Pile this Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef on toasted buns for an easy busy day dinner. Your slow cooker will help you create the flavors of summer anytime of year!
It’s March, you know, the time of year when we have blue, sunny skies and 70 degree weather. When we wear flip flops, and shorts, and t-shirts and frolic in the sun.
Okay, maybe that’s going a bit far but it has been so sunny and gorgeous here in Oregon for the past couple of days. I’ve been sharing the gorgeousness on my Instagram stories and I hope you’ll follow along.
Unfortunately, I’ve been holed up inside my house working all day, not frolicking, but I’ve made an effort to get my sad, pale self outside as much as possible to bask in the sun. Have you ever watched a cat in a sunny spot? That’s me. Despite everything we all know about sun exposure, I crave it like chocolate and coffee.
Since this completely inappropriate but gorgeous weather started, I have been craving barbecue. My food clock has been set to summer.
Instead of standing out in the dark with a flashlight over my grill, I opted to put together some finger lickin’ good barbecue sauce, pour it over a chuck roast in my slow cooker and let it go all day. It totally and completely hit the spot and I highly recommend you try it – pronto!
How to Make Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef
We start by adding a diced slice of bacon to a large saucepan. Cook and stir the bacon until it has rendered a bit of fat and is slightly browned. Adding a little bacon at the beginning of the process will add great flavor and that unique smokiness that only bacon brings.
Next you’ll add diced onion and minced garlic and cook, stirring, until softened.
The remaining barbecue sauce ingredients are added – ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, thyme, cumin, paprika, and fresh ground pepper. I like to add a touch of cayenne pepper for a little kick but this is totally optional.
Combine all this good stuff and allow it to simmer while you prepare your 3 to 4 pound chuck roast.
Cut the roast down into 5 or 6 chunks and trim as much fat as you can from the edges of each piece. This task will result in a cleaner barbecue sauce and is well worth the effort.
Pour that luscious sauce you just made over the beef, cover the Crock-Pot and set to either low or high, depending on when you need it.
Now walk away, forget about it, and go on with your day.
After 7 to 9 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high, the beef will be fork tender and ready to shred right into that beautiful sauce.
Toast those Buns!
One of the easiest ways to ruin a good juicy sandwich like Barbecue Beef is to serve it on soft rolls that have not been toasted. In order to ensure that your rolls will hold up, place them on a baking sheet and toast them in a 400 degree F oven for a few minutes, watching closely to be sure they don’t burn.
The flavor of this made from scratch sauce is incredible, friends…
I serve this Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef on rolls with coleslaw but this is versatile stuff.
It is also spectacular served over the top of mashed potatoes, or baked sweet potatoes, with lots of the barbecue sauce drizzled over the top.
Craving more? Another slow cooker sandwich favorite – Crock-Pot French Dip Sandwiches.
This post was originally published on January 12, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 slice thick sliced bacon diced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 cup ketchup
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste (optional)
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 3 pound chuck roast cut into large chunks and trimmed of excess fat
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and place over MEDIUM heat. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the diced onion and cook and stir for another minute or two, or until the onion begins to soften. Turn heat to LOW. Add the garlic. Continue to cook and stir for just a minute or two. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, cayenne (if using), and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well and allow to simmer over LOW heat while preparing the chuck roast.
- Cut the chuck roast down into 5 or 6 chunks. Trim and discard as much of the excess fat from the edges as possible.
- Place the chunks of roast in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour the barbecue sauce over the roast and cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 7 hours or until easy to shred.
- At end of cooking time, use two forks to shred the beef into the sauce in the Crock-Pot.
- Serve on sandwich rolls or over the top of mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Thank you for a great recipe! It was something the whole family liked and very easy! If I wanted it to be spicier what would you suggest?
I’ve got this in my slow cooker as I type this. Great minds think alike 🙂 For a spicier result, just up the amount of cayenne. I’d try 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon and go from there.
Hello Valerie,
I made this last weekend and it was delicious. I made it exactly as written and everyone raved! Thank you for another great recipe.
That’s fantastic, Tracey! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
This was so tasty. I made the BBQ sauce last weekend, my husband put it all in the crock pot this morning, and it was ready for dinner when I walked in the door. The whole house smelled like bbq, and it tasted beyond excellent, the sauce is insanely good!
I will DEFINITELY make this again, and again, and again…
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Michelle. I’m so glad to hear it worked out so well for you! That sauce gets me every time 🙂 Thanks so much for your feedback.
This bbq beef is incredibly delicious! This is my first time to make pulled beef using a chuck roast — always used a pork butt in the past. I will definitely make this delicious dish again. Now the hard part — use it in a sandwich or over mashed potatoes. : )
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nancy! I loooove it over mashed potatoes!
We ate this with Becky, Terry and Amaya. We enjoyed it very much and so easy to fix!
Mmmm this looks so delicious! Perfect comfort food.
hey valerie! thank you so much for nominating me for this award… you are too sweet! i feel very honored to have received this from you 🙂 thanks again!!! xoxo
You’re welcome Nicole. Love your blog!
Your post definitely make me want to get a crock pot… looks wonderful and this is great for week night or even for a quick get together with friends!
What kind of cast iron are you using for the sauce? It looks narrow & tall (or I should say small) and it’s exactly something I’m looking for to replace my pot. I see there is one handle too. Nice! Would you please let me know? Thanks!
Hi Nami! That is my Le Creuset enameled cast iron saucepan. I LOVE all of my Le Creuset cookware!
I get the same sun-craves. It’s made worse by the fact that my lab has no windows, so I often and inside all day without seeing even the winter sun. Sigh.
Looks like delicious BBQ beef!
Me too Kiri. I work out of my home office and I do have windows but often I find myself stuck inside the entire day. No windows would be tough!
You’re are welcome and very deserving Julie! Have fun spreading the love 🙂
Valerie!! Thank you so much for this. You have no idea how much this means to me!!!! 🙂 You’re so sweet. I love your little blurb about me. <3