Crockpot BBQ Shredded Roast Beef
A chuck roast cooks 8 to 10 hours on LOW with a sweet barbecue rub and broth, then shreds into barbecue sauce for sliders and sandwiches.
Crockpot BBQ Shredded Roast Beef
Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes9
hours30
minutesA chuck roast cooks 8 to 10 hours on LOW with a sweet barbecue rub and broth, then shreds into barbecue sauce for sliders and sandwiches.
Ingredients
3 to 4 lb boneless chuck roast
2 tbsp BBQ rub
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
12 slider buns
2 cups coleslaw, for serving
Directions
- Mix the BBQ rub, salt and pepper and rub it over the roast on every side.
- Heat the oil and sear the roast 3 minutes per side.
- Put the onion and garlic in the slow cooker and set the roast on top.
- Pour in the broth and vinegar.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, until the roast shreds.
- Lift the roast onto a board and shred it, discarding fat.
- Skim the fat from the juices and keep half a cup.
- Stir the barbecue sauce and brown sugar into the shredded beef with the reserved juices.
- Return to the crock on WARM for 20 minutes.
- Pile onto buns with coleslaw.
Notes
- Add the sauce at the end, not the start. Leftovers keep 4 days in the refrigerator and freeze for 3 months in the sauce.
Why Crockpot BBQ Shredded Roast Beef gets its sauce late
A chuck roast has plenty of connective tissue, so it needs 8 to 10 hours to turn tender. Sugary sauce added at the start can burn on the walls. Searing first builds flavor in the meat.
Searing three minutes per side builds a brown crust that the slow cooker cannot make. Onion and garlic cook beneath the roast and flavor the juices. The vinegar cuts the sweetness of the rub and sauce, so the beef tastes balanced.
Swaps
Pork shoulder takes the same method. A homemade rub works if yours is mild. Do not use a lean cut like round. It dries out and shreds into chalky strands.
Serving
Slider buns, coleslaw and pickles. It also works over baked potatoes or nachos.
Storing and the usual mistake
Keeps 4 days and freezes up to 3 months in the sauce. Skim the fat off before adding sauce, or it turns greasy. Shredding too fine makes the meat mushy.
Part of: 10 Crockpot Roast Beef Recipes and Roast Beef Crock Pot Times
