Instant Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches are a quick weeknight dinner with big beefy flavor.
Before we start: I know this is not Real Barbecue™. It’s not better than beef cooked all day (and all night) in a smoker. But it is good, and it is easy, and a great weeknight dinner.
Jump to:
Looking for a similar recipe, but without the barbecue sauce? Check out my Instant Pot Shredded Beef Recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef top round cut into 2-inch cubes (or chuck roast, or bottom round)
- ½ cup water
- 8 hamburger buns
Barbecue Rub
(Makes 2 tablespoons of my Homemade Barbecue Rub, or use your favorite store-bought rub)
- ¾ tablespoon paprika
- ¾ tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon fine sea salt
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Barbecue sauce
(Makes 1 cup of my Easy Barbecue Sauce, or use your favorite store bought sauce)
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)
How to Make Instant Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Spice the beef and make the barbecue sauce
In a small bowl, mix the barbecue rub ingredients (paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme), breaking up clumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Sprinkle the beef cubes with ½ teaspoon of salt, then the barbecue rub. In a medium bowl, whisk the barbecue sauce ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce) until smooth.
Everything in the pot
Pour the water into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then add the spiced beef in an even layer. Pour the barbecue sauce on top of the beef and spread it around evenly. Don’t stir too much - we want layers, with the water on the bottom, the beef in the middle, and the barbecue sauce on top, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Pressure cook for 30 minutes with a natural release
Lock the lid on the cooker. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
Shred the beef, add some pot sauce, and serve
Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon, then shred the beef with a pair of forks. Ladle liquid from the pot onto the shredded beef until it is saucy, but not swimming in sauce. (I add about a cup of sauce from the pot to the beef.) Spoon onto the buns, pass some extra BBQ sauce at the table, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Make Prep Easy by buying a 2-inch thick roast
I keep the prep to an absolute minimum. I want 2-inch cubes of beef, so I look for a 2-inch thick Top Round roast in my grocer’s meat case, to make cutting easier. I only need to cut the roast lengthwise and crosswise to get my 2-inch cubes.
(Don’t buy pre-cut stew meat, even if it’s top round - stew meat is cut into ¾-inch to 1-inch chunks, which are too small for this recipe.)
Barbecue Rub
I always have a batch of barbecue rub in my pantry and barbecue sauce in the fridge, so the rest of the recipe is easy. Sprinkle the beef with the rub, put it in the pot with some water, and spread the barbecue sauce over the top. (Don’t stir it much - sauce that sticks to the bottom of the pot may burn while under pressure.)
Of course, you can use your own favorite BBQ rub.
Only Use a Little Pan Sauce
The last trick is not adding all of the sauce from the pot. (I’m always amazed at how much liquid is in the pot after pressure cooking.) The sauce is thin, but full of flavor from beef juices mixing with barbecue sauce. Shred the beef, then only add as much of the sauce as you need to make it wet. I pour the rest of the pot sauce into a fat separator and pass it at the table for anyone who likes extra-sloppy beef.
Which BBQ sauce is best for this recipe?
I think my easy homemade barbecue sauce is best for this recipe, of course. (My second favorite is my Espresso Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, which has a little more heat from the chipotle peppers.) Use your own favorite BBQ sauce; store-bought is fine.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover shredded BBQ beef can refrigerate for a few days, and lasts in the freezer for up to 6 months. (It freezes beautifully.) I pack leftover shredded beef in 2-cup containers for easy lunch-size portions later on.
What to serve with Instant Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Of course, serve these BBQ beef sandwiches on buns, with extra BBQ sauce at the table. I like to add the traditional beef barbecue toppings of thin-sliced onions and pickles. The tart flavors are a nice counterpoint to the rich, sweet beef. Potato salad, cole slaw, and grilled corn are great side dishes to serve with this beef.
