In our house we love this slow cooker bbq beef recipe because it is a quick and easy way to prepare a delicious meal. You may already be a fan of our slow cooker recipes if you have tried our slow cooker bbq chicken recipe. This is one of those recipes that is really hard to mess up and always comes out tasting like you got it from a restaurant. Grab your wet wipes and bibs because we are about to enter barbeque pulled beef land!
Warm comfort food at its best
When it is the dead of winter in Chicago and all you can think about is not going outside to brave the cold, it is nice to have warm comfort food like this or like our lamb stew with rosemary and potatoes at your disposal. We have recently had a cold snap here that has me thinking only about what warm comforting dishes I can make. This slow cooker bbq beef recipe is one of the best that I know of. It is warm, sweet, tangy, and everyone can choose their own toppings.
The waiting is the hardest part
This kosher slow cooker bbq recipe is also nice because it is truly a recipe that takes minutes of prep time and can sit in the slow cooker all day until dinner time. The whole day the house fills with the smells of the spices and sweet sauce. As the day goes on, you will be tempted to pull the meat out early for "just one taste" but trust me, the longer it cooks the better it will be. By the time it is ready to eat, the meat will be so soft and tender that it will pull apart with a fork. You will not regret exercising the self control it took to get to that point.
Creative and exciting serving suggestions
This recipe is for the meat that goes into a sandwich. While the pulled slow cooker bbq beef recipe is super tasty on its own we always like to get creative and exciting with recipes like this. Here are ways that some of our favorite people have enjoyed this recipe:
- The Caryn: toasted bun, cole slaw, and crispy fried onions on top.
- The Ben: non-toasted bun, extra sauce from the slow cooker, crispy fried onions, spicy giardiniera.
- The Zaydie: topped with tomatoes, pickles, black olives, and raw onion
- The Bubbie: a generous squirt of ketchup.
- The Nanma (keto friendly): No bun, topped with jalapenos
- The GG: Skip the bun and put the slow cooker bbq beef in a wrap
- The Grandpa Ray: half a sandwich
- The Cooper: No bun, served in a bowl, extra sauce
- The Jecca: toasted bun and topped with raw onion
Commonly asked questions
Q: Do I need to add water?
A: If you are using a fattier cut of meat then you can skip adding the water as the meat provides its own liquid. If you are using a leaner cut then you can add up to ½ cup of water before you start the cook. You do not need to do this but it will help to make more sauce.
Q: What cut of meat should I use?
A: In general you want to use a fattier cut like a chuck steak or chuck roast. Make sure that the meat is thick enough to withstand the long cook time. Stay away from thin cuts like pepper steak.
Q: Do slow cookers make meat tender?
A: Yes. The key to this is the long slow cook time. This gives the meat a chance to break down over time which is what makes it tender.
More recipes like this one:
Slow Cooker BBQ Beef
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck steak or chuck roast
- 1 onion medium
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 1sp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup bbq sauce of your choice
- ½ cup water optional
Instructions
- Mix all of the seasonings together in a small bowl.
- Rub seasoning all over the meat.
- Place the seasoned meat into the slow cooker.
- Pour the bbq sauce over the top of the meat. Also pour the water into the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 6 hours.
- Lower the heat on the slow cooker to "warm" until ready to serve.
- Pull the meat apart with two forks. Continue to pull apart until the beef has a "shredded" look.
- Serve on a kaiser roll or sesame seed bun and garnish with your favorite veggies.(Suggestions above in the body of the post).