Description
Slow Cooker BBQ Beef turns budget-friendly chuck roast into fall-apart tender, smoky-sweet pulled beef that’s perfect for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, or serving over rice.
Ingredients
For the Beef:
3–4 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (if browning)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
For the BBQ Sauce:
1½ cups ketchup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
1. Trim excess fat from chuck roast and cut into 3-4 large fist-sized chunks. Don’t cut too small or they’ll fall apart too much.
2. Optional: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef chunks on 2-3 sides for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply golden.
3. Place diced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add beef chunks on top and season with salt and pepper.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and liquid smoke until smooth.
5. Pour BBQ sauce over beef chunks, coating evenly. Reserve ½ cup of sauce for later if desired.
6. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until beef falls apart easily with a fork.
7. Transfer beef chunks to a large bowl. Use two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large fat pieces.
8. Return shredded beef to slow cooker and stir into sauce. Let sit 10-15 minutes to absorb flavors. If sauce is too thin, cook on HIGH uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
9. Serve hot on toasted buns, in tacos, over rice, on nachos, or however you like. Keeps warm on WARM setting for hours.
Notes
Store in airtight containers in fridge for up to 4 days or freeze in sauce for 3 months.
Browning the beef is optional but adds incredible depth of flavor.
Skim fat from surface before shredding for lighter sauce.
Double the sauce recipe if you like extra-saucy BBQ.
Toast buns with butter to prevent sogginess.
Beef tastes even better the next day once flavors meld.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course, Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 105mg