Crock Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches
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A crowd-pleasing dinner doesn’t get much easier than our Crock Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches, which is a dump-and-go slow cooker recipe. The cooking method and spice mixture yield super flavorful and tender BBQ shredded beef that goes well with our Homemade BBQ Sauce.
“I just made this recipe for my husband’s Friday night fellowship group. There were a dozen hungry guys and they ate all 5 pounds of beef!. Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!!” – Susan
Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe
- It’s EASY! Simply season the beef and cook it in the slow cooker with Homemade BBQ Sauce (or whatever your favorite store-bought brand is).
- It’s freezer-friendly. Shredded beef is a great recipe to double and freeze before cooking. You can also fully cook it and freeze it in small portions.
- It feeds a lot of people. When served on buns, this recipe can easily feed 10+ people. Here are 25+ Slow Cooker Recipes for a Crowd if you want more idea
- It’s a Dump & Go Recipe. We know people love those!
- It can also be made in the Instant Pot. Try our Instant Pot BBQ Shredded Beef.
Ingredients
Only a few ingredients are needed to make this pot of melt-in-your-mouth sandwich filling.
Ingredient Notes:
BBQ Sauce – You can make homemade BBQ Sauce or use store-bought. We use this on our Crockpot BBQ Drumsticks as well.
Chuck Roast – An affordable beef cut from the shoulder, neck, and upper arm, transforms into tender, juicy perfection when slow-cooked in a crockpot. Opt for grass-fed beef for better nutrition, with a healthier fat profile.
Want to make it in the Instant Pot?
Instant Pot BBQ Beef SandwichesHow to Make BBQ Beef in the Slow Cooker
Here’s the quick and dirty overview for making shredded beef in the Crock Pot. See the recipe below for more details.
Step 1: Make dry rub with your seasonings.
Step 2: Pat the meat dry and toss with the seasonings in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Pour 1 cup BBQ sauce over the top.
Step 4: Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5.
Step 5: Shred the meat and stir back into the sauce.
Step 6: Serve the meat on toasted buns with more BBQ sauce.
How long do I cook a chuck roast in the slow cooker?
Great question! After testing hundreds (yes hundreds) of recipes for our cookbooks, we have really honed in on how long it takes to cook beef in the slow cooker.
For this particular cut of meat, you’ll want to cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat easily shreds. We’ve written a whole post dedicated to how long to cook roast in the Crock Pot if you want to read more.
How to Freeze BBQ Beef Sandwiches
BBQ Beef makes a great freezer meal. You can prep it ahead and freeze before cooking OR you can fully cook it and freeze AFTER cooking. Both options work great.
FREEZER MEAL OPTION 1: Place the seasoned roast and the BBQ sauce in a gallon-size freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze. Freeze the buns alongside the roast. When you want to eat it, thaw it in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then follow the cooking instructions.
FREEZER MEAL OPTION 2: Follow all of the cooking instructions and let cooked meat cool. Freeze the buns alongside the roast. I like to freeze the fully cooked meat into smaller portions to have for lunches. Just an idea!
What to Serve With BBQ Beef Sandwiches?
These sandwiches work both in the summer and winter. Here are some side dish ideas that would go well with them.
- Corn on the Cob
- Oven Baked Steak Fries
- Coleslaw for Pulled Pork or Asian Slaw
- Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Recipe FAQs
Chuck roast is a popular choice for BBQ shredded beef due to its rich flavor and ability to become tender when slow-cooked. Other options include brisket or short ribs.
Yes, you can make BBQ shredded beef ahead of time and freeze it for later use. Be sure to store it in an airtight container or freezer bag, and it should stay good for several months.
BBQ shredded beef is versatile and can be used in various dishes. Serve it on sandwich buns, over rice, in tacos, on nachos, or as a topping for baked potatoes. It’s a great addition to mac and cheese, too!
Make 6 Dump-and-Go Freezer Meals in 1 Hour!
- Shopping & equipment lists
- Step-by-Step instructions & video tutorial
- Serving suggestions & dietary substitutions & more
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Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches are worth the wait. So much delicious flavor from this slow cooker dish!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (3 lb) boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 1/2 cups of this homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite store-bought version
- 8–10 whole wheat hamburger buns
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Instructions
Make It Now
- In a small bowl, mix the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together.
- Rub the meat with the seasoning and place in the slow cooker.
- Pour BBQ sauce over the meat.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until beef easily shreds.
- Using two forks, shred the beef.
- Remove excess liquid and serve on whole wheat buns.
Freeze For Later
Rub the seasoning over the meat and place in a gallon-size freezer bag. Pour the BBQ sauce over the meat, press the air out of the bag, and freeze next to a bag of wheat buns.
Prepare From Frozen
Let meat thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook in slow cooker as directed. Let buns thaw at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Trim off as much excess fat as you can, or ask your butcher to do it for you.
- Freeze fully-cooked meat in small portions for easy lunches down the road.
- Try not to lift the lid of the Crock Pot while cooking!
I made this recipe as close to your instructions as possible (I had to fudge the seasoning a bit using what I had). The final result was a gloriously delicious smelling, easy freezer meal.
