BBQ Sandwiches (aka Pot Roast Leftovers)

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

I've been hesitating even posting this because, well, pot roast is just so boring. I was afraid I'd fall asleep in the middle of typing of this up, or even worse, that you would fall asleep as you read this! There's only so much one can say about pot roast: it's an enormously big hunk of meat and you cook it in a pot. If you want to be super efficient, you stick it in a crock-pot when you wake up in the morning and don't look at it until dinner time, and there you have it, dinner. Are you still awake?

But what we can talk about is the left overs, oh my the possibilities! Fajitas, puff pastry turn overs, on top of pizza or a killer bbq sandwich. Or what I like to call "How to Finish the Last Bits of all the Sauce bottles in the Fridge". This sandwich was oh so incredibly good that I had to make it a second time, except that I had no left overs. So I cooked beef and then shredded it up for the sole of purpose of this sandwich, forget leftovers!

For the sake of the recipe, I'll give you a quick run down of pot roast and since this was my first time cooking a hunk of meat this big, some things I learned along the way. First, try and get a bone-in roast. Our meat store didn't have any when I needed it, so I when for a 5 - 6 pounder of boneless beef. In all honesty, it was a little dry by the end but thats what those pot juices are for, I guess.

Make sure you sear all sides before putting in a warmed slow cooker. This will give you a nice crust and lock in the flavor and juices. Every few hours, baste the meat with its own juices. Do this quickly though, as every time you open the lid of a crock pot so much heat escapes that you substantially add to the overall cooking time. And finally, use whatever spices you prefer, there really isn't a right or wrong way. I like a lot of garlic, black pepper, paprika, cumin and ground cloves.And as always, the longer you marinate, the better.

Now on to the star of the show: the sandwich. This is so incredibly easy y'all, and I'm pretty sure you already have these ingredients sitting in your fridge door as we speak. You can just as easily make my quick BBQ sauce or take the easy route and finish off those bottles of condiments in your fridge. Cook it on a long and slow simmer, plop on to some crusty bread and top with some good cheese (we like smoked gouda). Stick it under the broiler for just a couple minutes to get all nice and bubbly, and dinner is done!