Piled high with fall-apart tender beef, melty cheese, and crispy onions, my Chuck Roast Sandwich is one for the books! It’s perfect for lunches and dinners, but especially good for game day gatherings!
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Another reason to love chuck roast
One of my favorite cuts of beef is chuck roast because it’s usually budget-friendly, and always delicious!
From my classic pot roast to Italian beef stew, there are so many dishes you can make with chuck roast, and this pulled chuck roast sandwich with crispy onions is one of my favorites!
I love it because I can braise the meat ahead of time, shred it, and then use the shredded chuck roast throughout the week for sandwiches.
My family especially loves this chuck roast sandwich alongside a cup of soup, like creamy tomato soup or broccoli cheddar.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chuck roast. I’m using a 2 1/2 pound chuck roast that I cut into 4 large chunks. It’s best to start with the larger pieces as they’re easier to shred.
- Stock. Low-sodium boxed stock, or homemade beef stock, is preferred.
- Bread. I love making a large sandwich on a whole loaf of soft Italian bread or ciabatta, but you can also use ciabatta rolls, soft rolls, or round rolls as I do in my hot roast beef sandwich recipe.
- Cheese. I love American muenster cheese (not French which is much stronger) on my chuck roast sandwich because it melts really well, but you can also use mozzarella or even provolone.
- Barbecue sauce. I make my own barbecue sauce for this recipe which consists of ketchup, brown sugar, honey, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, but you can also use your favorite store-bought brand as well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Add the barbecue sauce ingredients to a saucepot and bring to a simmer while stirring. Taste test and season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Season the chuck roast chunks and sear them in a large Dutch oven with olive oil over medium heat then transfer to a plate.
- Add the beef stock to the pot and bring to a boil while scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits.
- Turn off the heat, add 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, and return the beef to the pot and cover. Put the pot in a 300°F oven and braise until the beef is fork tender and easy to shred, (about 3 hours).
- While the beef braises, coat the onions in cornstarch and let them sit for 10 minutes, then fry them in 1-inch of 370°F oil in a high-walled pan until crisp and brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet or wire rack.
- Remove the chuck roast from the pot and place in a bowl. Use two forks or your hands to shred, then mix in 1/2 cup of the braising liquid and 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce.
- Slice the loaf of bread open and place on a baking sheet. Layer the shredded chuck roast and top with Muenster cheese. Place in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove from the oven and spread a layer of barbecue sauce on the open side of bread and add the arugula and crispy onions. Close the sandwich, slice into 4 sections, and serve.
Top tips
- Make ahead. The beauty of my chuck roast sandwich with crispy onions is that the beef can be made ahead of time. It’s great to make on a weekend and then enjoy sandwiches throughout the week.
- Cooking the chuck roast. Everyone’s oven is different and while the 3-hour time frame is an estimate, it’s really important that you cook until the beef can shred. If it’s not shredded at the 3-hour mark, return it to the oven and continue to cook until tender and easy to shred.
- Crockpot. Yes, you can use a crockpot. A chuck roast will take about 8-9 hours on low or about 4-5 on high before it is shreddable.
- Use soft bread. I prefer a softer bread for this sandwich so that it can absorb all the juices from the beef and it makes it easier to bite through. Save the baguette and other crusty breads for sandwiches like my skirt steak sandwich.
More chuck roast recipes
If chuck roast is one of your favorite ingredients, give these other recipes a try!
If you’ve enjoyed this Chuck Roast Sandwich with Crispy Onions recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Chuck Roast Sandwich with Crispy Onions
Piled high with fall-apart tender beef, melty cheese, crispy onions, and homemade barbecue sauce, my Chuck Roast Sandwich is out of this world! It's perfect for lunches and dinners, but especially good for game day gatherings!
Ingredients
For the bbq sauce
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1 3/4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 3/4 packed cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
For the steak sandwich
- 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast cut into 4 large chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 large loaf ciabatta or soft Italian bread, soft rolls, and hero rolls
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- olive oil for frying
- 1/2 pound sliced American muenster cheese or mozzarella
- 2 cups arugula
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Instructions
For the bbq sauce
- Add the bbq sauce ingredients to a saucepot and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to combine. Taste test and season with salt and pepper as required. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
For the steak sandwich and onions
- Preheat oven to 300°F and set the racks apart to accomodate a large Dutch oven.