Using the 2 compartment ziplock food prep containers, I loaded the smaller side with beef, squirted a bit of extra BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s) and froze them overnight. In the morning, I added a big ole hamburger bun on the other side. I wasn’t sure if the bun would become soggy while the beef froze and didn’t want to risk it. I ended up with 6 freezer meals for my grateful father-in-law. We both thank you!
Hi Tammy! What a wonderful servant you are. Looks like you made several of our recipes for your father-in-law. Thank you for letting others know not only that you liked the recipes, but also how you took freezing them to another level with the extras in the 2-compartment containers.
Awesome love it
Thank you fry
Thanks Norma!
Quick question… I was going to omit the BBQ sauce so they can pour their own on the meat. If I do this is the meat going to be too dry??
The BBQ sauce helps add flavor and moisture to the meat as it cooks. However, you could add a little broth to the bottom of the cooker to help with moisture if you don’t want to add the BBQ sauce. I think it will still turn out fine.
I have this in my crockpot right now, but don’t have 8-10 hours. Lol can I cook this on high? If so for how long?
Sorry that I just saw this! Yes, you can cook on high for 4-5 hours (until it shreds easily). Hope it worked out!
Very easy and very tasty!
Great to hear that! Thanks for the review, Aneesha.
This was great, my third recipe that I’ve made from this site. (Also had the teriyaki shredded beef and insta-pot mashed potatoes). I’ll be searching for more here for sure! Thanks for posting great tasting recipes that are pretty easy/ quick to make.
We love hearing that, Katie. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This was so easy and delicious. My family loved it with the homemade BBQ sauce.
Easy and delicious meals are our jam! Haha. Glad it was a hit.
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it! One question: If I double the amount of meat, will the cooking time change for the crock pot?
Thanks!! So many great recipes on this site 🙂
I haven’t tested this as a doubled meal, since it already makes so much. But, my educated guess is that if you cut the meat into large chunks that are all about the same size, it should cook evenly and for about the same amount of time. If you just buy a much larger roast, it will likely take a little longer. You want the meat to shred easily when done. Hope that helps!
Can I make the sliders in advance 30/1hour b4 guest arrive or is it something you need to serve as your going to eat?
You can for sure make them in advance!
I’ll be honest when I taste tested the bbq sauce before pouring it over beef I was worried- wasn’t a fan. But I’m glad I kept going because 8 hours later im relieved that I’ll have great sliders to serve at my July 4th party and won’t have to worry about standing in the kitchen cooking while my guests are here!
Love to hear that, Brooke! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review. Happy 4th!
Hi! I’m going to make this tomorrow for a small group of friends. I have 2 questions: What kind of rolls would you recommend? And can I make the BBQ sauce today so I can put in crock pot first thing in the morning? (I would assume so, but just wanted to check)
Thank you!
Really any roll is going to work. I personally like to use wheat hamburger buns. And yes, you can for sure make it in advance. Good luck!
This looks great! Do you think this would work with stew beef instead of chuck roast? I have some in my freezer I need to use ;). Thanks for any thoughts!!
I’m hosting a gathering for my boxers tomorrow (I teach boxing to people with Parkinson’s disease) and I’m going to double this recipe and serve it on Hawaiian rolls. Thank you for the homemade BBQ sauce recipe too. I really try to keep everything as preservative free as I can. 🙂
Oh great, I hope it worked out well!
Very yummy! I did a test recipe of this for my hubby and I and am making it tomorrow for a monthly community meal for families on the margins. Everyone will pitch in to help with the salad, yam fries, cut up fruit and Amish cookies, but this will be simmering away during the day and welcome everyone in. We have some crock pots that were donated. I’m always on the hunt for nutritious, family friendly meals that cross cultures well. Budget is important too of course so this is a bit of a splurge but at $4.99/lb for sirloin tip roasts this week (couldn’t find chuck roasts on sale) we will talk about the economies of scale as the leftovers can be worked into other main dishes in the days following these amazing beef buns. Thanks so much.
This is probably a dumb question, but I would love to cook this is advance for my (teacher) daughter, so she could just pull it out of the freezer COOKED, thaw it in the fridge that day, and just warm it up in the microwave for her crew that night. Do you think this would be okay? Thanks! I love your blog and recipes–I am not a cook but have prepared several recipes for my kids and they love them!
Hi Nancy. Great question. You can definitely cook this one, store in a freezer bag or container, and then thaw and warm. What a sweet idea for your daughter’s teacher. We love hearing that our freezer meals are lovingly shared with others. 🙂
I just made this recipe for my husband’s Friday night fellowship group. There were a dozen hungry guys and they ate all 5 pounds of beef (!). Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!! I found your website Tuesday on a google search for dinners that feed 15 to 20. I knew they were coming and had zero ideas besides the usual pizza delivery or packaged Italian beef sandwiches (too expensive). The BBQ beef was quick, delicious, and less than half the cost of take out.
Thanks so much, Susan. This is fantastic to hear that the recipe worked for his group. This is exactly why we keep doing what we do here at Thriving Home!