Tender Slow Cooker Pulled Beef (Printable)

Tender shredded beef slow-cooked and served on buns with zesty slaw for an easy, flavorful meal.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2.5 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil

→ Seasoning Blend

03 - 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
04 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
05 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
06 - 1 tsp garlic powder
07 - 1 tsp onion powder
08 - ½ tsp ground cumin
09 - ½ tsp dried thyme

→ Cooking Liquid

10 - 1 cup beef broth
11 - 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
12 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
13 - 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

→ Sandwich Assembly

14 - 6 sandwich buns
15 - 1 ½ cups coleslaw, store-bought or homemade
16 - Extra barbecue sauce as needed

# How-To:

01 - Pat the beef chuck roast dry and evenly season with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and thyme.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on all sides until a rich brown crust forms, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
03 - Transfer the seared beef to the slow cooker. Add beef broth, barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
04 - Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours, until the beef is tender enough to shred easily with forks.
05 - Remove beef from the cooker and shred using two forks, discarding excess fat. Skim fat from the cooking liquid and return shredded beef to the slow cooker, stirring to coat.
06 - Lightly toast sandwich buns. Layer the pulled beef onto each bun, top with coleslaw and additional barbecue sauce if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The meat becomes impossibly tender with zero actual effort on your part.
  • It tastes like you've been cooking all day when really you just seared and walked away.
  • The flavor gets deeper and more complex the longer it sits, which is basically cheating.
  • You can make it ahead and reheat whenever you need dinner to appear.
02 -
  • Skipping the sear step means missing about half the flavor development, so even though it feels like an extra thing, it genuinely transforms the final result.
  • The coleslaw must be cool and slightly acidic to balance the richness of the beef, which is why store-bought works perfectly in a pinch and tastes intentional rather than lazy.
03 -
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, check the beef around the 7-hour mark rather than waiting the full 8 hours, since fork-tender is the goal and overcooked beef becomes stringy and dry.
  • Trim visible fat before cooking rather than relying on skimming after, because while some fat is essential, too much makes the final dish feel greasy rather than luxurious.

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