Print
Instant Pot Barbecue Beef Sandwich Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 sandwiches 1x
Description
Instant Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches are a quick weeknight dinner with big beefy flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef top round cut into 2-inch cubes (or chuck, or bottom round)
- ½ cup water
- 8 hamburger buns
Barbecue Rub (2 tablespoons of my Homemade Barbecue Rub), or use your favorite store-bought rub
- ¾ tablespoon paprika
- ¾ tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon fine sea salt
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Barbecue sauce (1 cup of my Easy Barbecue Sauce), or use your favorite store bought sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)
Instructions
- Spice the beef and make the barbecue sauce: In a small bowl, mix the barbecue rub ingredients (paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme), breaking up clumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Sprinkle the beef cubes with ½ teaspoon of salt, then the barbecue rub. In a medium bowl, whisk the barbecue sauce ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce) until smooth.
- Everything in the pot: Pour the water into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then add the spiced beef in an even layer. Pour the barbecue sauce on top of the beef and spread it around evenly. Don’t stir too much - we want layers, with the water on the bottom, the beef in the middle, and the barbecue sauce on top, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes with natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the cooker. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Shred the beef, add some pot sauce, and serve: Remove the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon, then shred the beef with a pair of forks. Ladle liquid from the pot onto the shredded beef until it is saucy, but not swimming in sauce. (I add about a cup of sauce from the pot to the beef.) Spoon onto the buns, pass some extra BBQ sauce at the table, and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Traditional beef barbecue toppings are thin-sliced onions and pickles. The tart flavors are a nice counterpoint to the rich, sweet beef.
Want to use more of the sauce from the pot? Pass it at the table. Like I said in the headnotes, I pour it into a fat separator to pass at the table.
Smaller cubes? Cook 1½-inch cubes for 22 minutes, or 1-inch cubes for 15 minutes. That said, cook to the size of the largest cubes. If most of your cubes are 2 inches, that’s fine. A few smaller ones won’t hurt.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket
Pressure Cooker Pork Western Shoulder Ribs with Barbecue Rub and Sauce
Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.
Bernadette
First: I had All the ingredients for spice rub and bbq sauce in my pantry. Second, I used thick-ish top round London Broils. Third, I was cooking for 12! People, needing leftovers to send some home with guests. I bought 6 top rounds, cooking 3 lbs at a time the day before, reheating in a large slow cooker. I Shredded it all while it was still warm, served it next day with lettuce leaves to roll up, and regular small hard rolls, alongside Cole slaw, Pepperoncinis and quick onion pickle.
It was a total hit. Thank you so much.
Mike Vrobel
You’re welcome! I’m glad it worked out for that many people.
Jo
Thanks for this! I needed some quick top round & this worked perfectly. I skipped the BBQ sauce & tossed the shredded meat in mustard & fresh pressed garlic.
Brenda
Excellent! Made recipe as written except had 2.5 lbs of beef stew meat. Worked great! The meat did release a lot of liquid so after the pressure released I added 2 tbls of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbls of water. We served over white rice. Thank you for a great and simple receipe.
Linda
Do I double the time in the stovetop PC if I doulnle the recipe? I’m new to PC and not totally confident in my cooking times yet. I’m thanks for the help and the recipe!
Mike Vrobel
No, use the same cooking time.
Linda
Thank you Mike! I doubled the recipe, thankfully I have a large stovetop PC, and used the 25 min cooking time...it turned out wonderfully! Thank you for the great recipe and detailed instructions!
Super dinner!!!
David
Bought some top round by mistake. Googled, found this recipe and gave it a go. I made the sauce and the rub and used a smaller cut because I started with a thinner cut.
This was delicious. Will be making it again for sure. Thanks for the write up!!
Blue
Oooo thank you ever do for making the video AND the printed directions ☆☆☆☆☆ thank you. I'll be trying that recipe tonight!!I hope!
Joe
Hi Mike
Can I make more than 2 pound on a 6 quartz instant pot? Maybe 4 pounds?
Mike Vrobel
Yes, this recipe can be doubled.
Sigrid Trombley
Looks good. Mike's photo shows sliced pickles (I assume dill) on the sandwich. I think pepperoncini peppers would be a tasty substitute or addition as well.