Pot Roast Sloppy Joes

Why should ground beef have all the fun? I mean, these are ridiculous! Tender pot roast, perfectly seasoned with all the "Sloppy Joe" favorites and slow-roasted until buttery and tender. Each shred literally melts in your mouth. Pot roast Sloppy Joes just became real. And the oven does all the work! 

No joke, these are either the BEST Sloppy Joes you've ever had, or the BEST pot roast. Call it what you want, it's simply top notch. And I love how the oven is the one working for hours. Not you, or me. Once that pan hits the oven, it's low and slow all afternoon. Or, all day. The beef will be tender and shreddable in about 3 hours, but you can leave the pot in the oven for 6! That's what I did - I left that pot in a 300-degree oven for 6 straight hours. The flavors just kept getting better and better. And I was free to work on other things!

About the beef: I chose chuck roast because it's a great choice for low and slow roasting. The marbling (fat) melts over time and bastes the beef, keeping it moist and buttery. You can buy a whole 3-pound chuck roast and cut it into chunks, or choose 3 pounds of pre-cut stew beef. I find that stew beef is often more expensive per pound, likely because someone ELSE did the cutting. If you want to save money, get the roast. Especially if it's on sale!

In you want to use your slow cooker, simply combine all the ingredients (except for the rolls!) in a large slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Yes, you can skip sauteing the onions/garlic and browning the beef. You'll miss out on those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan, but you'll save 2 steps. It's a trade-off. 

Pot Roast Sloppy Joes

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
3 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 2-inch chunks (see note above)
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and ground black pepper
1-2 cups beef stock or beef broth

1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
Slider rolls or hamburger buns

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until the meat is browned on all sides, turning occasionally (let the beef get nice and browned on one side before turning with tongs). Season the beef with salt and pepper. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside. 
Heat the remaining oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until the vegetables soften, stirring frequently. Return the beef to the pot with any accumulated juices from the plate. Add the chili powder, oregano and basil and stir to coat. Add the 1 cup of the broth, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. At this point, you want the beef just barely covered with liquid, with some pieces poking out above the liquid - this is because the beef will shrink as it cooks. If you need to add more broth, do it at this point so you have "mostly submerged" meat. 
Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the beef is very tender and shreddable, stirring every hour. 
Stir until the beef shreds/falls apart into the sauce. 
If the sauce seems too thin, transfer the pot to the stove and simmer over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the mixture on the rolls/buns.
Serves 6