Grandma Wooly's Beef Barbecue

I after reading the ingredient list I thought there was no way this dish could really taste all that great. The ingredient list was way too short and contained some strange ingredients for bbq'd beef. However I was wrong. This dish was really quite tasty and was quite easy to make. The smell of this cooking made me very hungry long before it was done cooking. This is going on our to make again list!

Grandma Wooly's Beef Barbecue
Cooks Country Magazine October/November 2009

1 tablespoon pickling spice
2 pounds boneless chuck eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
8 hamburger buns, toasted

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Tie pickling spice in cheesecloth to make sachet. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef, turning occasionally, until well browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining oil and beef.

Stir water into pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef, along with any accumulated juices, to pot and bring to boil. Transfer pot to oven and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is nearly tender, about 1 hour. Stir ketchup, vinegar, and mustard into pot. Add pickling spice sachet and continue to cook, covered, until meat is fork tender, about one hour longer.

Discard sachet. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to plate. When cool enough to handle, shred beef into bite sized pieces. Return beef to pot and stir until coated with sauce and warmed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on hamburger buns.