- Liberally season the chuck roast pieces with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat a large Dutch oven with the olive oil to medium heat. Sear the chuck roast pieces on all sides then move them to a plate. Add the beef stock to the pot, bring to a boil, and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any brown bits. Turn off the heat and mix in 1 cup of the bbq sauce, return the beef to the pot, and cover. Place the pot in the oven and braise until the beef is fork tender and shreddable (about 3 hours).
- Meanwhile, coat the onions in cornstarch and let sit 10 minutes.
- Pour olive oil 1" high in a high walled pan or pot and heat to 370°F.
- Fry the onions until crisp and brown and remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined baking sheet or wire rack. Fry in multiple batches to not overcrowd the pot. Blot the onions with paper towels and season with a sprinkle of salt.
- Remove the chuck roast pieces from the pot and place into a bowl. Shred with 2 forks or your hands. Mix in a 1/2 cup of the reserved braising liquid and a 1/2 cup of bbq sauce.
- Slice the loaf open and place onto a baking sheet. Layer the shredded chuck roast and top with the muenster cheese. Place in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Top with arugula and then the crispy onions. Spread a layer of bbq sauce onto the top layer of bread and close the sandwich. Slice into 4 sections. Enjoy!
Notes
- Servings. Makes 4 large or 6 smaller sandwiches.
- Bread. A softer bread works better than a crusty loaf. A ciabatta loaf or individual rolls, soft rolls or hero/hoagie rolls all work well.
- Chuck roast. Cook the chuck roast until it is fall apart tender. 3 hours is a rough estimate, if the roast is still tough, continue to cook it longer until is tender and ready to shred.
- BBQ sauce. Use the recipe above or your favorite bottled bbq sauce.
- Cheese. American muenster cheese can be subbed with mozzaralle or a mild soft provolone.
- Leftovers. Save the extra braised beef for up to 3 days in the fridge to make more sandwiches or use for another purpose. The crispy onions can be saved in a sealed container for up to 3 days and can be used for more sandwiches or for a topping on salads. The leftover bbq sauce can be saved in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Calories: 1177kcal | Carbohydrates: 92.6g | Protein: 85g | Fat: 51.4g | Saturated Fat: 13.5g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 1274mg | Sugar: 45.3g | Calcium: 354mg | Iron: 13mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Sweet baby rays makes a sugar free BBQ sauce which is what I’m using since I am diabetic as well and was wondering if you can bake the onions instead of frying
Hi Ernest, we haven’t tested this exact onion recipe with baking them so can’t say for sure, but they’d likely turn out good.
Yum!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Paula!
Could you please convert to instant pot recipe directions for pot roast?
Delish like all of your recipes!
So glad you enjoyed, Jodie!
Hi Jim and Tara,
What would you recommend substituting for the honey? As I diabetic I am now trying to be good and sub out the hi glucose items. I know that recipe authors that don’t have health challenges don’t think about it or even have any experience with the restrictions.
I do love everything of yours I’ve made, thank you.
Hi Lea, for the bbq sauce we’re using 3/4 cup of brown sugar plus the 1/4 cup of honey, so if you’re concerned about the sugar, you may want to consider reducing both of those significantly, though we haven’t tested the recipe with the reduced sugar so can’t say for certain how it would turn out. Jim only adds 1 cup of the bbq sauce to the 2 1/2 lbs of chuck roast so that’s something to consider. You could potentially expermiment with low glycemic sweeteners in place of the sugar and honey, but we can’t really advise on that as we don’t typically use those products. I’m sorry as I’m not sure if this is much help to you.
Sweet baby rays makes a sugar free BBQ sauce which is what I’m using since I am diabetic as well
I tried to pin this recipe (as I always do with yours) and I get the error message, –
You don’t have permission to create content for this domain. To use this domain, you must first verify domain ownership in your business settings.
We’ve heard that pinterest was having issues – perhaps try again?
Looks wonderful. I can tell long and slow is the way to go. Lol
But I do have a question. How long should this be cooked if using a slow cooker?
Hi Pat, while you can use a slow cooker, we haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker so can’t advise on the timing.
Can you finish cooking the meat in a slow cooker?
You can though we haven’t tested the recipe in a slow cooker so can’t say what the timing would be.