches, school, picnics, or a fast dinner on a busy day.
Does this recipe require cooking the beef from scratch?
No, this streamlined recipe uses pre-cooked leftover meat, making it an effortless way to repurpose leftovers in minutes.
So, what is needed to make this pulled beef recipe?
Even if you don’t want to keep a pantry full of just-in-case ingredients, these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe!
cooked brisket (or other stringy beef, such as pot roast or chuck roast)
your favorite barbeque sauce
A little about pulled beef (or shredded beef)
This dish can be found in many cultures, with a variety of ways to prepare it. There is Cuban and Spanish (Ropa Vieja), Mexican, Texan, Southern (which is normally from pork), etc.
It is a great way to use leftover beef, such as brisket, pot roast, and chuck roast. Of course, you can use fresh beef too!
Easy 2-Ingredient Pulled Beef Recipe
Simple and delicious recipe to repurpose your leftover meat!
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked brisket (or other stringy beef, such as pot roast or chuck roast)
- 4-6 ounces of your favorite BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Pull apart beef into thick strings and place in pot.
- Add the BBQ sauce (less or more, as you like it).
- Heat on medium flame mixing occasionally until meat is smothered in sauce and is hot.
- Serve in roll or on bread (suggestion).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 620Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1801mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 2gSugar: 57gProtein: 34g