Gluten Free Casually: BBQ Beef

BBQ Beef. This is one of my fall favorites. It is a great way to use up left over roast beef or a couple pounds of lean hamburger. (You can also use the homemade sauce for chicken or pork too!) It even tastes better the next day. You can't go wrong with this recipe. This recipe has been in our family for a long time. I like to make this when we have a group of friends camping together. It is yummy just re-heated on the campfire! I like to freeze it and just toss it in the cooler. Serve with buns (gluten free for me!) and chips & raw veggies = camping dinner! :)

It is a great recipe to make for casual parties, tailgating, camping or pot lucks. It can be kept warm in a crock pot or re-heated easily on a grill, stove top, oven or microwave. It doesn't get much simpler than that! I know a lot of people use the store bought BBQ sauce and some of it is pretty good but a lot of them have artificial flavors that can give you serious heart burn. Not to mention, many of them have gluten added to thicken the sauce. I personally prefer the homemade version best! You can serve BBQ beef on my favorite gluten free corn muffins (see recipe on the blog) or on a gluten free bun (Udi's makes a pretty good GF bun). Of course if you don't have a gluten allergy...just use regular buns! :)

.....And did I mention that leftovers FREEZE great?!

BBQ Beef Recipe:

2 pounds of cooked shredded beef or cooked lean hamburger (you can also use shredded chicken or pork if you prefer). My grandma Goldie used to use ground hamburger for the Moose pot lucks. I prefer shredded beef best but I won't turn down any of them! :)
1/2 onion, chopped fine and cooked until soft (you can either cook it with the meat or in a little water in the microwave or stove top. You don't want crunchy onions in your sauce!)
1 cup ketchup (I used Heinz which is marked gluten free on the back of bottle)
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used raw brown sugar today but regular will work too. Add a little less if you like it more tangy or add a little extra if you like it sweeter)
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard (this is found in the spice section of your grocery store)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder (optional. This is something I like to add because we like the smokey flavor. If you don't have it on hand, I wouldn't run out to buy it)
1 tbs. vinegar (I used white vinegar today but you can use apple cider vinegar)
2 tbs. worcestershire sauce (I used Lea & Perrins which was labeled gluten free)
1 cup broth or water (I used beef broth from my pot roast)

Heat everything on the stove top (except the meat). Cook until it comes to a boil and the sugar and spices have dissolved. Pour over the meat. At this point, I like to put it in a roaster or casserole dish with a lid or foil cover & bake @ 300 degrees for about 1.5 hours in the oven until all the juices soak up into the meat. Or put it in the crock pot on low heat for a couple of hours. If you are not going to eat it today....just mix it all together and let it cool. Place in refrigerator overnight. The juices will soak up into the meat while it rests in the refrigerator. Remove the next day and heat & eat. (If you need to eat it right away and the sauce hasn't thickened on its own yet....just add a tablespoon of either corn starch or tapioca starch. It will thicken quick without altering the flavor).

NOTE: I have used 1 tsp. regular yellow mustard (like you use on hot dogs) in place of the dry mustard spice in a pinch. It works. (I like the spice better but it does work). I have also used 1 packet of dry onion soup mix (gluten free) mixed with the 1 cup of water in place of broth and chopped onions. Sometimes you just have to use what you have on hand.

This is a good recipe to use on a rotisserie chicken. Shred the chicken and make the sauce. Quick & Easy! I have also used up left over turkey from Thanksgiving with this recipe. I love easy recipes that are versatile. You can use it on many different types of meat! I used to make the sauce and cook vegetarian crumbles for my daughter! The sauce is also fabulous on ribs & brisket or even meatballs!