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!
Serve this tasty shredded barbecue beef on buns with Quick Coleslaw for a super satisfying meal.
I’ve got a pretty decent collection of recipes I can pull at any time of year, in any type of weather, that will satisfy our craving for BBQ. Like my Oven Baked BBQ Chicken, Oven Roasted Brisket, and Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs, this easy Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef hits the spot when the craving strikes.
The made from scratch BBQ sauce gets authentic smoky flavor from a little bacon and a blend of spices, including smoked paprika. Once it’s made, it’s just a matter of letting your slow cooker do the job of rendering chunks of chuck roast tender enough to shred into that luscious sauce. And, dinner is served!
Ingredient Notes
Homemade BBQ sauce: Olive oil, a slice of thick-sliced bacon, diced yellow onion, minced garlic, ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, cumin, smoked paprika, dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper and a little cayenne pepper is optional if you’d like to spice it up a little.
Beef: An approximately 3 pound beef chuck roast, cut it into about 5 or 6 chunks and trimmed of excess fat. This helps the beef cook a little more quickly and also ensures a clean, less greasy sauce.
How to Make Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef
- In a large saucepan, cook the diced slice of bacon until it has rendered a bit of fat and is slightly browned.
- Next add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook, stirring, until softened.
- Add the remaining barbecue sauce ingredients. 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 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. Transfer the chunks of beef to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- 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 the sauce.
Pro Tip
If you prefer a less saucy beef, use kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a bowl. Shred the beef and then spoon some of the sauce into the bowl to achieve the level of sauciness you’d like.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, this shredded BBQ beef freezes very well. Just transfer it to a freezer-safe zippered food storage bag, press out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. You can do this in smaller, serving size portions and stack the bags in the freezer to save space. Allow the frozen shredded beef to thaw safely in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
Toasted 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.
Side dishes: You can’t go wrong serving barbecue beef with Crispy Oven Baked Fries or Old Fashioned Potato Salad. My Quick Coleslaw or California Coleslaw can be served on the side or piled right on top of the beef.
Potatoes: It is also spectacular served over the top of Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, simple baked potatoes, or Baked Sweet Potatoes, with lots of the barbecue sauce drizzled over the top.
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more cooking inspiration!
Crock-Pot Barbecue Beef
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 slice thick sliced bacon, diced
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, minced
- 1 cup ketchup
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 pound beef 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 or baked 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.
More Slow Cooker Sandwiches
This post was originally published on January 12, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
The SAUCE!!! OMG! So yummy! I wanted to just drink the BBQ sauce! I didn’t have cayenne, so I substituted chili powder. The taste was superb! Definitely a recipe to put in the rotation. The whole family ate it, even my picky 2 and 4 year old granddaughters!
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